Rampaging warriors agleam with horned helmets swept down the hill, their long swords flashing in the weak sunlight, axe and shield at the ready. Blood-curdling war cries rent the air as they thundered towards … Enough of that! Why not find out what the Vikings were really all about at the JORVIK Viking Festival being held in York next spring. (more…)
Daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in every colour imaginable will explode into bloom at the Keukenhof Park, Lisse, Netherlands. Swathes of clipped grass dividing magnificent beds of citrus yellow, hot pinks and dusky purples shimmering under a cloud of pungent spring perfume from over seven million bulbs. (more…)
When Josiah Wedgwood opened his first pottery factory in June 1769, he could not have imagined how successful the pieces would become. Fascinated by the whole process of producing ceramics, Josiah experimented with a range of metallic oxides to achieve the distinctive blue and black bases and, as a master craftsman, created many of the white relief mouldings used as decoration. Elected to the Royal Society in 1783 for revolutionising ceramics production, Josiah Wedgwood died in 1795 leaving his children with a hugely successful business that thrives to this day.