Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, a defender against Viking invasion and a social reformer; just few of the reasons why he is the only English monarch to be known as “the Great”. Alfred was born in ...

“There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as a good tavern or inn.” So wrote Samuel Johnson and for many, this remains true today. Think of an ...

Using data visualisations, we look at how the strength of the Royal Navy has ebbed and flowed over time, going as far back as 1650.

The Industrial Revolution took place from the eighteenth century up until the mid-nineteenth century, marking a process of increased manufacturing and production which boosted industry and encouraged ...

The British Empire is remembered for its extensive, long-lasting and far-reaching imperial activities that ushered in an era of globalisation and connectivity. The British Empire began in its ...

The image that springs to mind of the British Police is that of a bobby swinging a truncheon, chasing down criminals and sending them away in handcuffs. However, there was a time when several branches ...

The term ‘hangover’ is universally understood to mean the disproportionate suffering that comes after a night of over-indulgence. But where does the term actually come from? One possible explanation ...

The Victorian Workhouse was an institution that was intended to provide work and shelter for poverty stricken people who had no means to support themselves. With the advent of the Poor Law system, ...

In Victorian Britain, most public toilets were designed for men and there were very few women's toilets available. Therefore women could never travel far, only to family and friends. This restriction ...

Best remembered for her travel writings on the Middle East and her key role in establishing the modern state of Iraq, Gertrude Bell has been described as the female Lawrence of Arabia ...

By 1825, cotton was Britain’s biggest import. It became the centrepiece of the developing industrial revolution which impacted the country socially, economically and culturally for generations ...

The year was 1888 and the location Bow in the East End of London, a place where some of the most poverty stricken in society lived and worked. The Match Girls’ Strike was industrial action taken up by ...