Brutal and Beautiful: The Story of London’s Barbican
Feb 28, 2022 · It’s a visionary Brutalist/Modernist scheme: monumental in scale, geometric, high density, multi-level with elevated walkways and multiple entrances and exits, a car-free city within the City. Controversial when it was built, the Barbican’s design still divides opinion today. There are over 2,000 flats with more than 4,000 residents, a lake ...
The Story Behind the Great British Pantomime
Dec 20, 2021 · This tale as old as time can be seen in pantomime today, as we all known the principal boy and girl must get their happy ending. The ‘zanni’ were the first characters to really win over the British public. These servants were cunning and witty, but also hungry and broke, representing the struggle of common people.
10 Eccentric English Customs, Traditions and Ceremonies (and …
Apr 28, 2021 · All over England, customs, traditions and ceremonies brighten our lives throughout the year. The Christian calendar, pre-Christian era practices and the continual cycle of the seasons have influenced many.
A Guide to Traditional English Buildings - The Historic England Blog
Aug 25, 2022 · How to identify vernacular buildings. They are usually ordinary, everyday structures, such as houses; A very broad category, they are less defined by precise architectural features than by the materials used to build them, timber, stone, cob, earth, mud or brick, though these materials are sometimes concealed
The Story of London’s Sewer System - The Historic England Blog
Mar 28, 2019 · Published 31 July 1858. Tons of lime were spread on the Thames foreshore and near the mouths of sewers discharging into the river to try and dissolve the toxic effluent, with little effect. Parliament was forced to legislate to create a new unified sewage system for London. The Bill became law on 2 August 1858.
The Story Behind the World’s First Telephone
29 July 2022. Comments 0. Scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell (1847 to 1922), developed the world’s first working telephone, receiving a patent from the United States Patent Office 7 March 1876. Reputedly, the very first successful words using his new ‘instrument’, as Bell called it, were spoken by him to his associate Thomas Watson who ...
The Story of the Royal British Legion - The Historic England Blog
Nov 9, 2021 · The Story of the Royal British Legion. by Historic England. 9 November 2021. Comment 1. The terrible human cost of the First World War (1914 to 1918) left nearly 900,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers, sailors and airmen dead. Around 1.75 million came home with some level of disability, whether physical or psychological.
Explore England’s Hidden Past from the Air
Dec 6, 2021 · The long shadows cast by the low winter sun highlight the earthwork remains of medieval arable farming in Todenham, Gloucestershire. These earthworks, known as ridge and furrow, survive in fields that are now used for pasture. In places, modern ploughing has flattened the remains, but aerial photographs taken in the 1940s show that ridge and ...
A Guide to English Gothic Architecture - The Historic England Blog
May 5, 2022 · The ‘Early English’ style. Initially inspired by French models, a distinctive Early English Style developed by the late 12th century. This can best be seen at Lincoln Cathedral.
From Prototype to Defender of the Skies: The Story of the …
Mar 4, 2021 · The British Spitfire, the iconic, high-performance aircraft celebrated for its manoeuvrability, speed and firepower, helped the RAF turn the tide of the Second World War (1939 to 1945) in the Allies’ favour. The Spitfire prototype K5054, pictured, made an eight-minute history-making flight with Vickers Armstrong Chief Test pilot Captain ...