Author: Alan Bolwell

Prefab-ulous homes

‘Prefabs’ housing developed for short life use were once commonplace but now only a dwindling number remain, though fortunately being at last recognized as worth preserving by the Prefabs Museum project. The previously virtual museum has just been awarded funding from English Heritage, which will enable them to support studies across the UK whilst collecting […]

Celebrating Croydon’s Past and Future

Though often regarded as just another part of London, Croydon has a rich history of being a significant town in its own right and despite some of its history being fragile and vulnerable to the inexorable growth of London’s population and the change associated with it, Croydon still has many interesting, surprising and unique features […]

Wye Village

Discover Wye, The Perfect Village Featured in BBC TV show The Perfect Village in 2006. Wye also voted as the third best place to live in the UK in an annual broadsheet’s review in 2013. A top place to visit while in the South East. A little village in Kent also believed by some modern historians […]

Colchester

Discover Colchester Learn about Colchester’s past and present. From a troubled history including a Roman town burnt to the ground by Queen Boudica. Discover the facts and stories surrounding our rich heritage. From a Roman Temple to cutting edge 21st century design, via Victorian decor and medieval timber frames. Views of beautiful buildings reflect the town’s history and […]

Brockley

Discover Brockley Firstly, Brockley contains several attractive open spaces, amongst them Blythe Hill, Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries (opened in 1858 and now a nature reserve) and Hilly Fields. The Commons Preservation Society and local groups prevented development in the 1880s and 1890s. The park became a regular meeting place for the Suffragette movement between 1907 and […]

Places of Poetry

The UK has inspired lifetimes of poetry. These are some of the smaller towns where you can walk in the footsteps of beloved bards or awesome orators: East Coker This small village and civil parish in South Somerset was the inspiration of the second poem of T.S.Eliot’s ‘The Four Quartets’, and the famous line ‘In […]