About Purple Brolly

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My aim is to give a flavour of these precious islands we call 'the UK'. All research is based on a minimum of two public domain sources, usually more.

Articles created by Purple Brolly

25/12/2024

Portmeirion

The unique village of Portmeirion at the foot of Snowdonia has no full-time residents and is purely…

24/12/2024

The ‘Carry On’ films

A carry-on is defined as a rumpus, a commotion, and this, with a big dose of fun,…

22/12/2024

The Paralympics

As a comparatively young sporting event, the Paralympics is still evolving, most notably in its classification scheme.…

16/12/2024

Dissolution of the Monasteries

One result of establishing the Church of England was the Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and…

13/12/2024

Agricultural Policies

From peasant subsistence to ‘feeding the nation’, British agriculture has undergone many changes and been subjected to…

03/12/2024

Gun ownership

There are approximately 2,300,000 guns legally held in the UK, primarily for pest control on one’s own…

27/11/2024

The Queen’s Watch, 1770

In 1770 King William III (1738-1820) purchased a gold watch from the country’s greatest watchmaker, Devon-born Thomas…

02/11/2024

Thomas Cranmer

Nottinghamshire-born Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) enrolled at Cambridge University aged 14 and remained there for more than two…

26/10/2024

The Boer Wars

From the 1600s, Dutch, French and German settlers arrived in South Africa and it was this community…

08/10/2024

Dover

The Romans called it ‘Dubris’ and the Saxons named England’s closest transit point to Europe ‘Dofras’. The…

02/09/2024

Penguin paperbacks

Bristol-born Sir Allen Lane (1902-70) was the genius with the driving force to create a revolution in…

20/08/2024

Michael Bond, creator of ‘Paddington Bear’

The children’s stories about the accident-prone bear called Paddington, were written by Berkshire-born Michael Bond, CBE (1926-2017).…