History

LGBT History Month: the 1960s BBC TV series Robinson Crusoe, Lee Payant and Gordon Heath

Admin | Saturday 7 February 2009

It’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month. If you grew up in Britain in the 1960s or 1970s then you probably remember the 13-part series Robinson Crusoe on BBC Television. This French production was shown many times between 1965 and the early 1980s, often during school holidays. Featuring handsome Robert Hoffman, people remember the programme … LGBT History Month: the 1960s BBC TV series Robinson Crusoe, Lee Payant and Gordon Heath

Comedian Jim Bowen uses 1,600-year-old jokes in act

Admin | Friday 14 November 2008

‘An ancestor of Monty Python’s famous Dead Parrot comedy sketch has been found in a joke book dating back to Greece in the 4th Century… [The ancient gags] have been published into a multimedia online e-book, which features video of veteran comic Jim Bowen bringing the old jokes back to life in front of a … Comedian Jim Bowen uses 1,600-year-old jokes in act

Tram lines on Peter Street

Admin | Tuesday 5 August 2008

The water company is digging up the road at the junction of Deansgate and Peter Street. They’re replacing the old Victorian water pipes.

Outed as a homosexual – the scandal that shook ‘Brideshead’

Admin | Sunday 1 June 2008

When William Lygon, the 7th Earl of Beauchamp was outed as a homosexual by his brother-in-law, in June 1931, his family banded together to protect him.

Manchester demolishes one of Britain’s oldest cinemas

Admin | Monday 12 May 2008

Cine City in Withington is the latest historic building to go in the epidemic of greedy, short-sighted and inept development that has swept Manchester over the past ten years. Formerly The Scala, it opened in 1912 and was only the third cinema in Britain. Meanwhile the Victorian railway arches on Store Street, near Piccadilly, are … Manchester demolishes one of Britain’s oldest cinemas

Manchester Then and Now: Sackville Street, St. Luke’s Church, Chorlton On Medlock

Admin | Monday 18 February 2008

In Victorian times, the southern part of Sackville Street was called Zara Street. The road used to run right into the north-eastern part of Chorlton On Medlock and, after crossing Mount Street, was called Rutland Street. Later, Rutland Street was renamed St. Luke’s Street. Then, in the 1960’s, the Mancunian Way (motorway) was built and … Manchester Then and Now: Sackville Street, St. Luke’s Church, Chorlton On Medlock

The Rembrandt’s connection with the moors murders

Admin | Friday 15 February 2008

Note: be sure to read the extended comments below too. In his talk on Tuesday, Ray Gosling mentioned something that I’d heard before. Namely that ‘moors murderer’ Ian Brady met his final victim, 17-year-old Edward Evans, in the Rembrandt Hotel.

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