20th Century
It’s Not 1939, It’s 1950
It’s 1939 all over again! Or is it? Perhaps it’s 1950. A date we can be certain of is 2014 when, as Kiev tipped towards the EU and NATO, Moscow-backed Russian separatists prised parts of [more…]
History
20th Century
Interesting Lives
After happening upon some sad news at the breakfast table the other morning, I sighed, folded my newspaper and gazed wistfully out of the window across the frost-pinched meadows of my native Debatable Lands. Beyond [more…]
14th Century
Worthy of Your Breeding?
Just as Nelson flew coloured flags above the Victory instructing the fleet afore Trafalgar that England expected every man to do his duty, so the Ministry of Defence two centuries later is festooned with white [more…]
20th Century
New Year Past
Beneath the headline London’s Joyous Welcome to the New Year, the Daily Mirror of 1st January 1925 showed a ‘special Daily Mirror photograph’ snapped as revellers welcomed in the New Year at the Albert Hall. [more…]
20th Century
Christmas Past
If you think I can remember 1924, you’re wrong. One relies upon our friends at the British Newspaper Archive. Ten decades ago some newspapers did publish on Christmas Day. The Sutton & Epsom Advertiser was [more…]
20th Century
What’s in a Street Name?
Do the street names in Kenya’s cities still serve the purpose of memorialising those who have made significant contributions to our country? November 22, 2024 I’m a flâneur. Every time I visit a new town, [more…]
Arts
Basilica Santuario Santo Stefano – The Seven Churches of Bologna
It is a short walk from the twin towers, past the oldest house in Bologna, to Via Santo Stefano. For the most part the journey is under a colonnade of stone, cast in cool shadow [more…]
19th Century
Postcard from Birmingham, Part Six
In recent weeks we have allowed ourselves to be distracted by summer riots, 1980s football matches and pop concerts, the Falkland Islands and even the delivery of mail to the South Pole at Christmas. Puffins [more…]
Arts
Postcard From Birmingham, Part Two
There should be a law against circular railway stations, especially those with exits at each point of the compass. The danger is, once outside, visitors don’t know where they are or in what direction they’re [more…]