History

I don’t think I have visited the delights of New York City in a novel since Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so Brooklyn has been a lovely, warming return to the one location that literature never fails to personify. In other words, I’ve been in a tiny village hardly seeing anyone for a year and I read […]

When we sat around television last year on New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks boom in London at 12am on 1st January 2020, there was a sense of hope. I remember hoping that this would be a good year – that things would be a little bit brighter for everyone than they had been before. […]

Understanding politics isn’t easy, let alone trying to understand something as complex as communism. With so much opinion clouding this part of politics, you’re forgiven for being clueless. That’s why we’re explaining communism without opinion and in simple terms right here. What is communism? First and foremost, communism is an ideology. This means it’s a […]

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again. If you don’t get the significance of this, I’m glad you’ve decided to read this piece – you will hopefully find it useful. Vera Lynn is known for being a ‘wartime sweetheart’. During World War Two, her songs would be played by soldiers […]

This article is a continuation from the attack on Lindisfarne, the first place the Viking’s landed in Britain. However, over the next 300 years many other places were attacked by the heathens of Scandinavia. This period of history was one of turmoil for the English, and had lasting effects on British culture, geography and language. […]

‘Mary Queen of Scots’ recently stood out by casting a black actor (Adrian Lester) in the role of Queen Elizabeth’s Ambassador to Scotland. “I was really clear, I would not direct an all-white period drama,” said director Josie Rourke. Whilst it can’t be doubted that Lester, an accomplished star of stage and screen, played the part […]

Much of the United Kingdom has been beset by snow this week with weather warnings issued across much of the country. Areas of higher ground can expect “very significant” snow of up to 10cm whilst schools, airports and railway stations have all seen disruption. So that’s the current situation, but what about the bigger picture? Were […]