David Clifford

Never drink black coffee at lunch, it will keep you awake all afternoon - Jilly Cooper

The world is a slightly less naughty place without Jilly Cooper in it. - Michael

In the 1870s, Armand Guillaumin developed an interest in viaducts and bridges as an employee of the Paris-Orléans railway. This landscape was painted in the upper valley of the Marne in northeastern France, only a few miles from central Paris.

A wonderful surprise this morning in the form of the latest publication from @wiltshistory.bsky.social.

Have a quick flick through @lrylandepton.bsky.social’s ’Langley Burrell and Kellaways, A History’, available now from @hobnobpress.bsky.social.

The front cover of Vampire Hunter solo role playing game. A man dressed in nineteenth century dress and holding a holy cross at arms length. In the left-hand background is the silhouette of a castle tower. In the top-right corner are three flying bats also in silhouette. The background is in red. The bottom text reads like it is a film playing in a cinema theatre.

I’ve started trying out solo role playing games. Vampire Hunter by Zozer Games is one such card-based game and is set in Bavaria in the 1880s. Still getting used to it and it is enjoyable. #RolePlayingGame #ZozerGames #VampireHunter

Tawny owl

Six weeks ago, I picked up a year-old tawny owl with a broken leg off the main road near our home and dropped him off at our nearest vet.

After a few days, I received one of the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever had, asking “So when are you coming to pick up your owl?” 🧵

There is a long tradition in European art in portraying happiness; with Albert Marquet's depiction of the Dune de Pyla near Arcachon, on France's Atlantic coast (1935) he has created a picture the mind can play in.

Jewish London: a celebration in 13 places a very non-impartial, non-comprehensive guide to some stuff I like

took a break from blocking people on social media to write a post about some places in Jewish London that I love:
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...

just because you know. it is nice to think about some lovely parts of my culture and heritage.

All the worlds a book and all the men and women merely readers- Shakespeare

I have made the difficult decision to get out of bed and open the shop. Hopefully you will support me in this tough time.

We’ll be here to 5:30 today, tho I can’t guarantee we’ll be awake.

In the wake of the far-reaching loss of WW1, pictures which had an emphasis on continuity and nostalgia had enormous appeal in Britain during the inter-war years. The clarity of definition in James Walker Tucker's 'An Idle Chat,' (1936) is down to his use of egg tempera.

Dawn breaks over foothills of Alps. A strange wind blows, & in distance at right, crosses of Golgotha are empty. Gorgeous work by Wolf Huber.

Painted in 1940, 'From the Banks of the Seine to La Frette,' was one of the last works Albert Marquet created in Paris before traveling to Algiers, where he spent the entirety of World War II. He returned to the city in 1945.

35 years ago today this happened. I’d grown up in the belief it could never happen, but then it did. It’s not been easy and even now reunification is an ongoing process. However, it makes me wonder what good things may be just around the corner that we currently think are impossible.

October, crisp, misty, golden October, when the light is sweet and heavy - Angela Carter

The weekend is almost upon us, prepare the books and blankets! - Michael

✏️ Draw polygons and shapes directly onto the map with the Annotator

This feature is fantastic for Records relating to more than one location, or when a single map pin isn't appropriate.

humap.me/

Medical History and the Bibliography of British and Irish History   - On History Rachel Peacock recently completed a summer internship at the IHR, where she focused on medical history and health in the Bibliography of British and Irish History. In this blog, she explores…

Building on their Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) internship on medicine and health, @rachelpeacock.bsky.social explores in our latest On History blog Victorian understandings of mental illness through the example of intruders on Queen Victoria’s privacy tinyurl.com/b47xyh34

We too are very excited for the publication of the latest #OpenAccess book in our #NewHistoricalPerspectives series, Atlantic Isles by @grod.bsky.social!

Published with the @ihr.bsky.social and @royalhistsoc.org with funding from @jisc.bsky.social.

Read more:
uolpress.co.uk/book/atlanti...

History Day History Day and the History Day: Discover Collections website bring together researchers and collections in-person and online

It's here! Sign up for History Day 4 Nov 2025. #HistDay25 Together with @senatehouselib.bsky.social we are celebrating all things history with collections from galleries, libraries, archives, museums & more. Find out what it's all about and book your free spot. www.history.ac.uk/library-digi...

Celebrate National Poetry Day with us by joining Professor @cathamclarke.bsky.social for a closer look at this beautiful edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales.’

This edition dates back to 1492 and was printed by Richard Pinson!

A pile of Brian Patten and Mersey Sound poetry books and a record of Patten reading his poetry

The Stolen Orange by Brian Patten

Brian Patten lived next door to my geography teacher. I'll never get over him coming to school to do a reading and blowing my tiny teenaged mind with the devastating and restorative powers of poetry. Still one of my absolute favourite poets.
RIP Brian Patten

'Street and Railway Bridge.' (1946)
John Minton’s paintings of London during and shortly after the Second World War often include displaced people and the bombed out shells of buildings. A pile of rubble fills the foreground of this picture of a deserted London street.

When saving becomes loss: Archival memory in the digital age Explore archival memory, data loss, and attempts to preserve the past in the digital age at this year’s Annual Digital Lecture.

Join us on 20 November for the Annual Digital Lecture, a partnership between The National Archives, UK and the School of Advanced Study. The wonderful @nannathylstrup.bsky.social will be speaking about ‘When saving becomes loss: archival memory in the digital age’. Free to register!

It’s #WorldPostcardDay! A HUGE thank you to everyone who sent postcards for our #PostcardDrop2025 (and to eldest for helping me display them). A staggering 521 postcards from 31 countries! Just AMAZING! Send a friend a postcard today! 🥳💌🎉

Many copies of Hillforts at the book launch

The cover of the hillforts book

Toby speaking on BBC news

Hillforts on the cover of Current Archaeology

Crikey it's #HillfortsWednesday 🥳

...& 2 years this week since 'Hillforts of Iron Age Wales' launched with Logaston Press 🛖🎂

It had to be reprinted a couple of months later after being featured on BBC Wales News 🎥

Hopefully the book has helped everyone discover the hillforts of Cymru/Wales! 🍻

'Greenhouse Interior,' (c1935) shows Stanley Spencer's common practice at the time of this painting; a closely observed and highly detailed flower painting, in this case fuchsias, against a receding background.

Great news!
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month

www.jstor.org/action/showL...

SAS and The London Archives: Apprenticeship and the Rise of London, 1500-1800

@ihr.bsky.social and @ies-sas.bsky.social are partnering with @thelondonarchives.bsky.social to run a new series of public lectures, featuring the chance to see the original records first hand. First lecture by @patrickwallis.bsky.social on "Apprenticeship and the Rise of London", Weds 15th October!

Ilford HS talk on J.M.W. Turner - 13th September 2025

Our next talk will be given by our president Jef Page and commemorates the 250th anniversary of the birth of J.M.W. Turner.

13th September in the Gloucester Room, Redbridge Central Library after the AGM.

Archibald Campbell Mellon captured the fleeting glories of the English seaside summer, the escape for many thousands to Gorleston or as in this picture Hopton Cliffs in Norfolk (c1930) His paintings often stressed a celebratory brightness by painting directly into the sun.

Layers of time: How digging for a car park revealed the soul of Brussels Layers of time: How digging for a car park revealed the soul of Brussels

When Brussels broke ground for a sleek new city hall, it stumbled into its own origins: the buried remains of a medieval port.

Some of Harriet Backer's pictures look better in reproduction. While others, which you might flip past in a book are miracles of subtlety on canvas. And some, like the beautifully observed 'Christening In Tanum Church,' (1892) are wonderful both ways.