Culture Category

Gilbert & Sullivan
The Gilbert & Sullivan partnership was between Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan…

Robin Hood
The story of Yorkshireman Robin Hood, who lived in the 14th century, has been embellished over the…

The National Trust
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty was formed as a charity in…

Mad dogs and Englishmen
Sir Noel Coward (1899-1973) was a prolific playwright, composer and actor, whose wit shines through all his…

The BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is known the world over and is the oldest and biggest state…

Gentlemen’s clubs
Once the city coffeehouse trend of the 1700s had faded, it was the gentlemen’s clubs which slipped…

The Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureateship is an honorary royal appointment of a poet who is recognised as contributing to…

The National Lottery
There have been four Parliamentary Acts, from 1993 to 2006, putting into place the legislation required for…

The bowler hat
An iconic part of the city gent’s uniform, the black bowler hat was named after nephew and…

Dame Emma Kirkby, soprano
Dame Emma Kirkby was born in 1949 in Surrey and is an icon of ‘early’ music, which…

Angel of the North
The ‘Angel of the North‘ is a monumental red-rust steel sculpture in Gateshead, adjacent to the A1.…

Curry houses
In the 1970s/80s, going out for a meal in the evening became very popular and ‘going for…