Inside medieval homes

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

From the humble open hearth to elaborate Victorian designs, the fireplace has evolved over time and has, for centuries, been the focal point of the home

I n 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the w

How the Qin forged a great power from the fragments of the Warring States

Many people associate clans with Scotland, but the word originated in Ireland in the early Middle Ages. It derives from the Irish clann, meaning children, and is used to describe a highly organised hi

What does your wee say about your health? Well, plenty – but perhaps not in quite the way medieval physicians understood it. Before the in-depth study of anatomy and physiology, establishing the cause