Last Updated on 11th June 2020News for my loyal reader – the ‘Britain’s calendar’ page on A Bit About Britain, which previously listed holidays and annual events, has been massively overhauled and updated. That page now focuses on public holidays,…
What is VE Day and is it relevant?
VE Day, Victory in Europe Day, is celebrated on 8 May as the day the Second World War came to an end in Europe in 1945. Writing now, 75 years on in 2020, most people have no memory of the…
Anniversaries, 2020
Which anniversaries are being marked in Britain in 2020? Here is a selection of noteworthy events and birthdays for you. You can be sure that each one will be on someone’s calendar for 2020 – and each one offers an…
Christmas posting, 2019
Christmas post A Bit About Britain provides several seasonal ever-green offerings with which to amuse its reader (click or tap on an image below). A new topical article is planned for Christmas 2019. Meanwhile, last posting dates in the UK…
Pilgrims, Pie, and Plymouth Rock: the British roots of the USA’s Thanksgiving Day
A guest post by Anne Clare The United States’ celebration of Thanksgiving might seem, at first glance, like a surprising choice for a blog dedicated to Britain. After all, modern U.S. celebrations largely focus on eating turkey (a bird native…
Be my Valentine?
Last Updated on 9th December 2019When you are old and grey, and full of sleep, shall I compare thee to a summer’s day; or do you walk in beauty, like the night, down by the Sally Garden? Shall I count…
Anniversaries, 2019
Last Updated on 5th January 2020Which anniversaries were marked in Britain in 2019? Here is a selection of noteworthy events and birthdays for you – each one was on someone’s calendar for 2019 – and each one offers a fascinating…
Kings and carols
Last Updated on 9th December 2019Every Christmas Eve, millions of people all round the world tune in to their TVs or radios to listen to carols from King’s – or ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ – from King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.…
Lights Out
Last Updated on 26th August 2018At 10pm BST on 4th August 2014, the villagers of Burton in Lonsdale, a small community of fewer than 600 souls in North Yorkshire, on the borders with Lancashire and Cumbria, gathered on the village…
Easter, eggs, bunnies and buns
Last Updated on 26th May 2019It should be simple enough to write a bit about Easter, I thought. After all, it is the most important festival in the Christian calendar, and a good deal of Britain’s heritage, at least for…
Anniversaries, 2018
Last Updated on 10th August 2019Which anniversaries were marked in Britain in 2018? The end of public hanging, votes for women, the first traffic light, the Roman invasion and Mick Jagger’s 75th birthday? Have a quick scan through the eclectic…
Christmas post, 2017
In case I’ve missed the Christmas post and my card hasn’t arrived through the door yet, here some pretty, wintry, pictures for you. A very merry Christmas and a peaceful, happy, New Year to everyone who has visited A Bit…