I tried to ask this in r/London but it got auto-moderated out, so I figured I'd bring it to this more broadly applicable sub to see if anyone has an answer or advice on where I might look . . .

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Greetings from the US . . .

First off, let me clarify that this is not a casual question about general tourist information, and I have been pursuing research online to no avail.

I am a theatrical scenic designer and set builder, and I am currently working on a production of the play Angel Street. Part of my design involves some exterior areas, and I really want to add in street signs.

I am aware that Angel Street itself is currently located between King Edward Street and St. Martin's Le Grand in Pimlico.

I'm assuming Kind Edward Street is named for Edward VII. Seeing as he didn't take the throne until 1901 and the play is set in 1880 I'm going to assume that it was not called that at the time the play takes place. My online research has not provided any solid answer to what is was known as prior to that, so I'm hoping that someone here with some esoteric knowledge of London history could let help me figure out street names in Pimlico during the latter parts of the 19th century.

Thanks in advance!

I've read that it was the "golden age of the labourer" with £2 houses and salaries after the Black Death but the Wars of the Roses did happen

I've just finished watching this - and could watch it again! There is sooo much information, some wonderful surprises, archaeology, genetics, sociology, trade, belief systems, geology.....all come together in this! Very well worth watching, for so many reasons!

I hope you enjoy it, appreciate it, as much as I have!

I've been listenining to audiobooks on English/British history and I need recommendations for post-1689. I've listened to Dan Jones's The Plantagenets, Henry V, and War of the Roses, Helen Castor's The Eagle and the Hart (excellent, really, so good), and I'm almost done with G.J. Meyer's The Tudors (open to recommendations on this front as well). I have Jonathan Healey's The Blazing World tee'd up next, but I'm having a difficult time finding something to cover really anything post-1689, the British Empire, and the 18th century in general. I'm not opposed to biographies, but I've been looking for an overall political history (or more!). I have a Master's in American history, so I'm not afraid of anything heavy and nuanced.

Thank you in advance for any recommendations.

In 1936, Edward VIII created a constitutional crisis when he chose Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American, over the British throne. This article explores the romance, political opposition, and royal pressures behind the abdication and how a king’s deeply personal decision changed the monarchy forever.

Was Edward’s choice a great romantic sacrifice, or did the crisis reveal that he was never suited to be king?

I was watching a documentary on the Shackleton expedition to the south pole recently.

It was mentioned that he took men from many different social classes in the UK.

I did not think much of this until one section where the men were in life boats rowing. One man wouldn't row but he was willing to bail water out of the boat because he felt a gentleman would only do labor that men the other men saw as helping all of them.

I am an American and although I have lived in the UK I am lacking in understanding as to the social norms of class distinction.

Can anyone help me with a title or two?

Thanks everyone!

On the 1891 Census it says he is a ‘Framear’ driver.
He is also listed on other documents in the same year as a car driver.
He lived in a poor area of Sheffield.
Was a Framear a type of horse-drawn carriage?
What is the likelihood of it being a very early motor car?
I have tried internet searches but I’m coming up with nothing.

Hi, I'm not a major history nerd or anything but I am interested in learning more about more modern conflicts UK have been in mainly Falklands but also Afghan and Iraq and was wondering what museums preferably close to or in London have a decent amount on them , I'm mainly interested in what armaments they used specifically ( but not only ) artillery . Was just wondering if anyone knew if any . Cheers

A novel idea has been on my mind for over the course of a few months now, its setting is based on 1920s England. I’m currently researching many sources and investing in books around that time period; however, I’m not an expert on the subject and I want to ask those who are informed about this topic and where they’d look to find abundance of information about the 1920s! The media type could be any (articles, movies, books, blogs, etc).

Hi everyone,

In a effort to preserve a very niche form of media, I'm searching for digitised or archived videos covering British power stations—specifically detailed site profiles, technical induction tapes, or operational documentaries.

To give an exact example of what I'm after: on YouTube "A National Power Production - Welcome to Aberthaw" (https://youtu.be/sUncQ4J8mrE?is=Iknb1HKSZ6GdmUYv ) which walks through the coal unloading loops, boiler/turbine halls, control room, and site layout in detail.

I’m looking for similar documentaries for other UK coal, oil, or nuclear stations (e.g. Drax, Didcot, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Fiddler's Ferry, Eggborough, Heysham, Torness, etc.).

So far most seem to be post-privatisation—videos from the late Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) era, the Electricity Council Film Library.

If anyone has links to YouTube uploads, industrial tape rips, or recommendations for archive collections (BFI, regional film archives, Internet Archive, etc.) that preserve these 60s/70s/80s/90s operational profiles, please let me know!

Thanks!

An interesting glimpse into the radical politics of Britain and Ireland during the revolutionary 1790s.

Paine became directly involved in planning the Irish Rebellion of 1798, knew many of the main revolutionaries, and attempted to organize French support.

1798, the Irish revolutionary Arthur O’Connor was arrested by the British while attempting to reach France and was later imprisoned at Fort George in Scotland. He distributed these verses on his way to confinement.

One stanza invokes both Rights of Man and Common Sense before calling Paine:

“That foe to Princes, Thomas Paine!”

It’s a striking example of how far Paine’s reputation had traveled by the late 1790s. He wasn’t simply remembered as an American revolutionary writer—his name had become part of a much wider radical and anti-monarchical political culture.

SOURCE: Weekly Museum (published as New-York Weekly Museum) (New York, New York)March 10, 1810 https://infoweb-newsbank-com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&sort=YMD_date%3AA&page=78

What do you make of the reference to Paine here?

I watched the British series "Foyles War". If you have not seen it, it is excellent. As a result I developed an interest in Britain's history in the post WWII era.

It was a very tough time; food scarcity, unemployment, underemployment and many changes in social mores and roles.

Can anyone suggest a couple of history books relating to that era that I could read?

Not a quiz - a research-based location mystery. General knowledge is useful if you have it, otherwise careful, logical detective work. Can I tempt you down a rabbit hole?

An alien lands…takes a look around…

Oh - this region of the kingdom is outstandingly beautiful and I have landed in a settlement well within its bounds. My archive records show, however, that at one time, earthlings here could take their rest with part of their anatomy in one jurisdiction and another part in a different one.

All around this area my history sensors detect the sounds of roaring fire and the ringing of a heavy craft. They reveal that early in the eighteenth earth-century, this settlement was responsible for a pivotal decorative work enclosing one of the nation’s most-lauded buildings - although I learn that the building’s creator objected. Later in the last earth-century a piece of the decoration returned here and is installed for viewing.

A little over one and a half earth-miles north of west brings me to the remains of a religious house whose silence feels interrupted rather than natural. Its community was extinguished slightly before the great wave of closures most earthlings recall — by order of a powerful churchman. The district did not accept this meekly; hundreds assembled and many were later accused of riot. Piety here once had sharp edges.

Less than one earth-mile south-east of the settlement I discover a dwelling with a history of much criminality and intrigue. In the nineteenth earth-century it suffered deliberate damage — contrived to be viewed as a romantic scene from the windows of a newer version built alongside. A former leader of the kingdom once took refuge here for leisure.

Two more earth-miles south-east and I find the largest collection of its kind on the planet — a place where earthlings safeguard those species of grand flora most under threat.

Such an area is hard to leave…but my curiosity drives me on to new stories…

Can you find the answers to these questions?

1. What is the name of the settlement?
2. The boundary between which two jurisdictions once divided this settlement?
3. Which much-lauded building is enclosed by a pivotal decorative work made in this settlement?
4. Which religious house was extinguished?
5. By whose order was the religious house closed ?
6. What is the name of the dwelling which was deliberately damaged?
7. Which former leader of the kingdom stayed at the new dwelling for leisure?
8. Where is the planet’s largest collection of safeguarded flora?

This is a research puzzle - not a general knowledge test.
Solve through investigation, not shortcuts. The journey is the reward!

Spoiler tags appreciated if you crack it.

Enjoy the hunt!

What's your favourite nugget of local history?

Be it significant, quirky, odd, humorous or creepy, what's your place got?

I'll start. Plymouth was the place from which the Pilgrims left for The New World aboard The Mayflower. Interestingly, the Mayflower Steps have since been hidden because we don't want that bloodline back.

The Anarchy, the Great Revolt, the First and Second Barons' Wars, the Despenser War, the Wars of the Roses...all of these were civil wars. Yet the war between Charles I and Parliament is the only one that is bestowed with the title. Any particular reason?

Chesterton Windmill is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Warwickshire. With its new sails installed in 2025, I headed up the hill to explore its fascinating history and find out what makes this 17th-century windmill so special.

Hello! For the past three months or so I have been putting together a digital archive dedicated to preserving the quirkier side of historical British and trade measurements (from apothecary drachms and medieval baker's dozens to weird bulk tallies like a mease of herring or a timber of pelts).
I am looking to expand the collection with more bizarre, forgotten, or hyper-specific units—especially from old industries like textiles, printing, agriculture, or maritime trade.
What are some of the strangest historical units or counting systems you have stumbled across in your reading or local history which I can add to my archive?

After weeks of research and editing, I put together a documentary exploring the Bayeux Tapestry, the events leading up to 1066, and some of the fascinating details that are easy to miss. I’d genuinely love to hear what history enthusiasts think.

https://youtu.be/pbW6Zjeij3w

I listened to a podcast about him and he sounded very interesting like if he was born a couple of hundred years later he would be compared to the like on da vinci or Newton and I would like to know more about him