On a recent walk I noticed a door within the arch of Marble Arch and idly wondered what it was used for. Serendipity Now, because of a small article in The Week about the disbanding of the Royal Parks Constabulary, that led to further articles, I know the answer. However, when I went today to…

This illustration of Trochilus granatinus or red-throated hummingbird is by Charles Dessalines D’ Orbigny in about 1890. That might lead to the question of why hummingbirds are called hummingbirds. The name has been around for a while. In the introduction to his 1861 book ‘The Trochlidae, or family of hummingbirds’. John Gould F.R.S says THE question…

For four years William Blake lived in a cottage in Felpham, far from his life and friends in London. Blake is, of course, known for his drawings and his writing equally. They went together as he developed his ideas of freedom. In his world, freedom was what man was born for. And sometimes that clashed…