St. Valentine kneeling in supplication – 1677 by David Teniers III
There is nothing more delightful than a great poetry reading to warm ones heart on a cold winter night fireside. Today is one of the coldest Valentine’s days on record, thus, nothing could be better than listening to […] 
Smith, Charles Loraine; The Billesdon Coplow Run, Leicestershire *note – Billesdon and Billesden have both been used to name the hunt. BILLESDEN COPLOW POEM [From “Reminiscences of the late Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq”] The run celebrated in the following verses took place on the 24th of February, 1800, […] 
The Hunt Saboteur is a national disgrace barking out loud, black mask on her face get those dogs off, get them off she did yell until a swift kick from me mare her voice it did quell and sent the Hunt Saboteur scurrying up vale to the full cry of hounds drowning out her […] 
” Here’s many a year to you ! Sportsmen who’ve ridden life straight. Here’s all good cheer to you ! Luck to you early and late. Here’s to the best of you ! You with the blood and the nerve. Here’s to the rest of you ! What of a weak moment’s swerve ? […] 
Robert W. Service (b.1874, d.1958)
There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night […] 
Kenilworth Abbey Fields – Photo by David Hunt Click here to read Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott Click here to view Kenilworth Glossary Home Top of Pg. Archives 
Four Seasons fill the measure of the year; There are four seasons in the mind of man: He has his lusty spring, when fancy clear Takes in all beauty with an easy span; He has his Summer, when luxuriously Spring’s honied cud of youthful thoughts he loves To ruminate, and by such dreaming high […] 
Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Home Top of Pg. Archives […] 
Motel, Motel Do Tell Home Top of Pg. Archives 
Tucked into all corners of the large stately farm house Loquacious aunts, uncles of letters, adventure and public house, Grandmother wrapped in wool, grandfather’s pipe Gas fired ceramic tiled fireplaces, a Christmas delight Glowing red ember warming through the night Home Top of Pg. Archives […] 
We opened the doors on the old Dodge van parked under the big oak tree the old farm house etched with memory ropes hanging down and an old plank swing She kicked her bare feet playfully in the dirt and then soared to the sky Looking out over Illinois corn fields full in growth, […] 
Dutch artist Herman de Vries – Photo taken by son Vince The two videos below of Herman de Vries at work at the Venice Bienalle 2015 are quite inspiring. So inspiring in fact that I moved into a cave for two weeks and wrote Shakespearean tragedy with charcoal. Filled with great joy […] 
Home Top of Pg. Archives 
Exhaust blackened dirty snow Bleak City cold winter sting Cars in ditches Tire chains and rock salt Doughnut shop at four am Factory whistle blows at five Hot coffee on the dashboard Eyes on the road Front wheel drive Cadillac I’ll make it on time Home Top of Pg. Archives 
Awakened to mild rumbles of thunder and pounding rain washed down by a steady drizzle and more downpour coating asphalt with mirrored reflections of oily alluvial runoff easing back into a soothing pattern of velvety rain drops drizzling down the foliage encased wrought iron balcony rails Home Top of Pg. Archives […] 
The Interrogation of Joan of Arc by Cardinal Winchester Pussy Willow wielded a real broad sword Honed with diamonds and emery board They say she cut her own umbilical chord The day she strapped it on to serve her Lord Home Top of Pg. Archives […] 
Western prairie quiet broken by forged steel Sage Grouse dance, feathers of resplendent golden lace oblivious to Manifest Destiny’s race Juniper trees observe from high peaks Wisps of threadbare clouds converging on progress Home Top of Pg. Archives […] 
Pirate plunder, sailboat trash, cruise ship waste oil cargo leaks, party boat beer cans, trawler diesel hurricane timber, tsunami tin, maelstrom hulls 1452, 1633, 1785, 1823, 1900, 1956, 1989, 2005 skulls, bones, kneecaps, shoulder blade, hip bones doubloons, pieces of eight, gold, pearls, emeralds daggers, dirks, walking planks, broadswords, canon balls sloshing, swooshing, swaying, […] 
Once you get your first pair You’ll find them everywhere Up and down the stairs Even a pair in your chair A pair in the kitchen For cutting up chicken One made of hard plastic to take a licking A fine gold pair for putting on airs a silver pair too, looks good on […] 
By the time I got to California the blondes had gone home The Beach Boys were sporting dreadlocks and singing reggae songs The life guard at the tower didn’t have a tan Said if you’re looking for Mama Cass she’s asleep over there in the van Home Top of Pg. Archives […] |
eBay Fraud is Alive and Growing; As Customer Service Increasingly Gets Worse
eBay has decided that robotic phone messages routing their sellers or buyers back to an online FAQ is acceptable. IT IS NOT. eBay is now killing off the last of its customer service as their profits continue to dwindle. The latest insults to sellers comes in the way of algorithmic [...] Read more → 
Disney is Dead: The Politics of Brands and Why Profitable Brands Remain Neutral
Disney should stick to its Theme Parks and remain neutral in matters of culture. Go Woke, Go Broke. Even Bob Eisner loving CNBC will not be able to do enough DeSantis bashing to stop the financial bloodbath. Much like football fans and Bud Lite Drinkers, millions [...] Read more → 
The Devil PigHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
The 2023 U.S. Banking Crisis is Already Multiple Magnitudes Larger than that of 2008.
Credit Suisse HQ, Zurich Switzerland Hypothesis: The U.S. Federal Reserve and U.S. Government has become extremely adept at obscuring facts from Americans and the World at Large when it comes to financial crisis handling. On March 31, 2016 the following headline appeared in Reuters: U.S. repo rates jump to highest level since [...] Read more → 
The True and Correct History of DJ Vinyl Scratching
New York is well known for hotdogs, the Empire State Building, the Ponzi Scheme, and the Brooklyn Bridge among its many claims to fame. However, contrary to popular belief, DJ vinyl scratching is not one of them. Caveat; Most New Yorkers in fact believe the phenomena originated there. In the [...] Read more → 
Artistic Endeavour in the Absence of Country Gentlemen
The Garden at Somersby Rectory by W.E.F. Britten When one thinks of the English countryside or rural France replete with rambling country house estates and fairly tale chateaus sitting alongside grand chapels and country church spires, one might imagine a realm of manners, neighborly love, and country gentlemen. However, history informs us [...] Read more → 
Why Beauty Matters
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas – from Ghost Stories of M.R. JamesI Verum usque in præsentem diem multa garriunt inter se Canonici de abscondito quodam istius Abbatis Thomæ thesauro, quem sæpe, quanquam adhuc incassum, quæsiverunt Steinfeldenses. Ipsum enim Thomam adhuc florida in ætate existentem ingentem auri massam circa monasterium defodisse perhibent; de quo multoties interrogatus ubi esset, cum risu respondere solitus erat: “Job, [...] Read more → 
The Age of Chivalry
CHAPTER 1 – Introduction KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS On the decline of the Roman power, about five centuries after Christ, the countries of Northern Europe were left almost destitute of a national government. Numerous chiefs, more or less powerful, held local sway, as far as each [...] Read more → 
The History of Witchcraft in England – The Beginnings
The Beginnings of English Witchcraft It has been said by a thoughtful writer that the subject of witchcraft has hardly received that place which it deserves in the history of opinions. There has been, of course, a reason for this neglect—the fact that the belief in witchcraft is no longer [...] Read more → 
Gold: The Story of Man’s 6000 Year Old ObsessionHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Secretariat Wins the Triple CrownHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Uncle Sam Provides I-Bond Relief for U.S Savers; Why Are the Banks Not Joining in the Glory?
Are you dissatisfied with the Savings Account and CD Interest Rates your bank currently has on offer? If so, go to https://www.treasurydirect.gov and open an account. The U.S. Government’s iBonds are currently earning 9.62% interest through October of this year. Individuals may purchase $10,000 worth of iBonds per [...] Read more → 
Inflation Economics: Some Useful Historical Data For The American Consumer
The rude awakening over the past year of increasingly high food and gas prices has been quite the shock for the American consumer. The U.S. Federal Government and Federal Reserve Bank’s sluggish reaction to growing consumer price inflation certainly have not helped. If history is to be our guide, there is more [...] Read more → 
FTC Rules Guiding the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries
The Hope Diamond FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION16 CFR Part 23Guides for the Jewelry, PreciousMetals, and Pewter Industries The US Government has laws guiding the business practices of the Jewelry and Precious Metals Industries. If you are unclear as a seller as to your obligations under the law as related to any [...] Read more → 
The History of Gothic Art
History and Facts on American Newspaper Production from the Colonial Times Through the 1890s.
New York Times Press Run circa 1942 – Library of Congress Photograph NEWSPAPER.-Printed sheets published at stated intervals, chiefly for the purpose of conveying intelligence on current events. The Romans wrote out an account of the most memorable occurrences of the day, which were sent to public officials. They were [...] Read more → 
Penal Methods of the Middle Ages
CHAPTER I PENAL METHODS OF THE MIDDLE AGES Prisons as places of detention are very ancient institutions. As soon as men had learned the way to build, in stone, as in Egypt, or with bricks, as in Mesopotamia, when kings had many-towered fortresses, and the great barons castles [...] Read more → 
Son House – Death Letter BluesHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
The Rolling Stones – Brown SugarHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Two Great Ideas for Product Photography
Country House Essays Book Now in Print
Country House Essays, the book is now in print. This is an eclectic collection of both original, and historical essays, poems, books, and articles created for our loyal reader hear at CountryHouseEssays.com. It is jam packed with reprints of articles from this website. The cost is $49.95 for this massive [...] Read more → 
Clarivoyance by C.W. Leadbeater
Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras, India, 1890 CLAIRVOYANCE by C. W. Leadbeater Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Pub. House [1899] CHAPTER IX METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT
When a men becomes convinced of the reality of the valuable [...] Read more → 
Westminster Confession of Faith – 1646
CHAPTER I. Of the Holy Scripture. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary [...] Read more →
The Geologists and The Mother-lodeHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
The Relation of Chemistry to the progress of Wine Making, Brewing, and Distilling
Harvey Wiley, Chief Chemist of the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Chemistry (third from the right) with his staff, not long after he joined the division in 1883. Wiley’s scientific expertise and political skills were a key to passage of the 1906 Food and Drugs Act and the creation of the FDA. Read more → 
A Note on Ill-Breeding from a Knight of Grace of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem
“Saint John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, the main gateway to the Priory of Saint John of Jerusalem,” black and white photograph by the British photographer Henry Dixon, 1880. The church was founded in the 12th century by Jordan de Briset, a Norman knight. Prior Docwra completed the gatehouse shown in this photograph in 1504. The gateway [...] Read more → 
Growing Muscadine Grapes in Tennessee
The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee has a long heralded tradition of assisting farmers and growers through it’s Agricultural Extension Service. The following bulletin entitled Grape Growing in Tennessee discusses the Muscadine variety of grapes among others. Muscadine grapes are often found growing wild in Tennessee. On my grandfather’s West Tennessee [...] Read more → 
Homemade Wine Recipes from the 16th and 17th Centuries
The Lost Art of Wine Making at Home Some Recipes Popular a Century Ago Revived to Show How Our Forefathers Brewed Their Own Beers, Made Their Own Ciders, Distilled Their Own Liquors. The manufacture of homemade liquors is all but a lost art. A century ago every farm [...] Read more → 
Platform of the American Institute of Banking in 1919
Resolution adapted at the New Orleans Convention of the American Institute of Banking, October 9, 1919: “Ours is an educational association organized for the benefit of the banking fraternity of the country and within our membership may be found on an equal basis both employees and employers; and in full appreciation [...] Read more → 
Parting Words to Kate from The Sloop of War, Jamestown
Sloop of War Jamestown – Photo from book The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies, Series 1, Vol. 3. Several years ago, I purchased a small memory book entitled Album of Love from the mid 1800s. Much like scrap books of today, these books were used to keep [...] Read more → 
Electroplating 101Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
New Orleans Street BandsHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
ZZ Top at Gruene HallHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Historic authenticity of the Spanish SAN FELIPE of 1690
Model of San Felipe Reprinted from FineModelShips.com with the kind permission of Dr. Michael Czytko The SAN FELIPE is one of the most favoured ships among the ship model builders. The model is elegant, very beautifully designed, and makes a decorative piece of art to be displayed at home or in [...] Read more → 
The Late Rev. H.M. Scarth
H. M. Scarth, Rector of Wrington By the death of Mr. Scarth on the 5th of April, at Tangier, where he had gone for his health’s sake, the familiar form of an old and much valued Member of the Institute has passed away. Harry Mengden Scarth was bron at Staindrop in Durham, [...] Read more → 
Temples, Walls, And Some of the Roman Antiquities of Bath
A Lecture Delivered at the Guildhall, March 2, 1853 by Rev. H.M. Scarth, M.A., Rector of Bathwick. To understand the ancient history of the country in which we live, to know something of the arts and manners of the people who have preceded us, to ascertain what we owe to [...] Read more → 
Gallop of the Common Horse by Eadweard Muybridge 1887
Eadweard Muybridge was a fascinating character. Click here to learn how Eadweard committed “Justifiable Homicide” after shooting his wife’s lover in 1874. Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
Classic Restoration of a Spring Tied Upholstered Chair
This video by AT Restoration is the best hands on video I have run across on the basics of classic upholstery. Watch a master at work. Simply amazing. Tools: Round needles: https://amzn.to/2S9IhrP Double pointed hand needle: https://amzn.to/3bDmWPp Hand tools: https://amzn.to/2Rytirc Staple gun (for beginner): https://amzn.to/2JZs3x1 Compressor for pneumatic [...] Read more →
Making a High-end Turntable
A History of the Use of Arsenicals in Man
The arsenicals (compounds which contain the heavy metal element arsenic, As) have a long history of use in man – with both benevolent and malevolent intent. The name ‘arsenic’ is derived from the Greek word ‘arsenikon’ which means ‘potent'”. As early as 2000 BC, arsenic trioxide, obtained from smelting copper, was used [...] Read more → 
Books Condemned to be Burnt
BOOKS CONDEMNED TO BE BURNT. By JAMES ANSON FARRER, LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW 1892 ———- WHEN did books first come to be burnt in England by the common hangman, and what was [...] Read more → 
U.S. Plant Variety Protection Act – Full Text
UNITED STATES PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION ACT TITLE I – PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION OFFICE Chapter Section 1. Organization and Publications . 1 2. Legal Provisions as to the Plant Variety Protection Office . 21 3. Plant Variety Protection Fees . 31 CHAPTER 1.-ORGANIZATION AND PUBLICATIONS Section 1. Establishment.2 There is [...] Read more → 
Thomas Jefferson’s Garden BookHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
American Farming Circa 1954Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Fell and Moor Terrier Club circa later 1990sHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
The Master of Hounds
Photo Caption: The Marquis of Zetland, KC, PC – otherwise known as Lawrence Dundas Son of: John Charles Dundas and: Margaret Matilda Talbot born: Friday 16 August 1844 died: Monday 11 March 1929 at Aske Hall Occupation: M.P. for Richmond Viceroy of Ireland Vice Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Lord – in – Waiting [...] Read more → 
The Beaufort Hunt – 1914Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Limerick Harrier’s Meet at Bulgaden 2018Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Fox Hunting – A Great British TraditionHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Fox Hunting Season Opens 1935 – Heythrop Country at Lower Swell, near Stow-in-the-Wold, GloucestershireHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Land of Hope and Glory: British Country Life – Fox HuntingHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Feeding the Hounds at Chateau Cheverny
Flawed Law – The Hunting Act
Click here to read the full text of the Hunting Act – 2004 Click on the button below for a faster download version. Invalid download ID. Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
The Famous Kilkenny Hunt – 1930Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Winter Fox Hunt in Michigan, USA – Fantastic FootageHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Fox Hunting Season 1964Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Here’s Many a Year to You
” Here’s many a year to you ! Sportsmen who’ve ridden life straight. Here’s all good cheer to you ! Luck to you early and late. Here’s to the best of you ! You with the blood and the nerve. Here’s to the rest of you ! What of a weak moment’s swerve ? [...] Read more → 
The Hunt Saboteur
The Hunt Saboteur is a national disgrace barking out loud, black mask on her face get those dogs off, get them off she did yell until a swift kick from me mare her voice it did quell and sent the Hunt Saboteur scurrying up vale to the full cry of hounds drowning out her [...] Read more → 
The Billesden Coplow Run
Smith, Charles Loraine; The Billesdon Coplow Run, Leicestershire *note – Billesdon and Billesden have both been used to name the hunt. BILLESDEN COPLOW POEM [From “Reminiscences of the late Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq”] The run celebrated in the following verses took place on the 24th of February, 1800, [...] Read more →  |
   
The Hunt Saboteur
The Hunt Saboteur is a national disgrace barking out loud, black mask on her face get those dogs off, get them off she did yell until a swift kick from me mare her voice it did quell and sent the Hunt Saboteur scurrying up vale to the full cry of hounds drowning out her [...] Read more → 
Great Indian Pine HornbillHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Paramilitary Operations in the Congo: Witchcraft, Sorcery, Magic and Other Psychological Phenomena
WITCHCRAFT, SORCERY, MAGIC AND OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENA AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON MILITARY AND PARAMILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE CONGO This report has been prepared in response to a query posed by ODCS/OPS, Department of the Army, regarding the purported use of witchcraft, sorcery, and magic by insurgent elements in the Republic [...] Read more → 
How to Season a New Clay Cooking PotHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
A Short Note on Manners for the Young Man Wishing to Make a Goodly Impression Whilst Avoiding Duels
Over the years I have observed a decline in manners amongst young men as a general principle and though there is not one particular thing that may be asserted as the causal reason for this, one might speculate… Self-awareness and being aware of one’s surroundings in social interactions [...] Read more →
Parting Words to Kate from The Sloop of War, Jamestown
Sloop of War Jamestown – Photo from book The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies, Series 1, Vol. 3. Several years ago, I purchased a small memory book entitled Album of Love from the mid 1800s. Much like scrap books of today, these books were used to keep [...] Read more → 
Travels by Narrowboat
Oh Glorious England, verdant fields and wandering canals… In this wonderful series of videos, the CountryHouseGent takes the viewer along as he chugs up and down the many canals crisscrossing England in his classic Narrowboat. There is nothing like a free man charting his own destiny. The series [...] Read more →
Why Beauty Matters
Traditional JuJutsu Health, Strength and Combat Tricks
CHAPTER V THE VALUE OF EVEN TEMPER IN ATHLETICS—SOME OF THE FEATS THAT REQUIRE GOOD NATURE In the writer’s opinion it becomes necessary to make at this point some suggestions relative to a very important part of the training in jiu-jitsu. Good nature is as essential [...] Read more → 
A Day of Foxhunting in MarylandHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
Penal Methods of the Middle Ages
CHAPTER I PENAL METHODS OF THE MIDDLE AGES Prisons as places of detention are very ancient institutions. As soon as men had learned the way to build, in stone, as in Egypt, or with bricks, as in Mesopotamia, when kings had many-towered fortresses, and the great barons castles [...] Read more → 
English Fig Wine
Take the large blue figs when pretty ripe, and steep them in white wine, having made some slits in them, that they may swell and gather in the substance of the wine. Then slice some other figs and let them simmer over a fire in water until they are reduced [...] Read more → 
Arsenic and Old Lace
What is follows is an historical article that appeared in The Hartford Courant in 1916 about the arsenic murders carried out by Mrs. Archer-Gilligan. This story is the basis for the 1944 Hollywood film “Arsenic and Old Lace” starring Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane and directed by Frank Capra. The [...] Read more → 
Welcome
Of Decorated Furniture
DECORATED or “sumptuous” furniture is not merely furniture that is expensive to buy, but that which has been elaborated with much thought, knowledge, and skill. Such furniture cannot be cheap, certainly, but the real cost of it is sometimes borne by the artist who produces rather than by the man who may [...] Read more → 
Period Furniture Identification
A Video of Upmost Importance for the Sharp Young Man Seeking Success in LifeHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
A Red Letter Day with Henry Miller
What is the Meaning of the Term Thorough-bred Fox-hound
Reprint from the Sportsman Cabinet and Town & Country Magazine, Vol.1, Number 1, November 1832. MR. Editor, Will you allow me to inquire, through the medium of your pages, the correct meaning of the term thorough-bred fox-hound? I am very well aware, that the expression is in common [...] Read more →
Fell and Moor Terrier Club circa later 1990sHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Museum of Science and Industry Model Train – ChicagoHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Rendering Amber Clear for Use in Lens-Making for Magnifying Glass
Pencil sketch of Sir Charles Lock Eastlake by John Partridge (Queen Victoria’s favourite portrait painter), 1825 From the work of Sir Charles Lock Eastlake entitled Materials for a history of oil painting, (London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1846), we learn the following: The effect of oil at certain temperatures, in penetrating [...] Read more → 
Clover WineAdd 3 quarts clover blossoms* to 4 quarts of boiling water removed from heat at point of boil. Let stand for three days. At the end of the third day, drain the juice into another container leaving the blossoms. Add three quarts of fresh water and the peel of one lemon to the blossoms [...] Read more → 
The Most Powerful and FREE Import Export Research Database on the Planet
Click here to access the world’s most powerful Import/Export Research Database on the Planet. With this search engine one is able to access U.S. Customs and other government data showing suppliers for any type of company in the United States. Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
A Jar of Baseball Dreams
Every home should have one to be opened in spring A jar that sits on the table full of baseball dreams Inside will be found there pennants and things The smell of fresh cut grass and pinstriped rings A pair of old tickets to the game never played, Do you remember how cold it [...] Read more → 
Fruits of the Empire: Licorice Root and Juice
Liquorice, the roots of Glycirrhiza Glabra, a perennial plant, a native of the south of Europe, but cultivated to some extent in England, particularly at Mitcham, in Surrey. Its root, which is its only valuable part, is long, fibrous, of a yellow colour, and when fresh, very juicy. [...] Read more →
The 2023 U.S. Banking Crisis is Already Multiple Magnitudes Larger than that of 2008.
Credit Suisse HQ, Zurich Switzerland Hypothesis: The U.S. Federal Reserve and U.S. Government has become extremely adept at obscuring facts from Americans and the World at Large when it comes to financial crisis handling. On March 31, 2016 the following headline appeared in Reuters: U.S. repo rates jump to highest level since [...] Read more →
A Note on Ill-Breeding from a Knight of Grace of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem
“Saint John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, the main gateway to the Priory of Saint John of Jerusalem,” black and white photograph by the British photographer Henry Dixon, 1880. The church was founded in the 12th century by Jordan de Briset, a Norman knight. Prior Docwra completed the gatehouse shown in this photograph in 1504. The gateway [...] Read more →
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas – from Ghost Stories of M.R. JamesI Verum usque in præsentem diem multa garriunt inter se Canonici de abscondito quodam istius Abbatis Thomæ thesauro, quem sæpe, quanquam adhuc incassum, quæsiverunt Steinfeldenses. Ipsum enim Thomam adhuc florida in ætate existentem ingentem auri massam circa monasterium defodisse perhibent; de quo multoties interrogatus ubi esset, cum risu respondere solitus erat: “Job, [...] Read more → 
The Basics of Painting in the Building Trade
PAINTER-WORK, in the building trade. When work is painted one or both of two distinct ends is achieved, namely the preservation and the coloration of the material painted. The compounds used for painting—taking the word as meaning a thin protective or decorative coat—are very numerous, including oil-paint of many kinds, distemper, whitewash, [...] Read more → 
The Damp Dark Plight of Rainy Day Books
Awakened to mild rumbles of thunder and pounding rain washed down by a steady drizzle and more downpour coating asphalt with mirrored reflections of oily alluvial runoff easing back into a soothing pattern of velvety rain drops drizzling down the foliage encased wrought iron balcony rails Home Top of Pg. Archives [...] Read more →
Dame Edith Sitwell
Sitwell Family; From left: Edith Sitwell (1887-1964), Sir George Sitwell, Lady Ida, Sacheverell Sitwell (1897-1988), and Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969) – Oil on canvas by John Singer Sargent Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
Inflation Economics: Some Useful Historical Data For The American Consumer
The rude awakening over the past year of increasingly high food and gas prices has been quite the shock for the American consumer. The U.S. Federal Government and Federal Reserve Bank’s sluggish reaction to growing consumer price inflation certainly have not helped. If history is to be our guide, there is more [...] Read more → 
The Hoochie Coochie Hex
From Dr. Marvel’s 1929 book entitled Hoodoo for the Common Man, we find his infamous Hoochie Coochie Hex. What follows is a verbatim transcription of the text: The Hoochie Coochie Hex should not be used in conjunction with any other Hexes. This can lead to [...] Read more → 
The Printing of the King James Bible 1611
Richard Barker KJ Title Pg. Robert Barker was the printer of the first edition of the King James Bible in 1611. He was the printer to King James I and son of Christopher Barker, printer to Queen Victoria I. Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
The Field of the Cloth of Gold
Reprint from the Royal Collection Trust Website The meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I, known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold, took place between 7 to 24 June 1520 in a valley subsequently called the Val d’Or, near Guisnes to the south of Calais. The [...] Read more → 
Hereford Cathedral Choir Easter Sunday 2017Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Italian Tart Recipe
Chronological Catalog of Recorded Lunar Events
In July of 1968, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), published NASA Technical Report TR R-277 titled Chronological Catalog of Recorded Lunar Events. The catalog begins with the first entry dated November 26th, 1540 at ∼05h 00m: Feature: Region of Calippus2 Description: Starlike appearance on dark side Observer: Observers at Worms Reference: [...] Read more →
Coffee & Cigarettes
Aw, the good old days, meet in the coffee shop with a few friends, click open the Zippo, inhale a glorious nosegay of lighter fluid, fresh roasted coffee and a Chesterfield cigarette…. A Meta-analysis of Coffee Drinking, Cigarette Smoking, and the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease We conducted a [...] Read more →
Land of Hope and Glory: British Country Life – Fox HuntingHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Valentine Poetry from the Cotswold Explorer
St. Valentine kneeling in supplication – 1677 by David Teniers III There is nothing more delightful than a great poetry reading to warm ones heart on a cold winter night fireside. Today is one of the coldest Valentine’s days on record, thus, nothing could be better than listening to [...] Read more →
The Rolling Stones – Brown SugarHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
Homemade Wine Recipes from the 16th and 17th Centuries
The Lost Art of Wine Making at Home Some Recipes Popular a Century Ago Revived to Show How Our Forefathers Brewed Their Own Beers, Made Their Own Ciders, Distilled Their Own Liquors. The manufacture of homemade liquors is all but a lost art. A century ago every farm [...] Read more → 
The Kalmar War
The Kalmar War From The Historian’s History of the World (In 25 Volumes) by Henry Smith William L.L.D. – Vol. XVI.(Scandinavia) Pg. 308-310 The northern part of the Scandinavian peninsula, as already noticed, had been peopled from the remotest times by nomadic tribes called Finns or Cwenas by the Norwegians and Lapps [...] Read more → 
A Couple of Classic Tennessee Squirrel Recipes
FRIED SQUIRREL & BISCUIT GRAVY 3-4 Young Squirrels, dressed and cleaned 1 tsp. Morton Salt or to taste 1 tsp. McCormick Black Pepper or to taste 1 Cup Martha White All Purpose Flour 1 Cup Hog Lard – Preferably fresh from hog killing, or barbecue tableCut up three to [...] Read more → 
He Put a Hook in Me by Lil’ Lost Lou
Click here to visit Lil’ Lost Lou and purchase a copy of her latest album. Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
King James I, Witch-Hunter
Mortlake Tapestries at Chatsworth House Click here to read copy of Daemonologie Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
A Summer Memory
Here, where these low lush meadows lie, We wandered in the summer weather, When earth and air and arching sky, Blazed grandly, goldenly together. And oft, in that same summertime, We sought and roamed these self-same meadows, When evening brought the curfew chime, And peopled field and fold with shadows. I mind me of [...] Read more → 
Sennen Cove, UK WWII FootageHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Audubon’s Art Method and Techniques
Wild Turkeys – John James Audubon Audubon started to develop a special technique for drawing birds in 1806 a Miill Grove, Pennsylvania. He perfected it during the long river trip from Cincinnati to New Orleans and in New Orleans, 1821. Home Top of Pg. Archives [...] Read more →
Classic Restoration of a Spring Tied Upholstered Chair
This video by AT Restoration is the best hands on video I have run across on the basics of classic upholstery. Watch a master at work. Simply amazing. Tools: Round needles: https://amzn.to/2S9IhrP Double pointed hand needle: https://amzn.to/3bDmWPp Hand tools: https://amzn.to/2Rytirc Staple gun (for beginner): https://amzn.to/2JZs3x1 Compressor for pneumatic [...] Read more →
The First Pineapple Grown in England
Charles II of England being presented with the first pineapple grown in England by royal gardener, John Rose. Click here to read an excellent article on the history of pineapple growing in the UK. Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
How to Tie Knots, Bends, and HitchesHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more → 
Naval Stores – Distilling Turpentine
Chipping a Turpentine Tree DISTILLING TURPENTINE One of the Most Important Industries of the State of Georgia Injuring the Magnificent Trees Spirits, Resin, Tar, Pitch, and Crude Turpentine all from the Long Leaved Pine – “Naval Stores” So Called. Dublin, Ga., May 8. – One of the most important industries [...] Read more → 
Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Memoranda on Painting – December 1755
SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS‘ WORKING COLOURS, WITH THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WERE ARRANGED ON HIS PALLETTE. “For painting the flesh, black, blue black, white, lake, carmine, orpiment, yellow ochre, ultramarine, and varnish. “To lay the pallette:—first lay carmine and white in different [...] Read more → 
A Creative Approach to Saving Ye Olde Cassette Tapes
Quite possibly, the most agonizing decision being made by Baby Boomers across the nation these days is what to do with all that vintage Hi-fi equipment and boxes full of classic rock and roll cassettes and 8-Tracks. I faced this dilemma head-on this past summer as I definitely wanted in [...] Read more → 
The Shirk – An Old but Familiar Phenomena
STORE MANAGEMENT—THE SHIRK. THE shirk is a well-known specimen of the genus homo. His habitat is offices, stores, business establishments of all kinds. His habits are familiar to us, but a few words on the subject will not be amiss. The shirk usually displays activity when the boss is around, [...] Read more →
Gallop of the Common Horse by Eadweard Muybridge 1887
Eadweard Muybridge was a fascinating character. Click here to learn how Eadweard committed “Justifiable Homicide” after shooting his wife’s lover in 1874. Home Top of Pg. Archives Read more →
Fox Hunting – A Great British TraditionHome Top of Pg. Archives Read more →   |
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