Often referred to as the ‘Hungry Decade’, the 1840s was characterised by social unrest, military losses and economic hardship ...

Not far from Solihull town centre, there is a small group of trees that most people tend to ignore. Its name is Cut Throat Coppice. The trees are mostly oak, interspersed with silver birch, and ...

In the crime-ridden underworld of Victorian London, dominated by violent men, a group of women were able to carve out a space for themselves; specialising in shoplifting, they soon became so prolific ...

The Grand Tour was the utlimate Georgian / Victorian gap year experience. Expensive and glamourous, this was a rite of passage for rich aristocratic young men (and later, women) who travelled Europe, ...

On the walls of Scone Palace in Scotland hangs an 18th century portrait of two high society women completed by the artist David Martin. One of the protagonists is painted sitting down reading whilst ...

Is William Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’ a patriotic expression of Englishness – or a parody of the nationalistic fervour of the Napoleonic War era? This poem is best known as the hymn “Jerusalem”, with music ...

Risqué illustrations of scandalous affairs and humorous digs at London’s elite, this was the golden age of caricature in Georgian England. The satirical prints of the Georgian Era marked the “Golden ...

In today’s society, we take pride in our presentation; the way we look, dress, and comb our hair are all intrinsically linked to beauty standards and social norms. “Pretty privilege,” a theory that ...

Dating from the Georgian era, gentlemen’s clubs were reserved exclusively for the aristocracy and the elite, to meet, drink, socialise and gamble. They were also the unofficial stomping grounds of ...

Britain loves potatoes. And it’s not just me saying that, there are numbers to back that up! The average Brit eats over 100 kilos of spuds in various forms every year. But that hasn’t always been the ...

Lucozade! Many baby boomers will remember this sparkling, lurid-coloured drink when the glass bottle still came wrapped in crinkly cellophane. This iconic tonic only appeared when a child was ill in ...

Mary Tudor, favourite sister of King Henry VIII, was feted around Europe for her pale skin and good looks. Henry arranged for Mary’s marriage to the aging and gouty King Louis XII as part of a peace ...