How to celebrate Christmas like Charles Dickens
Don’t be a Scrooge! Celebrate the spirit and former haunts of Charles Dickens, the Victorian author who shaped our vision of the modern festive season
On the evening of October 5 1843, Charles Dickens took his...
6 amazing castles you can stay in
From mighty medieval fortresses that have stood sentinel since the Norman invasion to baronial stately homes built to impress, Britain is peppered with fantastical castles. Here are 6 incredible castles that have been converted into...
Nelson’s Column – the story of an icon
Guarded by lions and towering above Trafalgar Square, this lofty monument is one of London’s most iconic
On 12 November 1918, London saw wild celebrations as an armistice declared the end of the First World War.
Nowhere...
Who was Emmeline Pankhurst?
In the centenary year of women first gaining the vote, we celebrate the northern roots of one of the leading suffragettes
Given Manchester’s reputation as a hotbed of social and political revolution, it’s somewhat surprising that...
Remember your ‘roots’ this Halloween
Why not return to your ‘roots’ this Halloween and rediscover the humble turnip?
Long before the pumpkin became the Halloween decoration of choice, people across the British Isles carved scary faces into turnips and placed...
Hidden British Libraries
We take a tour of some of the most historic and beautiful British libraries to find reading rooms worthy of our literary greats
Oxford’s university libraries are among the oldest and most celebrated in the world....
10 ghostly places in Britain
Whether it’s Halloween hokum or supernatural manifestations, we find Britain’s scariest spots, with headless horsemen, screaming woods and a lady in white rising from the walls of a centuries-old castle.
1. Lest we forget
London is reputedly...
On the trail of William Wordsworth
Following in the footsteps of William Wordsworth, Lawrence Alexander explores the poet’s beloved Grasmere and other Lake District haunts
On the evening of 15 April 1802, Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of the poet William, wrote her journal as...
Get lost in Britain’s best mazes at stately homes
From mystical labyrinths to planted puzzles of twists, turns and dead ends in stately home gardens, Lawrence Alexander gets lost in Britain's best mazes
There's a scene in Jerome K. Jerome’s classic Three Men in...
Stay at a royal retreat
From castles and estates to hotels and inns, Britain has a wonderful selection of places to stay with a royal flavour
“Queen Elizabeth I slept here” is the sort of claim that is often heard when...
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