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The Lake District has joined the likes of the Grand Canyon, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu by being awarded Unesco World Heritage Site status. The national park was one of 33 sites around the world to be discussed by the Unesco committee in Krakow, Poland. The committee praised the area's...

Richard’s extraordinary life was, argues David Horspool, ultimately defined by the capricious whims of lady luck... Richard III: A hostage to fortune For all his reputation as the ruthless master of his own destiny, Richard’s extraordinary life was, argues David Horspool, ultimately defined...

The two satellites that make up the BepiColombo mission to Mercury were presented to the media on Thursday. This joint European-Japanese venture has been in development for nearly two decades, but should finally get to the launch pad in 15 months' time. The two spacecraft will travel together...

Archaeologists searching for clues about early English Christianity have discovered the remains of one of the country's earliest churches. Excavations on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne uncovered the stone foundations, which may be linked to two pivotal religious figures from the seventh...

An Antiques Roadshow presenter has found the remains of an ancient Roman site under his patio. Expert Marc Allum, 52, has lived at a 15th-century vicarage in Chippenham, Wiltshire, for five years and decided to bring in a band of local archaeologists to help him see if it held any secrets...

Ancient stone monuments may have been used for mysterious night-time ceremonies, archaeologists believe, after finding that some rock carvings only appear in moonlight... Ancient stone monuments may have been used for mysterious moonlit ceremonies, say archaeologists 0 Comments...

Just a few weeks ago, the Conservatives triumphed in the local government elections and Theresa May was hailed as an all-conquering Brexit Boudicca who could do no wrong. Now, after her general election humiliation, an opposite view has taken hold: that the government is a disaster, the...

Who would deny that Britain is no longer the great power it once was? Well, speaking as a historian, I would. Declinism is at best a distortion of reality, and mostly mere illusion. But so important is it in shaping our view of ourselves and our relations with the world that it demands...

F*cking hilarious... The funniest video I’ve ever seen Rod Liddle 4 July 2017 The Spectator I suppose it says something about me, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything funnier than this video – this brief video – of a man travelling to his target on a hoverboard...

A new book by Zoe Bramley explores 100 lesser-known stories about Shakespeare’s life. Here are 7 of them... 7 things you (probably) didn’t know about William Shakespeare...

A 5,000 year old complete funeral urn has been excavated on housing development land in Silsden. The late Neolithic pot was dug up from the site of an ancient barrow in what archaeologists have described as an ‘exciting find.’ Arrow heads, pottery and flint tools have also been unearthed...

Forensic anthropologists have reconstructed the face of a man buried hundreds of years ago in Ireland, and they say it could be the first look at an ‘ordinary Dubliner’ from the Tudor period. The well-preserved skull of a man aged 25-35 years at the time of death was discovered back in...

Here, Philippa Brewell explores five places that were pivotal in shaping the man King Henry VIII would become and how he would be remembered... Henry VIII: 5 places you (probably) didn’t know shaped his life The Tudor king Henry VIII has secured his place in history and continues, more than...

The government is to end an arrangement that allows other countries to fish in UK waters, it has been announced. The convention allows Irish, Dutch, French, German and Belgian vessels to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of UK coastline. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the move...

Number 10 has reportedly told business leaders that Theresa May could storm out of Brexit talks over the divorce bill in a bid to boost her ratings at home. A top Downing Street figure is said to have briefed industry and City bosses to prepare them for news of the PM's explosive row with...

There it was, in black and white in a British newspaper covering the Winter Olympics in the western Canadian city of Calgary. "One of the world's coldest countries in winter excels in its sports". And, the columnist wrote, if there was an Olympics for being boring, Canada would also win...

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against "impermissible" challenges to Beijing's authority over Hong Kong. Mr Xi was speaking at the swearing-in of the territory's new leader Carrie Lam, as Hong Kong marked 20 years since its handover to China from Britain. On Saturday afternoon, after...

An oil tanker and a cargo ship have collided in the English Channel. The ships came together 15 miles north east of Dover at 02:00 BST, the coastguard said. Oil tanker and cargo ship collide in English Channel BBC News 1 July 2017 The oil tanker Seafrontier suffered significant damage An...

Boaty McBoatface, the UK's favourite yellow submarine, has returned from its first major science expedition. The vehicle was used in the Antarctic to map the movement of deep, cold water as it moves away from the White Continent towards the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists say this flow of water...

A pair of amateur historians believe they may have uncovered the real grave of England's last Anglo-Saxon king who was killed in the Battle of Hastings. Harold Godwinson, who is famously depicted in the Bayeaux Tapestry taking an arrow in the eye from William the Conqueror's army, is...