Essential History | The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
Lincoln’s Inn Fields is named after the former recreation ground for lawyers learning and practising their profession at the adjacent Lincoln’s Inn - one of London's four Inns of Court still operating today. Originally, two separate fields, it was home to public executions before becoming a training ground for parliamentarian troops during the English Civil [...]
Somerset House has an illustrious past. The site was once the home of Lord Protector Somerset then Tudor and Stuart queens of the realm before becoming the first home of the Royal Academy (1771-1836), the Royal Society (1780-1857), a London headquarters of the Royal Navy - and then a government tax and records office (1789-1985). [...]
The Great Exhibition opened on 1 May 1851. A giant display of crafts and wares from around the world, it was also a major promotion of Britain and its empire. The Whig government funded the venture, realising it could be self-financing by charging an entrance fee of one shilling – something that around six million [...]