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.
Angela Burdett-Coutts, Philanthropist
“After my mother, she is the most remarkable woman in the kingdom”. This was how King Edward VII described Angela Burdett-Coutts, an outspoken and dedicated philanthropist, who helped to found both the NSPCC and RSPCA, as well as funding countless other humanitarian causes…
The Wardian Case
The Wardian Case was an early example of a terrarium, a glass case with plants inside. However this humble portable glass case would come to play a huge part in the success of the British Empire, facilitating the transportation of commodities across the globe, changing fortunes of nations and influencing the palates of a generation…
‘Steaming’ Drunk
The phrase ‘getting steaming’ meaning ‘getting drunk’ is well-known in Scottish vernacular and dropped into hungover conversation the world over. But why is the word ‘steaming’ associated with being inebriated?
Nancy Astor
American born, Lady Nancy Astor became only the second woman to be elected as an MP and the first to take her seat in the House of Commons…
In the Footsteps of Darwin
Cambridge is a city of intellectual giants. This is the city of Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, Ludwig Wittgenstein, to name just a few, and of course, Charles Darwin. Discover some of the places associated with him and his work…
The Witch of Ningpo – Mary Ann Aldersey
The number of female missionaries in China increased dramatically over the nineteenth century. However, these courageous women were not included in mission reports, contributing to them becoming “hidden from history”. One such woman, Mary Ann Aldersey, established the first school for girls in mainland China at Ningpo in 1843…
George Orwell
Born Eric Arthur Blair, the writer George Orwell is perhaps most famous for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949)…
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Her Campaign Against Smallpox
Aristocrat and lady of letters, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu is most famous for her pioneering work, introducing smallpox inoculation into England…
