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 Folklore Year – July
The Folklore Year – traditional folklore and culture of Britain, events taking place every year in July, including St Swithin’s Day. According to an ancient tradition, if it rains on St Swithin’s Day, it will rain for the next 40 days…
Wassailing
The wassailing, or blessing of the fruit trees, involves drinking and singing to the health of the trees in the hope that they will provide a bountiful harvest in the autumn. This ancient custom is still practised across the country today…
Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns
Robert Burns is the best loved Scottish poet, admired not only for his verse and great love-songs, but also for his character, his high spirits, ‘kirk-defying’, hard drinking and womanising!
The Tontine Principle
What could you do in a Tontine? Well, you could buy a cotton mill, a cutter, or a coal mine. In Scotland, tontines were found throughout the country…
Florence Blenkiron and Theresa Wallach Motorcyclists Extraordinaire
In 1935, two British motorcyclists, Florence Blenkiron and Theresa Wallach, set off on a long-distance ride, travelling 13,500 miles in eight months from London to Cape Town…
Historia Regum Britanniae
The Historia Regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain) is a medieval text written by Geoffrey of Monmouth around 1136. It introduces us to the legend of King Arthur, including Merlin the magician, his wife Guinevere and the sword Excalibur…
St Nicholas Day
Have you ever wondered why people hang stockings up on Christmas Eve for Father Christmas (or Santa Claus) to fill…
Christmas Crackers
A history of Christmas Crackers… and why the British wear paper hats at the Christmas lunch table!
