History & Heritage

The Hanmer Church Fire of 1889: St Chad's Lost Parish Records and Genealogy Gaps

The fire that gutted St Chad’s Church in Hanmer in 1889 didn’t just destroy a historic building—it took with it generations of parish records. For family historians, it created a frustrating and permanent gap in the historical record.

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A Walk Around Pilton: Church, Barn and Crown

Pilton is a quiet Somerset village with a long memory. I spent an afternoon walking its lanes and exploring its landmarks, and found a place where history still shapes the everyday. At the centre of the village stands the Church of St John the Baptist, partly hidden by old trees and surrounded by a peaceful […]

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Russell Crowe's Grandad was born in Wrexham!

The actor and singer Russell Crowe has roots in North Wales. His Grandad was born in Wrexham, he later emigrated to New Zealand

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Wrexham Workhouse or “Panton Place”?

While researching a family tree, I stumbled on “Panton Place” in Wrexham—a name hiding the harsh truth of workhouse births. What I found next was a surprising tale of rural morality and Victorian euphemisms.

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Exploring St Hilary's Church, Erbistock, Wrexham

We found Erbistock’s St Hilary’s Church by chance—and walked into red sandstone arches, Victorian memorials, and centuries‑old gravestones by the Dee. Here’s why it deserves a return visit.

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Britain’s Longest Grave: The Heroes of the Hera at Veryan, Cornwall

Last year during a trip to Cornwall, I was walking the dogs early one morning in Veryan, on the Roseland Peninsula, I stumbled upon St Symphorian’s Church at the village heart. A kindly local passer‑by told me the church was open—“And I suppose you came to see the longest grave in the country?” she smiled. I […]

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Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022

We are saddened by the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and extend our sincerest condolences to the Royal Family. Rest in Peace Your Majesty.

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Hidden in the Woods: Peel Mortuary Chapel, Overton‑on‑Dee

Tucked into woodland near Overton-on-Dee stands a Victorian mortuary chapel built to honour Anna Maria Peel—and a cemetery full of forgotten souls, including a drowned youth and a poet-musician

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The left leg of Henry Hughes

Henry Hughes buried his leg in Wales, then later moved to America. One of the strangest headstones in Cardiganshire still leaves us wondering—why?

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