Cowper’s Olney Residence is a stunning example of Georgian architecture, noted for its symmetrical facade and refined aesthetic. This house, built in the early 18th century, provides visitors with a window into the architectural styles of that period, reflecting the lifestyle of its literary elites.

#5040 Dorney Court Buckinghamshire A Landmark of Buckinghamshire Dorney Court, located near Eton, Berkshire, is a historical gem. This Tudor house has a rich background that dates back to the 15th century. Known for its exquisite architecture, it is also listed as Grade I. The house is beautifully preserved and offers visitors a glimpse into the past. One of the most unusual claims to fame for Dorney Court is its association with the pineapple. The first pineapple in England

#4984 New Exeter 'Change From an age when retail therapy demanded money and ahem manners. the new Exeter ‘Change (Exchange) on the Strand in London boasted the so-called refined offerings of the 17th and 18th centuries, including millinery, hosiery and dressmaking. The edifice appeared in 1676 and soared up for several floors, all on the site of the former residence of the Earls of Exeter, hence its name. From the start ‘it was in no sense externally beautiful, being designe

#4987 Old Blue Boar Holborn Here at scanning HQ we love an old inn! And this one, the Old Blue Boar at High Holborn, London brings that passion to provocative life. Shown on a scarce London map of 1682, it lay between High Holborn & Eagle street to the north. It gained the ‘old’ appurtenance by the mid-1700s, described as ‘one of London’s oldest houses’, additionally serving as a masonic lodge. It gained greater notoriety as the venue of choice for Newgate prisoners to have a

#4989 Old Sadler's Wells, London The birthplace of English ballet dates back to when a Plié Plié was first performed, and a stage was first walked upon. Originally, Old Sadler’s Wells began as a pleasure garden in North London's Islington. Around 1683, the first theatre, called the Musick House, was established. Due to the laws at the time that limited 'straight' drama, the venue focused on dance and performative arts, building a reputation that has lasted over three centurie

#5006 Sir John Soane's House in Lincoln's Inn Fields Sir John Soane, born 1753 in Goring Berkshire, emerged as one of Britain’s most celebrated architects. Son of a bricklayer, no doubt providing familial foundations for his soaring career, he became a ‘pupil’ of leading architect George Dance the Younger (Mansion House, Newgate Gaol) and later of Henry Holland (Marine, later Brighton, Pavilion). Enjoying such auspicious direction, he was destined to shine and shine he did, t

#4724 Red Sea and the Land of Edom The Land of Edom is shared today between Israel & South Jordan & has a written heritage going back to Bronze Age references. I don’t profess to understand the troubles in this volatile part of the world but I do know that the land – and its histories – play a major part in the conflicts. From a sense of place and beauty, the current image reveals a vast open expanse dominated by the Red Sea & its visiting nomads, looking from ‘below Eziongeb

#4969 Dacre Bridge, Cumberland Dacre Bridge, named after the delightful Dacre Beck and meaning 'trickling stream', has stood for nearly 300 years. Constructed in the C18, the same age as the present image, it once served as a true road bridge but is now by-passed by the modern A592. Formed from ‘mixed sandstone rubble’, it survives in Dalemain Park, surrounded by evocatively named features like Dog Kennel Wood, Snuffmill Wood, Friar’s Darrock Wood, Keepers Lodge, Deer Park Co

#5007 Star Chamber Westminster interior The medieval Star Chamber in the old Palace of Westminster heard cases of national import and personal gain, often with the monarch present. Renowned for trying the elite, & meting out swift, brutal justice, it quickly drew suspicions of corruption and favouritism and was abolished in 1641 during England’s Long Parliament & the build up to civil war. Memorable cases featured libel, corruption, illegal hunting & witchcraft, as well as as

Thomas Gray’s ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ (1751) contemplates life & death, worldly status and natural order, & envisages the mouldering decay that betrays us in the end. The literary genius wrote it here in St Giles graveyard, Stoke Poges, keenly observing “lowly” trades folk buried there, those from smith to ploughman who likely could not have read their headstone’s inscription had they yet lived to see it. He also pondered his own prepossessing mortality...‘The

#4968 Cowper's Residence near Olney Bucks The Cowper & Newton Museum  in Olney, Bucks celebrates all things William Cowper (d1800), poet, translator of Homer & literatus, and his friend & local clergyman John Newton with whom he penned many hymns. The popular ‘Amazing Grace’ is a Newton triumph, while Cowper gave us phrases still familiar today – such as ‘variety is the spice of life [that gives it all its flavour]’ extracted from his 5000 line epic ‘Task’. This striking red-

#5017 Strawberry Hill House_Tribune Strawberry Hill House , described as ‘Horace Walpole’s little Gothic castle’, harbours triumph upon triumph. The mid to late C18 confection (formerly ‘Chopp’d Straw Hall’ & two understated dwellings) has long been exalted for its crenellations, pinnacles and now stark white walls - a real beacon to Walpole’s pioneering interest in the Gothic which formed into a “revived style” a century later & gave rise to the ‘Strawberry Hill Gothic’. Whe

The burning of Newgate Gaol in June 1780 epitomised the grave violence of the Gordon Riots that year. Erupting in London on 2 June, tens of thousands fought against the proposed removal of anti-Catholic laws. On 6 June, the fourth day of the troubles, rioters attacked the infamous prison where several of their cohorts had been held during the protests, and left the penitentiary almost ruined. Scores of felons escaped, many never recaptured. Experts felt that Gordon’s anarchic