Disabled access
Both World Wars, by producing many more physically and mentally disabled people than before, resulted in the…
John Constable
The oil paintings of John Constable, RA (1776-1837) were ground-breaking in their day. He rebelled against the…
The Lord’s Prayer
Until the 21st century most Britons knew The Lord’s Prayer by heart, as they recited it every…
Parkesine, the first plastic
The motivation behind the first plastic was to conserve natural resources, such as rubber and timber, and…
Royal Ascot
It was Queen Anne (1665-1714) who, in 1711, spotted Ascot Heath’s potential for horse racing and arranged…
Stephen Hawking’s universe
Oxford-born cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) said:“Look up at the stars and not at your feet. Try…
The Privy Council
In the UK’s constitutional monarchy the Privy Council can be regarded as a go-between for Parliament’s dealings…
Winter Solstice – Yule
The Winter Solstice takes place on or adjacent to 21st December and is the day with the…
Lord Byron
Lord Byron (George Gordon, 1788-1824) gave English literature the ‘Byronic hero’, seen in the novels of the…
Hampton Court Palace
King Henry VIII (1491-1547) owned dozens of castles, mansions and palaces. One that remains today is the…
Common law
Common law embodies the natural instinct towards knowing what is right (‘lawful’) and wrong (‘unlawful’) and the…
School-leaving qualifications
While some children in the UK do unfortunately finish their time at school without any or very…