Princess Elizabeth's 'secret night out'. Desperate to join in the V.E. Day celebrations, Elizabeth and her sister Margaret ...

In the 1950s and early 60s, entertaining at home had meant a cocktail party with nibbles rather than a sit down meal. A ...

Welcome to our new section of articles about Post War Britain; everyday life and events in the 1950s and 1960s. For those of you who remember these days, we hope you will enjoy reminiscing! Please ...

Legend has it that during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, a shipwrecked monkey was hanged by the people of Hartlepool, believing him to be a French spy! To this day, people from ...

Mention ‘The Great Fire of London’ and most people think of the 1666 disaster when, although a great many buildings were destroyed and the fire raged for days, relatively few people died. The Tooley ...

The first queen of Edward I would perhaps have been completely forgotten had it not been for her husband’s beautiful memorials to her, erected following her death in 1290. The first queen of Edward I ...

Many folklore customs have their roots planted firmly back in the Dark Ages, when the ancient Celts had divided their year by four major festivals. Beltane or ‘the fire of Bel’, had particular ...

The Championships, Wimbledon, or just Wimbledon as it is more commonly referred to, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and arguably the most famous. Since the first tournament 125 years ago ...

Legend has it that Robin Hood was an outlaw living in Sherwood Forest with his ‘Merry Men’ – but did he really exist? There are several versions of the Robin Hood story. The Hollywood one is that of ...

Prior to 1971, there were 12 pennies to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound. There were guineas, half crowns, threepenny bits, sixpences and florins. This old system of currency, known as ...

The most famous of all English playwrights was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. William’s father John was a wealthy merchant and a respectable member of the community within the small Warwickshire ...

The Forest of Arden was once a mighty forest in the heart of England. Over the centuries it gained a reputation as a wild place, sheltering wolves, thieves, bandits and cut throats. Though much ...