Dreaded institution a history of the workhouse

This World Mental Health Day (10 October), take a moment to reflect on the experiences of our ancestors who were mentally ill. How were they looked after, and where? Before the mid-18th century, the U

Discover the last surviving court of houses that once dominated the Midlands, and hear the stories of the workers who built Britain’s second city

Crime has always been popular with family historians. We all love a rogue (up to a point, anyway), and finding out you’re related to one can lead to some interesting avenues of research. The more seri

Wharram Percy is one of the best-preserved of Britain’s deserted settlements – yet, even after decades of academic study, it still feels like a hidden secret. First you must descend an ancient track d

Essex: A county bounded by water, flat, marshy and called by some the “graveyard of witches”. Between 1500 and 1800 over 1,000 men, women and children were executed for the crime of witchcraft in the

Charles Saumarez Smith on Architecture