Tag Archives: death

A pebble on his grave: Albert Grant 1831-1899

Posted on August 29, 2014 by ActonBooks

He was once so eye-wateringly rich, he bought Leicester Square when it was under threat of redevelopment, just to give it to the nation. Continue reading →

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“The Fiends We Are Fighting”

Posted on August 20, 2014 by ActonBooks

Now that the handwringing over the millions killed in the First World War has momentarily quietened, here’s a story that in all probability will not get told again, as it does not play the tidy vision of civilised nations fighting … Continue reading →

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Graffiti in church

Posted on July 20, 2014 by ActonBooks

Nowadays English parish churches are quaint, underused decorative motifs for period costume dramas and Kodak moments — but it seems that they weren’t always that way. Fascinating research that is at a very early stage of data gathering seems to … Continue reading →

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Warren Zevon; new readers start here

Posted on June 10, 2014 by ActonBooks

It can never do any harm to remember Warren Zevon once again. His wordplay was sublime in so many unexpected ways. It included such gems as the dark but deliciously assonantal recitative “a little old lady got mutilated late last … Continue reading →

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