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
We're not going to let the major Royal event of 2018 go without a mention. Referring of course to the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the 19 May at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle. Once married, the couple will live together in the second largest apartment of Kensington Palace - moving out [...]
Stroll around a seventeenth apothecary’s garden, followed by afternoon tea at the café. The Chelsea Physic Garden is a micro climate tucked away in Chelsea. It is the oldest in England (after Oxford) and is open to the public (closed Nov-Jan). If you’re near the King’s Road, take a cab for the 5 minute journey [...]
The Restoration man. This is a portrait of King Charles II attributed to Thomas Hawker. It is an oil on canvas, painted circa 1680 that you can see in the National Portrait Gallery, London. You wouldn’t think he was called the Merry Monarch from this portrait! It was painted near the end of his life [...]
This is a portrait of the 'Chief of Men', Oliver Cromwell, by Robert Walker. It is an oil on canvas and was painted in 1649 – the year King Charles I was tried and executed. Cromwell was a country gentleman who took up arms against King Charles I in order to protect the rights of [...]
This is one of a collection of buildings in Whitehall that was the centre of British naval power from the mid-1700's to the 1960's. It is officially called the Admiralty Extension, and is on Horse Guards. Completed in 1904, it was the workplace of Ian Flemming; creator of James Bond (and Chitty Chitty Bang [...]