Top 10 historical status symbols

Apples and pears are two of the UK’s most abundant fruit trees. There are varieties dating back hundreds of years, but over time, many have become extinct. A new release from Frank P Matthews originat

The normal diet of gladiators was vegetarian, but not through choice or principle. The rations in their barracks consisted of sagina, which literally translates as ‘stuffing’. It was a barley and bean

Whether the jewel-like native of Britain’s bogs or the North American cousin of the Christmas table, the cranberry is a fruit of fascinating biological and cultural prestige, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee

When the first pianos made it to India around the 18th century, during the heyday of the East India Company, their usage was confined to British colonisers and a small minority of aristocratic Indians

Primroses are one of the earliest flowers to appear each year. Their name is derived from the Latin phrase prima rosa, literally meaning the ‘first rose’ of the year. Our native primrose, Primula vulg

ON September 28, 1632, an East India Company ...