Peeking past the porter’s lodge is looking through a window into another world; a world of privilege, beauty, tradition, history and at least a thousand stories. Here is a bit about Balliol College, one of more than thirty academic communities…
Razzle Dazzle Ferry Cross the Mersey
Surely, every adult in Britain, and possibly some from other lands, has heard of the ferry across the Mersey? Many, not least those of a certain age, will also know the song, Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry and the…
Art and the amphitheatre
It’s sometimes easy to forget that London is a Roman creation. A site occupying a good position on the north bank of the tidal Thames, which offered deep enough anchorage for ocean-going vessels and which was narrow enough to bridge. …
Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club
So there it is, then; The Cavern. 10 Matthew Street, Liverpool 2. Where Brian Epstein first heard and saw The Beatles perform their lunchtime session on Thursday 9th November 1961. You know it’s not exactly the same Cavern that…
Gleaming bodies at the Lakeland Motor Museum
Here’s one for the petrol-heads. Though, to be fair, you don’t need to know anything about brake horsepower in order to admire this splendid, eclectic, collection of wheeled vehicles and associated bits and bobs. Plus, given that the English Lake…
London’s Sky Garden
“Sell the sizzle, not the steak”, the old hand tells the young salesman. In other words, people buy what they think a product does for them, not what it is. Sky Garden is a bar and restaurant complex on the…
The British Museum – origins, controversy and internationalism
The British Museum is regularly at the top of the list of the most visited attractions in Britain. Something in excess of 6 million people – considerably more than the population of Denmark – walk through its doors and tour…
Blooms and a mystery at Exbury Gardens
The wealthy banker Lionel de Rothschild bought the Exbury Estate, in Hampshire, in 1919. In 1922, work began on creating what is now a 200 acre garden, internationally famous for its rhododendrons, azaleas, rare trees and shrubs. Exbury Gardens are…
Memorial to James Tillet
There are so many stories behind every memorial. Of course, there are exceptions, but outside graveyards most memorials tend toward the grand. However, if you happen to be wandering about the southern slopes of Portsdown Hill, just north of Fareham…
Stories behind Sutton Hoo
Above is a representation of the warrior’s helmet from Sutton Hoo. That helmet has a challenging appearance. Fearsome, haunting and spine-tingling, it demands that you imagine the man who may have worn it, and picture what he and his world…