HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE (AUGUST 2023) – Queens of the Crusades, What happened to the Lost Vikings of Greenland, When Hitler’s civilians fought the Red Army, and more…
Previews: History Today Magazine – August 2023
Tag Archives: England
English Country Estates: A Tour Of Denham Place
An incredible 12 reception rooms, 12 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, and grounds inspired by Versailles, make this stately home palatial–and with past residents including the Bonaparte Imperial family, it is a house truly fit for royalty.
The house was constructed in 1688–1701 for Sir Roger Hill, and the architect was probably William Stanton.
Previews: History Today Magazine – July 2023
HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE (JULY 2023) – Civil war in Ancient Rome, England’s most useless charities, agents of anarchy in the fin de siècle, the battle for the Korean peninsula, a Catholic sympathiser at Elizabeth I’s court, Bardolatry, Hong Kong’s floating population.
The Year of the Four, Five, Six Emperors
For citizens of Ancient Rome, the recurrence of brutal civil war was par for the course. For writers, it was an opportunity.
During the Roman Empire, outbreaks of civil war (and the assassinations which often preceded them) were generally intended to change the emperor, not the imperial system. Even though there was a brief moment after the emperor Caligula’s assassination in AD 41 when a change in the political system might have been triggered, the rudderless and leaderless soldiers quickly reverted to the reassuring default mode of imperial rule after conveniently finding Claudius hiding behind a curtain and making him emperor.
How to Make a Devil
The legend of Ravachol, the terrorist ‘mastermind’ of the fin de siècle.
Home Tour: 1970’s Modern In Nottinghamshire, UK
Simon’s words echoed our feelings exactly: we were blown away not only by the brilliance of architect David Shelley’s original design, but also by how Monica and Simon lived in it so sympathetically and stylishly, for that matter – a true one-of-a-kind. And now we’re back.
Travel: Tour Of Top Hotels In Cornwall, England
THE TIMES (June 21, 2023) – A list of 20 of our favourites that are still available. We’ve also highlighted some of the county’s hottest restaurants and its most eye-catching holiday activities. Visitors will notice a renewed push towards sustainability, including an even bigger emphasis on local ingredients in restaurants — think edible seaweed or chickens reared on site.
Polurrian on the Lizard, Mullion
Yes, OK, the approach to this family-friendly bolt hole and the village of Mullion itself are a touch suburban. But look westwards instead of east and there’s Cornwall in all its wild magnificence. At the bottom of the garden, just beyond the swings, the coastal path clings to clifftops before tumbling down to a little cove. The views reach out towards Penzance and the open ocean.
Hotel Tresanton, St Mawes
It may be 25 years old this year, but Olga Polizzi’s Arts and Crafts-influenced hotel is not resting on its laurels. Most of the bathrooms have recently been redecorated with mosaics, Carrara marble, and tongue and groove panelling. It has new wallpapers, new fabrics and even a new suite. The effect, however, is unchanged. This is probably Cornwall’s most elegant hotel: thoughtful, arty and peppered with eye-catching patterns and colours.
St Michaels Resort, Falmouth
Down on Gylly beach, St Michaels Resort is burnishing its wellness credentials with the opening of four spa garden lodges on July 1. Guests will be able to step straight into the revitalised spa garden and take advantage of a bubbling hot tub and barrel saunas. They can also soak in their own outdoor copper bath in the privacy of the lodge terrace.
Travel: The Most Popular Hikes In Britain (2023)
1. The Yorkshire Three Peaks, North Yorkshire
A true hiking adventure, test yourself by clambering the peaks of Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent and Whernside and down again during a day-long challenge. You’ll walk past aqueducts, lakes, rivers and moorlands and witness stunning North Yorkshire scenery throughout. The views from the summit of Whernside during sunset are a sight to behold.
2. Bottom Wood Route, Chilterns, Oxfordshire
The walk starts by taking you through a conservation area surrounded by woodland and a nature reserve. Roam through fields, along wide country tracks and underneath canopies of ancient trees with most of the walking in the countryside and very little along roads.
3. Grasmere to the Langdale Pikes, Lake District
The circular route from Grasmere to Pavey Ark, one of the Langdale Pikes, and back offers the perfect combination of relatively easy terrain underfoot and outstanding views throughout. Highlights include the views from near Blea Rigg up Langdale Valley to Bowfell, and down the Great Langdale valley towards Windermere.
English Country Homes: ‘Compton End’, Hampshire
The gardens are marked by a combination of formality and informality. Clipped yew hedges and topiary contrast with abundant naturalistic planting. Vistas lead through rectangular areas with straight paths and borders, a pond, and then a croquet lawn, to fields and woods beyond. Less formal areas have winding pathways and there are also wildflower meadows and fruit trees. The rendered brick summer house has fine views from all sides. Next to the house is a recently rebuilt timber framed barn for use as a garage and workshop. There is ample parking on the gravel drive.
Winchester is a city in the county of Hampshire, on the edge of England’s South Downs National Park. It’s known for medieval Winchester Cathedral, with its 17th-century Morley Library, the Winchester Bible and a Norman crypt. Nearby are the ruins of Wolvesey Castle and the Winchester City Mill, a working 18th-century corn mill. The Great Hall of Winchester Castle houses the medieval round table linked to King Arthur.
Travel: Aerial Tour Along 54th Parallel In England
Awhelin Films (June 3, 2023) – Aerial short film of England at 54th parallel North. This are includes varied and beautiful landscape and several national parks.
Travel Guides: Top Places In Manchester, England
Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:37 Ancoats district 01:01 Castlefield Viaduct 01:26 Manchester Jewish Museum 04:57 Mayfield Park 06:32 Band on the Wall 10:09 Craft Beer
Books: Literary Review Magazine – June 2023
Literary Review – June 2023 issue: The issue features a
Crime Round-up. Also, Pétain In The Dock, Twilight of the Elite, Dementia’s Casualties, Man Versus Plague, and more.
All the Sinners Bleed
By S A Cosby
S A Cosby’s troubled hero, Titus Crown, the sheriff of Charon County, Virginia, has to fight on many different fronts. Local racism makes his job difficult at the best of times, but now he is also faced with a school shooting and atrocious crimes against black children. His personal life has its own challenges and he is loaded down with guilt. Cosby’s talent makes all this misery work in a novel of great warmth, and he has a lovely turn of phrase. Titus’s loathing of hypocrisy, injustice and cruelty makes him enormously attractive.
Keep Her Secret
By Mark Edwards
Mark Edwards’s great skill is to involve readers in his characters’ lives, showing step by mistaken step how they get themselves into trouble. In this case, the characters are Matthew and Helena, who had a relationship at university and meet again at a twenty-year reunion, soon after her husband has died. Rekindling their friendship, they travel to Iceland together, where an ill-judged selfie almost leads to her death. In the aftermath of this drama, she reveals a terrible secret to Matthew and their plunge into emotional and practical trauma begins. The writing is straightforward and without flourishes, but it gives the increasingly dramatic story an air of surprising normality. Edwards carries readers with him all the way and then leaves them with a wicked cliffhanger.
The Fall
By Gilly Macmillan
Gilly Macmillan’s latest psychological thriller is a study in greed and vengeance, and it suggests that there is almost no human being who cannot be persuaded to commit a crime when motivated by one or the other. Nicole and Tom have won £10 million in the lottery and built a spectacular glass barn on the beautiful Lancaut Peninsula on the River Wye. Their nearest neighbours are an at first apparently benevolent but then increasingly sinister couple, Olly and Sasha, who seemingly live without means in a ravishing medieval manor house, cared for by their housekeeper, Kitty. Of course nothing is quite as it appears and when a body is found floating in a swimming pool, the police arrive and everyone’s story begins to unravel. Twisty and colourful, this is a novel to entertain all who have experienced schadenfreude.
Boomers Daily 