History Magazine
Mortuary Chapel Murals, Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children
In 1885, Arts and Crafts artist Phoebe Anna Traquair received her first professional commission: the decoration of a tiny, disused coalhouse to be used as the Mortuary Chapel at Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Her wonderful murals sustained and comforted bereaved parents, however in June 2021 the hospital relocated to modern premises and overnight the murals, along with the chapel, became obsolete. This is the story of their rescue and ongoing restoration.
Dido Elizabeth Belle
The illegitimate daughter of Captain John Lindsay and Maria Belle, a slave of African origin, Dido Elizabeth Belle’s story is quite remarkable for its time, as she was brought up in an aristocratic English family…
The Gruesome Career of Mabel de Bellême, Countess of Shrewsbury
A Norman noblewoman, Mabel de Bellême became Countess of Shrewsbury through her marriage to Sir Roger de Montgomery. Shrewd and politically adept, she was however infamous for her cruelty and ruthlessness…
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus – Governor of Britain
There is a statue of the warrior queen of the Iceni tribe, Boudica, on the Victoria Embankment in London. Her revolt against the Romans is well known – but who led the Roman army against Boudica in her final battle?
William Blake’s Jerusalem
An unofficial anthem for England, ‘Jerusalem’ is considered to be a patriotic expression of Englishness, a permanent fixture at the Last Night of the Proms and adopted by such diverse groups as the W.I., the Labour party and England rugby fans. But what do William Blake’s words really mean?