Fun fact! This post was sponsored by a well-known whisky brand. After the campaign ended, they asked me to remove the post and mentions of their brand, which made me sad because I thought they liked my writing, not the links. Ah well. Marketing. Anyway! This is my only directly sponsored post I’ve ever done. They paid me well, and … Read More
More Stories, Less Data
The stars we are given. The constellations we make. – Rebecca Solnit I worry about data. As everything gets faster and more hectic online, as friends and companies and apps and professional deadlines push for quicker updates & ever-more-frantic feedback, we’re pressured to publish not stories, but raw data. Stories are things made from raw data – crafted, hammered into … Read More
Hexham Abbey: Where Romans Come Out Of The Walls
We step through the doors (modern, efficient, out of place) and into Hexham Abbey…and the world goes silent.
How Archaeology Ruined My Englishness Forever
Here’s a story about how archaeology ruined me as an Englishman.
Dead Air Under London
London breathes on my back. Around me, shirts billow, dresses flare and hats are clutched, as the stuffy, tasteless air roars past us in search of somewhere to dump its heat. Behind me, the mournful screee of an Underground Tube train – and around me, a subterranean London that is far from solid. Imagine laying a cross-section across the city, … Read More
Bless Me: 5 Surprising Sides To York Minster
York Minster (aka. York cathedral) dominates the city. Arguably, it is York, having been its social and geographical focus for over a thousand years. It’s a Gothic-style cathedral (the largest north of the Alps) of a scale and intricacy that will punch the breath right out of you at first sight – and it’s beautiful because of – rather than despite … Read More
Orkney: What Do You Do?
What can you actually do in Orkney? No, forget the sightseeing. Forget the daytrips, the beach walks, the clambering up sea-stacks to watch intrepid archaeologists braving the elements while hugging filthy mugs of tea (more on that topic another time). Forget visiting. We’re talking living up there. I know of a number of people who are intending to move up … Read More
Foundations
There’s one rule you should always follow when dining out in York, and it’s this: look up. My home city is head-scratchingly complicated. Thinking of opening a restaurant within the walls of York? Welcome to a heritage minefield, where you can’t unlatch a window without applying for planning permission first. Everything around you is deeply and highly old, and old … Read More
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