Would the real William Hickey please stand up?
When British M.P. Tom Driberg started writing a gossip column in the Daily Express in 1928 he chose the nom de plume ‘William Hickey’. Later… Read More »Would the real William Hickey please stand up?
February 2012
The not-so-humble tea caddy
To say that tea caddies came in all shapes and sizes in the Eighteenth Century is an understatement. Tea was an expensive commodity – and… Read More »The not-so-humble tea caddy
The Orrery – a model of the planets in motion
In 1794 William Hall, Richard’s eldest son, decided to sever the partnership he had with Richard. Both had been involved in the haberdashery business conducted… Read More »The Orrery – a model of the planets in motion
Laura Bassi, a woman who succeeded in a man’s world: physics.
Challenged to think of a female scientist in the Georgian era I struggled to get beyond Caroline Herschel, about whom I have already blogged. Checking… Read More »Laura Bassi, a woman who succeeded in a man’s world: physics.
Make mine mahogany
Throughout the 1770s and 1780s Richard went to town on buying furniture, and all of it mahogany. It is a reminder how fashions in furniture… Read More »Make mine mahogany
Henry Maudslay (1771-1831) the engineer who made possible a revolution
One of the things I like most about the Eighteenth Century is an awareness that ‘there walked giants’ – men and women who made a… Read More »Henry Maudslay (1771-1831) the engineer who made possible a revolution
Valentine’s Day 2012
My wife had the good sense to be born on 14th February. I had the good fortune that she agreed to marry me on her… Read More »Valentine’s Day 2012
Happy birthday Foxy Talbot! William Henry Fox Talbot (born 11 February 1800, died 17 September 1877)
Tomorrow marks the birthday of William Henry Fox Talbot, 212 years ago. He was the only child of William Davenport Talbot… Read More »Happy birthday Foxy Talbot! William Henry Fox Talbot (born 11 February 1800, died 17 September 1877)
And did the earth move for Fanny Hill? An earthquake, February 8th, 1750
Writing a short while after the event, 21 year old Richard Hall wrote: “An Earthquake felt in London Thursday February 8th 1750 about half after… Read More »And did the earth move for Fanny Hill? An earthquake, February 8th, 1750
The Rt. Hon. Fourth Earl of Sandwich 1718 – 1792. The man, the meal, the myth.
“Seldom has any man held so many offices and accomplished so little.” Well, it does seem a trifle unfair on the Fourth Earl of Sandwich… Read More »The Rt. Hon. Fourth Earl of Sandwich 1718 – 1792. The man, the meal, the myth.