For centuries, England has had a rich tradition of decorating interior walls with painted imagery. The paintings could depict tales from the Bible and offer moral warnings to local church congregations, almost all of whom were unable to read or write before education became widely available. Wall paintings first appeared in England during the Roman…
William I, also known as William the Conqueror, was the first Norman king of England, who reigned from 1066 to 1087. Before this, he was the Duke of Normandy from 1035. When the Anglo-Saxon English king, Edward the Confessor, died in 1066, William set his sights on invading England and expanding his power. Invading England…
From the burning flames of effigies of Guy Fawkes, ignited and ashy annual reminders to keep in line or be immortalised into history as an enemy of Great Britannia, to the burning of sugared plantations in the Caribbean causing panicked uproars in British Parliament, flames and fury transforming itself into jubilant celebration is an evolution…
Lined with vibrant restaurants and bustling shops, Chinatowns are lively culinary hubs at the heart of England’s cities. A melting pot of diverse Asian cultures and communities, they are often marked by a distinctive Chinese archway, or paifang, which stands as a cultural symbol of Chinese heritage in England. Chinatown, Gerrard Street, London. © Historic…
When the railway expanded in Britain in the 19th century, it transformed the way people lived, worked and socialised. Heavy goods could be transported faster than before, rural areas now had access to urban centres and new employment opportunities, and travel and leisure activities became more accessible for most people. But how and when did…
There are many claimants for London’s oldest public house, with several names repeatedly cropping up. The earliest pubs were medieval alehouses, taverns, and inns. The term ‘public house’ was in use by the early 17th century and included these early types of buildings. No historic pubs survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, and…
Martello towers are a series of small coastal artillery forts, built to counter the threat of invasion from France in the Napoleonic era (roughly 1799 to 1815). The name and form of the Martello tower derive from a small defensive tower at Punta Mortella, a point in the bay of San Fiorenzo in Corsica. The…
Scares on screen are as old as cinema itself. From the early years of horror film production in England to the present day, ghosts, haunted houses and other creepy subjects found a suitable outlet in the darkened space of the movie theatre. One obvious advantage to English filmmakers is that living in a country steeped in…
The Arts and Crafts movement emerged in the late 19th century in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. It celebrated craftsmanship, local materials and functional design, positioning itself in contrast to the arrival of mass production and machine-made goods. William Morris and John Ruskin The Arts and Crafts movement was inspired by the ideas of writer…
In her guidebook from 1900, the journalist Dora Jones declared “The life of a bachelor girl in a big city [is] a wonderful and glorious vision … What a thing it must be…to be like Celia in London, who has a career, in music perhaps, or art or journalism, who lives in chambers like a…