Restoration Comedy
Given that youth sub-cultures (e.g. punk, hippy, emo, rocker) deliberately set out on an irreverent, anti-establishment path,…
British dialects
At the time of WW2 there were at least 50 distinct British dialects, some with derived names…
Aeroacoustics
With air travel increasing in popularity in the early 1950s, scientists were faced with the new problem…
Literary Festivals
In the land that produced Shakespeare it is unsurprising that many aspire to write their own masterpieces…
The Miners’ Strike of 1984-85
Britain has utilised its vast natural coal resources for 1,000 years and many inventions (including railways) arose…
New Year’s Day
The start of a new year has been set variously at 1st January, 1st March and 25th…
Rounders
An ancient British game called ‘town-ball’, ‘base’ or ‘base-ball’ were the forerunners of the sport of rounders.…
Vicars and Vicarages
The leader (‘incumbent’) of a Church of England parish church is known as a vicar, the equivalent…
Police & Crime Commissioners
The hierarchy of UK police ranks, in ascending order, is generally as follows:- Constable Sergeant Inspector Chief…
Hawk-Eye
Referees and umpires, we all should agree, have a very difficult job. The assistance of digital camera…
The Chartist Movement
The 1832 Reform Act was a small step towards equal rights, such as they were then perceived,…
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight (IoW) is a diamond-shaped island two miles off England’s south coast and is…