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Showing posts from 2016

The Celebrated Murderer - SARAH MALCOLM

Fascinating murder that took place in 18th Century Fleet Street SARAH MALCOLM

Stonehenge Alignment

Stonehenge Sun Temple ~ June 21 - YouTube

No Man's Land Pubs

The pub's in No man Land are 'Jack Straws Castle which is sadly closed down and turned into luxury apartments, although Spaniard's Inn is nearby and still open. In Chalk Farm is the Red Bull. I cannot find any pub with that name in the area, the closest is the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town. However, Sheila Hancock says Pinter never went to the pub. So maybe its a fruitless search. No Man's Land (play) - Wikipedia

Open Education - Free courses

I'm taking the 12 Apps of Christmas - apps for use to help teaching. Blackboard Learn

Story Maps: Hemingway in Idaho

This is an app which allows you to use maps as a navigation device - or as an adjunct to a story. Quite interesting although I guess you could do this without the app as a web site or app. Not sure what it offers over other technology. Pointed out to me by CSM MANE students. The Amazonian Travels of Richard Evans Schultes Here is one with a literary theme Hemingway in Idaho http://uidaho.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=8372c1acd90749a489cd937795d788a5

Charterhouse opening free to the public in Jan 2017

This is good news and will be a good end to guided tours in Smithfield. Visit Us - The Charterhouse

Great Fire Doc questions whether Hubert was a Hugonaut

The Museum of London has acquired a handwritten document of evidence on the causes of the Great Fire of London. This contains the following line which suggests for the first time that Robert Hubert who was hanged for starting the Great Fire might not even have been a Catholic. It was also reported that he was not in England at the time the fire started. Rare find offers glimpse of London after the Great Fire - The Wharf : “That this Monsyer Hubert, lived a Papest & died one: all though if ever given out ye He was a Huginet....” is not found in the published versions and appears to be unique to this scribed report.

Witches' marks in Shakespeare's House

The marks, pentangles and flower like decorations made with compasses have been found in an increasing number of medieval and post-medieval timber framed buildings. They seem to stop being created when better oil based lanterns came into use. The suggestion being that darkness was a major cause of fear of ghosts and witches. The marks in Shakespeare's house are on the stairs to the cellar and might have been created after Shakespeare's time when the house was a pub. Witches' marks: public asked to seek ancient scratchings in buildings | Culture | The Guardian

Tell me a story: augmented reality technology in museums | Culture professionals network | The Guardian

This is an article about the use of Virtual Reality and Digital Story telling. The idea is to create persona based on visitor surveys and created digital content for those persona. Tell me a story: augmented reality technology in museums | Culture professionals network | The Guardian

Sotheby's Museum Network

This is Sothebys Museum TV network - free videos from Wallace Collection, Tate and other Museum networks. http://museumnetwork.sothebys.com/

Museum Network - Network-Museums.Com

Network-Museums.Com says: 'Network Museums is the place to get the answers. It brings museum staff, volunteers and students together to solve your problems and provides additional resources to make your museum successful.'

How Do You Develop A Story That’s Worth Telling - Raindance

Here are some sensible words about writing stories. How Do You Develop A Story That’s Worth Telling - Raindance : How Do You Develop A Story That’s Worth Telling

Ghostsigns - faded painted signs on walls

Ghostsigns. This site is dedicated to  'the typically fading remains of painted advertising on walls. The aim is to raise awareness and understanding of ghostsigns through a variety of projects, including research, publishing, tours and events.  '

Museum of Walking | the art is in taking part

Interesting web site that sees the Art in Walking. They say: 'Museum of Walking | the art is in taking part : We are a family run business that develops and delivers walking events. Our walks are mainly artist led, depending on the event you choose there will be a mix of drawing, bricolage and learning. Our focus is to be creative using walking as the art form. Participants come and explore an area, learn something new and develop skills. Group participation is fun and stimulating and you will be part of a walking performance. ‘The art is in taking part’ which we call ‘walking creatively‘.'

Start A Festival - Free Film Festivals

This is a web site which coordinates and helps encourage film festivals. Start A Festival - Free Film Festivals

Excavation (1957) British Pathé - St Albans Shepherd Frere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWCuhzjPzqA

Its not just Art History A Level that is being dropped its Anthropology, Electronics, Creative Writing, Science in Society, Archaeology, Classical Civilisation and Statistics.

 AQA, an educational charity  announced that it was dropping a total of 20 A Level subjects . Media commentators bemoaned the loss of History of Art, but many others are being given the boot, including Anthropology, Electronics, Creative Writing, Science in Society, Archaeology, Classical Civilisation and Statistics.

Vulgar - the exhibition that is not vulgar

Great Costumes shame about the bullshit. Vulgar was simply the title it was not  tasteless ,  nor was it  gross , or  crass , and certainly not unrefined . There was nothing tawdry , or  garish , or even  brassy . As to  kitsch ,  or tinselly, never. I say nothing glaring , brash , loud , or  harsh ; At times it was ostentatious , flamboyant , over-elaborate , overdone , showy , flashy , gaudy , garish , brassy . But it wasn't sexy or  flaunting,  It might have been about fashion adopting the extreme, or going over the top, or even playing with the vulgar. But what it was not about was vulgarity. Each section had an introductory text, which was very happy with itself  and then there was a lovely set of costumes which often had nothing to do with the introductory text, and had scarcely anything to do with vulgarity.   There were two shows, a show of costume and a display of one person's reflection on the word vulgarity.  Very little contact between the two.  It was as

Vulgar - the exhibition that is not vulgar

Great Costumes shame about the bullshit. Vulgar was simply the title it was not  tasteless ,  nor was it  gross , or  crass , and certainly not unrefined . There was nothing tawdry , or  garish , or even  brassy . As to  kitsch ,  or tinselly, never. I say nothing glaring , brash , loud , or  harsh ; At times it was ostentatious , flamboyant , over-elaborate , overdone , showy , flashy , gaudy , garish , brassy . But it wasn't sexy or  flaunting,  It might have been about fashion adopting the extreme, or going over the top, or even playing with the vulgar. But what it was not about was vulgarity. Each section had an introductory text, which was very happy with itself  and then there was a lovely set of costumes which often had nothing to do with the introductory text, and had scarcely anything to do with vulgarity.   There were two shows, a show of costume and a display of one person's reflection on the word vulgarity.  Very little contact between the two.  It was as

The 10 Manliest High Tide Sea Shanties | The Art of Manliness

Really good collection of sea shanties The 10 Manliest High Tide Sea Shanties | The Art of Manliness

Jane Austen Music

Here is a good list of Music Jane Austen would have heard/sung/played. Jane Austen Music

London’s Olympics, 1908 - Most amusing Olympics of all time.

1. The British 400 yard Gold medalists won a rerun final running alone as the 3 Americans boycotted the re-run. 2. The American tug of war team accused the British team of  cheating by wearing special boots whien in fact they were all Policemen wearing their work shoes. 3. Champagne was served as refreshment for the Marathon 4. The Marathon was stretched from 25 to 26 miles and 300 odd yards because the Princess wanted it to start underneath the Royal Nursery in Windsor.  5. Women participated for the first time. 6. The Winter Olympics were held in Kensington 7 There were medals for Watercolouring and running deer shootting 8 the Oldest goldmedalist was 68 London’s Olympics, 1908 | History Today

the Watercolors of John White and the lost colony of Roanoke

John White and John Smith - I think I have them combined as one in my mind. White was the grandfather of Virginia Dare, and governor of Roanoke, Raleigh's colony in America.  John Smith is the  governor of James Town and friend of Pocahontas. White was also a skilled watercolour painter. Res Obscura: Images of a New World: the Watercolors of John White

Shadwell and Shad Thames the meaning of their names

According to Wikipedia Shad Thames is named after St Johns at Thames Church, but across the river: Shadwell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: EtymologyIn the 13th century, the area was known as Scadflet and Shatfliet[1] – derived from the Anglo-Saxon fleot, meaning a shallow creek or bay – the land was a low lying marsh.[2] A spring, issuing from near the south wall of the churchyard was dedicated to St Chad, and filled a nearby well.[3] The origin of the name is therefore confused, being associated with both the earlier use and the later well. Shadwell was formerly called Chadwelle.[4] I think it much more likely that  they both derive from a similar source, and shallow creek does fit.

The London Rich: The Creation of a Great City, from 1666 to the Present by Peter Thorold — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Interesting book about the London Rich. Goodreads | The London Rich: The Creation of a Great City, from 1666 to the Present by Peter Thorold — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

How the super rich are affecting London.

London's elite 'pushed out of exclusive postcodes by super rich' | Money | The Guardian

Mosley Tries Again (1962) - YouTube

This shows Dalston during a fascist Oswold Mosely rally. Mosley Tries Again (1962) - YouTube

Only Secretary of State ‘call-in’ can stop Soho demolition now - The Victorian Society

I am really disappointed that the new Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has  allowed the  Soho demolition. London is not Singapore, we need a diverse mix of modern and old and in areas like this too many of the buildings that have some distinctiveness about them are going. I thought Boris Johnstone was much to blame and I am very, very disappointed that Khan has not put up a signal that he will do things differently. We need to save London not destroy it. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government should ‘call-in’ the demolition of a chunk of a Soho conservation area which includes the former Foyles building.   

Show Don't Tell say Creative Writing Tutors

Well I suspect that Zadie Smith Nick Hornby Martin amis Orhan Pamuk Jane Austen Margaret Attwood E.F. Benson Evelyn Waugh do a lot of telling.  

Hull Heritage betrayed - listed building is rejected | Hull Daily Mail

Hull has been let down. Firstly, if Heritage England reject a listing they should make a strong case for its retention on the grounds of local diversity. Secondly, the people of Hull will be better served by a range of buildings both new and old. Braves Hall is a positive feature in the town. Bid to make Victorian Braves Hall in Hull a listed building is rejected | Hull Daily Mail

The Krays in London: 15 sites associated with the twins - Telegraph

The Krays in London: 15 sites associated with the twins - Telegraph

X-rays reveal 1,300-year-old writings inside later bookbindings | Books | The Guardian

This could be so exciting - think of the Roman and Greek manuscripts that might turn up! X-rays reveal 1,300-year-old writings inside later bookbindings | Books | The Guardian

'Sustaining Shakespeare’s Stages' - YouTube Julian Bowsher Lecture

Your chance to listen to lecture on Shakespeare's Globe by the archaeologist who digs them. UCL ISH March Guest Lecture: Julian Bowsher, MOLA - 'Sustaining Shakespeare’s Stages' - YouTube Julian also appears in this short promo for the Cain Hoy Developers who are building a 37 story tower in Shoreditch.  What a pity a company who care so much for the area and are prepared to preserve its archaeology, care so little for the area as to disfigure it by an inappropriately high building? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la7027fleNU&feature=youtu.be

St Pauls Dyptych

Society of Antiquities film of their amazing portrait of St Pauls. Unlocking Our Collections

10 ways for Museums to boost their social media

Alec Ward of the Museum of London just delivered an excellent session on Social Media. Here are my 10 points 1. Posts do much better if they have an image or a video.  You can now post video straight to Facebook, and evidence suggests that videos are often seen without sound. So bear this in mind when making them.  Infographics site Venngage can help produce engaging graphics. 3d Images are now easy to do 2. Target  your posts to your audience. Find out about your audience using the analytics packages with your SM platform. Use these to monitor results of posts and fine tune. 3 Post at the best time for your audience.  Social media stats can be found at 'shortstack'  This suggests 10am and 3pm are the best time to post but it  depends on the audience. In general 9am - 7pm best time. 4. Creating posts beginning Top 10 or Top 5 - often gets an audience 5. Use your collection to create great stories. Don't just post upcoming events, tell a story and then men

Aeoliphile - the hearth blowing ithyphal.

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Here is an article about aeoliphiles of which there are 3. Ashmolean Museum - Jack of Hilton Dr Arthur MacGregor, FSA FLS,  describes the one belonging to the Society of Antiquities as  ‘dug up from the bason of the canal at Basingstoke in Hampshire and purchased by him at an old Iron Shop in that town, to the proprietor of which it had been sold by one of the labourers’ Perhaps the most famous is one in the Ashmolean Museum which is called,Jack of Hilton. The Society's web site describes the ritual 'marking the payment of rent described in Robert Plot’s Natural History of the county in 1686: ‘The Lord of the Manor of Essington . . . shall bring agoose every new years day, and drive it round the fire in the Hall at Hilton, at le[a]st 3 times . . . whil’st Jack of Hilton is blowing the fire.’ A third one from Tamworth figure was flung into a pond in recent times in disgust. This is interesting because if these were prehistoric their explanation would be &#

The Complete Walk / Shakespeare's Globe

This is the place to find the Complete Shakespeare Walk taking place this year on 23 and 24th April 2016 The Complete Walk / Shakespeare's Globe
 "History Today" has an article on Domitian's Eunuch http://www.historytoday.com/ llewelyn-morgan/eunuch-and- emperor Martial's poems on the subject are here: http://www.stoa.org/diotima/ anthology/earinus.shtml

Writing Conveyor Belt - Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots by William Wallace Cook — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Interesting radio programme on Radio 4 about Plotto, where William Cook gives a foolproof method of getting a story together. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06sny8v Although, I do hate all such 'writing by numbers' methods, this looks like fun. Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots by William Wallace Cook — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

The Circulation Department

I used to wonder whether they had based this on Dickens' Circumlocation Office, but this was all to the good. The V&A Circulation Department was a heroic 20th Century attempt to bring Culture to the Masses in the Regions, and then, because of Government Cuts, it got the chop in 1977.   I'd quite like to know how much of a fight Sir Roy Strong put up to retain it.  I mentioned in when I revised Sir Roy Strong's wikipedia page. Read something of the noble history of the Circulation Department here http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/research-journal/issue-no.-4-summer-2012/room-38a-and-beyond-post-war-british-design-and-the-circulation-department http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/research-journal/issue-no.-4-summer-2012/room-38a-and-beyond-post-war-british-design-and-the-circulation-department

Audience Segmentation for Heritage

No different to selling Coffee, audience segmentation is rife in the Museum and Heritage World. Here is a guide and a  couple of examples of how it is used. https://www.theaudienceagency. org/insight/segmentation-made- simple  Much of it is based on Mosaic which divides us up like specimens in a Natural History Museum tray: http://culturehive.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/AF_-An-Overview-of-Mosaic-Profiling-Groups-2009.pdf More on marketing (and more) can be found here http://culturehive.co.uk/ authors/the-audience-agency/

Medieval Immigrants to England

A friend directed me to this interesting site, to remind people that Britain has always been a place of immigration. It has some very interesting information. England's Immigrants 1330 - 1550 And I found one Giles Flude [48922] which increases the chance that Flude is a foreign name. Surname: Flude Forename: Giles Gender: Male Place of Origin: Holy Roman Empire (Empire) Prior Residence in England: 32 years Original Document: C 67/72, m. 3 (letters of denization, c. 1539 - c. 1541) Notes: English wife. Biographical Notes: No Notes Relationships: No Relationships Link: https://www. englandsimmigrants.com/person/ 48922 (via shareaholic.com )

The Malware Museum :

This is an example of an online Museum. This is a collection of programmes that damage or disable your computer!.  Sound scary?  Well, the folk at archives.org have stripped out the nasty bits and left a visual record of the leading malware programmes. Our virtual history. The Malware Museum : Free Software : Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

Perspective tour of the National Gallery

I wrote this quick tour for one of my students for her M.A project. She will be creating a much better framework for it. https://www.nationalgallery.co.uk/products/the-virgin-and-child-enthroned-with-narrative-scenes-print/p_NG564 The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Narrative Scenes Margarito of Arezzo. C 1263 This is a typical 'Byzantine' style of medieval painting. It is a story-telling painting with scenes from various saints lives. The figures are static and the spaces unreal. It is very beautiful with copious use of Gold Leaf and the main role of the painting is to tell the stories of the Saints. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/giotto-and-workshop-pentecost Pentacost. Giotto c 1310 In this Florentine painting, you can see Giotto groping towards an understanding of perspective. The room is not quite 3 dimensional, but he has created a sense of space. The people similarly are becoming more realistic, and clearly

Linear Perspective: Brunelleschi's Experiment | A beginner's guide to Renaissance Florence | Khan Academy

A video of the (re-)discovery of perspective. Linear Perspective: Brunelleschi's Experiment | A beginner's guide to Renaissance Florence | Khan Academy

Create your own tour app.

Here are a couple of methods of creating a free guided tour.   Whitepoint | Virtual tour software for smarter, mobile-ready virtual tours. Whitepoint | Virtual tour software for smarter, mobile-ready virtual tours. izi.travel.app https://izi.travel/en is another platform that is free to create tours.

London in Music

george chisholm https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=CEOKBd1SDds skiffle the vipers  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=27n8PFfKsc4 Lonnie donegan  dustman https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ODEShfdxoR0 Chewing gum  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=x6bFTVi0hHs   (skiffle) Billy Fury   https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9MTXBQp5OgI The Who mods https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=uswXI4fDYrM mix  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=594WLzzb3JI Small faces Slide show watcha gonna do    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=sVHT5fLrX2k playing live https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=mYvi-l2SRnA Sandie Shaw https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Xx5otxLS3qc MArianne Faithfull https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=of21WYW5t5g Rolling stones   https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=5BykilS816E Sarg pepper beatles  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=guiNy0jSKkI  hendrix  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=HLEboBA-Xzk Quintessence  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Z062TDH5lhg   jesus bud

‘Innocence of Memories’ on Vimeo

This is a film based on Orhan Pamuk's 'Museum of Innocence' a film about longing, or perhaps obsessive love, and about Istanbul. ‘Innocence of Memories’ on Vimeo

Dark Age getting lighter? Internet Archaeol. Issue 41. Romano-British Pottery in the Fifth Century. Themed issue

Internet Archaeol. Issue 41. Romano-British Pottery in the Fifth Century. Themed issue

Gallus, the Cybele and Roman Eunuchs

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A recent posting in the Britarch mailing list referred to a Poem of Catullus which mentions, it was said, a Eunoch of the Goddess the Cybele.    I often use a poem by Ovid which mentions the 'Votaries of the Cybele ululating in high pitched chorus with their Phyrgian Fashions'  and so looked up the Poem - Poem 78 http://rudy.negenborn.net/catullus/text2/e78.htm This left me in some doubt as to whether the poem is about a Eunuch  Although the context of Poem 78 is following poems about the Cybele, and one meaning of a gallus is a eunuch of the Cybele. but as you will see, in this translation, Gallus is married.  Wikipedia also tells me that Gallus can mean many things, including: People several ancient Romans; see Gallus (cognomen) ... Gallus , the Latin word for an inhabitant of Gaul Gallus , the singular form of Galli , the eunuch priests of Cybele Animal-related Gallus , the Latin word for rooster or cockerel Gallus (genus) , a bird genus in the phea

Mad Frankie Fraser and the Criminals of London

Take a look at these two clips to get a fascinating and horrifying glimpse into the lives of the tradational cockney criminal Mad Frankie Fraser talking about burying an axe in Eric Mason's Head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgUX1t5jiiU Eric Masons talking about Mad Frankie Fraser burying an axe in his head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbYBcEMsX98

Jane Austen Chawton Walk

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The Council web site has a literary walk around Chawton, where Jane finished off most of her work. The Austen's Cottage in Chawton     http://www.easthants.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/JaneAustenWalk.pdf

Welcome to the Experience Economy

Useful article on the Experience Economy https://hbr.org/1998/07/welcome-to-the-experience-economy

States of Mind: Tracing the edges of consciousness | Wellcome Collection - Wellcome Trust

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I was disappointed.  To me,  it was a typical 'Essay Exhibition' The creators of the Exhibition  must have thought this is a good idea Start with the Soul, Descartes  take that to Neuroscience. Then explore Consciousness: So Sleep & Awake Childhood - becoming an individual Death and brain damage The art works did not communicate strongly and the text really did not give  a compelling discussion of consciousness. Intellectually, it seemed something I could have put together after looking at a Horizon programme or two, with a few book reviews and Radio 4 programmes.  You leave about as informed as you came in and not inspired. What I took out was Descartes Dualism, Blake's illustration of the female soul leaving the male body. A brain scan that shows a clever way of communicating with brain damaged, but this was most certainly not an interesting exploration of consciousness. In fact I think it is a failure as an Exhibition States of Min

London’s Big Dig Reveals Amazing Layers of History - National Geographic Magazine

Colourful, great pictures but a bit uninformative London’s Big Dig Reveals Amazing Layers of History - National Geographic Magazine

Performing for the Camera | Tate - failed essay exhibition

The Performing for the Camera | Tate is what I would call an Essay Exhibition. it is about the relationship of Photography and Performance, but it is far too wide a subject to do justice to intellectually. Artistically, I just found the subject matter not interesting enough. As an essay its not very interesting, as an exhibition its not very interesting. The title can emcompass anything where a photograph has a performative element OR where it documents a performance, that encompasses the whole history of Theatre, Cinema, Dance not to mention every other art and craft.  So it has no intellectual coherence. As such it has not much to teach us. And the choice of objects is not that exciting- I think they know that,  because there are a large number of pictures of naked women in the Exhibition. Looking at it you would think that 25% of all performances entail a woman taking her clothes off.  So there are far too many naked women unless naked women is one of the main themes - which i

Roman Fresco Discovered next to Leadenhall Market

Archaeologists have discovered a 100AD Fresco in a building destroyed to make way for the 2nd Forum at the centre of London. The finds were in 21 Lime Street. http://www.mola.org.uk/blog/discovery-ornate-roman-fresco-revealed Roman Fresco Discovered next to Leadenhall Market – IanVisits

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. A Sermon Preached at Enfield, July 8th, 1741. - viewcontent.cgi

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Here, courtesy of Andrew, my footballing Vicar friend is his answer to my request for a proper Hell and Damnation sermon. I discover that, we sinners, are all precarious over the pit of hell, kept out of it only by an angry god's whim. The Wrath of God burns against them, their Damnation don’t slumber, the Pit is prepared, the Fire is made ready, the Furnace is now hot, ready to receive them, the Flames do now rage and glow. The glittering Sword is whet, and held over them, and the Pit hath opened her Mouth under them. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=etas  

The Daily Constitutional from London Walks®: #London Walks Guides' Tips For Winter Walkers No.3

This is my contribution to London Walks 'Tips for Winter Walkers' The Daily Constitutional from London Walks®: #London Walks Guides' Tips For Winter Walkers No.3

Public Housing in Poplar: The 1940s to the early 1990s | British History Online

This is a really excellent article on rebuilding after World War 2 Public Housing in Poplar: The 1940s to the early 1990s | British History Online

New Book Review of 'Divroced, Beheaded, Died' and the sales figures of Kevin Flude Books

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Divorced, Beheaded The History of the Kings and Queens of Britain   has sold 81,406 copies. Hard Back - 50,655 Paperback - released Sept 2015                      5,862 E book      -  24,432 Audio Book        557 Total 81,406 Nice review of it here  Divorced, Beheaded, Died...: The History of Britain's Kings and Queens in Bite-Sized Chunks by Kevin Flude - TheBookbag.co.uk book review To buy it http://www.amazon.com/Divorced-Beheaded-Died-Britains-Bite-sized/dp/1782434631/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=  The Citisights Guide to the History of London  When this was published by Virgin, they printed 10,000. I think they sold about 2,000 before remaindering it. The 8,000 left were, I believe, sold not pulped. I have no way of working out the sales of the I'universe  version but royalties would suggest sales of maybe 20 a year since 2001. Given sales of: Total: 10,300 You can buy this here : In their Own Words - a liter

From Post-modernism to the Participatory Age

This article confirms my belief that we have left the Post Modern age and have entered the Participatory Age - it is no longer about subverting the norm, or stealing from the past it is about collaboration and participation. Architects "are never taught the right thing", says Alejandro Aravena I suspect that Corbyn mania is part of that trend, and if Corbyn can move in that direction and go against the regressive flow of the hard left, then we might get somewhere. This 2011 Edward Doxc article in Prospect Magazine suggests it has been replaced by an age of Authenticity. http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/features/postmodernism-is-dead-va-exhibition-age-of-authenticism

Boudica: Celtic War Queen Who Challenged Rome | History Net: Where History Comes Alive – World & US History Online | From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher

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Excellent article on Queen Boudica's revolt. Boudica: Celtic War Queen Who Challenged Rome | History Net: Where History Comes Alive – World & US History Online | From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher

The Prehistory of Computer Applications in Archaeology

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I'm thinking its time I finished my PhD.  I began it in the early 1980's while working at the Museum of London.  I was enrolled  for a PhD (part-time) at Birbeck College. On the retirement of Vera Evison, my supervisor, I was transferred over to the Institute of Archaeology. It was in Computer Applications in Archaeology. ( This link takes you to the BBC Billingsgate Film and a few seconds in you will hear me talking about using Computers.) Early Computer Graphics site plan (from GPO site) Progress was slow although I published quite a lot of early articles on the subject. The research was based on an  IDMS relational database which lived on a  Mainframe Computer at QMC in Mile End, although I remember some visits to the Computer Centre at Guildford St.   It ground to a halt mainly  6 years into the research and it was now all on PC's or UNIX mini-computers.  The Museum of London supported my work and within a few years I had set up the first computer systems

Wolf Hall in London Walk - the City of Cromwell & More

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The Walk went ok - I had too much information and not quite well digested enough so it damaged by normal Tudor walk without making it a great Cromwell Walk.  This often happens on first walks imho, and may also have been partly because the route was far away from their homes so we got right into the Dissolution before we had discovered who they were.  So this is the route as it should have been: 1. Tower Hill - imprisonment and executions  I read the final, reported, words of Cromwell and More in their executions which was 5 years apart. 2. Cooper's Row City Walk 3 Walk around the Walls to Bishopsgate 4. Austin Friars. Cromwell at home amongst the local inhabitants, many foreigners including Chapuys. hie was friends with the Prior who preached in favour of Anne Boleyn (the congregation walked out) and here, Robert Barnes was imprisoned during the time of Wolsey (see Wolsey did not have them burnt at the Stake unlike the saintlike Thomas More.) 5. The Barge - where Thomas

Christmas at the Geffrye Museum

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Great Museum, nice cafe, good lecture on Christmas from the Staff but the Christmas displays themselves were a disapointment. It felt as if the Museum had a Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe budget of about 10 sprigs . It was the opposite of 'bedecked'. Christmas, through the ages, has been about conspicuous consumption and homely spectacle.  Of course, it was downgraded in the Puritan period.  So, I'm not sure whey the Museum decided to give us a minimal and tasteful Christmas.  Perhaps, they did not want the Christmas displays to overwhelm the period displays?  If so, then this meant that they were giving an inaccurate view of Christmas in the past. Each room had interesting information on Christmas but quite low key and really it did not feel like a Christmas exhibition, it felt like a minor addition to the main displays, and I think this is not in the spirit of 600  years of Christmas.

The Herbal Bed - Peter Whelan - 2016 - Productions - English Touring Theatre

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I have just come back from a meeting with the Actors rehearsing for Peter Whelan's 'The Herbal Bed' a play about the accusation of adultery laid against Susanna Hall, daughter of William Shakespeare and wife of physician John Hall. I gave them an introduction to medical care at the beginning of the 17th Century.  I have been working on a book about this subject. The very first draft is available for less than £4 from the wonderful feedaread.  Its called 'The Four Humours of Shakespeare' and it gives not only an introduction medicine in Shakespeare's time but also how Shakespeare used medicine in his writing.   http://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Four-Humours-of-Shakespeare-9781785102134.aspx The Herbal Bed - Peter Whelan - 2016 - Productions - English Touring Theatre

Roman Fortgate Opening

Chance to get to see the Roman FortGate which is open Sat, 9th Jan 2016 Sun, 28th Feb 2016 Fri, 18th Mar 2016 Fri, 15th Apr 2016 Last day is on Fri, 15th Apr 2016 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm Archaeology events

My historical #newyearsresolution

London walks asked me for my resolutions and here they are. The Daily Constitutional from London Walks®: #newyearsresolution Finish That Novel & Visit The Old Operating Theatre @OldOpTheatre

The Roman City Walk - Sun 10th Jan 2016

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The Roman City 10:45  Sun 10th Jan 2016   Bank Tube, exit 3 (by the war memorial in front of the War Memorial An archaeologist-guided exploration of Londinium (Sic Transit Gloria Mundi).   The Walk will look at the anatomy of the Roman City of London and investigate how our view of  Londinium has changed.

Wolf Hall Walk around the City of London 14:30 Sat 9th Jan 2016 Barbican Tube

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Thomas More & Thomas Cromwell's London - The City of Wolf Hall More  14:30 Sat 9th Jan 2016  Barbican Tube Austin Friars The Walk creates a portrait of London in the early 16th Century, with particular emphasis on the life and times of Thomas Cromwell and Thomas More. More and Cromwell had much in common, both lawyers, commoners, who rose to be Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, and ended their career on the block at Tower Hill. The walk starts with an exploration of Smithfield  - site of the stake where Heretics were burnt alive and to St Bartholemew's Monastery - given to Richard Rich after his decisive role in the downfall of Thomas More. We  continue to St Paul where Martin Luther's books where burnt, and later, were Puritans attacked dancing round the Maypole. We walk along the main markets streets of London, to Thomas More's birthplace, and to the site of More's and Cromwell's townhouses before finishing at the site of the Scaffold where More