England held its breath as the mighty Spanish Armada sailed up the English Channel. Invasion appeared imminent. Then Queen Elizabeth I is reputed to have made a rousing speech to her troops as they ...

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 ...

On the walls of Scone Palace in Scotland hangs an 18th century portrait of two high society women completed by the artist David Martin. One of the protagonists is painted sitting down reading whilst ...

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 ...

On 29th May 1660, on his 30th birthday, Charles II arrived in London to a rapturous welcome. This was a defining moment not only for Charles personally but for a nation that wanted to see a restored ...

Lucozade! Many baby boomers will remember this sparkling, lurid-coloured drink when the glass bottle still came wrapped in crinkly cellophane. This iconic tonic only appeared when a child was ill in ...

The Huguenots were French Protestants from the sixteenth and seventeenth century who fled from the French Catholic government fearing persecution and violence. As they fled, a diaspora of Huguenots ...

On 18th June 1815, in what was arguably one of the most significant and memorable battles of its era, the Battle of Waterloo brought an end to Napoleon’s power-hungry ambitions for Europe, severing ...

Edward of Woodstock was born in – unsurprisingly – Woodstock, on June 15th 1330. He was the eldest son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, but alas he never actually became king, dying one ...

In today’s society, we take pride in our presentation; the way we look, dress, and comb our hair are all intrinsically linked to beauty standards and social norms. “Pretty privilege,” a theory that ...

Welcome to part two of our Fashion Through the Ages series. Starting from medieval fashion ending at the swinging sixties, this section covers British fashion during the 16th and 17th centuries. This ...

The period 1700 – mid 1800 was marked by British naval dominance, as evidenced by the expansive colonial empire and victories in the War of Spanish Succession and Napoleonic Wars. These triumphs were ...