Victorian

British nurse Florence Nightingale (1820–1910), aka the 'Lady with the lamp', makes her rounds during the Crimean War. (Photo by Illustrated London News/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The lady with the stats: how Florence Nightingale’s nursing by numbers is still influencing today’s healthcare

Rotten boroughs cartoon

9 general election curiosities through history

A voter in a British election in 1923.

A new political climate? The UK’s long tradition of winter elections

A 15th-century miniature from 'La Vraye Histoire du Bon Roy Alixandre'. (Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

6 Christmas party tips from the past

The figure of Santa Claus is the very embodiment of the modern American secular Christmas. (Image by Bettmann/Getty Images)

How America captured Christmas

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Knole, a house on an epic scale that's now run by the National Trust.

Explore Knole: the grandest of family homes . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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A waitress working behind the counter at the first ever Lyons tea shop to be opened in London, 1953

The teashop empire . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Hallie Rubenhold photographed in London.

Hallie Rubenhold: “To most people, the women killed by the Ripper are just corpses. I want to tell a different story” . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Charles I's great weakness was that he made a strict distinction between his role as king, in which he could not compromise, and his personal role, which was entirely pleasant and courteous, says Sean Lang. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images)

8 of the nicest kings in history

Turkeys, bred in Norfolk, cover the facade of a London butcher's shop, 1929. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Shop ’till you drop: a brief history of Christmas shopping

Actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was personally invited by Oscar Wilde to play the title role in the upcoming London premiere of his play, 'Salomé'.

6 of London theatre’s most notable historical scandals

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One of many historic sites in Luxembourg. Larochette's castle dominates the town below.

Travel to Luxembourg: rural beauty and Gothic grandeur . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A c1860 depiction of Wentworth Works steel manufacturer in Sheffield

Why Britain punched above its weight

We asked six leading authors and academics to pick works of fiction that have captured life in Britain. (Image by Getty Images)

6 novels that captured life in Britain

A contemporary portrait of scientist Ada Lovelace

History hero Konnie Huq chooses Ada Lovelace (1815–52)