Hellingly Mental Hospital: the story of an asylum
We are in the village of Hellingly, in East Sussex, England. Here, on 20 July 1903, the Hellingly Mental Hospital was inaugurated: an asylum, the best in the area because, […]
Souter Lighthouse | England
We are in the village of Marsden in South Shields, Tyne&Wear, in Northern England. The story of Souter Lighthouse began in 1871, when it was constructed on Lizard Point. The […]
Whitby Abbey: the gloomy ruins that inspired Bram Stoker to bring Dracula to life.
From Mina Harker’s diary, Chapter 6, Dracula by Bram Stoker: “Right over the town is the ruin od Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes, and which is the […]
The strange story of why human urine was transported to quarries in North East Yorkshire
Since the days of the Roman empire, alum was used as a mordant or fixative that allowed textiles to be colored using vegetable dyes. Initially imported from Italy where there […]
Vicars’ Close: the oldest residential street in Europe that also features an optical illusion.
Vicars’ Close, in Wells, Somerset, England, is claimed to be the oldest purely residential street with original buildings still intact in Europe. The first houses on this attractive street, close […]
Light and air for everybody: the window tax imposed on English citizens in 1696
The Victorian era was one of enormous transformation for British industry and architecture, popular also for its weirdnesses, including funerals for pets, hospitals for dead that prevented the fear of […]
Robert the Bruce: the never-say-die king (and the spider)
Robert the Bruce, more formally known as King Robert I of Scotland, was born on this day, July 11 1274. He was a fierce warrior-king, who led the Scots in […]
The 199 steps (with benches for coffins) of Whitby, England
Thousand of people regularly climb up the 199 steps leading to St. Mary’s Church. Fortunately for them, visitors, locals, tourists or simply curious, some benches dot the stairway, providing perfect […]
May 14, 1948: the three-year-old’s brutal murder that begins an unusual investigation.
Three-year-old June Devaney, recovering from pneumonia at Queen’s Park Hospital in Blackburn, England, is kidnapped from her bed on this day, May 14 1948. Nurses discovered her missing at 1:20 […]
#May 9, 1971: Irish adventurer “Captain Blood” steals crown jewels
Thomas Blood tried to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London on this day, May 9, 1671. He failed, but remains the only would-be thief to attempt such […]
Sarah Ann Henley: the suicide girl who fluttered to safety
The beautiful England’s Clifton Suspension Bridge, originally designed by the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, stands 101 metres above the River Avon and spans a 400-metre wide gorge. Located […]
Pie Barm: an unconventional traditional sandwich from Wigan – England
Wigan, is an English town west of Manchester, well known for its enthusiastic pie-eating. Whether it is covered in pea-wet or served up with chips, Wiganers are renowned for their […]
#April 10, 1633: The day bananas made their debut in England
Among scientists, Thomas Johnson is known as “the father of British field botany”. But, more confidentially, he is celebrated as the first man to sell bananas in England. Born in […]
#April 7, 1832: Joseph Thompson – the man who sold his wife
Nagging wives needed to be careful in 19th Century England, for, as Joseph Thompson did, her husband might put her up for sale. That’s just what happened on this day, […]
The White Spring: a dark Victorian well house now plays host to mystical waters and pagan shrines.
We are in England. It is one of the greatest mysteries of Avalon, the legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend, that two different healing springs, one touched red with […]
The remarkable story of Eyam’s self-quarantine in the 17th century
November 1st 1666, All Saints Day. The plague takes away its latest victim in the remote village of Eyam, England. One of the many deaths from the Great Plague of […]
#March 27, 1887: Prince Albert Memorial’s architect died on this day
Sir George Gilbert Scott (in Photo), the English architect who designed the Albert Memorial, located in London’s Hyde Park, died on this day, March 27 1878. Queen Victoria was described […]
#March 26, 1726: one of the most grisly murder cases in English criminal history
A report on this day, March 26 1726 that a dismembered body had been discovered in London led to what was one of the most grisly murder cases in the […]
#March 13, 1770: Daniel Lambert – the heaviest person ever to have lived
Nobody knows what was wrong with Daniel Lambert who was born on this day, March 13 1770. But he went from being a slim, athletic, sports-loving guy to a very […]
#February 28, 1874: the curious case of the “baronet” from Wagga Wagga
Arthur Orton, who became known as the Tichborne Claimant, was found guilty of perjury on this day, February 28, 1874, after the longest trial in English history. The bizarre case, […]
Julia Margaret Cameron: the greatest Victorian-era portrait photographer
Julia Margaret Cameron (11 June 1815 – 26 January 1879 ) was an English photographer considered one of the most significant portraitists of the 19th century, who managed to make […]
19# Fruitcake: the gift that keeps on giving
American journalist and humorist Calvin Trillin theorized that there is only one fruitcake and that it is simply sent from family to family each year. What is true, is that […]
The true story of Trim, the adventurous cat belonging to navigator Matthew Flinders
Outside Sydney’s Mitchell Library stands a statue of Matthew Flinders, the celebrated English navigator and cartographer who helped map Australia, declared it a continent, and was influential in giving it […]
9# The Tradition of Christmas Pudding
Christmas pudding, known also Plum pudding, or simply “pud” is a type of pudding traditionally served as end of the Christmas dinner in the UK, Ireland and in other countries […]
4# Christmas Cake and Cheese: a big deal in Yorkshire – England!
Yorkshire, a historic county of Northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom, has its a curious variety of weird and wonderful traditions often unknown on the rest of […]
Shipley Glen Tramway: a historic funicular tramway in England
We are in the wooded Shipley Glen, near the village of Saltaire in the English county of West Yorkshire. Originally built and operated as a way to ferry Victorian thrill […]
Hampton Court Maze: the English maze that has been confusing visitors for over 300 years.
The Hampton Court hedge maze is the oldest surviving hedge maze in the United Kingdom. It is a multicursal maze, that baffle its visitors since the 17th century. Unlike a […]
Joan of Leeds: the nun who faked her own death to escape convent
Being a nun and living in a convent is one that requires extreme commitment, particularly in the 14th century. For Joan of Leeds, a rather rebellious English nun at St. […]
Cottingley’s Fairies: the pictures that tricked also Arthur Conan Doyle
There are fairies in the stream that runs through the village of Cottingley in West Yorkshire. It’s true, and there are pictures to prove it! The very popular Cottingley Fairies […]