Why do I have a passion for historical England? A very easy question to answer when you think of all the drama, intrigue, courage and passion, all of the heroes and villains, Kings, Queens, rebels, artists, highwaymen, bishops and scientists. that have been a part in the shaping of England’s rich historical past,

Little wonder that Hollywood has celebrated many a box office hit with films based on tales from historical England! Just think of Brave Heart, Elizabeth, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and more recently The Other Boleyn Girl, just a handful off the top of my head. That is without even mentioning all of the wonderful BBC television costume dramas. All of the evidence you need is right there for you to see how exciting and fun history can be.

I remember back in my school days, historical themselves now, I had a love for history but wanted to live it, experience it, fill my senses with it, not sit in a stuffy classroom reading boring text books and learning dates and timelines parrot fashion. So secretly (don’t tell anyone will you) I used to skip school and go on my own adventures around historical England.

There were so many wonderful places nearby that I could visit, castles, cathedrals, stately homes and museums where I could touch and feel the past and picture myself back in times of old. Rochester in Kent was on my doorstep and there I could saunter down the same high street that Charles Dickens walked down, roam around the Norman castle and marvel at one of the oldest cathedrals in the country.

That’s what I call learning about history.

Just take a look around you own neighbourhood, I bet you will be surprised at the wealth of history on your own doorstep. Next time you are out take a look up at some of the buildings around you, often the lower parts of them have been renovated into shops or offices but the higher up you look you will be amazed at what you will see. The oldest parts are normally still intact showing the architecture of the time of building and more often than not there will be a date embossed giving you the precise age.

Go on, try it. I guarantee you will discover historical England for yourself and of course you will meet lots of new friends as you bump into them whilst walking and gazing upwards, I know I do.

Today historical England is so much more accessible with so many wonderful heritage sites, living museums and theme parks. Especially during the summer months when the country is littered with festivals, pageants, shows and displays. All so much better than that classroom I was made to endure, or so they thought!

If you have a hidden passion for history, let it out and enjoy it, learn from it, have fun with it and pass it on to your friends and family, and why not enjoy history even more by subscribing to the BBC History Magazine - it would make a great present!

Technorati Tags: historical England

The Medieval Christmas by Sophie Jackson

The first thing I noticed about this book was the gorgeous cover which immediately made me want to look inside the book. These days we take so much for granted that we never ask “why do we do that?”  Sophie Jackson has obviously completed a tremendous amount of research and has come up with countless jewels of information that give the background to a traditional Christmas which began in medieval times.

Learn about the origins of Holly and Ivy and what food they ate in those times.  There are many surprises in this book and it holds your interest from the very first page especially as Sophie has included recipes so for those of you who are adventuresome enough can try and re-create Christmas in culinary respects.

This book will make you want to celebrate Christmas with family and friends even to the extent of switching off the TV, putting away the XBox and play some traditional games. Just place it on the coffee table and delve into it a chapter at a time. It is so attractive that the whole family and yiur guests will want to pick it up and find something of interest.

A beautiful book to give or even better to recieve.  Just click on the image or HERE to buy it NOW!

Take a peek at Christmas Past

The Geffrye Museum in London is holding a celebration of Christmas’s past with an exhibition of period rooms decked out as they would have been in years gone by covering a 400 year time span.

There are also historical Christmas Markets and Festivities at …….

The Bath Christmas Fair 27th November - 7th December

Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre 29th - 30th November

Blists Hill Victorian Christmas Weekend - Shropshire - 6th - 7th December

Caerphilly Castle Medieval Christmas Fayre - 13th - 14th December

Plus ….

Christmas Carols in the Great Hall - Edinburgh Castle - 14th December

Norwich at Christmas - Norwich is holding various events between 3rd - 14th December

A Sussex Christmas Celebration - 26th December - 1st January

So go on make it different this year and pick up a few ideas for having a Historical Christmas by visiting the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Check out your local paper and see if your town is doing something historical for Christmas.

Technorati Tags: christmas, historical, historical christmas, historical England

What better way to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the end of the Great War than by reading Harry’s story….

It truly is a remarkable read, Click Here to review it now.

Technorati Tags: first world war, Harry Patch

Duration : 0:9:9

Technorati Tags: anglo, bbc, britain, celtic, celts, church, England, history, ilses, orkney, roman, rome, saxon, scotland, viking

Duration : 0:6:37

Technorati Tags: biography, Charles, England, history, king, KingCharlesII, royalty

Duration : 0:8:12

Technorati Tags: Burn, Cat, Civil, Devil, Drown, England, Europe, Hang, Hopkins, Mathew, Puritan, Satan, spell, war, Wiccan, Wisewoman, Witch, Witchcraft

Duration : 0:10:28

Technorati Tags: Channel, Haunted, history, london

Duration : 0:10:28

Technorati Tags: Channel, Haunted, history, london

Duration : 0:10:28

Technorati Tags: Channel, Haunted, history, london