Joseph Merlin (1735 – 1803) Joseph Merlin was a Belgian inventor, clock-maker, musical-instrument maker, and Freemason, who moved to London in 1760 and became famous for his mechanical and musical creations. From Huy to Paris: The Beginnings of a Genius Mechanic Joseph Merlin was born on 6 September 1735, in Huy, in Belgium – that’s […]
London’s garden squares are one of its many attractions. They can be refuges from the hustle and bustle of city life, places to sit under the trees and contemplate that life. Berkeley Square, in London’s wealthy Mayfair district, is one of them, but be warned: this is not your ordinary green oasis. This is a
On 15 January 1759, the British Museum opened to the public, becoming the world’s first national public museum. The Birth of the British Museum: the Father Sir Hans Sloane was a distinguished physician, naturalist, and collector. He had amassed a vast and diverse collection of books, manuscripts, antiquities, natural history specimens and curiosities throughout his
15 January 1759 : The Birth of the British Museum Read More »
Sir Stamford Raffles Well you can read it in all your history books: he is credited to be ‘’the founder’’ of Singapore as a British settlement in 1819. There is even a statue of him at his landing site by the Singapore river: I know. There would be a lot to say only about that,
What do Singapore, Kew Gardens, the London Zoo and a Giant Flower have in Common? Read More »
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Among the rejoicing cavaliers who escorted King Charles II on his triumphant return to London in May 1660, none had better prospects for advancement than Henry Jermyn, the newly created Earl of St Albans. Quite apart from his wealth, he had been a courtier to Charles I and had accompanied Charles’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria,
Britain in the 1700s bestrode the globe, enormously rich and enormously powerful. Artists of every kind flocked to London in search of patronage, wealth and fame. However, although at this time we produced great painters such as Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, great architects such as James Gibbs and Robert Adam and great playwrights such as David Garrick, what the artistic scene in Georgian London really lacked was a
The Gunpowder Plot Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason Why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent To blow up the King and the Parliament Three score barrels of powder below Poor old England to overthrow By God’s providence he was catch’d With a dark lantern and
Ever since I ventured into the world of guiding, St. James’s Palace has always held a special fascination for me, and it’s often the first stop on my highlights tours of London. Thanks to one of our excellent guides, Susan, I was alerted to the fact that they were opening up the palace for guided
Along with 38 women volunteer nurses whom she trained They were sent to the Ottoman Empire, where the Crimean War was raging. The conditions in the military hospitals were appalling, with overcrowding, poor sanitation, and a lack of basic supplies. As a result, the death rate among wounded soldiers was extremely high. Florence Nightingale Nightingale
21st October 1854: Florence Nightingale leaves London, Read More »