Clik here to view.
Before and After the Armada - by Ann Swinfen
Battle of the ArmadaThe defeat of the enormous and well-trained Spanish Armada fleet by the smaller English fleet in the English Channel during the summer of 1588 is probably one of the most famous...
View ArticleParis by Imogen Robertson
It’s a week since we woke to the news of the attacks in Paris, and the search for the ringleaders continues as I write this. In January after attacks on Charlie Hebdo I went and joined the crowd at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Lore of Lapidary by Kate Lord Brown
Researching the history of jewellery making for 'The Christmas We Met' gave me a wonderful excuse to explore the world of gems. One of my favourite discoveries was lyngurium (pictured above), which is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sex and morality in the novels of Georgette Heyer, by Leslie Wilson
Two strings to her bow, by John PettieTo those who dread spoilers: there are some in here, because one can hardly discuss books without giving away some of the plot. However, with Georgette Heyer it's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
THE 'ELEANOR VASE' by Elizabeth Chadwick
For October's Cabinet of Curiosities, I would like to contribute an interesting item that once belonged to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Rather like Eleanor herself, it has been embellished by others,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Finding George Haydon by Miranda Miller
This is my first blog for the History Girls and I'm thrilled that Mary has invited me to join you. I've been thinking about the difference between writing about imaginary people and real ones. Are the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wings of Hope - Paris, November 2015, by Carol Drinkwater
PEACE FOR PARIS. I believe the artist is Jean Julien....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Christmas cards by Janie Hampton
Over the years I have collected interesting cards from old scrapbooks and jumble sales.As now is the time for sending out Christmas cards, I shall share some with The History Girls. Christmas card...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hitler and Marigolds by Julie Summers
Edith Jones' diaryMay 1945There is nothing more delicious than discovering a private diary, written moons ago, that was never intended for publication. It has been my great good fortune to find several...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Filling the cracks with gold
Our November guest is Anne Rooney, appropriately enough since this has been Non-fiction month - did you know? - and Anne has written around 200 books, many of them non-fiction for both adults and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
November Competition
If you read Anne Rooney's fascinating post yesterday about researching for historical non-fiction and fiction, you'll want to enter our competition with a chance to win one of five copies of The Story...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The first Mary Tudor by Mary Hoffman
Mary Tudor by an unknown French artistThere are many obscure figures in British history, often women, who have been treated only by novelists (see Anne Rooney's post on Filling the Cracks with Gold a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Of Lions and Literature - by Gillian Polack
I was going to write about Black Friday this month, but it’s too depressing. Black Friday in Australia has nothing to do with sales (except in the minds of a few retailers who don’t know nearly enough...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Slaves, Fish, Crochet, by Vanora Bennett
I didn’t intend to go to the art exhibition now on at London’s centre for Russia-lovers, Pushkin House. I was there for a talk on something else Russian and cultural in the same room, to do with the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fearsome Persephone - by Katherine Langrish
The Greek myth of Persephone has often been retold as a sweet and charming little story, a just-so fable about the cycle of winter and spring. Here’s an extract from 'The Pomegranate Seeds,' a 19th...
View ArticleClik here to view.
19th Century Snow by Joan Lennon
By the time you read/look at this, the weather will be different - that's a thing you can count on, pretty much. But on the day I set myself to write my post, it snowed. Now, because I live near the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Intimate Friends by Lydia Syson
Today I want to celebrate the birthday of Frédéric Bazille, who was born on December 6th in Montpellier in 1841. A medical student turned painter, who wore wonderful checked trousers, he was at the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Festival of Lights......and Latkes by Adèle Geras
Many religions, most religions, celebrate a Winter Festival. Christmas is the main one in the United Kingdom, but there are others, like Hanukkah, which is the subject of this post. One advantage of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
'I gave birth to a rabbit' - by Karen Maitland
I was giving a book talk recently when I made an off-the-cuff joke about have read a ‘true life’ magazine containing an article titled – 'My daughter gave birth to a hamster.’ Inevitably someone asked...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Interview with Bronwen Riley
by Caroline LawrenceI have just discovered a marvellous book about Roman Britain by an author I had not come across before. Bronwen Riley works for English Heritage and has already written several...
View Article