Three hares sharing three ears,Yet every one of them has two (Ancient German riddle) Before the three hares made their way onto my new T-Shirt,T-which I bought at the Hastings Jack in the Green Festival, May 2022, they had a very long and curious journey through history. The earliest motif of
We wandered along the River Wandle in Merton and came across the site of the ancient Merton Priory, which is not a shopping centre. What remains of the priory is underground – the excavated remains of a great monastic establishment is now a little museum underground. Only a few original
Do you remember the famous Steven Spielberg’s thrillers of the 1990s – Jurassic Park and The Lost World? Do you know who was the first to think of dinosaurs being alive? This was over 100 years before Michael Crighton’s Jurassic book, which became the basis for the film. This idea
2 June 1953 was the coronation day of Elizabeth II. The 26 year old Elizabeth became Queen on the day her father, George VI died, on 6 February 1952, but it was required to have a period of mourning and also lengthy preparations were needed for the coronation ceremony. By
Today we hang out the Union Jack, dress up and sing patriotic songs – it VE Day! Unlike Russia, which celebrates Victory Day on 9th May, here it is commemorated on the 8th. It was on this day 75 years ago that Winston Churchill officially announced on the radio that
Today, it is only me, sheep and cows at Haughmond Abbey. However, in Medieval times this was a flourishing house of Augustian monks. It started life as a small religious community in the thick forests between the Upper Severn and the Roden rivers. From the early 12th century it was
A famous savage battle took place on these picturesque fields on 21 July 1403, – the Battle of Shrewsbury. The leaders of the rival armies were King Henry IV and Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy, the son of the Earl of Northumberland. The Percys were an influential family of Northumberland nobles, who
Going round stately homes on a fine holiday weekend you can come across Jousting – re-enactment of knights in colourful armour tackling each other on horseback. This has been a popular summer theatrical entertainment from 1970s. During Middle Ages jousting had a practical purpose – preparing knights (and their horses)
Of Daffodils and Leeks – St.David’s Day, 1st March This 1st March my front garden boasts 5 daffodils. Along with camellias and crocuses they are the first splashes of colour, after predominantly green British winter. Daffodils are traditionally regarded to be the national symbol for Wales, along with leeks, dragons
When I was doing my Blue Badge guide cause, one of the teachers told us that if a tour is interesting for children, it is more than suitable for adults – because it is interesting. One may quote dates and numbers, but it is the stories that bring history to
