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
Completed in 1830 to commemorate British victory in the Napoleonic Wars and subsequent peace with France, the Wellington Arch stands on a island at the bottom of Park Lane. The monument has a unique roof terrace giving a bird’s-eye view of Buckingham Palace Garden, Green Park, Park Lane and Knightsbridge! Originally, the arch was topped [...]
By the summer of 1940, Hitler’s ‘Operation Sea Lion’ was in full swing. Hitler needed air superiority over the English Channel. This meant destroying RAF airfields in the south of England and the sources of aircraft production throughout the country. The enemy attacks started on 10 July 1940 and continued every day throughout summer – [...]
The foundations of empire At the dawn of World War I, Britain ruled over a quarter of the world’s land mass, comprising over four hundred million subjects belonging to an empire with, broadly, four types of British rule. Firstly, the five settler colonies or ‘Dominions’ of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Newfoundland. These [...]
The British Empire relied on British Naval Power as a sign of strength; keeping the trade routes open and supporting the growth of the Empire. This article describes five buildings, in and around the district known as Whitehall, that were key to British Naval Power. It describes why they were built and some the people [...]
Fifteen miles to the south of London is the home of British motorsport and aviation; Brooklands. Motor racing took place here from 1907 to 1939 and aviation developed on the site at the same time - right up until 1989. At one time, Brooklands was the most prolific aircraft factory in Europe. In [...]