All articles in History
15th December, 2015 in Biography & Memoir, History
Henry V: Cold-hearted ruler or virtuous king?
On 9 April 1413, Henry V was crowned king of England. But how should we remember him: as a conquering hero who helped put the great into Great Britain; or a warmonger who led his country into a futile war of foreign conquest? It snowed heavily in London on the day that Henry…
15th December, 2015 in History, Maritime
Titanic and Terra Nova
On 18 April 2015 two apparently unrelated stands of history came together in an auction in Wiltshire. Amongst the lots in an auction of items related to Titanic is a lot consisting of fifty-two negatives taken by Henry ‘Birdie’ Bowers during the last months of Captain Scott’…
15th December, 2015 in History, Military, Society & Culture
Memories of VE Day
It is a cherished legend in my family, at least cherished by me, that on the night of VE Day my mother was brought home from the pub in a wheelbarrow. I was only six at the time (well, six and three-quarters), so took no part in the celebrations, but I was thrilled beyond belief…
15th December, 2015 in Archaeology, History, Military
Britain’s secret homes: Orchard Court
Melanie Backe-Hansen, Britain’s leading house historian, has uncovered the hidden stories and secrets of houses across the country, including Orchard Court, which was used by the ‘F’ section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in World War Two. In late 2012 I was appro…
14th December, 2015 in Biography & Memoir, History
Why is King Arthur a giant of history?
King Arthur is today an iconic figure of the Western World, a giant of literature, art, theatre, film and history. Debate continues, though, as to whether or not the Arthur familiar to us today derives from a ‘real’ figure of the past. If so, can we recover anything about that in…
14th December, 2015 in History, Society & Culture
Ravaged, ruined and removed – the lost buildings of the world
Across the globe our lands are littered with the remnants and memories of lost and ravaged buildings. But where exactly are these buildings we’re now missing? And why were they torn down? Today, property and cultural heritage protection is paramount, meaning that the mere idea of…
14th December, 2015 in Biography & Memoir, History, Society & Culture
Harry Clarke: Modernising a medieval art
Born in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day in 1889, Henry Patrick (Harry) Clarke would grow up to both take over his father’s respected stained glass and interior décor business and to become one of Ireland’s greatest artists and craftsmen. Working with a variety of media, Harry Clarke…
14th December, 2015 in History, Military
The 1916 Easter Rising
At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the slogan ‘England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity’ became synonymous among Irish nationalists and became the driving force behind physical force nationalism in Ireland during the first half of the twentieth century. W…