Robin Hood Festival

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > Celebrate

Since the Middle Ages, Nottingham’s Sherwood Forest has been associated with Robin Hood, the outlaw who stole from the rich to feed the poor. The city celebrates its most famous son with a Robin Hood Festival in August and a Pageant in October. No one knows whether Robin Hood really existed. If he did, who … Continue reading “Robin Hood Festival”

Guardians of the Tower

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > In the News

For many centuries, the Tower of London has been guarded by ravens. They are never allowed to leave the grounds of the Tower. According to legend: if the ravens leave, the Crown and the Tower will fall. But things are changing… Ravens have been in the Tower since it was built by William the Conqueror … Continue reading “Guardians of the Tower”

Remembering Jane Austen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > Celebrate

Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen remains one of Britain’s best-loved authors. Yet in her short lifetime, she was unknown. Austen was born in 1775 in Hampshire, the seventh of eight children of a vicar. She had a happy childhood and youth in a family that read books aloud to each other and … Continue reading “Remembering Jane Austen”

Partitioning India

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 04 July 2017 > What's On

Director Gurinder Chadha has given cinema audiences a glimpse of British Asian experience with films like Bend it Like Beckham or Bhaji on the Beach. Now a series of chance encounters has led her to examine a difficult period in her family history and that of the country of her ancestors: the Partition of India … Continue reading “Partitioning India”

1066: Battle of Hastings

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 14 October 2016 > Celebrate

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 was a major turning point in British history. The victory of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, changed whole course of Britain’s history and culture. Not least the language, as French became the legal language of England for the next 300 years. The 950th anniversary of the battle this … Continue reading “1066: Battle of Hastings”

Macbeth: Fact and Fiction

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 06 September 2016 > What's On

In 2016, Britain is commemorating the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare. Kick off the celebrations with the most recent film adaptation of “the Scottish play”, Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard as the ambitious couple who will stop at nothing to gain and keep power. But how accurate is Shakespeare’s portrayal of … Continue reading “Macbeth: Fact and Fiction”

The Great Fire of London

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 11 August 2016 > Celebrate

2-6 September 2016 marks the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. The fire was a major trauma for the city, and a watershed after which the old, wooden, medieval city made way for a more modern city made of stone. The fire started in the early hours of the morning in the royal … Continue reading “The Great Fire of London”