The manor house of Cheylesmore, England in a watercolour and ink painting by William Henry Brooke, dated the 25th of December, 1820. Parts of the building date back to the year 1250, and some of its most famous residents were Edward, the Black Prince and Henry VI.
Unfortunately, much of what did survive the Second World War was demolished in a development project in the 1950s.
Cheylesmore now makes up part of the southern half of the city of Coventry in the West Midlands.
The Regency’s most famous author was born on this day, 243 years ago.
The luxurious Harewood House in Yorkshire, England. We stopped for a visit on the way to York two days ago.
Yesterday we visited Downhill (or what’s left of it!), which is in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
Built by the bizarre English aristocrat Frederick, 4th Earl of Bristol and Lord Bishop of Derry – yes, he was both – the house is now a ruin, but the Mussenden Temple perched on the cliff at the edge of the estate survives. It is said he kept his mistress there.
Yesterday in Dublin: Georgian architecture, the National Museum, random Highland dancing in St Stephen’s Green (yes, it’s the wrong country!), and the beginning of the semester at Trinity College.
New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the remarkable life of Jane Austen, the British novelist, in this true story of her life. Little Jane grew up in a big family that loved learning and she often read from her father’s library. In her teenage years she began to write in bound notebooks and craft her own novels. As an adult, Jane secretly created stories that shone a light on the British upper classes and provided a witty social commentary of the time, creating a new dialogue for female characters in books. With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!
Jane Austen (Little People, Big Dreams) by Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Jane Austen is part of a series aimed at very young readers, introducing children to famous women in history.
The illustrations are simple, and a little childlike, as though young Jane herself might be telling the story.
Austen’s works are far too advanced for readers in the target age group of this book, but it’s an interesting way to introduce girls and boys alike to the fact there were PLENTY of women in history who achievement many different things.
Review copy from NetGalley.
I saw this book in Barcelona just over a month ago, and decided there was no way I was lugging something this big and heavy all the way home! I was glad to find it on The Book Depository, both in paperback and hardcover. Of course, if you buy from there you get the book with free shipping (I shudder to think how much it would be to Australia otherwise!).
This is one of those books that will appeal to history nerds, historical fiction and romance readers, etc.
On the 27th of August, 1798, a rebellion took place in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland.
In what would come to be known either as the Battle of Castlebar or the Castlebar Races, a force of two-thousand Irish rebels and French troops defeated six-thousand British troops.
This event was part of the larger failed Irish Rebellion of that year.
This early 1900s postcard is of the Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolution battle that took place in North Carolina on the 16th of May, 1771.
In Times Gone By... 