One of the earliest known maps of London has been found during a routine house clearance. The fascinating engraved plan of the capital of England dates from the time of Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare. The handmade map shows how the city looked in the 1570s when it would have had a population of … Read more
Tuesday, June 2, 1953: Coronation Day. With London decked out to celebrate its 27-year-old Queen, there was only one story in town. Or rather, two. Just four days earlier, with perfect timing, two men, hacking through the snow, had made it to the top of the world’s highest mountain. Edmund Hillary was a tall Kiwi … Read more
Moving house is a stressful business. There’s all that packing up and agonising over what to take, what to throw out, what to give away; then there’s the settling into a new home. But for John and Angela Hodge there was the additional heartache of knowing that they didn’t really want to leave Ballingdon Hall, … Read more
Archaeologists believe they have discovered the location of London’s first Elizabethan playhouse, the Red Lion, in the East End. The Red Lion, considered the earliest known purpose-built theatre of Shakespeare’s era, is thought to be have been built around 1567, but its exact location has long been debated. Now excavations at a site destined for luxury … Read more
Mysterious Drake’s island where Elizabethan explorer set sail to explore the world will get its first visitors in 30 years before former naval fortress is transformed into a luxury holiday resort Drake’s Island, 600 yards off the coast of Plymouth, has lain derelict for 30 years But after it was purchased by Plymouth businessman boat … Read more