BK .. This and That

This site contains articles on a variety of subjects that interest me. Most, although not all, are potted histories.

My aim is to produce pieces that sit somewhere between the short articles commonly found on the web and full-length books. The term long read is sometimes used for material of this kind, although I prefer to think of my pieces as tasters: reasonably substantial introductions to a subject for the general reader.

They are not academic works and are not intended to be. Rather, I hope that they provide sufficient information and context to give a useful overview of a subject and, perhaps, encourage readers to explore it further.

To help with this, I include references to books and links to other material on the web. Links are also scattered throughout the articles. This reflects something of the original ethos of the Internet: making information readily available and providing routes to other sources.

Most of the images used on the site have been found on the Internet, with captions linking to their original sources wherever possible. If you believe that I have inadvertently infringed copyright, please contact me.

Websites inevitably change, and links that once worked sometimes disappear. I would therefore be grateful to hear about any broken links or other problems that you encounter. Comments, corrections and other feedback are equally welcome.

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

Summary of Content

The main sections of the site are listed below, together with the principal articles. The menu at the top of the page provides access to the complete contents.

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 Potted History of Kitchen Gardens (includes selected content from the above two pieces).
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 Sunningdale
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

Hosted Material Relating to Sunninghill & Ascot

Rob Hope’s history, which covers the area around The Stag pub on Ascot High Street up to the racecourse from the 1860s to the 1930s
Graham O’Connell’s History of Sunningdale Park notes
Ray Whiting’s A Village Boyhood in Sunninghill (1920s)

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

British 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
Potted History of Mary, Queen of Scots
A Potted History of the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian Age

Thematic Histories (Ideas, Society and Culture)

A Potted History of Monasticism in England
A Potted History of Computing
A Potted History of Intelligence (Espionage)
A Potted History of the Theatre
A Potted History of Universal Suffrage in the UK
A Potted History of Languages and Writing Systems
A Potted History of Education
A Potted History of English Law
Who are the English?
A Potted History of Libraries
A Potted History of Health Services

Ad Hoc Posts

Martin’s Cheese Show and Breakfast at Sibbet House were written over 20 years ago and can be categorised as Edinburgh Memories.