×

History

Penny Hampson

Fishponds and Railway Lines: Traces of the Past

September 1st, 2020

Looking for somewhere different to walk recently, the husband and I set off to visit Eynsham, a village to the west of Oxford. We’ve done a walk there in the past and decided that it was due further exploration. I like Eynsham, it’s architecture is a mixture of many time periods, making it easy to […]

Read More

An Evening’s Entertainment in Bath? Step This Way

August 3rd, 2020

Because I miss being able to visit Bath I thought I’d write a bit more about another of its attractions, Sydney Gardens. Situated at one end of Great Pulteney Street, this is the oldest park in Bath and one of the few remaining eighteenth-century pleasure gardens in the UK. Designed in 1795 by the architect […]

Read More

A Stroll into the Past Along Great Pulteney Street

July 28th, 2020

If you follow my blog, you’ll know I enjoy visiting Bath. Rightly designated a Unesco world heritage site, it is one of the most architecturally beautiful cities in England. Bath’s popularity isn’t a modern phenomenon; the Romans quite liked it too, using it’s natural hot springs to create a fabulous bath complex. Today, however, I’m […]

Read More

Fiction from Fact

July 5th, 2020

My upcoming book A Bachelor’s Pledge is a work of fiction but there are many elements of the story that actually occurred. I try to fit them in seamlessly, so that it is not too much like a history lesson for the reader. It is late 1810, and my hero, Phil Cullen, is instructed by […]

Read More

Want your spirits uplifting? Come on a walk to Minster Lovell

June 29th, 2020

I’ve been venturing further afield on my walks as the weather has improved. Last week the husband and I visited Minster Lovell, a picturesque historic village on the banks of the River Windrush. This village has three parts, Old Minster, Little Minster, and New Minster. You might guess that Old Minster was our destination Even […]

Read More

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

June 21st, 2020

This article first appeared last year on The Coffee Pot Book Club: I thought it was worth updating here because spying and espionage are very much a feature of my upcoming book in The Gentlemen Series ~ A BACHELOR’S PLEDGE. When we talk of espionage today, we think of James Bond action heroes, or perhaps […]

Read More

Fancy a Ride Round Britain?

May 26th, 2020

Then let’s accompany Colonel John Byng, Viscount Torrington (1743-1813) on one of his tours. I’ve written about this chap before, but I thought now — when we are unable to travel — would be a good time to have another look at his diaries detailing his trips round the country. On Saturday 2nd July 1785 […]

Read More

Who was Caleb Hillier Parry?

March 2nd, 2020

Bath in its heyday was renowned as the place to go if you were in poor health. Since Roman times its hot spring had been famed for its curative powers, and the same waters were used by the Georgians in an attempt to cure their ills. Bath, a magnet for the sick, also became a […]

Read More

How to Spend 3 Days in Bath

February 23rd, 2020

Last week I was on my travels again, this time to Bath. Yes, I know I have written about this place before, but I can honestly say there always seems to be something new to discover. This visit didn’t disappoint. Arriving just before midday, husband and I enjoyed lunch and then paid a visit to […]

Read More