20th Century 1900-1999

Sir Thomas Lipton

Sir Thomas Lipton

Sir Thomas Lipton, the very embodiment of the cliche, ‘Poor boy makes good’, was born in 1850 of working class Northern Irish parents in Glasgow. Lipton started work as n errand boy and became a millionaire through the vast chain of grocers shops that he had created and by 1908 he was one of the…

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The Khaki Election

Khaki Election 1900

The Khaki Election of 1900 In Britain any election called as a result of war either pre , during or post, is called a Khaki Election and there have been a number of these in the C20th. The Khaki election of 1900 was really a turning point in Britain for many reasons. Within the year…

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Transatlantic Wireless

transatlantic wireless

Transatlantic wireless from Cornwall to Newfoundland. From Poldhu in Cornwall UK to Signal Hill in Newfoundland the first wireless messages across 3,000 miles of ocean were transmitted in 1901. The person behind this amazing achievement was an Italian, Guglielmo Marconi whose early experiments in Bologna and Rome had been followed by further research in Britain.…

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Alexandra Feodorovna

Alexandra Feodorovna the last Russian Tsarina was she ultimately responsible for the downfall and murder of the Romanov family? She was ostracized by the Russian court, its people and many in Europe, what part did this play in forcing her towards Rasputin?

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British Union of Fascists Riots

British Union of Fascists

The British Union of Fascists rose to power under Oswald Mosley in the 1930’s, the riots that ensued in the streets of the East End have something to teach us about the rise of far right politics in today’s political climate.

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Tariff Reform League

Tariff reform league

The Tariff Reform League was the 1903 dream of Joseph Chamberlain, he rejected free trade, what can we learn from this in the build up to Brexit? Was he misguided in his political view or did he have a point of view worth re-examining in light of the upcoming trade negotiations?

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The Edwardian Era

The Edwardian era lasted only nine years and yet it was an age of social change and political and intellectual brilliance, what happened in this ear to promote such change?

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The Appeal of 1950’s Cuba

1950's Cuba

The appeal of 1950’s Cuba echos down the decades drawing tourists to the island for decades. Will it change as Cuba embraces the hand held out by the US?

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Historic Gold in Old Books

Old Books

A chance find in a charity book store, led to the unexpected discovery of a collection of books that belonged to the late Colin Sorenson. All sorts of books on London containing a few historical golden nuggets.

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Women’s Roles in Edwardian Era

Working women in the Edwardian era

What were women’s roles in the Edwardian era of British history? What changes in society occurred that moved women towards acceptance in the workplace? The events after the Edwardian era would catapult women towards new opportunities.

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