Visit Heritage Blog (history) - Visit Heritage

Every January, primarily in Scotland, but there are celebrations held all over the UK, we come together to enjoy a traditional meal of haggis, neeps and tatties to celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns, one of Scotland’s most famous poets. During the festivities, we drink whiskey (his drink of choice), recite poetry and generally have a lovely time. To prepare you for this year’s Burns Night, here is everything you need to know about Robert Burns and his life.

As one of the largest counties in England, it is hardly surprising that Yorkshire has an abundance of history to explore. From ties to the War of the Roses to world famous churches and even a ghost shop, there is loads to explore in the city of York!

There are plenty of opportunities to celebrate and commemorate key historical events in 2022, here are a couple of the anniversaries that are coming up over the next year.

Did you know that the 11^th January marks 453 years since the first lottery was held in England? Well, to celebrate, we thought we’d delve into the history of lotteries and of course, the National Lottery which offers so much help and funding to heritage properties across the UK.

This time of year is famous for pantomimes and performances of the Nutcracker, so we thought we would take a dive into the history of British theatre, which has been a staple in entertainment since the medieval era.

Every January we’re encouraged to make a New Year’s Resolution and see how long we can stick to it – but have you ever wondered where this tradition came from? Here’s a brief history of New Year’s Resolutions.

This December marks the 217^th birthday of Benjamin Disraeli one of the most fascinating people to hold the office of prime minister. To mark the occasion, let’s look at the life and times of Queen Victoria’s favourite PM.

Whether its eating mince pies, hanging mistletoe or putting up a Christmas tree, the things we’re used to doing each year all have an origin in history, so we thought we’d explore some of them in the lead up to the festive season.

St Paul’s Cathedral opened on 2^nd December 1697 in London and since then has been one of the most recognisable places in the capital. To celebrate the anniversary of its opening, here are ten things you should know about St Paul’s Cathedral.

When it comes to Christmas, we all have our own family traditions, but there are some things that we expect to happen. Christingle services at the local church, Christmas lights appearing in the high street, but did you know there are some traditions that have been lost to history? Here are some of Britain’s forgotten festive traditions.

South Wales and the country’s capital, Cardiff, is a haven for historical attractions and glimpses into Wales’ past, despite the city being one of the youngest capital cities in Europe. Don’t let that fool you, there are over 2000 year’s worth of history to be found here and South Wales has one of the largest collections of castles in the British Isles.

In a by-election on 19th November 1919, history was made when the people of Plymouth Sutton replaced their previous MP with his wife, creating the first female MP to sit in parliament. This is a brief look at the life of Nancy Astor, a trail blazer for women in politics.