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.
‘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…
May Day Celebrations
The history of May Day celebrations in Britain. Down through the centuries May Day has been associated with fun, revelry and perhaps most important of all, fertility…
L.S. Lowry
Born in the industrial north of England, L. S Lowry is famous for his distinctive style of painting, and is best known for his urban landscapes populated with “matchstick men” figures…
