Castles and fortified houses can be found all over Britain. Impressive, oppressive, dramatic, romantic: who built these castles, and why? Many fortified sites started off as Bronze or Iron Age forts, ...

Cotton, a valuable raw material and a mainstay of the textile industry, has been around for centuries and remains one of the most crucial resources to this day. Cotton has been used by humans as far ...

V.E. Day celebrations in Scotland became a full two or three day extravaganza, with street parties, bonfires, and mass gatherings. Pubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh were drunk dry, people partied all day ...

Princess Elizabeth's 'secret night out'. Desperate to join in the V.E. Day celebrations, Elizabeth and her sister Margaret ...

In the 1950s and early 60s, entertaining at home had meant a cocktail party with nibbles rather than a sit down meal. A ...

Richard I the Lionheart (r. 1189-1199) is perhaps best known for his exploits in the Third Crusade. His war against Saladin is one of the classic stories of medieval chivalry and crusading. But ...

Largely forgotten in his own country, Frank Whittle was indeed the true inventor of the jet engine, the invention that would go on to revolutionise aviation and the mode of travel for future ...

The British Empire is remembered for its extensive, long-lasting and far-reaching imperial activities that ushered in an era of globalisation and connectivity. The British Empire began in its ...

Mystery, legend and myth surround the Knights Templar, a religious military order of knighthood formed at the time of the Crusades and sworn to defend Christian holy sites in the Holy Land. One of ...

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” said restless insomniac King Henry IV in the opening scene of Shakespeare’s eponymous play. The story of Arbella Stuart (1575 – 1615) shows that life was ...

On 29th May 1660, on his 30th birthday, Charles II arrived in London to a rapturous welcome. This was a defining moment not only for Charles personally but for a nation that wanted to see a restored ...

Lucozade! Many baby boomers will remember this sparkling, lurid-coloured drink when the glass bottle still came wrapped in crinkly cellophane. This iconic tonic only appeared when a child was ill in ...