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.
The Life of Dylan Thomas
Read about the life of Dylan Thomas, famous Welsh poet and author of Under Milk Wood. Indeed, whilst Thomas is arguably the most well known Welsh poet of all time, paradoxically his literary work is written entirely in English…
John Knox and the Scottish Reformation
The famous Scottish Reformer, John Knox was born near Edinburgh in 1505. Knox’s writings and his determination to fight for Scotland to be Protestant saw the Scottish nation and its identity changed forever…
William Booth and the Salvation Army
Named among the 100 Greatest Britons in a 2002 BBC poll, William Booth, along with his wife Catherine, founded the Salvation Army…
A Very Victorian Two-Penny Hangover
The term ‘hangover’ is universally understood to mean the disproportionate suffering that comes after a night of over-indulgence. But where does the term actually come from? One possible explanation is, somewhat strangely, Victorian England…
Rule Britannia
The patriotic song ‘Rule, Britannia!, Britannia rule the waves’, is traditionally performed at the ‘Last Night of the Proms’. The first public performance of ‘Rule, Britannia!’ however, was in London in 1745, and it instantly became very popular for a nation trying to…
A Furricious Cat History of Britain
The cat is one of Britain’s best loved animals. Here is a short history of our furry friends in the UK…
The Haunting Beauty and Relevance of Vitai Lampada
Written in 1892 by Henry Newbolt, the poem ‘Vitai Lampada’ (“The Torch of Life”) includes the memorable phrase, “Play up! play up! and play the game!’. These final words are perhaps one of the real gifts of British culture to the world…
The Folklore Year – August
The Folklore Year – traditional folklore and culture of Britain, events taking place every year in August, including the Feast Day of St. Oswald. St. Oswald was a Northumbrian warrior king and champion of Christianity. He was killed at Maserfield near Hexham, in 642 in a battle with…
