On Thursday 1 December 1904, five refugee families made landfall next to the Tower of London. Displaced, they were escaping from harsh new laws that the German government was enacting against travellers (a process that soon saw all gipsies fingerprinted and eventually led to Hitler’s death camps). Some in Britain were welcoming, but most were… Continue reading ‘Human Vermin’
Author: Graham_1e
The Man in the Tower
In 1533 England is gripped by terrible convulsions following Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn and the break from Rome. Robert Dalyvell is imprisoned, suspected of spying. When he is released, he is missing his ears. Just three years on in 1536 Anne has lost not her ears but her head, and Dalyvell will soon… Continue reading The Man in the Tower
Learning to be human
Why (and what) do I read? It’s a very good question. I was chuffed recently to be asked to contribute some thoughts to Chris Lee’s Bookworms blog about why I love reading. It was good to torture my braincells into remembering what I actually read when I was a child, and how my reading habits… Continue reading Learning to be human
#bitesizeroyston
From February 2022 to February 2023 I tweeted a factoid about Royston’s history every day. From the town’s links to ‘The Greatest Showman’ film to the prehistory of Therfield Heath. Interested? Visit Twitter and search for the hashtag #bitesizeroyston
The Hertfordshire Hermit and the Solar Farm
A new solar farm that is set to make a significant contribution to North Hertfordshire’s ambition to be net zero by 2040 is going to be sited on or next to the site of the Hertfordshire Hermit’s former home. James Lucas was a Victorian celebrity who lived an unusual life. Here is a piece I… Continue reading The Hertfordshire Hermit and the Solar Farm
Gallipoli and the gilded goat: Royston in the Great War
Towards the end of February 1915 Melbourn Road echoed to the sound of two thousand aching feet. The 5th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had marched the paltry thirteen miles from Cambridge (nothing compared to their usual route marches) and were to collapse that night into makeshift beds hastily found for them by the… Continue reading Gallipoli and the gilded goat: Royston in the Great War
Cracked voices, uncracked
In recent months, it’s been a delight to hear two songs from Jenni Pinnock’s and my Cracked Voices (2017) being given a fresh airing (links below). In Scottsdale Arizona (USA), Michael Tallino and Riley McKinch chose ‘Earthrise’ as part of their Songs of Peace for a Wild World concert (part of the Arts at Nativity… Continue reading Cracked voices, uncracked
‘Super Saturday’
There is a small Roman household god (a Lar) on display at the Guildhall Museum in Rochester that found its way back out of the dark after several hundred years. This is something I wrote about it for the ‘Ten Songs for a Lar’ project. It seems right to share it on Super Saturday. … Continue reading ‘Super Saturday’
Lockdown activity for kids (and their grown-ups)
You’ll find them in Christmas crackers and The Hobbit. We all love a riddle (except for Gollum when he can’t work one out!). Why not try out the p|arts ‘Riddling at home!’ lockdown pack with your kids. It can be downloaded here: http://p-arts.co.uk/lockdown-activity-for-kids-and-their-grown-ups…
Surviving the pandemic…
In his report the Medical Officer recommends ‘the immediate breaking up of all the schools at Royston, at Foxton, and at Thriplow.’ It starts with a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. Within a day a rash develops on the stomach or chest and spreads over the whole body. The cheeks of infected children… Continue reading Surviving the pandemic…