In 1896, Charlie Chaplin, his mother and brother presented themselves at the door of the Lambeth Workhouse in south London. Charlie’s father had left them and with no secure earnings they were destitute. Making matters worse, Charlie’s mother, Hannah, also suffered from mental problems. Over the next few years, the family passed in, and out, [...]
The history of Hatfield House starts in 1485, when the Bishop of Ely (Cambridgeshire) constructed Hatfield Palace, today called the Old Palace. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-41), Hatfield Palace was acquired by King Henry VIII, passed down in sequence to his children; Edward, Mary and Elisabeth and then inherited by King James I [...]
Welcome to part two of the ‘Must-see exhibits at the British Museum'! Part one, published recently, explored the ground floor galleries. Part two starts in Room 61 and will work clockwise around the entire first floor. Room 61 Here we find artefacts from the tomb of a senior (and very successful!) ‘financial [...]
In Bloomsbury, London is the world’s finest collection of historical artefacts under one roof - even the roof is a world-class masterpiece! This article will highlight the must-see exhibits at the British Museum. If you only have time to visit one museum or gallery, look no further! The British Museum is the world's [...]
Hampton Court Palace was the home of England's most famous king from 1529 until his death in 1547. With sixty acres of gardens and 750 acres of parkland, it was King Henry VIII's weekend and summer retreat from London. The palace was occupied by monarch's of the Stuart and Hanoverian Royal Houses up until 1737. [...]
One of London’s finest country homes is only a few miles west of central London. Chiswick House was the centre of highly select gatherings of the Earl of Burlington’s family and friends in the 1730’s. And around fifty years later it served the same purpose for the Duke of Devonshire and his sparkling (very ‘modern’) [...]
Spitalfields is in the east end of London and very close to the City of London. Its been the traditional first stop in Britain for immigrants, going back to the 1600’s, and has had its share of poverty and destitution. Today, however, the area is a melting pot of the creative industries, street art and [...]
Syon House, near Brentford, is home of the Percys, Dukes of Northumberland. It sits in a 200 acre estate on the River Thames in Middlesex. The house we see today was built by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset in 1547, refurbished and enhanced by the Scottish architect Robert Adam in the 1760's and refaced in [...]
At the age of 25, Charles Dickens rented (as was normal practice of the day) a large home in Doughty Street, London. He did this, just as his writing career (under the pseudonym of ‘Boz’) was taking off. Dickens lived here happily with his wife, Catherine, and their three children. Charles and Catherine would go [...]
In Brook Street, Mayfair there is an extraordinary couple of houses - turned into a museum. Numbers 23 and 25 were homes to two musicians 200 years apart; Jimi Hendrix in London and the house of George Frideric Handel! Handel House G F Handel was born in Germany in 1685. He moved to London age [...]
