Stories
I love all things British – British history, British culture, British art, British way of life. Having lived here for over 30 years, I never stop admiring how great everything is about this country! This blog with reflect my adventures in everything around me that I love – from the Royal Family to local history, that I want to share with my friends – old and new.
Three Hares Dancing
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
Creative force of the River Wandle
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
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’ Lost World
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
The Beatles at the Empire Pool, Wembley
“John stood astride in the familiar Lennon style, shoved on a pair of brown sunglasses with familiar Lennon panache, and belted straight into the vocal of ‘I Feel Fine’. The screaming seemed to reach the kind of level that only dogs and A&R men could hear.” – NME’s Alan Smith
The River Lea
The River Lee Country Park is a maze of lakes, water courses, streams, inlets and marshland, created by the River Lee as it approaches the north eastern edge of London. The name Lee – also known as Lea, both spellings are used interchangeably – comes from the old English word
Morden Hall Park and Snuff Mills
Now a National Trust property, the Morden Hall Park occupies the land, which in the middle ages belonged to Westminster Abbey, and, after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII,was acquired by the Garth family, the rich local landowners. The River Wandle meanders poetically through Morden Hall Park –
Epping Forest
Epping Forest was a royal hunting forest since the times of Henry II in the 12th century. With the Norman conquest the word ‘forest’ came to mean the land where only the king and/or aristocracy had the right to hunt, while common people were still allowed to collect firewood and
Coronation of Elizabeth II
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
Frank Matcham and His Theatres – A Flair for Magic
If you’ve ever been to the London’s Coliseum, the home of English National Opera, you will always remember the special feeling when you saw its interior for the first time – a kind of intimacy combined with baroque-like opulence, when the Victorian era met the Edwardian one. This was the
The Girl I Left Behind Me (Brighton Camp)
What is the song about? The Girl I Left Behind Me (Brighton Camp) is sung by a soldier going to war, who remembers the beautiful girl whom he left back home, hoping to return to her soon. Where did it start? As with many folk songs, no one knows for
VE Day, 8 May 2020
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
The Paul McCartney Rose
We have a Paul McCartney in our garden – it’s the lovely rose created by French rose breeder Alain Meilland in 1988. It was paid for and named by EMI, the record company that issued all Beatles records in the 1960s. This was EMI’s 50th birthday present to Sir Paul
May Day
With the sun shining brightly, today is the day to welcome the summer! People have been celebrating this since the Roman times. Floralia, a Roman festival lasting a week around this time, celebrated Flora, the goddess of flowers and fruit, with theatrical performances, spectacles, throwing beans and seeds and hares
Haughmond Abbey
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
Battle of Shrewsbury
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
Mummers’ Play
We were very lucky yesterday to see a performance by Croxley Mummers. A Mummers’ play is a long standing English tradition of amateur actors performing short plays, often associated with Morris dancing, at festivals, events, pubs or even people’s homes. Traditionally there are two opponents having a fight, and the doctor
Admiral Benbow
As Lilia and I wondered around the Shrewsbury museum, we heard a song playing from a little room adjacent to a passageway, and went to investigate. This is the song, shown on a screen there, with the story of the Admiral Benbow song on the walls – Lilia instantly remembered
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is an ancient market town in Shropshire, about 3 hours drive from London. Its streets were quiet and relaxing, when we visited on Easter Sunday. During the Roman occupation, this area was an important centre, with many Roman finds now on show at the local history museum, which is
Book Review: Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, the Early Years, 1926-1966 by Kenneth Womack
George Martin is an enigmatic figure for Beatles fans. Our favourite group’s meteoric rise to the heights of popularity and creativity is well documented, and everyone knows about George Martin’s role as a producer of Beatles records. But do we really know what kind of person was he? Where did
Nothe Fort, Weymouth
Nothe Fort crowns the little Nothe Peninsular, guarding Weymouth and Portland Harbours. It was built in the middle of 19th century, when the British got worried about the built up of the French navy. Its circular sides had casemates for cannons, covering the two harbours. The fort came into its
Topics
- British Museum
- Composers
- Country Mansions
- Customs
- Dorset
- Essex
- Flowers
- Folk Songs
- Forests
- Hertfordshire
- Historic Figures
- History
- Literature
- London
- Merton
- Museums
- Norfolk
- Parks
- Religion
- Royalty
- Saints
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Sussex
- The Beatles
- Theatres
- Towns
- Wales
- Wembley
- Westminster Abbey
- Willesden
- World War II
