More of the bits and pieces I’ve read while rambling around the internet over the past few months. It’s not really time-wasting if you learn something, is it?

From Dunluce Castle in Antrim to Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries and Galloway

Watch 6 Ruined British Castles Come Back to Life
by Niall Patrick Walsh
While the ruins evoke a sense of magic and curiosity in their own right, a study into how these castles looked in their heyday is a worthy venture…

The Secret Catholic Chapel at The Old Hall, Barnham Broom

Mysteries of the hidden oratory
by Francis Young and Brigitte Webster
Very few secret Catholic chapels from the 16th century have been identified in England – fewer, indeed, than the “priest holes’”(properly called “hides”) sometimes found in recusant houses…

The Playful Side of Charles Dickens

Psst: Charles Dickens had a secret bookcase door you’ve always dreamed of
by Emily Temple
In the study at Gad’s Hill, the Kent country house where Charles Dickens lived for many years (and which is now a school), there is something that every dorky child dreams of: a door designed as a fake bookcase…

Medieval Queens of Industry

Post pandemic: how the years after the Black Death briefly became a ‘golden age’ for medieval women
by Caroline Barron
In the 150 years after the Black Death halved London’s population, women enjoyed new economic power in the city…

There ought to be a law against it!

50 very bad book covers for literary classics
by Emily Temple
When a book passes into the public domain, it means not only that it’s available for adapting and remixing, but for reprinting and reselling with a brand new cover. Some of these covers…

But wait, there’s more

And finally, on a lighter note.