Top 10 historical status symbols

In short, yes: the Victorians did indeed think eating mummified remains pilfered from ancient Egyptian tombs was a good idea, although they did not come up with the idea themselves. The morbid practic

LEISURE

Our round-up of the funny, fascinating and unusual stories this fortnight

Galls, which can range from the delicately beautiful to hideously unattractive bulbous growths, are among Nature’s most intriguing phenomena, discovers Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Marie Antoinette’s passion for furniture and genius for bagatelles, however evanescent their purpose, filled the French royal palaces with beauty and charm, as Matthew Dennison reveals

As the warm days of summer give way to the fresher feel of autumn, many of us will recall with nostalgia the harvest festivals of our youth. Such festivities – often including lavish displays of crops