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Blackfriars is an area of central London, which lies in the south-west corner of the City of London. The name Black Friars refers to the Dominican Order of Preachers, who wore a black habit. They first arrived in London in 1221 and founded a monastery in Chancery Lane. Today it's full of...

Centuries ago, when Britain and the rest of northern Europe was in the grip of a centuries-long "little Ice Age", frost fairs were a common sight on the River Thames in London during the winter. The ice was so thick that stalls, gaming booths, coffee houses, souvenir shops etc were installed...

Armed Forces Day is a new national day in Britain that will be celebrated every year on 27th June. It is a chance for the British people to show their gratitude to the Armed Forces. Events already planned range from huge military parades in cities to flag raising ceremonies and fetes in...

It's interesting to see how different nationalities react in times of trouble. In April 1912, the British ship Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic, killing 1,517 people. During the sinking, panicking Americans actually jumped queues to try to get into lifeboats, not caring...

From out of the gloom of war, here is a heartwarming tale. The British are said to be a nation of animal lovers, and Pen Farthing is no different. A British soldier, Pen Farthing, serving in Afghanistan with Kilo Company of 42 Commando Royal Marines, has rescued several puppies and dogs that...

One who has a stiff upper lip displays fortitude in the face of adversity, or exercises self-restraint in the expression of emotion. This is a quality usually attributed to the British people, and was particularly demonstrated by Queen Victoria herself. During Victoria's reign from 1837 to...

I've just found this article in a Scottish newspaper about the recent, sickening anti-English attack on a young girl in Scotland, which helps to blow apart the worldwide perception of the Scots as brave heroes and the English as uncaring bad guys. The Scots, it seems, have a problem of...

A few days ago I posted the first part of Charlie Connelly's adaptation - in three parts - of his new book "And Did Those Feet", in which he travels the length and breadth of Britain following in the feet of those of long ago, immersing himself in our islands' bloody, gory and violent past. In...

A nation of Bravehearts? More like a nation of Cowardhearts. A young, 22 year old woman has been left terribly scarred on her face after being beaten up by a fully grown Scottish man. Her "crime"? Being English. Lucy Newman was on a night out with friends in Aberdeen, in north east...

Britain's Ministry of Defence has launched its own range of Action Man-style toys aimed at capturing the imagination of a new generation of children and increasing the profile of the Armed Forces. The dolls are dressed in the exact uniforms worn by Britain's soldiers, sailors and airmen, and...

History records that an Italian scientist named Galileo was the first person to map the moon. However, in 1609 an Englishman called Thomas Harriot actually drew maps of the moon BEFORE Galileo did. So the history of science will have to be re-written to show that Harriot was the first person...

Many people probably won't be surprised, but a new survey has revealed that the Royal Navy has 17,000 drunken sailors. In the new survey, one in five sailors said they drank over 50 units of alcohol a week – more than double the recommended safe limit for men, which is 21 units. Almost half...

In another blow to the Entente Cordiale, the French have blamed their current immigrations problems on......the British. French politician Etienne Pinte says that Britain is to blame for the build-up of immigrants in France because the British keep rejecting many of them. This is despite the...

Feeling glad that he lives in a country that positively oozes history, Charlie Connelly decided to write a travel book with a difference. He journeyed throughout our islands to discover 2000 years of British history, from King Ethelred the Unready to Dick Turpin, from the Peasants' Revolt of...

Did a UFO destroy a wind turbine in Conisholme, Lincolnshire, in eastern England last week? Locals say they saw mysterious balls of light and other mysterious objects in the sky over the wind farm and a loud bang. The next morning, of the the wind turbines was discovered to have one of its...

Prince Harry is at the centre of a race row today after it emerged that he called a fellow Army officer a "Paki." The officer was a member of the Pakistani Army, which uses British training facilities. In Britain, the word "Paki" was originally an abbreviation of the word "Pakistani" but...

The forerunners of Britain's edition of the Yellow Pages are to go online tonight. The city and county directories, dating back to 1677, guided generations of shoppers down our high streets. They provide a fascinating insight into our history of consumers. The genealogy website...

A series of classroom storybooks using digital pictures and action-packed storylines has been created to encourage boys to read. In Britain, which is a reading and book-publishing superpower (more titles are published in Britain each year than any other country) boys lag behind girls at...

A replica of a classic World War II RAF aircraft has been discovered. The Lancaster Bomber model was made from tin cans and matchsticks during World War II by a British pilot as he was held prisoner in Stalag Luft III - the camp featured in the movie "Great Escape". The RAF pilot was shot...

The Queen has given her grandsons, princes William and Harry, their own royal household in St James's Palace. And the logos for their new office bring back memories of their mother Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash on 31st August 1997, leaving millions of Britons in grief...