Visit Heritage Blog (History and Heritage) - Visit Heritage

As this month marks the anniversary of the first ever Crufts and as it is believed that one in every four households in Britain has a dog, including our own Mrs Hudson, we thought we’d take a brief look at the history of how the dog became man’s best friend.

1^st March marks St David’s Day – an important date in the Welsh calendar. Here at Visit Heritage, we’re celebrating by telling you a couple of facts about Britain’s only native-born patron saint.

Everyone knows that us Brits are charmingly eccentric and our traditional events are no different. Yes, we have all the regular festivals that you might expect, but there are a few that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.

For many of us, Pancake Day is the highlight of spring, a chance to indulge in a sweet (or savoury) treat and the many themed events, like pancake races or pancake tossing competitions or other games involving cakes made of batter. If you’ve ever wondered where Pancake Day came from and why we celebrate it, read on!

All across the world on 14^th February, we celebrate Valentine’s Day – a day where we celebrate the loved ones in our lives – but where did the tradition come from and how did it become such a staple part of our calendar?

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.