London fire stations responding to major fires London authorities understood the need for a well-equipped fire brigade only after the Great Fire of London swept through the city in 1666. The fire spread through the city starting from September 2 to 5 annihilating 70,000 houses, 87 parishes and thousands of slum houses. Before the Great Fire too, the city witnessed many other fires threatening the metropolitan areas. Therefore, the need for a state of the art fire brigade was envisaged by insurance companies by 1833, and they even formed many…

The Paddington train station comprises of underground and regular railway tracks. It is located on the Praed Street in the Paddington area and houses the London station of the Great Western Railway and the owners after that since 1838. It was Isambard Kingdom Brunel who designed the Paddington train station in 1863 for the Metropolitan Railway. At present, Circle, Hammersmith and City Lines, Bakerloo and District provide services for the Paddington station. Services at the Paddington train station The Great Western Main Line uses the Paddington station as its London…

The lowest administrative unit of the local government system of the UK is the Civil parish. It comes to function after the district and county administrative units. The parish bestows powers to the Civil parish unit. The rural economy of the ancient feudal system depended on the manorial system which closely linked to the Civil parish administrative unit. The court system of the feudal manor system was replaced by the Civil parish court system, and in medieval times, it was responsible for distributing relief to the poor. The rector of…

The Cheese Rolling Festival takes place at Cooper’s Hill, Gloucestershire in England. Traditionally, the villagers at Brockworth held the event and eventually, it has become a major event where thousands of tourists from all over the world take part. In 2013, proving its global nature, an American and a Japanese man won two races of the festival. Since it occurs on the summit of Cooper’s Hill, the festival is called “the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake Festival. Every Spring Bank Holiday the festival rolls anew. Cheese rolling festival: for winning…

Situated in Somerset, England, popularly known for its Roman-built baths, Bathcity stands recommended as one of England’s most beautiful places to visit. Attractive architecture makes it a fabulous and undoubtedly one of most visited tourist destinations. History of Bath City Bath City has its place in history and culture since the eighteenth century. Contributing to the colourful history that surrounds Bath City are many famous residents and visitors, which is why Bath is known as one most visited cities in Europe. Some great architects and builders have made Bath one…

The Public schools in England run independently. They have no link with the schools that the state funds and operate under elected boards. The students of public schools do not have to follow the national curriculum, and their conditions and regulations set in terms of the Public Schools Act 1868. Under the Act, children in the age group of 13-18 study in public or independent schools. These are called public schools not because they educate children free of charge but because they provide education for children irrespective of their religion…

The Newcastle railway station is part of the East Coast Main Line in the UK. Newcastle upon Tyne or Newcastle benefits mainly from this rail line. Code named NCL, the railway line came to exist in 1850. The station in the city centre falls within the Grade 1 listed UK building category. Since main railway lines London-Edinburgh, the coastline of Durham-Middlesbrough and the Tyne Valley-Carlisle connect the Newcastle railway station, its importance to the transportation of the UK is immense. Today, the Virgin Trains East Coast manages the station. Newcastle…

The Trent River - 'Strongly flooding' ‘Strongly flooding’, as the name suggests in Celtic, the River Trent usually runs over land where people more often journey to their destinations. Some say that the river has 30 types of rare fish and others say that 30 small rivers flow into the Trent making it the third largest river in England. Both suggestions came to exist in Izaak Walton’s book titled The Compleat Angler where he shows Trent may have the meaning of thirty as well. The Trent River where the Journey…

Silbury Hill still holds fame as the highest human-made mound in Europe. It lies in Wiltshire, a country in England. UNESCO declared the mound as a world heritage site for its historical and nature values. The hill rises 129 feet tall and resembles an Egyptian pyramid. It shows an affinity to Neolithic structures in the Avebury area such as West Kennet Long Barrow and Avebury Ring. However, the reason for its creation is not known to date. The Clay and Chalk of Silbury Hill The Silbury Hill made of mainly…

Newcastle city is found situated in North East England and called Newcastle Upon Tyne as well. The city belongs to the county ‘Tyne and Wear’. The River Tyne runs by the town, and one can reach the Scottish border from the river bank within 15 minutes as the distance is only 46 miles. It is a member of the Core Cities Group and also of the Eurocities network. Before 1400, the city came under the jurisdiction of Northumberland County, but after that, it formed into a separate county. However, in…

Elizabeth Stuart was born on August 19, 1596, at Falkland Palace to the King of Scotland. She was named after Queen Elizabeth 1 and christened in November 1596 at the Holyroodhouse Royal Chapel. The Linlithgow Palace in Scotland sheltered her in her early childhood, and Lord Livingstone and his wife looked after her during her childhood. She had a sister called Margaret and Elizabeth loathed her but adored Henry, her brother. ElizabethStuart - childhood In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died and her father, James, became the king of England as…

The Berkeleys built the Berkeley Castle in the 12th Century. Since then, many Berkeleys inherited the castle and added parts to it or renovated the castle from time to time during their victories and abandoned it during their defeats or fortified it to face the revolts against them. The castle shows genuine and fascinating historical facts which attract historians as well as laymen to the castle to study its lineage. The first castle came to exist in 1067 when William FitzOsbern won the battle. Three generations after that they inherited…