When William Caxton opened Britain’s first printing press 550 years ago, he helped the country form a shared language and literary culture, as a new exhibition reveals

Q My ancestor, Charles Hayes, was born on 6 October 1700 in Harrow on the Hill to Charles Hayes and Ann Ewster. He attended University College Cambridge and, described as “one of the Gentlemen of the

Marcus Paul, editor John Buchan Reconsidered Thirty-nine years of war and peace 1901–1940 328pp. Handsel Press. £27. John Buchan The Strange Stories of John Buchan Edited by James Machin 256pp. Britis

What do our beloved hostelries have to do with the discovery of DNA, the D-Day landings and The Lord of the Rings ? Everything, as Ashleigh Arnott discovers

The acquisition of houses by the National Trust from the 1930s had less to do with the impoverishment of aristocratic families than the industrial wealth of bachelor donors, as Michael Hall reveals

Globally acclaimed English tile-maker celebrates 50th anniversary ‘Each tile we make is a piece of art,’ says Doug Watson, who founded an artisanal workshop handcrafting and hand-painting exquisite ce