Culture UK
Who are the British? Do they really drink tea, eat roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and never leave home without an umbrella? Find out more about true Brits; past and present, myth and legend, fact and fiction.
Michaelmas
Michaelmas day is celebrated on 29th September and is associated with St Michael and the coming of autumn. St Michael is one of the principal angelic warriors, protector against the dark of the night and the Archangel who fought against Satan and his evil angels…
Press Gangs
Britain’s ports and harbours were once menaced by the dreaded press gangs. Impressment, to give it its proper name, was the scourge of maritime communities across the British Isles and Britain’s North American colonies for 150 years from 1664–1830…
A 1950s/ 1960s Childhood
“It’s Friday, it’s Five to Five and it’s CRACKERJACK!”. Gob stoppers, The Dandy, the sixpenny rush and hiding behind the sofa from the Daleks: memories of childhood in the 1950s and 1960s…
Thunder and Lightning: Historically Frightening
Sixteenth century almanacs reveal the way in which weather and the calendar were used to predict death and disaster in the Tudor period…
Ashes to Ashes: How a Sporting Defeat Led to Major Social Change
It may seem odd to link together sport and the disposal of human remains, but in the latter half of the nineteenth century a growing campaign to legalise cremation was given a helping hand after a significant sporting defeat…
The Rise of the Literary Periodical
In the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, what has been called the emerging ‘public sphere’ saw the rise of printed pamphlets and journals catering to novel aspirations, anxieties and interests of the people…
The Life and Times of Oscar Wilde
“I can resist everything except temptation.” Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and celebrity, known for his flamboyant dress, sharp wit and scandalous love life…
The Real Dick Whittington
Many people are familiar with the folk tale of “Dick Whittington and his Cat” through pantomime versions of the story. However there really was a Sir Richard Whittington, Lord Mayor of London four times…
