If you want to get fit, walking the length of Duxford airfield will give you plenty of exercise. Duxford in Cambridgeshire is home to the Imperial War Museum’s (IWM) aviation museum and is built on a suitably historical site. Duxford airfield was constructed by German prisoners of war in 1918. It has housed RAF squadrons […]
Much emphasis is placed these days on museums appealing to all ages, so it’s no surprise that the more interactive a museum is with its visitors, the better its reputation. What could be more appealing than a museum about childhood? The objects are of course the big attraction – toys! The grown-ups go for the […]
The mother of museums, but not the oldest, founded in 1753 during period of Enlightenment. World famous, controversial, imperial, and a tourist magnetic. Famed for its library and antiquities, the legacy of the vast sprawl of the British Empire. The objects in the British Museum embody knowledge from which both public and scholars might learn, […]
John Tradescant the Elder was gardener to Charles I. Tradescant (and son, the Younger) travelled extensively to find new plant species and collected ‘rarities and oddities’, including utensils, household stuff, birds, beasts and instruments of war. He brought all of these together into what is now know as a museum, but back then was described […]
Soon it will be April and this blog will for a while spring back to life. Why? It’s the A to Z blogging challenge, where I get to post every day (barring four Sundays) and try to keep you entertained. My chosen theme for this year, as with my previous years, is historical and focused […]
Today is the last day of the A to Z blogging challenge. I’ve enjoyed my theatre theme more than I anticipated, probably because it’s a subject I know little about in comparison to my previous ones. I hope you have enjoyed them too and thank you for visiting my blog. I kept the focus of […]
The concept of a touring theatre group is nothing new. Its origins go back much further. Ever since Antiquity, plays have been performed, and in the absence of great amphitheatres, towns and cities were home to pageants and feasts, bringing music and drama to the streets. Perhaps the most famed of these are the mystery […]
X is a bit of cheat. Less letter, more symbolic. The cross. I’ve covered some terminology used by the theatre, and today, I’m crossing the stage. Turns out there are lots of ways to cross the stage. If you want to move without being seen, then use the scenery or unlit areas – or as […]
What happened to theatres during war time? It’s something that feels particularly relevant given the level of disruption with which we are currently living. During WWI theatre was considered morale boosting for both civilians at home and soldiers. Entertainment was valued, although some also criticised its continuation as bad taste when so many were dying […]
In 1870, on The Strand, a new theatre opened. Built on the site of a failing billiard hall, behind two houses, Vaudeville theatre was crammed onto the site. It required access through a little labyrinth of passages, and had hardly any front of house or backstage. It seated over a thousand people on three tiers. […]
The Quiet Writer 