Another little jaunt today as I round off my short stay in the Dales. Today we took tea not in the grand halls of empire, nor beneath the cloisters of cloaked abbots, but in the altogether finer establishment of the Langcliffe Village Hall, where the china clinks not in diplomatic negotiation but in defence of … Continue reading Langcliffe: A Quiet Benediction in Stone and Fur
Tag: history
Bread Upon the Waters
Ecclesiastes 11:1, the art of giving, and the peculiar futility of being alive “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” — Ecclesiastes 11:1 There’s something heartbreakingly hopeful about that line, isn’t there? Something that makes you want to nod sagely, as if you understand it, even though - … Continue reading Bread Upon the Waters
The Phantom in the Linen: On the Ubiquity of White Ladies, Grey Ladies, and Other Draped Nonsense
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in Blanchland, Northumberland - a village so theatrically atmospheric it looks like it was designed by a heritage-obsessed monk with a fondness for mist. I was holed up in The Lord Crewe Arms, one of the North’s most famously haunted pubs - though frankly, the prices gave me … Continue reading The Phantom in the Linen: On the Ubiquity of White Ladies, Grey Ladies, and Other Draped Nonsense
Wandering Through the Bolge: A Personal Ramble through Dante’s Inferno – again!
Here we are once more, arm in arm with Dante, descending into the infernal depths — and I must confess, my curious little obsession with the notion of Hell continues to bloom like a thorny rose. Perhaps it’s the slow march of time, or the creak in my knees, but I do find myself pondering … Continue reading Wandering Through the Bolge: A Personal Ramble through Dante’s Inferno – again!
The Saxon Spirit in a Modern Age: Kipling’s The Norman and the Saxon
Rudyard Kipling’s The Norman and the Saxon is a poem steeped in history, but it also serves as a stark and prophetic warning. On the surface, it appears to be a study of the differences between the Norman conquerors and the Saxons they subdued, but beneath the historical veneer lies a commentary on resilience, justice, … Continue reading The Saxon Spirit in a Modern Age: Kipling’s The Norman and the Saxon
Wording 