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A story by Rod Minchin of the Independent says: Rare medieval music, discovered within a 15th-century book, will resonate through Buckland Abbey in Devon this August, bringing the sound of monks back for the first time in 500 years. The “plaintive” melodies will be performed to mark the book’s return to the abbey, a place…
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Oh, lawks, now the Bard’s Richard III is a pirate! Whatever next? I suppose no one has yet had him arrive on stage in a UFO. Have they? Must check….because maybe I can sell the idea to some ambitious avant-garde director. 😄 Unfortunately, according to the Tanks website, (Cairns, Queensland, Australia) this seafaring event has…
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On 2 April this year I posted about a stage version of Tey’s wonderful The Daughter of Time, see https://murreyandblue.co.uk/2025/04/02/the-daughter-of-time-see-the-play-of-the-book/. It was showing at the Knutsford Little Theatre from the end of April to the beginning of May. Now a play-of-the-book has reached a London venue, the Charing Cross Theatre, and will be showing from…
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Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) is a fascinating and infamous medieval herb! You may have heard of it through Harry Potter these days, but it is real and had some strange tales attached to it. Here are some interesting facts about mandrake: Magical and Superstitious Uses Protection and good fortune: Mandrake was believed to offer protection and…
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Here is a review of the latest album from The Legendary Ten Seconds ‘A Ricardian Argosy’, which will be available in May. Bonus tracks available on Bandcamp: All in all this is very polished album, with a good mix of remixes of old favourites and new offerings. I especially like the electronic aspects of some…
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Those of you who watch ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, might remember that Danny Dyer found out he was descended from Edward III and later, in ‘Danny Dyer’s Right Royal Family’ he explored some of the other regal ancestors he had. One of these was Louis IX of France, also known as Saint Louis.…
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Well, for centuries we’ve been deluged with Shakespeare’s opinion of Richard III, so it’s an intriguing premise to imagine Richard III’s opinion of Shakespeare. Given Richard’s wry sense of humour (remember how he “marvelled” that anyone would want to marry Jane Shore?) I’d love to think he’d give the Bard as good as he got!…
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We all take for granted that the hammerbeam roof of Westminster Hall (see https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/architecture/the-hammer-beam-roof-/) is a true masterpiece of medieval workmanship and innovation. Many of us know that the transformation of the (then) huge building was at the instigation of Richard II. But how many of us know of a painting that captures a fleeting…
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