Last year’s Festival of History was cancelled because the river burst its banks and flooded the whole field at Kelmarsh. This year, however, was dry and lovely and a comfortable temperature – and we all had a blast! Re-named History Live! this festival had loads of activities from historical eras spanning 2,000 years. All photos by me. Our… Read on
I went to the Press Preview of the new, vibrant, stunning new exhibition/experience at Banqueting House in Whitehall yesterday. From the 19th of July to 1 September 2013, Banqueting House has been transformed into the world of the 17th-century masque. All photos by me. The original Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire, and the current… Read on
On Monday the 15th of July, I went to Tower Hill where I spoke about the life of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth. I will now include photos and excerpts I used from contemporary sources. It was a beautiful day to remember a beautiful man. It was a very hot and sunny, and I bought two bouquets of… Read on
Artemisia Gentileschi, female Baroque painter, was born on the 8th of July, 1593, the daughter of Orazio Gentileschi (another masterful painter). Whenever people discuss Artemisia, her work is almost always associated with painful events that occurred during her teens, which I will get to a bit later on. But, first, here is a self-portrait from the lady herself: One of the… Read on
Ford, Lord Grey, was one of the Duke of Monmouth’s closest friends, and played a particularly important role both in the Rye-House Plot of 1683 and Monmouth’s Rebellion in 1685. During the course of researching His Last Mistress, I re-read The Confession of Ford, Lord Grey, which he wrote during his incarceration at the Tower of London in… Read on
Starring a very young Clive Owen, Polly Walker, Billie Whitelaw, and Sean Bean, this version was a lot starker (pun intended, Game of Thrones, fans) than the 2000 version, and the plot significantly altered. The Monmouth Rebellion, for example, which was extremely important to the plot in the original novel Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore does not feature in this adaptation.… Read on
Showtime’s beautiful television series, The Borgias, has been cancelled by studio executives, causing understandable uproar from fans – of which I am one. I know that it is “just a television show”, but it is one of the best-made shows I have ever seen and deserves to finish properly. With all the reality tv rubbish all over the… Read on
Hi everyone! I just want to let you know what’s going on regarding my various writing projects. I’m working on formatting His Last Mistress from ebook to paperback form, and Orland Media, Ltd. is working on creating a logo for me. I designed this with quill and ink, of course, but it’s fiddly to get into computer vectors:… Read on