Meet the Flintstones
About a year ago, I was given a meaty challenge by one of my keenest readers. (Well, my son actually - he politely reads the posts, to please his mother).…
Route Canal work
Britain: we live on a watery island. Any map shows an intricate network of natural waterways, covering the land. So why was there the rise of canal mania in the…
Piers of the Realm
Here’s a nautical post to recall warmer times, in this cold weather. We spent some happy hours at the English seaside last summer. We idled away a few pleasant afternoons…
Dragons’ teeth
On your trips out and about, do you sometimes spot random stuff - lumps of concrete, bits of iron, abandoned huts and sheds, strange buildings in the middle of nowhere…
The French Connection
When I was a young thing, my maternal grandmother would tell me the family tales. “We’re descended from Huguenots, you know”, she’d say proudly. Fast-forward too many years, and you’ll…
Norman Wisdom
What’s the first date you learned at school, in those dull history lessons? No question, it was of course that of the Battle of Hastings. 1066 (and All That).…
Station to station
Hello. It’s been a while. Quite a frantic few months, but now I seem to have found some time to hunt wrens again… Regular readers of this blog might recall…
Surely, Templars?
Everyone likes a good conspiracy theory, so I thought we’d start off with some fun. In 1982, a ‘non-fiction’ book was published with the title The Holy Blood and the…
Keep the home fires burning – please!
Here’s another post about the first world war. It’s such a compelling period to study: it’s so close in time to us, yet it’s slowly receding into “proper” history. My…
The Watkins Path
I do love a good walk. And as an amateur historian, I love the ancient paths and tracks that cover these islands. Not only the Roman roads which criss-cross…
Essex Bad Boys: Richard Rich
What would you call a man who betrayed all who helped him when first starting out in life, and who dropped his friends at the first whiff of trouble? Who…
Street Life
Following my recent musings on crop circles, JP, a friend who takes an occasional interest in my posts, took me to task. “ Why are you writing all this boring…