England and Wales Archive
Feature Articles – In search of Middle England Rather than go in search of the mythical Middle Earth, for thousands of years, people have tried to locate the centre of England. Retracing their steps reveals how accurate our ancestors were in mapping the island, accomplishing an almost impossible task with apparently no scientific instruments. by Philip Coppens In the eight century, the Venerable Bede identified …
Feature Articles – Otherworldly Capitals Two capitals, London and Washington, were (re)designed in the 17th and 18th century so that they would incorporate the so-called Tree of Life, a divine design, which would hopefully allow the nations’ rulers to synchronize their worldly ambitions with those of the Divine Realm. by Philip Coppens After the Great Fire that swept London in 1666, the leading geniuses of …
Feature Articles – St Edmund’s Masonic Church Labelled by experts as a “temple to Freemasonry” and “a total concept as exotic as Roslin Chapel in Scotland”, St Edmund’s Church in Rochdale (Greater Manchester) is one of England’s hidden gems. So much so, that it is totally unknown. by Philip Coppens St. Edmund’s Church, off Falinge Road in Rochdale – now largely seen as a suburb …
Few have looked at Avebury and Stonehenge, pondering whether they might be part of a larger complex. But when that question is asked, an altogether different one bubbles to the surface: could this complex also be linked with Plato’s fabled lost civilisation of Atlantis? by Philip Coppens Without any doubt, Stonehenge is the most famous megalithic monument of Great-Britain; perhaps even of Europe, if not …
Feature Articles – Royston Cave: creating a medieval magical centre The underground cave of Royston, sitting as it does at the crossroads of the town, has created a lot of interest and controversy. Is it, as some suggest, a medieval Templar church or is it instead one part of a larger pagan landscape, whereby a sacred centre was created? by Philip Coppens Soon after the …
Feature Articles – The Rushton Rebus Rushton Lodge – better known as the Triangular Lodge – is considered by many to be a folly – a building without a real purpose. But the history of the structure is more than interesting, inviting the question whether it might not actually contain a veritable secret message, so far not uncovered. by Philip Coppens What happens when you …
Feature Articles – Mother Shipton: prophetess or witch? Mother Shipton’s Cave and the nearby Petrifying Well in Knaresborough is England’s oldest tourist attraction. The story of the prophetess seems to be too good to be true – and seems to be just that… by Philip Coppens In 1488, Agatha, a young girl of only fifteen, gave birth to an illegitimate child, in a cave in …
Feature Articles – The Loki Stone Genuine religious artefacts that portray the devil are – for obvious reasons – rare. But in northwest England, a devil’s stone is one of two in Europe that have survived across the centuries. by Philip Coppens Kirkby Stephen, in northwest England, is a typical market town, which attracts tourists from surrounding areas for just that purpose. But just tucked …
Feature Articles – Prehistoric Lakeland The Lake District became a popular tourist attraction in Victorian times. The Industrial Revolution had revitalised the area, making it into a tourist destination that continues to offer sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But what is little known, is that the area is one of the oldest and most important prehistoric/megalithic territories of the British Isles. …
Feature Articles – Hell, no damnation The Hellfire Caves are located just outside of West Wycombe. Built around 1750 by the second Sir Francis Dashwood, the Earl of Rosse (1708-1781), they are an intriguingly named site… named after the Hellfire Club, founded by the same earl… and for more than two centuries linked with an awful lot of intrigue… by Philip Coppens The Hellfire Club. …
