Category Archives: History

Ghosts of Empire – Park Street Cemetery, Kolkata

Posted on February 25, 2016 by

One way of looking at this evocative, if mildly disturbing, place is as a hidden enclave populated with the ghosts of colonialism. Situated right in the middle of Kolkata, tucked away purdah-like from the mayhem of the city streets, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, History, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Birmingham Edgelands Part 2

Posted on October 10, 2015 by

Edgelands are not necessarily always on the urban edge. Not physically anyway – the important thing is they are perceived as different from the zones that lay beyond. Neither strictly urban nor rural but an overlooked amalgam of the two … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Human Geography, Midlands | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Crowland

Posted on July 20, 2015 by

Crowland – the name seems to be well chosen. Walking into the village I cannot help but notice several dozen crows perched on the wires above the village sign: a welcoming committee taking a brief respite from wind-wheeling above the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Travel, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Digbeth

Posted on June 21, 2015 by

Passing through Birmingham recently I had a little time on my hands and so decided to visit the Digbeth area, a shortish walk from New Street Station. Head south from the futuristic silver button bulwark that is the Selfridges building … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, History | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Palmyra 2000

Posted on May 22, 2015 by

The news is always bad from Syria these days. The newsworthiness of the conflict seems to fluctuate as we in the West become increasingly inured to a lexicon that includes words like barrel bombs, Isis, chlorine gas, jihadi, caliphates and … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Another Place

Posted on March 1, 2015 by

To reach Another Place you have to start in Liverpool. At least that is what we did, taking a Crosby-bound number 53 bus from the city’s Queen Square terminus. Leaving the Victorian magnificence of the city centre behind, the route … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, History, Northern England | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Whittlesea Straw Bear

Posted on January 12, 2015 by

If you venture to Whittlesea, at the edge of the Fens near Peterborough, during the second weekend in January you cannot help but notice that strange straw animals and oddly attired people have taken over the streets of this small market … Continue reading →

Posted in Folklore, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Thingvellir

Posted on December 23, 2014 by

The winter solstice marks the dark frontier of the annual cycle: that time of year when days are at their shortest; the period of feasting before the corner of the year is turned and daylight and warmth return to awaken barren … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Islands, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fountaine’s Folly

Posted on November 16, 2014 by

October 31, 2014. Samhaine – All Saints’ Eve – Halloween – take your pick. Old-school seasonality seems to be in retreat as autumn suddenly slips back a season in denial of shortening daylight hours and the termination of British Summer … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Norfolk, Walking | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

At Covehithe

Posted on September 23, 2014 by

The day before the autumn equinox: the setting, the beach at Covehithe. We have gathered here at the north Suffolk coast to walk and talk. A literary walk to celebrate W. G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn, no less, organised … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Literature, Suffolk, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments