England

Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Bolton Abbey, England (1890s)

Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Bolton Abbey, England (1890s)

The monastery was founded at Embsay in 1120. Led by a prior, Bolton Abbey was technically a priory, despite its name. It was founded in 1154 by the Augustinian order, on the banks of the River Wharfe. The land at Bolton, as well as other resources, were given to the order by Lady Alice de Romille of Skipton Castle in…
Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Bath, England (1890s)

Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Bath, England (1890s)

In the early 18th century, Bath acquired its first purpose-built theatre, the Old Orchard Street Theatre. It was rebuilt as the Theatre Royal, along with the Grand Pump Room attached to the Roman Baths and assembly rooms. Master of ceremonies Beau Nash, who presided over the city’s social life from 1705 until his death in 1761, drew up a code…
Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Blackpool, England (1890s)

Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Blackpool, England (1890s)

The most significant event in the early growth of the town occurred in 1846, with the completion of a branch line to Blackpool from Poulton on the main Preston and Wyre Joint Railway line from Preston to Fleetwood. Fleetwood declined as a resort, as its founder and principal financial backer, Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, went bankrupt. In contrast, Blackpool boomed. A sudden…
Vintage: Daily Life of Suffolk, England (Edwardian Era)

Vintage: Daily Life of Suffolk, England (Edwardian Era)

By the fifth century, the Angles (after whom East Anglia and England are named) had established control of the region. The Angles later became the “north folk” and the “south folk”, from which developed the names “Norfolk” and “Suffolk”. Suffolk and several adjacent areas became the kingdom of East Anglia, which later merged with Mercia and then Wessex. Suffolk was…
Vintage: Devon, England (1900s)

Vintage: Devon, England (1900s)

The name Devon derives from the name of the Britons who inhabited the southwestern peninsula of Britain at the time of the Roman conquest of Britain known as the Dumnonii, thought to mean “deep valley dwellers” from proto Celtic *dubnos ‘deep’. Since the rise of seaside resorts with the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, Devon’s economy has…
Historic B&W photos of London, England (19th Century)

Historic B&W photos of London, England (19th Century)

London was the world’s largest city from about 1831 to 1925. London’s overcrowded conditions led to cholera epidemics, claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866. Rising traffic congestion led to the creation of the world’s first local urban rail network. The Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion in the capital and some of the surrounding counties; it…