Town Clocks
The end of the Middle Ages saw town clocks being introduced all over Europe. The concept of arriving for and leaving work at certain times was just one example of…
The Blast Furance
In the 1100’s Europeans had mastered a technique for producing cast iron, some 1,500 after the Chinese. This was by means of a blast furnace, so called because of the…
The Windscreen Wiper
The 1908 FA Cup Final was played at Crystal Palace between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United. The omens looked bad when before the match the ground was lashed with rain,…
Thomas Burgess Swims the Channel.
At Dover on 6th September 1911, under a warm blue sky, Yorkshireman Thomas Burgess, aged 37, started his 16thattempt to swim the English Channel. He was stark naked except for…
Fishing As A Tree
In the 18th century, Thomas Birch a keeper of books at the British Museum, was a keen fisherman who devised an unusual way of disguising his intentions. Dressed as a…
Dennis Collins and Pension Rights.
In 1832, Dennis Collins an able seaman who had lose a leg at the battle of Trafalgar, limped 21 miles from London to Ascot, where he attended the races and…
Cheetah Racing
In 1937, Gandar Dower introduced cheetah racing into England as an exciting alternative to greyhounds. He imported 8 cats and staged highly publicized events at Romford and Haringey. He had…
Armistice Day – November by Irene Snatt
In Preston Park there is a tank. Relic of the Battle of Cambrai. Its rusty treads loom over, Threatening. I play with Army buttons, Unwind some tattered puttees. On corners…
Francis Waring the Vicar in a Hurry.
In the early 18th century Francis Waring was vicar of Heybridge in Essex. He liked to get through a service as quickly as possible. Having set up a small clock…
An Extraordinary Cricket Challenge
On 21st May 1827 at Harefield Common, near Rickmansworth, farmer Francis Trumper and his sheepdog, ‘Cooper’, challenged ‘two gentlemen of Middlesex’ to a game of cricket, and defeated them. Cooper,…