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Time to join the fan club: the history of this summer's must-have accessory
As summer temperatures continue to soar, fans — long considered a fashion anachronism — are back in the style spotlight.
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Pier today, gone tomorrow: Blackpool pleasure pier up for sale
A product of Victorian entertainment, piers are synonymous with the British seaside. But they need our help to survive.
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From the headless king to the mouths of the masses: Britain's ice-cream origins
On National Ice-Cream Day, Jack Watkins traces the sweet treat’s roots and discovers that its popularity owes a lot to London’s ingenious residents and Regent’s Canal.
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A rollercoaster, Bauhaus department store and Brutalist football stand top the latest Buildings at Risk List
The latest Buildings at Risk List from the Twentieth Century Society has been announced. Sunwin House department store and Blackpool’s Grand National Rollercoaster both feature.
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In all its glory: One of Britain’s most striking moth species could be making a comeback
The Kentish glory moth has been absent from England and Wales for around 50 years.
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The humble hazel dormouse — 'the flagship species of the health of our countryside'
The sleepy and very sweet hazel dormouse is one of Britain's rarest mammals.
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Archaeologists in North Yorkshire discover ‘the biggest and most important Iron Age hoard ever found in Britain’
The 800 objects — including chariots and iron tyres — were likely buried in the 1st century AD around the time of the Roman Conquest of southern Britain.
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White-tailed eagles could soon soar free in southern England
Natural England is considering licensing the release of the raptors in Exmoor National Park — and the threat to pets and livestock is considered to be low.
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Trees of God: The story of the mighty cedar
Once considered an exotic addition, cedar trees were frequently employed by ‘Capability’ Brown as topographical punctuation marks and are now as loved and reassuring as any fine church steeple.
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The 'Death Pyramid' of Primrose Hill
Four times the height of St Paul's Cathedral, and with enough room for 5 million bodies, the Metropolitan Sepulchre was a fascinating curiosity that thankfully never left the drawing board.
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Curious Questions: Why do we still love pirate stories, 300 years on from Blackbeard?
Tales of swashbuckling pirates have entertained audiences for years, inspired by real-life British men and women, says Jack Watkins.
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A pheasant at Charing Cross Hospital and a woodcock at St Pancras: London's rarest birds revealed
The latest London Bird Report has some interesting findings.
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The history of Covent Garden: 500 years of the world's most famous market
It’s half a century since Covent Garden’s eponymous market travelled south of the River Thames, but it did little to dent the area’s appeal. Jack Watkins charts the history of Covent Garden from Tudor times to the present day.
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The terrible truth about the cuckoo, and the 'monstrous outrages' it perpetrates on its foster parents and siblings
The cuckoo is a bird whose behaviour is so horrendous — when judged by human standards, at any rate — that it wasn't until the advent of wildlife film that ornithologists finally acknowledged and accepted the depths that it plunges. Jack Watkins explains.
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A century of Royal Photography is going on show at Buckingham Palace, from Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz
The Royal Collection Trust's summer exhibition at Buckingham Palace brings together some of the most wonderful royal portraits ever taken. Jack Watkins takes a look.
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The woodlark: the British songbird that is the ultimate masked singer
Its melody is sweeter than the nightingale's, yet the elusive woodlark seems destined to delight only a fortunate few.
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The good, the bad and the dilapidated as Historic England release the latest 'At Risk' Register for 2023
A total of 159 sites have been added — and 203 sites removed — in a year that marks the 25th anniversary of Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Jck Watkins reports on the latest.
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You might think a book about the birds that lived in London 75 years ago would make for gloomy reading. Nothing could be further from the truth.
75 years ago, Richard Fitter published the seminal book 'London’s Birds'. Jack Watkins takes a look inside to see what it tells us about the changing face of the capital’s avian population — and comes away marvelling at how our winged friends have thrived despite the march of metropolitan progress.
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The Flying Scotsman: How the first 100mph locomotive became the most famous train in the world
The first train to officially hit 100mph may not even have been the first, and didn't hold the rail speed record for long; yet a century later its legend is undimmed. Jack Watkins celebrates the Flying Scotsman.
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Curious Questions: Why does Kew Gardens have a giant pagoda?
The Pagoda at Kew Gardens, designed by Sir William Chambers, is one of the most famous, yet most incongruous landmarks at one of the world's most famous gardens. So why is it there? Jack Watkins explains.
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Durham Cathedral and Castle: 'The Normans at their most audacious and expansive'
The view of Durham from the train is epic and defiant: the great central tower of the cathedral rising as if it were its own unconquerable cliff, a symbol of Christian civilisation that has endured centuries of hostile waves to stand triumphant.
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![Henry II', 1935. Henry II, King of England, circa 1860. Henry II (1133-89), the first Plantagenet king of England, ruled from 1154. From Kings & Queens of England - A Series of 50. [John Player & Sons, London, 1935] Artist Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uzWTXTSVJ7fZVeKtDmx8fk.jpg)
Dover Castle, Kent: England's strongest castle
Jack Watkins looks at the story and impact of The Great Tower at Dover Castle, the imposing creation of Henry II that still stands strong almost 900 years later.
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The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: Thomas Telford's 'ribbon of water in the sky'
The magnificent Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is one of the great testaments to Industrial Revolution ingenuity — and as beautiful as it is impressive. Jack Watkins takes a look.
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In Focus: The enduring appeal of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera'
Jack Watkins tells the tale of one of the West End's most iconic musicals, and how The Phantom of the Opera evolved from an obscure novel and largely forgotten films to become a global sensation.
![Henry II', 1935. Henry II, King of England, circa 1860. Henry II (1133-89), the first Plantagenet king of England, ruled from 1154. From Kings & Queens of England - A Series of 50. [John Player & Sons, London, 1935] Artist Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uzWTXTSVJ7fZVeKtDmx8fk-800-80.jpg.webp)
