3 reasons to visit the picturesque Cotswold village of Swinbrook
Last week I joined some friends for lunch in Swinbrook, a pretty Oxfordshire village. If you are looking for a quintessential English village, then Swinbrook fits the bill. A babbling stream runs through the centre, and there are quaint honeystone coloured Cotswold cottages galore. At this time of year, the village verges are covered in […]
The Curious and Tragic Case of ‘Miss Paris’
In The Monthly Magazine for 1810, I discovered this intriguing report for February. A death ‘in St Martin’s-street, Leicester-fields, Mrs Jones, but who had for some time resumed her maiden-name of Miss Paris.’ Immediately, I was hooked. Why did Mrs Jones merit a two-column report of her life and death? And why was she calling […]
A Postcard from Kingham
Just a short blog today. As the sun was shining, the husband and I decided to travel a little further afield for our Sunday walk. We ended up in Kingham, a beautiful village in the Cotswolds. Kingham is situated in a large bowl in the Cotswold Hills and close to the railway line linking Oxford […]
The Harsh Reality of Life As A Climbing Boy
Join me on The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog today, where I’m taking a look at the harsh reality of life as a climbing boy (Warning! It’s not for the faint-hearted)
Tewkesbury – The Town That Bought an Abbey
Last week saw me on my travels again, this time to the historic Cotswold town of Tewkesbury, which lies at the confluence of the rivers Severn and Avon. It was the scene of a decisive battle in 1471, when the House of York defeated the House of Lancaster in the Battle of the Roses. But […]
Work and Play in Falmouth
Last week I enjoyed a short break in one of my favourite places — Falmouth, Cornwall. Why do I love Falmouth? Lots of reasons, not least the wonderful feeling I get of being somewhere on the edge of an adventure. Falmouth was after all the jumping off point for many people travelling to different parts […]
A Quick Trip to Mechelen
Just a short post today. Earlier this week I visited Mechelen, a city close to Brussels in the Belgian region of Flanders. Mechelen has also been known as Mechlin (English) and Malines (French). It was just a flying visit as, having set off reasonably early on Tuesday morning to drive there via Eurotunnel, we didn’t […]
The British Royal Navy and the Peninsular Campaign
A major contributing factor to Wellington’s success in his Peninsular Campaign was the role played by the British Royal Navy. The British economy at the time of the Napoleonic Wars was based on trade, insurance, and financial services. Portugal, and access to its colony of Brazil, was crucial to Britain’s commercial interests. British woollen goods […]
Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin
This post first appeared on the English Historical Fiction Authors blogspot I expect most people will have heard of the Elgin Marbles and the controversy surrounding them. The focus of their story has always been Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine, and whether he acquired the marbles illegally. But […]