All articles in Local & Family History
30th January, 2017 in Local & Family History
By royal appointment: Herefordshire’s regal connections
Herefordshire can rightly boast more royal connections than likely anywhere else save for London itself. From Saxon to Stuart, Norman to Tudor, this ‘oft forgotten’ county has witnessed it all; the usurpation of monarchs, coronations of kings, murder and intrigue, violence and de…
18th January, 2017 in Local & Family History, Military
Zeppelins on the East Coast
At the beginning of 1915 the Kaiser sanctioned the use of Zeppelins to bomb military and industrial targets in England. So on 19th January 1915 three Zeppelins, L3, L4 and L6 took off from their bases in Germany, each with 16 men, armed with 8x110Ib high explosive and 11x25I…
13th January, 2017 in History, Local & Family History, Society & Culture
The last Thames frost fair
February 1814: King George III was on the throne, Tory Lord Liverpool was Prime Minister and the Napoleonic Wars would soon be over. It was also the third coldest winter since 1659, when the Central England Temperature (CET) records began. After weeks of bitter chill, blankets of…
19th December, 2016 in Local & Family History
10 cultural milestones from Cardiff’s past
On the 20 December 1955, Cardiff was proclaimed the capital city of Wales. Over 60 years after this major event in Welsh history, author and journalist Mark Rees explores ten cultural milestones from the city’s past. Take a drive towards Cardiff Bay nowadays, and…
8th December, 2016 in Local & Family History, Transport & Industry
33 years in the making: Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge
An international symbol of the city of Bristol since its opening in 1864, Clifton Suspension Bridge was Brunel’s first major project. And it remains one of Britain’s best-loved – and most useful – landmarks. However, its journey into being was not a smooth one. The funding, desig…
23rd November, 2016 in Local & Family History
Sussex poetry: A country saved…a country lost
Tony Ward’s popular Poetry+ series in Sussex Life combines poetry, local history and puzzle-solving in a unique and active way, encouraging those with an interest in the county to engage with the famous people and much-loved places connected to it. Here, Tony explores anothe…
27th October, 2016 in Archaeology, Local & Family History
All about Avebury
1 November 2016 marked 30 years since seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites were inscribed in the United Kingdom. That number has grown over the last 30 years to now include a total of 30 sites throughout the UK and British Overseas Territories. Avebury is one of the seven original s…
27th October, 2016 in Local & Family History
Jersey’s 10 spookiest locations
The island of Jersey is the southernmost part of Great Britain. While it may be most famous as a holiday location with sun-drenched beaches, the island is steeped in dark history and ancient legends. Here, we explore the island at night with a look at Jersey’s ten spookiest locat…
17th October, 2016 in History, Local & Family History
The London Beer Flood
The prospect of an unlimited supply of free beer might, at first, seem appealing. Yet, when it is a tidal wave at least 15 metres high and over one million litres in volume, it is considerably less tempting. On Monday 17 October 1814 a bizarre industrial accident in St Giles, Lon…
10th October, 2016 in Local & Family History, Women in History
Tracing Emily Wilding Davison’s family history
Author Maureen Howes has been researching the family and life of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison for many years and yet she is still surprised by discovering new genealogical connections and pieces of evidence. Here she outlines some key points that have helped to rewrite…
29th September, 2016 in Local & Family History
10 things I love about Lincolnshire
In 2006, the second largest county in England officially celebrated Lincolnshire Day for the first time on October 1st – a date which marked the anniversary of the 1536 Lincolnshire Rising. To commemorate this special day, local author Lucy Wood shares her love of the county…
22nd August, 2016 in Local & Family History
The discovery of Cheltenham’s spa waters
Had it not been for retired sea captain Henry Skillicorne, Cheltenham would not have become a fashionable spa in the eighteenth century and it might well have remained a small, but prosperous, rural market town. Yet, although Skillicorne was the entrepreneur who developed Chelten…