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.
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…
St Nicholas Day
Have you ever wondered why people hang stockings up on Christmas Eve for Father Christmas (or Santa Claus) to fill…
A World War Two Christmas
Britain was at war and supplies were becoming scarce. The ships of the Merchant Navy were under attack from German U-Boats at sea and rationing…
A Tudor Christmas
The twelve days of Christmas would have been a most welcome break for the workers on the land, which in Tudor times would have been the majority of the people.
Christmas Crackers
A history of Christmas Crackers… and why the British wear paper hats at Christmas lunch!
