The word Bedlam became part of common usage as a slang word for chaos, anarchy and mess, but was originally a well known hospital for those suffering from mental illness. It was established in 1247 and existed at different sites til the 1930's. It's history is the history of the treatment for people who were …
Continue reading Bedlam: London And Its Mad by Catharine Arnold
History tends to demonise Thomas Cromwell as being a dark figure, perhaps jealous of his betters due to his own low birth, and who abused his power and stopped at nothing to dissolve the monasteries. But in this book, history is told from his perspective, and we see a dynamic and loyal man, who was …
A book about books, this is the story of a young novice in the 1300's who goes to a mysterious abbey with his master, a monk called William Of Baskerville. At that place, a papal delegation is going to be sent to debate religious doctrine that is tearing apart the fabric of society at the …
In the heart of London's historic East End, where the streets are still cobbled, and Jack The Ripper walking tours wander the night, one of London's most eccentric museum experiences is hidden behind the doors of 18 Folgate Street. There is no sign outside to tell you what's within, so you could mistakenly walk past …
Continue reading London’s Silent Museum, 18 Folgate Street: Dennis Severs House
London's Victoria and Albert Museum is one of my favourite places in London. Locally known as the V&A, it's one of this city's free museums, so you can just wander in whenever you feel and take a look around. The building itself is incredible, and houses a huge collection of objects, with a focus on …
A bright and swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, Fletcher's Fortune is a historical and fictional memoir of Jacob Fletcher. This book was sent to me by Endevour Press for honest review. All opinions are my own. As an apprentice, orphaned Jacob Fletcher should not be able to be press ganged into the Navy by …
Just off Leicester Square in London, and down a bit, there's a fancy door with three busts over the door. They are the figures of the biographers and historians who founded the museum housed inside, a museum whose patron is the Duchess of Cambridge, and which houses only one kind of painting, in a multitude …
Continue reading Famous Faces: London’s National Portrait Gallery
The Victoria and Albert Museum is one of my favourite places to visit. They have an amazing array of different artefacts stretching back hundreds of years. But I particularly love their focus on fashion and textiles through time. This Summer, they have a really beautiful exhibition of Balenciaga's work, showcasing his skill and his influence. …
Continue reading Shaping Fashion: Balenciaga Exhibition at London’s V&A Museum
London is often called a green city, because although it's very densely populated and built up, it's also got some truly lovely large parks and gardens. One of the smaller gardens is in Chelsea, and contains the second oldest botanical garden in the UK. Chelsea Physick Garden was established in 1673, and remains to this …
Continue reading A Walk In The Park: London’s Chelsea Physick Garden
This book is kind of unusual. Purporting to be the culmination of the research of the author into one of his own ancestors, it's a collection of documents relating to a brutal murder that takes place in the Scottish Highlands during the 1800's. It's a time when crofters worked rented land owned by the laird, …
CravenWild 