If you know a bit of English history, you know Edward II. He was the king who was killed by a red-hot poker being shoved up his behind. (Note: that almost certainly didn't happen.) He was a tyrant, he abused his power and was ultimately punished for it when his wife returned from the continent… Continue reading When Edward II Saved His Wife From A Burning Tent
Month: April 2020
Mount Testaccio, the Roman Landfill
The modern world has a big problem, doesn't it? Okay, no, not global warming, the other one. No, no, not the impending economic crisis. The OTHER ONE. Yes, that one. Plastic. We really backed ourselves into a corner with plastic, didn't we? We've made hundreds of thousands of tonnes of it. And for good reason:… Continue reading Mount Testaccio, the Roman Landfill
Pirates of the Caribbean Was Almost Awful
How Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow saved the film.
How England Manages Its Castles: A Success Story
In my last castle post I said I'd talk about how England's main castle custodian, English Heritage, actually works. Here we are! Enjoy! The UK government has been looking after 'important' ruins for a very long time. The National Trust, for instance, is Europe's largest conservationist charity and it was founded in the 1800s. But… Continue reading How England Manages Its Castles: A Success Story
Pontefract: The Key to The North
This post is part of my Grand Castle Tour! You can find articles on lots of other castles here! I just want to start this post by saying: don't get too excited. Pontefract castle ain't there anymore. We have the English Civil War to blame for that - the bane of medieval historians. It was… Continue reading Pontefract: The Key to The North
What I Wrote In March 2020
Hello! Before I go on, I want to make an announcement: April is the month of the castle tour! I've been researching and prepping a few posts in my spare time over the last month, so you're going to see more from me in April: of course there'll be the usual Saturday blog posts, but… Continue reading What I Wrote In March 2020
Barnard Castle: The Fortress Sold For Parts
The Normans, led by King William, conquered England in 1066. They took the south easily, but the north was another matter. William eventually acquiesced and allowed some powerful northern Anglo-Saxon lords to keep their power. For decades after 1066, the Anglo-Saxon northern lords were fair-weather vassals at best, and after several rebellions William acted to… Continue reading Barnard Castle: The Fortress Sold For Parts
Why Warhammer’s Monsters Work (For Heroic Fantasy)
If you know Warhammer, you probably know it because of the very successful tabletop game. Newer fans might know it from the Total War: Warhammer series of video games. If you've been around a while, you might have found it through its fiction. I found it through the tabletop game, but I stayed for the… Continue reading Why Warhammer’s Monsters Work (For Heroic Fantasy)
I Recorded Myself Reading a Short Story For You
(source: dreamstime.com) Times are tough, and people are struggling to sleep. So some kind folks in Twitter's writing community started a new hashtag, #WritingCommunityBedtimeStory, to give people free stories to listen to. Writers started tagging their friends, encouraging them to do it as well. I watched this ball of audio-based terror roll towards me like… Continue reading I Recorded Myself Reading a Short Story For You
Conwy: A French Castle In North Wales
Some of you really enjoyed my Conisbrough castle post. I was quite surprised, actually. But then, I suppose it makes sense that folks who love fantasy are also going to be interested in the minutiae of castles. So I'm back, and this time I'm here to tell you about Conwy castle, the French (Savoyard, specifically)… Continue reading Conwy: A French Castle In North Wales
Dewi Hargreaves 