The First Pineapple and a Lusty Monarch
Dorney Court (Bucks) near Eton (Berks) is seen here in this 19th century capture and is the unlikely source of the exotic pineapple here...
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May 1
Exeter 'Change - bizarre retail therapy in 18th century London
From an age when retail therapy demanded money and ahem manners. the new Exeter ‘Change (Exchange) on the Strand in London boasted the...
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Apr 30
Old Blue Boar Inn: A Glimpse of London's Lost Past
Here at scanning HQ we love an old inn! And this one, the Old Blue Boar at High Holborn, London brings that passion to provocative life....
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Apr 29
How Sadler's Wells Became the Home of Dance
For #InternationalDanceDay2024, here’s the home of English ballet...when a board was first trod, a Plié Plié first made. Old Sadler’s...
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Apr 28
Exploring the Architectural Marvels of Sir John Soane's House Museum
Sir John Soane, born 1753 in Goring Berkshire, emerged as one of Britain’s most celebrated architects. Son of a bricklayer, no doubt...
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Apr 13
The Timeless Appeal of Charles Dickens
Can you ever have too much Dickens? The Portsmouth-born story-teller (1812) still keeps audiences transfixed one-and-a-half centuries...
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Apr 11
Land of Conflict..and Beauty
The Land of Edom is shared today between Israel & South Jordan & has a written heritage going back to Bronze Age references. I don’t...
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Apr 11
Revealing Dacre Bridge: A Timeless Cumbrian Landmark
Dacre Bridge, named after the delightful Dacre Beck and meaning 'trickling stream', has stood for nearly 300 years. Constructed in the...
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Apr 6
Star Chamber
The medieval Star Chamber in the old Palace of Westminster heard cases of national import and personal gain, often with the monarch...
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Apr 5
Exploring the Inspiration: Uncovering the Site of a Famous Poem
Thomas Gray’s ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ (1751) contemplates life & death, worldly status and natural order, & envisages the...
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Apr 5
A Once Rustic Retreat
The Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney, Bucks celebrates all things William Cowper (d1800), poet, translator of Homer & literatus, and his...
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Apr 5
The Strawberry Hill (House) Hidden Gem
Strawberry Hill House, described as ‘Horace Walpole’s little Gothic castle’, harbours triumph upon triumph. The mid to late C18...
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Apr 3
The Birthplace of Plays
Love these before and after images of Shakespeare’s home, Stratford upon Avon. Born 1564, he lived here with his parents, John & Mary,...
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Apr 2
London's Burning
The burning of Newgate Gaol in June 1780 epitomised the grave violence of the Gordon Riots that year. Erupting in London on 2 June, tens...
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