History

The Cliffs of Penwith - Cairns, quoits and kitsch at the tip of Cornwall

Cornwall’s Penwith Peninsula has what may be the finest coast in all of Britain: nearly 40 miles of continuous, unbroken sea cliffs, with fine sand beaches washed into narrow cuts, and water the deep turquoise of the Bahamas.

Sir George Cayley, the Father of Aviation

In 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright launched the world’s first piloted heavier-than-air flying machine, or so history would have us believe. But they were actually 50 years behind eccentric Englishman Sir George Cayley.

The day 140 British subjects were imprisoned in The Black Hole of Calcutta

A genuine narrative of the deplorable deaths of the gentlemen who were suffocated in the Indian prison known as the Black Hole of Calcutta.

History rewritten: DNA sequencing shows Vikings weren’t all Scandinavian

The study finds Scottish and Irish people integrated into Viking society well enough to receive a full Viking burial.

Can you name these eight monarchies that no longer exist?

The concept of Monarchy has struggled to survive around the world, but not in the mighty United Kingdom.

Elgin and its biblical garden

A gem of a visit on the Grampian Line, in Scotland.

John Knox - the Scottish religious reformer

Martin Luther is synonymous with Protestantism in Germany. In France, John Calvin led the reform movement. Scotland, too, had its giant of ecclesiastical reform in John Knox.

The real history of pilgrim's ship the Mayflower in London

From Rotherhithe, southeast London, the ship, the Mayflower, first set sail on its famous pilgrim's mission. It's all commemorated on the banks of The Thames.

The legend of King Arthur

Many and various tales about the legend of King Arthur have continued to arise throughout history - but what can we take as real and what can we dismiss as lore?

Britain's last romantic poet Dylan Thomas

The upbringing, genius and eventual demise - everything you need to know about the Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas.

The Cavalier flight to Virginia

Through the middle decades of the 17th century, aristocrats and adventurers sought a new life in a new world.

The philanthropic legacy of Britiain's almshouses and those you can visit today

Almshouses across Britain have sheltered elderly and poor parishioners giving them succor since the 10th century, a tradition that continues today.