Monthly Archives: March 2013

Where do the world’s most powerful people live? In most countries, the head of state or leading politicians are given grace and favour residences that have become emblematic of their government. From the White House to Number 10 Downing Street, the Kremlin to Zhongnanhai, executive mansions are fascinating insights into the history and self-image of nations. Here are a few of my favourites.  There are a huge […]

Executive privileges – palaces of power

Imagine an elite division of Cuban troops infiltrating the USA, making their way to Washington, D.C. and killing the President in a daring and direct raid on the White House. Or perhaps a secret squad of SS officers landing on the moonlit shores of eastern England before making their way undetected to London and then assaulting Number 10 Downing Street and assassinating Winston Churchill. Do these […]

The Blue House Raid

Heraldry in England developed in all its elaborate glory in the middle ages. One of the most striking features was the emergence of supporters as part of a full coat of arms. Animals, both real and imaginary, humans, angels and objects could all be used to stand either side of the main shield. In England, the development of the monarchy can be traced by observing the […]

Rule all England under a Hog

The British £2 is one of the most striking coins in circulation. As well as being the only mainstream bimetallic coin in the UK, it is wider and heavier than any other. With its golden edge and silver centre, it has become the coin of choice to commemorate events, people and institutions of national significance. The current series of the £2 coin was launched on 15 […]

A two pound piece

Argentine animosity towards the United Kingdom is neither a recent trend nor solely attributable to competing claims for islands in the South Atlantic. The roots of Anglo-Argentine friction go back to the mid-nineteenth century. Argentina was then at the heart of Britain’s informal economic empire, a shadowy counterpart to the more overt imperial power seen in places such as India and throughout Africa. Opponents labelled it […]

The English Octopus and Argentina

The newspaper headlines leave little doubt that fiscal cuts will hit the armed forces especially hard. The Evening Standard led with “Britain’s army will be slashed to smallest size since Napoleonic wars”, raising the prospect of the UK’s land forces being reduced to their lowest numbers for over 200 years. But how has the size of the British Army changed in the past centuries? And how […]

The British Army’s swells and shrinkages

Amongst Britain’s diverse population are adherents of all of the world’s major faiths. Religious devotion often requires a place of worship: churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and gurdwaras. A reference to the first purpose built mosque in the UK made me wonder when each of these religious buildings were first erected in Britain. Michael Portillo’s Great British Railway Journeys is now into its fourth series on BBC […]

First places of devotion

A dowry is the money, goods, or estates that a wife brings to her husband at their marriage. The giving of dowries was a common practice in societies around the world and still continues in some countries and amongst certain classes. The ‘golden’ age of dowries was reached in European societies in the 15th to 18th centuries, when royal dowries amounted to colossal fortunes or exchanges […]

Right royal dowries

If you are reading this in the UK, have a look at the change in your pocket. One side features a portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II and the other continues the monarchical theme by displaying one of an array of heraldic badges, devices and national icons. Changing over the years, the choice of these designs tells us something of the importance of giving equal weight […]

Coining the home nations