England

A painting from a new exhibition at the V&A Museum in London. 'The Cult of Beauty' explores the 19th-century artistic movement of Aestheticism.

The cult of beauty

The coronation of King Henry III, 13th century. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The fine rolls of King Henry III

A historical image from the iron and steel industry in Teeside

Industrial revolution

175 years of iron and steel

AJPX85 London Ryal court theatre Sloan Square

8 reasons to visit historic Chelsea

A Cardiff City player shakes hands with an Arsenal player before the kick off of the 1927 FA Cup final. (Photo by H. F. Davis/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

England and Wales: best of enemies?

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Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge

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Aftermath of a smash-and-grab raid at a shop in London, c1929. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Ruby Sparks: the smash-and-grab gangster . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This engraving by Charles Grignion (1717–1810) is taken from a lost bust of John Leland at All Souls College, Oxford. Leland's bibliography of British writers is a unique record of the country's medieval literature before it was decimated by Henry VIII's agents. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

John Leland: The man who saved medieval knowledge

A pregnant woman receives a piece of beef

“A taste for husbands’ buttocks”: the bizarre history of pregnancy cravings

Modern day Kibworth, Leicestershire. (Alamy)

England in miniature

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Visit historic Lichfield

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Credit: f.259r The Siege of Chateau-Gaillard in 1204 when Philip Augustus of France (1165-1223) defeated King John (Lackland) of England (1199-1216), from the Grandes Chroniques de France, 1375-79 (vellum) by French School, (14th century)
Bibliotheque Municipale, Castres, France/ Giraudon/ The Bridgeman Art Library
Nationality / copyright status: French / out of copyright

King John and the French invasion of England

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British evacuees from Dunkirk walk off their rescue vessel land in Britain. (Photo by Corbis via Getty Images)

Where history happened: Dunkirk . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The dark art of blackmail prepared Charles Théveneau de Morande well for a career in espionage. (Alamy)

Charles Théveneau de Morande: an 18th-century French spy in London

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A portrait of Charles II wearing the robes of the Order of the Garter. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Charles II: the people’s prince . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.