London in the first half of the 18th century was a city addicted to gin. Daniel Defoe noted in 1726 that “the Distillers have found out a way to hit the palate of the Poor, by their new fashion’d compound Waters called Geneva….” Ordinary people, added the writer […]
When campaigners were fighting for the Yorkshire Dales to become a National Park 60 years’ ago, not all were supportive. “National Parks are not greatly desired,” blasted a clerk in the North Riding. “It is a scheme of fantasies, idealists and those out of touch with life in […]
St John’s Gate, a red-brick structure faced with ragstone near the centre of Clerkenwell, north London, has had a number of interesting uses over the past 500 years. In the early 18th century it housed a coffee shop, run the father of William Hogarth, the artist. Latin was […]
Head out to the theatre, a sports match or even a village fete and chances are that lurking in the background will be a dedicated band of volunteers ready to leap into action if a member of public falls ill. For the most part they’ll be seen dancing […]
Birmingham grew rapidly in the 19th century as wave upon wave of immigrants arrived in the workshop of the world. In 1801 the population of the city was around 70,000, but by the end of the century it had more than 500,000. Many found work in the metal […]
“I shall never forget Mr Boulton’s expression to me: ‘I sell here Sir, what all the world desires to have – POWER’,” wrote James Boswell of his visit to Soho Manufactory. Just a few miles from the centre of modern Birmingham, the diarist and author had come in […]
In 1807 an Act of Parliament abolished the trading of slaves in the British Empire. While not ending slavery itself (that would come in 1833 following further legislation), it was a remarkable achievement in bringing to a conclusion a shameful trade. Some estimate that between 1662 and 1807 […]
I’m drinking a well-brewed latte in a new plush London hotel. Not that much of a usual event given the number of such luxurious establishments in our capital you might say; from the Dorchester in Mayfair to the Mandarin Oriental in Hyde Park they are stayed in and […]
William Blake’s reference to ‘dark satanic mills’ in his Jerusalem poem, conjures up negative connotations of the industrial revolution and the impact it had on the lives of ordinary people. Workers toiled away for long hours in dirty factories, with little time for leisure, contemporary commentators suggested. Machines […]
On the tow path of the Cromford Canal it’s possible to escape the hustle and bustle of busy city life. Visiting on a sunny weekday afternoon out of school holidays I barely saw another person as I walked along this wonderful stretch of water in Derbyshire. Along the […]
Past In The Present 