High Street History

Another great find! Are you interested to see how your high street has changed over time? If you are, take a look at this fab little tool that takes you through a little street and explains why some aspects of towns are preserved and why others are left to decay.

Nazi Gold...

To finance their expensive war and domination campaign, the Nazis looted gold and other valuable possessions from any country they invaded, including Belgium and the Netherlands. The Nazis would even loot private citizens of countries of their valuables, such as jewellery and art.
There are many theories as to where the Nazis deposited the stolen booty; the obvious location has been deemed to be the Swiss National Bank, as they have one of the most secure and secretive banking systems in the world. The Swiss banks have very strict privacy laws on all accounts; this means that under no circumstances can the banks share any information with third parties, unless it is requested by a Swiss judge's subpoena. This then has made it incredibly difficult for any government to determine who or which country owns any of the Nazi gold that the SNB may have. If the SNB did take in gold and valuables on behalf of the Nazi regime then they most definitely have made a very tidy sum from it!

Should the Swiss banks be forced to return any Nazi gold they may have? Let me know what you think!

Why did London Stink?

I've just discovered a fantastic quiz that would be great to use as a revision tool for Medicine Through Time!

Have a go and let me know how you get on!

Medicine Revision!

If you are in Year 10 and are studying History you will know that after the Easter break you will be starting your 'Prohibition' coursework. This means that you will shortly be finishing the Medicine Through Time unit. I have found a really useful interactive tool that can be used as a revision aid. Just type in any question about Medicine Through Time that you have and Dr.Fox will try her best to answer it for you!

Amusing WWII Cartoon...

I've just been looking at a great blog called Strange Maps and have spotted a very amusing cartoon that makes clever use of cartography to explain the Second World War.

Take a look and let me know what you think!

Food Inspired by History!

Last week I watched a very entertaining cookery show headed by top chef Heston Blumenthal that saw Heston create a lavish Victorian feast inspired by History! Heston took inspiration from a number of Victorian recipe books and from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to create an unusual 'Mad Hatter' style banquet.
Heston's Victorian Feast included a drink that was made up of five distinct flavours, Mock Turtle Soup, and insects-a popular alternative to meat for poorer Victorians, and jelly laced with Absinthe-a drink that Oscar Wilde claimed made him hallucinate.
Next weeks episode will be food inspired by the Medieval era-I'm looking forward to watching it!

Friendliness Award!

I am very pleased to have received this award from someone who herself has been very friendly to me and my blog-so thank you Ms.Lucy of Enchanted by Josephine!

This award represents:


"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

I now need to pass this award on to 8 fellow friendly bloggers-some will probably have already been given the award, so if it is bestowed again class yourself as extra-friendly! :)

I present the award to:

Miss Ellis of geogtastic!
Eliza Knight of History Undressed
Elizabeth Kerri Mahon of Scandalous Women
Pte Harry Lamin of WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier
Bearded Lady of The Raucous Royals
Lauren of Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century
Vic of Jane Austen's World
HT of Wonders and Marvels

My Visit to Sudbury Hall

I am very lucky to live in the middle of England where there are so many fantastic places to visit quite close. One of those places, which I have had the pleasure of visiting countless times, is Sudbury Hall. Sudbury is not big in size, as far as country houses go, but it is a wonderful house. The house is owned by the National Trust and is open from early February until November.
Sudbury Hall is the creation of George Vernon (1635-1702), built from 1660 onwards when Vernon acquired the family estate. Sudbury remained the home of the Vernon family until 1967, when it was given to the Treasury as part-payment of duties after the death of the 9th Lord Vernon. After the house was transferred to the National Trust several rooms were redecorated.
This time when I visited Sudbury I was most anxious to see the Long Gallery, as it featured in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice series, which I love!
This clip from the series sees Elizabeth visiting the fictional house 'Pemberley', the home of Darcy. The interior scenes were filmed at Sudbury Hall, although the exterior is that of Lyme Park in Cheshire.



My highlight of the visit though was spotting two very interesting portraits-upon closer inspection I discovered that one was of Barbara Villiers and the other of Nell Gwyn, both of whom were one time mistresses of Charles II-my favourite British Monarch!



Tell me about an interesting place you've recently visited!