Latest Reviews
Canons Ashby, Daventry, Northamptonshire
Canons Ashby is a Tudor home in Northamptonshire which has been brought back to life by the National Trust. The village was first mentioned in Domesday Book, and during the Medieval period we hear of a number of canons behaving badly at the Augustinian priory, from whence Canons Ashby gets its name.
Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire
Being less than seven miles from the popular, Merlin Entertainments-owned Warwick Castle, Kenilworth Castle is often overlooked. This is a great pity. While it doesn't have the flash of Warwick, and is much more ruinous, it is perhaps the more atmospheric of the two.
Warwick Castle, Warwick
Warwick Castle has a fascinating history. The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was built in 1068 by William the Conqueror on the site of a defensive Anglo-Saxon settlement established by Alfred the Great's warrior daughter, Æthelflæd Lady of the Mercians.
The Mary Rose, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Built in 1510 and launched the following year, the Mary Rose was one of Henry VIII’s new warships, and the largest in the fleet. Designed purely for battle, she saw action during the next 30 years, but sank quickly during the Battle of the Solent in 1545. No definitive reason has ever been found.
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
Mary Beard has set herself a huge task in writing SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. Her aims are to cover Rome's first thousand years, from 'a tiny and very unremarkable little village' to an empire that ruled from Britain to Egypt. In telling the story, she asks not just 'why' Rome was so successful, but also what impact it had on its citizens, from emperors down to slaves, how they thought about themselves and their place in the world, and why their story still matters to us.
The British Museum, London
First opened to the public in 1759, the British Museum houses one of the world's most extensive collections on the history of human culture. Every part of the world is covered in this immense building, designed in classical Greek style, and which is free to enter (with the exception of some special exhibitions).
Human Evolution Gallery (Natural History Museum)
On 18th December 2015, the Natural History Museum opened a new permanent gallery on human evolution. It features the known history of human, and close ancestor, evolution, from chimpanzees to Cheddar Man. Exhibits include replica, cast and actual skeletons from across the world and species, including recently discovered Homo naledi hand, jaw and skull fossils.
Kents Cavern, Torquay, Devon
Kents Cavern is an important prehistoric cave system, notable for both its archaeology and its geology. The cave system was formed by water in the early Pleistocene, and shows many of the usual geological features of a calcium-rich area. The oldest bones found within the caves, belonging to a cave bear, are around 500,000 years old.
Powderham Castle, Devon
Work began on Powderham Castle by the Courtenay family in 1391, on land that had been in the family (on the mother, Margaret de Bohun’s, side) since at least the Domesday Book. The senior branch of the Courtenay family were the Earls of Devon, seated at Tiverton Castle, who lost their title (twice) under the Tudors.
Dartmoor Prison Museum, Devon
Dartmoor prison, in one of the most inaccessible parts of southern England, was initially built to house prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars. It then held American prisoners from the 1812 War, before closing in 1816. It wasn’t until transportation of criminals ceased in the Victorian period that the prison reopened in 1850, this time to house convicts. It has been a penal prison ever since.
