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.
Weird and Wonderful Medicine in 17th and 18th Century England
Thomas Morris considers some of the dubious remedies and strange treatments endured by patients in early modern England…
The Blitz Spirit
The ‘Blitz Spirit’: stoicism and determination, the ability to make the best of it and triumph over adversity. But was it really a true reflection of the mood during the London Blitz of 1940?
The Game of Conkers
In early autumn, the fruits of the horse chestnut tree, known as conkers, begin to fall from the trees. Inside the prickly green casings lie the fruits – brown, shiny, and hard – ready to be collected by children all over Britain for the game of conkers…
The History of Women’s Public Toilets in Britain
In Victorian Britain, most public toilets were designed for men and there were very few women’s toilets available. Therefore women could never travel far, only to family and friends. This restriction of women’s movements is often referred to as the ‘urinary leash’…
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough is widely regarded as one of the best British portrait artists of the 18th century….
Florence Nightingale
On 12th May 1820, Florence Nightingale was born. Famously nicknamed ‘The Lady with the Lamp’, she would go on to become a pioneer of modern medicine…
A Tudor Guide to Getting Dressed
Did Tudors wear pants? This morning my choice of clothes was a rather a haphazard affair. Having planned to spend the day writing, I knew…
St Swithun’s Day
15 July is St Swithun’s Day, and it is said that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day it will…
