In 1914 there were no mobile telephones, televisions or ipods. There were no computers and so no twitter or You Tube. Cinema and radio were still a novelty. People received their news via the tabloid papers, telegrams or witten letters. And none of these methods was entirely reliable. Communications between individuals and governments tended to […]

In many ways Europe in 1914 was just like it is now. How life was experienced, particularly in capital cities, then as now depended on the cultural norms and classs divisions of each society. What is surprising is the international flavour of European society before the Great War. Scientific knowledge and advances in medicine travelled […]

February 14th, the day when all young lovers give their sweethearts chocolates and flowers. Many believe that Saint Valentine’s Day goes back to the Roman fertility festival of Lupercallia – young things frollicking in the woods and glades, getting up to all sorts of things. Of course, the early Christian Church could not tolerate such […]

“The poor are always with us” as someone once said. And there are an awful lot of low-paid workers in Britain. About 9.5 million households, with 7 million having at least one member who is in paid employment. About 1.35 million receive the minimum wage, currently £6.35 an hour, though the Chancellor is in favour […]

With the anniversary of the first world war commerated later this year, no little information on the subject is becoming available across the media. For instance, and not least, how it all started. Well, there are numerous reasons and factors involved, so here, in a single article, it is probably best to focus solely on […]

Communication, in our hyper-connected, instantaneous 21st-century world, is ‘key’ (no pun intended), and even while so much of this occurs digitally, the far older human skills of language retain their primal importance. 2014’s First World War centenary reminds us what can happen between miscommunicating nations, where their pent up tensions erupted into industrial-scale global carnage. […]

There is no “right way” to intemperate complex historical events which stem from tidal movements in social mobility and advances in technology – as did the First World War. Therefore the Home Secretary, Michael Gove’s comments can be considered crass, designed to promote political mischief and in the end denigrate the sacrifices made by all […]

It is well documented that reading for pleasure has a significant impact on children’s educational success, but what can we do to encourage this at home? The most important factor is choice. Some children are reluctant, and so it is important that they have this over what they can read – so they don’t feel […]

Despite Michael Gove’s recent questioning of reading aloud in Primary schools, there can be no doubt that reading books can have an impact on the educational attainment of children. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently stated that reading for pleasure even determines academic success, more so than social class. However, public libraries […]

A seventy  foot, sixty year old Norwegian Spruce has been annually ‘replanted’ every Christmas since 1947 into Trafalgar Square.  The tree had been selected and felled during November at a ceremony in Oslo’s forest attended by the Lord Mayor of Westminster. This majestic evergreen is donated to the people  of London  by the residents of […]