Even when temperatures plummet the Thames does not completely freeze over these days, as it did in the past during the so-called “little ice age”. Demolishing the old London Bridge in 1831 improved the flow of the river and following the construction of its replacement structure, with wider […]
Looking around jewellery shops is not something I find particularly exciting. The cabinets of watches, rings, necklaces and the like all merge into each other for me. So no sooner have I entered a jewellers than I’m looking for the exit. Given this, why would I be remotely […]
After three glorious weeks, the BBC’s Tudors season is drawing to a close. Highlights for me included an expert panel (with guests ranging from David Starkey to Hilary Mantel) taking a fresh look at the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn and a biography of Henry VII, the […]
After a short break, Pastinthepresent.net returns. In my last post I was in Israel so, now back in London, it’s appropriate that I kick things off again today by tracing Jewish heritage across the capital. I’ve had a fascinating day visiting the oldest surviving synagogue in Europe, exploring […]
No matter where you are in Britain it seems you are never far from a post box. From isolated hamlets to busy city centres, it’s more likely than not there is one of Royal Mail’s cylindrical red pillar boxes just around the corner from where you live. Most […]
The names Pompeii and Herculaneum strike the fear of death. Even if you can’t recall the date of AD79, you will probably know that these cities in southern Italy were wiped out when the volcano on nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted. Thousands of lives were lost in the ash […]
Tucked away in an industrial estate amongst car repair shops and builders’ merchants, there’s a Metropolitan police station that’s more famous that most in the capital. Sun Hill was portrayed on the ITV series the Bill as being in Tower Hamlets, but it was actually filmed in a […]
Strolling into the British Museum’s latest exhibition, Ice Age: Arrival of the modern mind, you could be forgiven for asking why this long-established institution has resorted to displaying modern art, rather than the ancient pieces that it is famed for around the world. That’s because, from a distance, […]
Despite recent technological advances in computer simulation and enhanced scanning of internal human organs, medical professionals say today there is still no proper substitute to giving trainee surgeons hands on-access to dead bodies to practice on before they move on to living patients. But here lies a problem – […]
It can be all too easy to make snap judgements as to whether personalities of today and from the past are good or bad. Sometimes with only a little information about an individual’s character, we feel we can make comprehensive assessments and come out with bold statements. History […]
Past In The Present 