Clifton Suspension Bridge
The Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol was initially designed by the celebrated engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, in…
Crop circles
The ‘crop circle‘ phenomenon began in the 1970s on the farmlands of south-west England, particularly in Wiltshire.…
Free TV licences for over-75s
The TV licence is for all live and recorded TV programmes provided by the British Broadcasting Company…
Smugglers and wreckers
During most of the eighteenth century Britain and France were at war and this gave rise to…
Eton Boating Song
The Eton Boating Song was first performed either in 1863 or 1865 ~ sources differ ~ for…
“Shanks’s pony”
The expression to “go by Shanks’s pony” means to walk. It usually implies that there is no…
Daley Thompson
Francis Morgan “Daley“ Thompson was a record-breaking decathlete in the 1980s. He was born in London in…
Ulster planters
In its empire-building phase of the sixteenth century, England took control of its neighbour, Ireland. When King…
Smart Motorways
The first motorway in Britain was opened in 1959 and since then, the country has seen more…
Snooker
The game of snooker was devised by a Colonel in the British Army whilst based in India…
Conkers
Conkers is an old, traditional game that used to be played by schoolchildren (and sometimes adults), but…
The creator of James Bond
London-born Ian Fleming (1908-1964) wrote fourteen books featuring the fictional secret agent James Bond, Agent 007. As…