Welcome

This site contains articles on various diverse subjects that I am interested in. They are mainly, but not exclusively, potted histories

In general, my objective is to pitch the pieces somewhere between the short, sharp articles that can often be found on the web and full-blown books. “Long reads” seems to be a popular term that is currently used in various places across the web. Perhaps it could apply to my pieces. Personally, I prefer to call them tasters.

I tend to include lots of book references and links to other material on the web so that you can delve deeper if you are interested in a particular topic. On the subject of links, you will invariably find many of them scattered across the site, as I am a firm believer in the original ethos of the Internet, which is to share information.

If you find any broken links I would be grateful if you can let me know. Similarly, I would be pleased to receive information on any problems which you may experience on the site. And, of course, any comments or feedback would be welcome.

Having arrived here, possibly by serendipity, I hope that you will find something of interest.

Summary of Content

The major items are listed below. Follow the menu system at the top of the page to see all the items.

Edinburgh Festival

A History of the Edinburgh Festivals
My favourite shows (1991-2023)
Archive of sections of my festival website (2006-2016)

Allotments

A Brief History of Allotments in England
A Brief History of Cultivation in England prior to the Allotment Movement 
A History of Sunningdale Allotments in Berkshire
Links to the histories of UK allotment sites

Place Histories

A Potted History of Sunninghill and Ascot 
A Potted History of Liverpool
A Potted History of the River Thames
From River Crossing to World City: A Potted History of London Part 1
From River Crossing to World City: A Potted History of London Part 2 
A Potted History of Edinburgh

Sporting Histories

Emergence of Organised Sports in Britain
A Potted History of Ball Games
A Potted History of Association Football in England
Potted History of the Origins and Development of Association Football in England up to the 1920s
Brief History of Rugby Football in the 19th Century
A Potted History of Cricket in England
A Potted History of Athletics (aka Track and Field) in England

Other Histories

A Potted History of Roman Britain
A Potted History of the Anglo-Saxons
A Potted History of England during the Norman and Angevin Periods
A Potted History of Monasticism in England
Mary, Queen of Scots.
A Potted History of the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian Age
A Potted History of Computing (up to 2010)
A Potted History of Intelligence (Espionage)

BK