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My History Blog

Belfast Central Library
 

Belfast Central Library opened in 1888, and was one of the first major public library buildings in Ireland.

Castle Bytham – the castle
 

Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire is one of the most significant motte and bailey castle in England.

Statue of King Edward VII in Birmingham
 

The King Edward VII Memorial is a sculpture in memory of King Edward VII, located in Birmingham, but it is a shadow of its original self.

The Holborn Viaduct, London
 

By the 1850s access to the City of London from the west was becoming congested and difficult. The answer was the viaduct at Holborn.

The Merchant Hotel, Belfast
 

On a recent visit to Belfast I found myself wandering past this magnificent façade – The Merchant Hotel.

Clarence Park, Weston-Super-Mare
 

I came to Weston super Mare for a long weekend away, and a fab time. I found Clarence Park on my first day and stopped at the café there for a snack. It was so good I came back again and again. You should too.

Birmingham City Council House
 

In 1852, Birmingham Town Council decided that the old Town Hall of 1807 was too small, so a new City Hall began to be built.

Burton le Coggles
 

I wasn’t going to visit Burton le Coggles – I was on my way somewhere else – but I saw the name on a signpost and could not resist. What was this place with such a wonderful name.

Foxton - The Field
 

The Leicestershire village of Foxton is best known for the amazing ladder of locks on the Grand Union Canal, but I came here to have a peek at the field just south of the lovely parish church.

James Horner Haslett
 

On the lawn outside Belfast City Hall stand a number of statues. This one is of James Horner Haslett, a former Mayor of Belfast

Overton Hill Barrows, Wiltshire
 

Of all the prehistoric barrows in Wiltshire, the most visited must surely be those on Overton Hill.

War comes to Ashby Parva
 

The Leicestershire village of Ashby Parva is charming and today is a fairly quiet place of some 250 inhabitants. That was not always the case.

A Visit to Weston super Mare
 

I just love Weston super Mare. It is a great classic British seaside resort with everything you would expect.

Exeter Cathedral – well worth a visit
 

I spent almost an entire day in Exeter Cathedral. It is a wonderful building packed with memorials, beautiful artworks, quirky corners and – if you time it right – some wonderful music praising God.

John Betjeman at St Pancras
 

At the heart of London’s magnificent St Pancras Station stands this statue of the poet John Betjeman. And fully deserved is the honour.

Castle Bytham - the castle
 

The castle at Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire is one of the most significant motte and bailey castle in England.

Avebury Church, Wiltshire
 

The Wiltshire village of Avebury is best known for its massive prehistoric henge, but there is also a lovely medieval church located here.

The War Graves of Great Ponton
 

I came here to pay my respects to two graves of servicemen cared for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Chamberlain Memorial, Birmingham
 

The Chamberlain Memorial in bimringham was erected in 1880 to commemorate Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914),

Graves in Colsterworth
 

I came to Colsterworth in Lincolnshire astride the A1 to look for the graves of two servicemen

The War Graves of Twyford
 

The churchyard at Twyford, Leicestershire, holds two graves that are cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission [CWGC].

West Kennet Long Barrow
 

This is a burial mound where dozens of people were buried over a period of centuries some 4,000 years ago.

Leadenhall Market
 

Leadenhall Market is a covered market in the City of London,

Weston Super Mare Pier
 

The Grand Pier at Weston Super Mare is a fantastic place to visit

Albert Clock Tower, Belfast
 

The magnificent Albert Clock Tower in Belfast is a key and much-loved, if slightly wonky, landmark in the city.

The Graves of Corby Glen in Lincolnshire
 

I came to Corby Glen in Lincolnshire to visit the grave of Able Seaman Eric Griffiths who died on 23 March 1942 on board HMS Nelson

The Sanctuary, Avebury
 

What is now a field dotted with concrete markers was once a magnificent stone and timber circle

Deene Park
 

Deene Park is a wonderful eclectic mix of architectural styles, having evolved through the centuries.

The Ridgeway
 

The Ridgeway is an ancient trackway, perhaps 5,000 years old, which is often described as Britain's oldest road.

The Railway at Weston at Welland
 

Running roughly northeast to southwest across the countryside to the west of Weston by Welland, Northamptonshire, is a disused railway line.

Topsham, Devon
 

Topsham is a lovely little town in Devon on the estuary of the River Exe.

St Pancras New Church in London
 

I was in London recently and went to have a quick look at the magnificent St Pancras Church, which is unsurprisingly a mere stone’s throw from St Pancras Station.

Marlborough, Wiltshire
 

The High Street in Marlborough, Wiltshire, is the widest in England.

War Grave at Swayfield, Lincolnshire
 

I came here looking for a grave cared for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. That of Aircraftman 1st Class Wilfrid Leslie Atter

Avebury Henge
 

Recognised for its globally important Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, here you’ll find the world’s largest stone circle, stone avenues and ancient tombs. Much

War Graves in Foxton
 

I came to Foxton – famous for its canal locks – to look for three graves of servicemen who gave their lives for King and County and to whom we owe so much.

Who was the Real St Valentine
 

St Valentine's Day is on the horizon, so today I gave my talk on St Valentine for the first time this year, and for the first time on Zoom. The group of 40 odd folks were a lively audience. I've spoken to this group before, but again this was the first t

Hengist the First English King
 

Displaying guile, violence and astonishing ruthlessness, Hengist carved out a kingdom for himself – a lead followed by other warriors who together created England. Although he was such a pivotal figure in the founding of England, the facts about his lif

FILM REVIEW - Carry On Henry
 

Nobody ever watched a Carry On film expecting accurate history. Which is just as well because you don't get much of it in this offering. But I am being far too serious in looking for historical parallels. This is a bawdy, slapstick farce of the first orde

FILM REVIEW - the Private Life of Henry VIII
 

This is a great movie! Having now watched it, I can confirm that Laughton absolutely deserved his Oscar for his performance in this movie. The plot follows reasonably faithfully the life of Henry from 1536 to 1547.

FILM REVIEW - The Santa Fe Trail (1940)
 

Well, this is a cracking action adventure movie - though what it's got to do with the Santa Fe Trail is quite beyond me. They talk about it a couple of timees, but nobody ever actually goes to Santa Fe.

FILM REVIEW - Zulu (1964)
 

Made in 1964 to depict the Battle of Rorke's Drift, fought in 1879 as part of the Zulu Wars in southern Africa, this is one of the greatest war films ever made.

No.43 Squadron, RAF, become world famous
 

On 21 July 1940 the squadron performed a feat that made them world famous, though war time censorship meant that at the time the identity of the squadron concerned was not printed in the newspapers

FILM REVIEW - North West Frontier [1959]
 

I remember watching this film with my dad many years ago. As I recall it, the film was set on a train on which the heroes were racing to escape the villains. I suppose that way back then the subtleties of the plot and certainly I would have missed the re

The Kingdom of Sussex - a Talk
 

Today I gave my talk on the Kingdom of Sussex via Zoom to over 100 people from a U3A group in Sussex.

The Roaring Girl of Surrey
 

One of the few highwaywomen on record also robbed on the heaths of north Surrey.

The Real King Arthur - on zoom
 

I've just delivered my talk and presentation on "The Real King Arthur" to a U3A group of over 120 people via zoom. This is the first time I've done such a big group on zoom, and it worked surprisingly well. We took in Monty Python, Keira Knightly, Dark Ag

Attacking the Luftwaffe head-on
 

The 15 September 1940 again dawned bright and sunny, but this time the Luftwaffe were up early with decoys and feints. Then, around 10.40am, the radar picked up what was clearly a major formation gathering over Calais. At 11.15am No.253 and No.501 Squadro

Busting Stereotypes - Women at War
 

Yesterday I gave my talk on "Women at War" for a Women's Institute Group. I always enjoy this talk as it breaks through so many stereotypes - about women, warfare, Greeks, South America, the Royal Navy and more.