Downton is Back

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 September 2019 > What's On

Britain’s favourite aristocratic household is back — this time on the big screen. Downton Abbey is a flurry of activity in preparation for a royal visit. Downton Abbey is one of the most popular British TV series worldwide. The series, which first ran from 2010 to 2015, is set in post-Edwardian England and explores the … Continue reading “Downton is Back”

Victoria 200

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 24 June 2019 > Celebrate

2019 marks the bicentenary of the births of Britain’s Queen Victoria and her beloved husband Prince Albert. Victoria reigned from 1837 until 1899, the longest reign of any British monarch until the current Queen overtook the record in 2015. Victoria reigned over an era of imperial expansion, ultimately ruling over a quarter of the world’s … Continue reading “Victoria 200”

Two Queens

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 27 February 2019 > Ready to Use

This article explores the fates of two queens who reigned in neighbouring kingdoms in the 16th century. Both linked and opposed, they had to rule in a man’s world, in a conflict-ridden society, where religious and political unrest were rife and conspiracy and treason were the norm. Through the new biopic, Mary Queen of Scots, … Continue reading “Two Queens”

Queens on Screen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 21 February 2019 > What's On

Films about Stuart queens are like buses — there are none for ages, then two together, just in time for the Oscars. Mary Queen of Scots and her descendant Queen Anne are both gracing our screens in radically different biopics, both diverging from history as it has traditionally been portrayed. The Favourite portrays the reign … Continue reading “Queens on Screen”

Teaching Democracy: The Magna Carta and Habeas Corpus

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 31 October 2018 > Webpicks

The Magna Carta is the foundation of British democracy, with its limitations of the power of the monarchy and the guarantee of habeas corpus, the right not to be imprisoned without a fair trial. Some simple resources from the British Library can introduce your pupils to this important cultural concept. The British Library has provided … Continue reading “Teaching Democracy: The Magna Carta and Habeas Corpus”

Saving the Magna Carta

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 31 October 2018 > In the News

On 25 October, a man was arrested in Salisbury Cathedral in England. He was trying to steal the cathedral’s copy of the Magna Carta, a major symbol of democracy. The Magna Carta (1215) is one of the most important documents in British, not to say world history. It represents the first time a British monarch … Continue reading “Saving the Magna Carta”

Victoria and Abdul

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 10 October 2017 > What's On

Twenty years after Mrs Brown, Judi Dench returns to cinema screens as Queen Victoria, in another true story of the Queen’s friendship with one of her servants: Abdul Karim. The story of the widow Victoria’s relationship with John Brown was well documented. He was the gamekeeper on her beloved Scottish Highland estate where she spent … Continue reading “Victoria and Abdul”