The Oak
Two types of oak tree are native to the UK ~ the English and the sessile. Others…
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. On this day Jesus reputedly washed his disciples’ feet…
Led Zeppelin
For a band that refused to put out singles in the UK, it is ironic that TV’s…
Channel swimming
An open-water swimmer needs exceptional mental strength to attempt to swim the English Channel, the North Channel…
Middle English
In the period immediately following the Norman Conquest of 1066, there were three main languages spoken in…
Belisha beacons
The flash rate of Belisha beacons (0.75 seconds on, 0.75 seconds off) might have been chosen by…
Gypsies, Roma and Travellers
The UK’s Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community is roughly estimated at 120,000-300,000 people. They have the…
Flinders Petrie, pioneer of Egyptology
Sir W.M. Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) did not know his grandfather, Lincolnshire-born Captain Matthew Flinders (1774-1814), who was…
The Northern Ireland Assembly
Ever since its legal creation in 1921, Northern Ireland has had its own Parliament, or Assembly, but…
Bank Holidays
Until the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, the idea of taking a day off with pay for…
The Vikings
During the Vikings‘ explorations spanning N.America to the Middle East, Britain did not go unnoticed and in…
Boy Scouts
Lord Robert S.S. Baden-Powell (‘B-P’, 1857-1941) was born in London but always enjoyed being outdoors, immersed in…