But why the robin? The origin of the robin as a Christmas bird dates back not more than 100 years, and is rather mundane. It is all the fault of the Post Office. In the middle of the last century the Post Office dressed its postmen in bright red coats of a colour to match […]
In Trafalgar Square, in front of the National Gallery, stands an enormous Christmas Tree. It is a gift from the people of Oslo. Every winter they cut down a tree for London. Then horses pull it through the snowy forest to the docks When the tree arrives, police on motor cycles escort it to Trafalgar […]
Lynne Reid Banks, who is the daughter of a Scots doctor and an Irish actress, was born in London. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then had several years’ experience with repertory companies. Turning to journalism she became a television reporter and forked for the Independent Television Network. Her works include […]
The story of Alan Sillitoe’s novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is set in post-war Nottingham and describes a working-class district and the people who live there. The main character of the novel is 22-year-old Arthur Seaton, who works on a lathe in a cycle factory. It is a period of industrial boom, there is […]
This is the day when one visits friends, goes for a drive or a long walk or just sits around recovering from too much food — everything to eat is cold. In the country there are usually Boxing Day Meets (hunts — fox-hunting). In the big cities and towns, tradition on that day demands a […]
A pantomime is a traditional English entertainment at Christmas. It is meant for children, but adults enjoy it just as much. It is a very old form of entertainment, and can be traced back to 16th century Italian comedies. Harlequin is a character from these old comedies.
Steeplechasing reaches its annual apogee in the Grand National, which was first run in 1839 over the Aintree course at Liverpool, and attracts world wide interest and enthusiasm, in which regard only the Derby at Epsom may be said to exceed it. The honour of winning it has been sought by sportsmen of many different […]
The annual race for the “Derby” at Epsom race-course in Surrey is perhaps the most famous single sporting event in the whole world. The day is almost a public holiday. It is Derby Day (it takes place in the first week in June) and, attended by an army of bookmakers to record their bets, of […]
Royal Ascot also creates some general interest — for the racing among the racing fraternity; for its fashions and its social aspects among the general public — mainly women. It is still considered a royal occasion and a major item in the court’s summer social calendar.
The reaches of the Thames at Henley are not only the most beautiful along the river, but, because of a straight stretch of more than a mile immediately below the town, offer an ideal course for racing shells. The Henley Royal Regatta, established in 1839, has brought together not only the pick of English crews […]
