History

New historical books round-up

Kate Summerscale, Paul French, Andrew Martin, Sarah Fraser and John Romer all to release new works

24 Apr 2012

How do you follow up a mind-blowing success like The Suspicions of Mr Whicher? Well, if you’re Kate Summerscale, you understandably get right back onto that period saddle with Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady (Bloomsbury).

Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle: Alternative Christmas dining options

Two iconic venues now taking bookings for your Christmas meal

23 Nov 2011

Stuck for somewhere decent to have your Christmas lunch? Need a venue that’ll please a range of tastes but won’t be another run-of-the-mill pub grub standby in the city centre? Have you considered going for something a bit more... iconic?

Festival of Museums set for nationwide celebration of Scotland’s culture in May 2011

Music, storytelling and period fashion among highlights of new festival

1 May 2011

From the Groam House Museum in Ross-shire and Portsoy Bothy in Banffshire, to the Annan Museum in Dumfries and Galloway, the Festival of Museums features an eclectic and colourful range of concerts, talks, workshops, performances and exhibitions taking…

World Wars Experience brings flying parade and tank display to National Museum of Flight

Edinburgh exhibition brings history to life over May Day weekend 2011

13 Apr 2011

War and warfare are a constant presence in world news, both now and throughout history. While many of these conflicts take place in far off lands - in countries very different to our own which most of us will never visit - it’s easy to forget our own…

StAnza 2011 - Kevin Young and Gawain Douglas

International poetry guests and a reading of a 20th century classic

7 Apr 2011

One of the international visitors to the 14th edition of the Stanza Poetry festival in St Andrews was Kevin Young, hailing from Georgia, US. His five published collections often take history and blues music as themes, but for this appearance he read…

A guide to the best ghost tours of haunted Edinburgh

The best of the spooky and haunted side of the historic Scottish capital

16 Feb 2011

In the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, one of Edinburgh’s most famous literary sons, ‘Only a few inches separate the living from the dead.’ And nowhere is that more true than in the Old Town. From Burke and Hare to Half-Hangit Maggie, the city has more…

A guide to Edinburgh Castle

The capital's most iconic landmark is a must-see for any visitor

16 Feb 2011

Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano, is estimated to be 350 million years old. Archaeologists say that its grassy shoulders were the site of a settlement at least as early as 900bc, and by ad600 there was probably a feasting hall on the…

The historical events that shaped Edinburgh

An overview of Edinburgh's history provides further insight into Scotland's capital

16 Feb 2011

In prehistoric times, our ancient ancestors hunted and farmed on the plain between the Forth and the Pentland Hills, and settled on the heights of Castle Rock and Arthur’s Seat, strengthening these rocky outcrops with primitive ramparts. Later, in the…

Edinburgh's Royal Mile takes in hundreds of years of history and drama

A haven for tourists and the centrepoint of historic Edinburgh

16 Feb 2011

The Royal Mile begins as you leave the castle. On the right is the Scotch Whisky Experience – the perfect introduction to the history and alchemy of Scotland’s national drink – complete with a dram at the end. On the left, the tower with the…

The best golf courses in Edinburgh

Edinburgh and East Lothian courses include Musselburgh Links, Turnhouse, Gullane and Muirfield

16 Feb 2011

The game of golf got its first written mention in 1457, when King James II was so worried that his subjects were busy playing golf rather than practicing their archery that he issued an act of parliament, banning the game, with severe penalties for all…

Why the best way to discover the beautiful city of Edinburgh is on foot

A guide to the best walking tours of Scotland's capital

16 Feb 2011

Wandering around a city without a map can either turn up serendipitous gems or leave you hopelessly lost and frustrated with none of your must-see list ticked off. That’s when it’s a good idea to enlist the help of a walking tour guide who’ll whisk you…

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh

Newly renovated NMS showcases Scottish achievements

16 Feb 2011

A country with as many scientists, inventors and explorers as Scotland needs a place to show off all its achievements – and nowhere does the job better than the newly renovated National Museum

The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh

Holyroodhouse is to Scotland what Buckingham Palace is to England

16 Feb 2011

Holyroodhouse is to Scotland what Buckingham Palace is to England – but it is much older, dating from a time when England’s kings still lived in the Tower of London. Holyrood Park was originally a royal hunting preserve beneath the towering crags of…

Scottish Parliament building hosts exhibition exploring Jacobites' international legacy

Rare chance to see historic artefacts from University of Aberdeen

13 Dec 2010

The Scottish Parliament building hosts an exhibition of historical pieces from the University of Aberdeen's Jacobite collections for the next month.

Rebels with a Cause

Jacobite-themed weekend of storytelling, live music, tours, exhibitions and a quiz

26 Nov 2010

In the same month as we remember Guy Fawkes’ rather unwelcome trip to the Houses of Parliament, that building’s Scottish counterpart is hoping for some friendlier visitors. Held over the St Andrew’s weekend, Rebels with a Cause is a mix of storytelling…

St Andrew’s Day offers a programme of poetry, song and dance

2010 National Day a far cry from mince and tatties, a malt and the latest Broons annual

19 Nov 2010

Let’s face it. There is no way that St Andrew’s Day celebrations will ever, ever be cool, and no special guest appearances by Amy Macdonald or thon wee laddie fae West Lothian who won the X Factor are ever, ever going to change that. Processed that?

Family weekend: Rebels with a Cause – The Jacobites and the Global Imagination

Traditional music, egg decorating and quiz among highlights of weekend of free children's events

17 Nov 2010

Rebels with a Cause – The Jacobites and the Global Imagination Wednesday 27 October to Saturday 8 January (closed Sundays except Sunday 28 November and 24 - 28, 31 December and 1 - 3 January) Monday and Friday 10:00 - 16.00 (last entry 15:30)…

The events from Scottish history that shaped the nation's character

Jacobites exhibition reveals source of sentimentality in Scottish psyche

27 Oct 2010

Rebels with a Cause: The Jacobites and the Global Imagination exhibition reveals origin of Scottish character’s tendency for the romantic, mournful and sentimental.

(hi)STORY: Viewing the Old Town from Hermione’s window

Art and architecture meet philosophy and psychiatry from Klas Hyllen

9 Sep 2010

Art and architecture meet philosophy and psychiatry in Klas Hyllen’s well-researched body of work, beautifully presented within SCHOP’s small gallery – size is unimportant when the viewer is confronted with complex theories and varying 2D works and…

Scottish history and art lesson at Show Scotland 2010

28 Apr 2010

One of the most unfortunately underrated annual events in the country, Show Scotland is unfurling itself out across the May bank holdiay weekend again, and we advise you to sit up and pay attention. Not so much a festival as a nuanced celebration of…

Kilmarten Glen

Visiting one of Scotland's most important historical sites

10 Sep 2009

The Scots do history pretty well. Perhaps you even learnt a little about it at school? But, if you fell asleep during that lesson, let us give you a little re-cap: Scotland’s history is one of immigration, its people forged through waves of invaders…

Foundation Glasgow – The Growth of a City

23 Jul 2009

A new exhibition is being launched in Glasgow next month, chronicling the history of the city. Foundation Glasgow – The Growth of a City will be a free animated exhibition charting the historic emergence and development of Scotland’s largest city.

The Young Victoria

5 Mar 2009

ROMANCE/HISTORY Young Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) kicks against the royal pricks but is tamed by a man whose name has become synonymous with penile piercing. Who would of thought it. Miserable old Queen Victoria was the proto feminist. As a young…

The Charge of the Light Brigade

22 Jan 2009

HISTORY/DRAMA First released in 1968, this superb critique of the pointlessness of warfare was totally in tune with the ongoing horror of the conflict in Southeast Asia and the explosion of civil protest during that tumultuous year. Directed by…

Tim Blanning - The Triumph of Music

11 Dec 2008

MUSIC HISTORY Make no bones about it, The Triumph of Music is a heavy read, but it’s also a hugely fascinating one. Penned by Tim Blanning – a Professor of Modern European History at Cambridge – this book has the academic turning his attention to…

A History of Scotland

BBC1, Sun 9 Nov, 9pm

30 Oct 2008

Following recent criticism about the lack of native history being taught in Scottish schools and widespread whinging about BBC Scotland spending increasingly less cash on home-grown fare, the corporation has risen to both challenges with this ambitious…

The Warlords

30 Oct 2008

Jet Li's risky decision to trust his acting rather than his action skills pays off in this mid-19th century Chinese civil war drama that is actually deserving of that over-used epithet 'epic'. Taking real historical events as a bouncing-off point…

Simon Schama - The American Future: A History

2 Oct 2008

With its military overstretched, natural resources running dry and markets fluctuating wildly, America faces the biggest presidential election in generations this November. You might scoff that a country which gave George ‘Dubya’ Bush two terms in…

A brief history of St. Andrew

Patron saint of Scotland

1 Oct 2008

Like his brother Peter, St. Andrew was a fisherman in Galilee before becoming one of the twelve apostles. Following Jesus’ death, Andrew preached in Greece and throughout Asia Minor, eventually being crucified in Patras. We know little about the man…

Sean Connery & Murray Grigor - Being a Scot

4 Sep 2008

Many Scots cynics, upon seeing the title of this new coffee table volume by our most famous actor, might be inspired to enquire just how much research on the subject can be done by an ex-pat who hasn't lived in the country for decades. It's an…

Also published - 5 History paperbacks

4 Sep 2008

Germaine Greer - Shakespeare's Wife, Lucy Worsley - Cavalier, TJ English - The Havana Mob, Richard Fortey - The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum, John Man - The Terracotta Army

Mark Borkowski - The Fame Formula

7 Aug 2008

ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY (Sidgwick & Jackson) Behind every great celebrity is a brilliant publicist. It’s this remarkable breed which is examined by Mark Borkowski, an experienced PR man himself, as he takes us back through the modern history of fame…

Stephen McGinty - Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster

3 Jul 2008

SCOTTISH HISTORY (Macmillan) The Scotsman journalist Stephen McGinty’s Fire in the Night is a moment-by-hideous-moment account of the Piper Alpha oil platform disaster in which 167 men died, and published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the…

Simon Critchley - The Book of Dead Philosophers

5 Jun 2008

PHILOSOPHER HISTORY (Granta) Alongside religious types, the permanently unhealthy and stand-up comedians, philosophers have a nightly battle with questions about the process of dying and the actual reality of having snuffed it. Naturally, none of them…

Mongol

22 May 2008

EPIC/DRAMA/HISTORY (15) 125min Life’s hard when you’re a Mongol. For Genghis Khan, starting life in 1192 as nine-year-old Temudjin (Odnyam Odsuren), the problems start when his selection of a bride is interrupted by the assassination of his father by…

Damian Thompson - Counterknowledge

17 Jan 2008

HISTORY (Atlantic) Conspiracy theories, alternative medicine, creationism and the like are all notions consigned largely to the outer reaches of societal thinking, right? Wrong, according to Damian Thompson. Having spread – largely care of the…

Blame it on Fidel!

15 Nov 2007

Paris in the early 1970s and nine-year-old Anna de La Mesa (Nina Kervel) is having problems coming to terms with her radical political activist parents. Her Spanish-born lawyer father Fernando (Stefano Accorsi) and journalist/writer mother Marie (Julie…

Ancient murals uncovered in Peruvian temple

13 Nov 2007

Colourful murals unearthed from the ruins of a 4,000-year-old temple in Peru are thought by archaeologists to be the oldest in the Americas. The temple, which has been named Ventarron, was discovered in the Lambayeque valley, a desert area in the…

Highland castle to reopen after conservation work

8 Nov 2007

A 15th century Highland castle has reopened to the public after a three year conservation programme. Auchindoun Castle in Moray was closed in the 1960s due to falling masonry, but the Historic Scotland project means it is now safe to explore. The…

King Tut’s mummy goes on display for the first time

5 Nov 2007

The mummy of King Tutankhamun has gone on display to the public for the first time inside his tomb in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings. The 3,000-year-old boy pharaoh is being preserved by a climate-controlled glass coffin, which allows visitors to see…

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

1 Nov 2007

DRAMA/HISTORY (12A) 114min The allure of the Virgin Queen continues. It’s 1585 and Queen Elizabeth I of England (Cate Blanchett) is being besieged by possible suitors, sedition and the Spanish superpower led by bow-legged arch Catholic fundamentalist…

Stirling Castle’s ancient heads to be recreated

9 Oct 2007

Historic Scotland has commissioned a craftsman to recreate around 40 ancient wooden heads as part of plans to recreate the royal apartments of Stirling Castle as they were in 1538. John Donaldson will carve another set of Stirling Heads to…

Medieval tapestry to be unveiled at Stirling Castle

27 Sep 2007

A tapestry which has taken four years to complete is set to be unveiled at Stirling Castle. The 12ft by 14ft work of art entitled ‘The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the Castle’ recreates a series of 16th Century Renaissance tapestries housed in a…

Surprise as Magna Carta to be sold in New York

26 Sep 2007

One of the rarest and most important documents in existence, the Magna Carta, is to be auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York at the end of the year. As one of only two versions outside England, the manuscript which sets out the basic principles of…

China’s terracotta army invades London

14 Sep 2007

The 2,200 year-old terracotta army has invaded London’s British Museum, breaking all previous records for advance sales with more than 150,000 tickets already bought. The excitement caused by the life-sized figures, unearthed in 1974 and hailed as…

Petition launched by Bard sceptics

10 Sep 2007

Almost 300 people have signed a petition calling for an investigation into the works of William Shakespeare. Among those who claim it is not possible the plays could have been penned by the 16th Century commoner are actors Sir Derek Jacobi and Mark…

Scots Tibet study receives Dalai Lama blessing

4 Sep 2007

A team of Scottish academics will undertake a research project studying more than six centuries of Tibetan history. The 10-year St Andrews University project will be led by the Professor Mario Aguilar, of the school of divinity, and has been blessed…

Andrew Marr

16 Aug 2007

Andrew Marr has always used his vast intellect with such wit and verve that he has always come across as a political pundit real people could enjoy. It’s hard to imagine David Frost interviewing Gordon Brown on a Sunday morning, as Marr did last month…

A History of Scotland (In 60 Minutes or Less)

16 Aug 2007

The avowed intention of this whizz through Scotland’s turbulent past is to bypass the usual cheesy tartan and shortbread stereotypes in favour of something altogether grittier. While this is a noble aim, the trio of performers initially struggle to get…

Thomas Telford: The Man who Built Britain

BBC2, Mon 6 Aug, 9pm

1 Aug 2007

Jeremy Clarkson will no doubt be livid if he ever watches this. The man who backed Isambard Kingdom Brunel to second place behind Churchill during the 100 Greatest Britons series in 2002 will be aghast to hear that some experts believe Scotsman Thomas…