Incredible Roman Remains
..and a history of Westminster and Whitehall
Hello Fellow History Lover!
Long has the history of Westminster fascinated me. Ok, “that’s rather niche” you might be thinking with the next thought probably being “why?” Everything we know today started somewhere and grew; our language, customs, laws, governance etc, they developed over time but they had to start somewhere. Westminster is where the British Houses of Parliament, and where the abbey that holds the coronation services of our monarchs, are sited. Adjacent is the area known as Whitehall which includes Downing Street, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence. But why is it here? I tell all in this week’s Tea Time History Chat what on Youtube by clicking here.
Also this week:
Shakespeare in Stratford Tour - bookings now being taken
The Dissolution of the Monasteries series goes live on Youtube and podcast from tomorrow.
Incredible Roman remains: the 4th largest Roman City and an incredibly preserved amphitheater.
Shakespeare in Stratford Tour: 28th - 30th June 2024
with Dr Katrina Marchant
£895 per person, based on two people sharing.
Highlights:
Show Tickets for a Shakespeare production at the Royal Shakespeare Company
Three talks from Dr Katrina Marchant
Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Schoolroom and Grave
Included:
2 nights luxury accommodation
Breakfast and Dinner
Theatre Show Ticket
All Admissions
The Dissolution of the Monasteries Series
For decades we have understood the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which took place in the late 1530's during the reign of Henry VIII, in a short hand, summarised and sanitised version of events. Professor James Clark, in his book 'The Dissolution of the Monasteries. A New History' published by Yale University Press in 2021, looks at how the dissolution unfolded for the ordinary people and exposes the received history and its short hand explanations of the process as way too simple and, in many ways, inaccurate.
In this series "The Truth About the Dissolution of the Monasteries," over 5 episodes, Professor James Clark discusses in fascinating detail, how the dissolution unfolded.
Episodes in this series
Episode 1 - Henry VIII's real intention for the Monasteries of England and Wales
Episode 2 - How the Pilgrimage of Grace may have led to the more monasteries being closed
Episode 3 - What was the Valor Ecclesiasticus?
Episode 4 - What really happened when a monastery was closed.
Episode 5 - "Even in 1539, they still don’t believe the end is coming."
Bonus Episode
There is a bonus hour with James in which he discusses what Anne Boleyn thought about the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the fundamental lack of consistency in Henry's ideas on religion, and what happened to the women ejected at the closure of the religious institutions, among many other fascinating topics. Join Patreon.com/BritishHistory to access it and to enjoy early access to content, exclusive blogs, discounts on British History Events and take part in Book Club! All for £5/month. Join Now
This series will be available on the Podcast (you’ll receive notifications via Substack) and on Youtube (youtube.com/britishhistory)
Click the button below to go to my Youtube channel - be sure to subscribe and click the bell!
Incredible Roman Remains
This week I have been very fortunate to travel to two Roman sites; Caerleon in South Wales, and Wroxeter in Shropshire.
Caerleon Amphitheater
Caerleon is Welsh for “legion fortress”. During the Roman era, Isca, as the settlement was known was one of only three legionary fortresses in Britain, the others being at Chester and York.
As well as a barracks and swimming pool which have survived well enough for it to be possible to imagine how they were set out and used (not shown here but head over to my Patreon if you would to see more), there is the best surviving Amphitheater in Britain.
You can easily imagine the stands full of people, follow in their footsteps through the archway up to the seating area, walk down the steps into the arena and even see the drainage system!
The National Roman Legion Museum, within walking distance of all the sites mentioned, displays thousands of artefacts uncovered in the area which help historians understand about life in Isca, specifically what it was like to be a Roman soldier posted here, and about life in Roman Britain in general.
Wroxeter Roman City
High up in the Shropshire countryside, surrounded by farmland, are the excavated remains of Roman Britains’ 4th largest city, Wroxeter. A 7ft wall, once an inner wall leading from the city’s Basilica to its bath house (which was within the same complex), is the tallest surviving section of Roman wall anywhere in Britain. The large opening once housed heavy wooden doors which partitioned the main hall, where people could exercise, chat with their friends, or perhaps get their hair done or buy something from the little shops in the aisles, from the city’s public baths.
The genius, since lost and never really recovered as an architectural feature in Britain, of the underfloor heating system, is in evidence. Even though the ceramic tile stacks have since had to be represented by replacements following the wide scale souvenir hunting of Victorian times, they clearly demonstrate how large the areas benefitting from this Roman technology were.
On site, a recreated villa, typical of a high status house in the City, gives a great insight into how some residents would have lived. The house consists of rooms all with doors directly out onto a covered walkway around an inner courtyard. This particular house benefits from its own series of spa-style rooms, similar to those available at the public baths, with a hot, warm and cold room. The Romans knew how to look after themselves!
Join me for Tea Time History Chat Live on Wednesday at its new time of 3pm! You can join me on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. Click here to set a reminder on Youtube.
I’ll see you here again next week :-) !
Have a great, history filled week,
Philippa
MD of British History Tours
Creator at Patreon.com/BrititshHistory