‘That was how it all began’: Helen and Edward Thomas’s first meeting
‘The simple lack of her is more to me than others’ presence’ [Edward Thomas] I start not with a meeting […]
Memories and Magic: The transformations of Mr Benn
An ordinary street in London, a bowler hatted ‘everyman’, and a fancy dress shop… For those who haven’t seen ‘Mr […]
Where the Wild Roses Grow: Australian Impact on English Culture
Clive James, Barry Humphries, Germaine Greer; all came to England from Australia in the 60’s and immediately tore up the […]
Football in the Firing Lines: The Christmas Truce of 1914
The most beautiful moment of the beautiful game? Christmas Day, 1914. Suddenly, across the trenches, the guns fall silent. In […]
‘Signposts are disappearing’ : A North Devon Walking Holiday during WW2
A small photograph album of an unknown couple on holiday in North Devon; beautifully illustrated with captions, cartoons, memorabilia and […]
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day: Queen Victoria’s Slippers
Sometimes, relatively small local museums can surprise. The Barnstaple Museum holds such an eclectic array of objects that combined they […]
Our Friends in the North
The story of England, from 1964 to 1995, as seen through the interconnected lives of four friends. This is the […]
Walking with Dante and William Blake
I’ve done many real literary walks – a route through Mrs Dalloway’s London, a path taken in the poems of […]
White Lies: Official, Unofficial Video
As a teenager I used to dance and watch dance more often than I do now. I still remember seeing […]
British Artists and the Luminous work of Paul Klee
Today’s painting, seen by chance, stopped me in my tracks. It is by an English artist I had not come […]