Walking 450 miles to freedom
In 1918, my grandfather and seven other British officers escaped from a Turkish prisoner of war camp. That was the easy part. They then faced 450 miles of deadly heat, hostile terrain and trigger-happy brigands.
Tea: its strange history and curious folklore
Dreams, gods, ghost guards, emperors, a lovestruck moon – tea has a rich and often macabre heritage of superstition and stories.
Abandoned in Bedlam
Bedlam is at the end of the road, but that’s the least of it.
Grangemouth: the beauty in industry
It’s outdated, sprawling, industrial and CO2 spewing. Yet there’s also a strange beauty to be found walking by the Grangemouth Refinery.
In search of family history: empire, war and horses
Submarine commander, sailor, governor of Burma, prisoner of war camp escapee and politician – my grandfather served a fascinating public life yet remains an elusive family figure.
Secret history of sex: welcome to the molly house
In the 18th century the secret world of the molly house was a place for gay men to socialise, cross-dress and role-play. But it was also a place of danger and treachery.
Crawford Priory Revisited: abandoned ruins and golf balls
A return visit to the enigmatic ruins of Crawford Priory yields family memories, new secrets and golf balls.
Enon Chapel: death, horror and dancing in Victorian London
Victorian London was a charnel house of the dead; a city oozing horror and nowhere more so than a small chapel where they danced on the dead.
George Scott: empire, football and Burma
How the British Empire occupied the remote highlands of Burma (Myanmar) through football, jokes and an indomitable imperialist.
The abandoned house that spooked
The storm battered the small Hebridean port. The wind howled down from the moody cloud-clad mountains, and swept great gusts of rain through the village, bending any unfortunate soul trying to reach shelter.
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