Curious Questions
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Curious Questions: How do you tell the difference between a British bluebell and a Spanish bluebell?
Martin Fone delves into the beautiful bluebell, one of the great sights of Spring.
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What it's like to have a prime seat at a Royal Coronation by John Betjeman, who reported for Country Life in 1953
The late, great Poet Laureate John Betjeman was among the congregation when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953 — and he wrote about it for Country Life. We're very proud to reproduce that article now — The Queen's Coronation: In The Abbey by John Betjeman.
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Curious Questions: The mystery of the medlar, the British fruit once as common as the apple that's almost disappeared in the space of 50 years
Medlars were once a common sight across Britain, grown in huge numbers and popular in recipes.Today, there's every chance that you've never even heard of them. So what happened? Martin Fone investigates.
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The difference between the Union Flag and the Union Jack — and why you should never have them on a cushion
From the good old Union Jack to a personal banner depicting your own design, there are countless ways of setting your flag pole aflutter, but be sure to avoid flag cushions at all costs, cautions John F. Mueller.
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Curious Questions: Why do churches have gargoyles?
Inevitably hideous-looking and often mischievous, why do gargoyles and grotesques adorn some of our most solemn churches, asks Ben Lerwill.
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Curious Questions: What's the difference between a labyrinth and a maze?
You may never have thought to ponder what distinguishes a labyrinth from a maze. But as Martin Fone explains, it's something of a minefield.
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Curious Questions: Where do the names of our weights and measures come from?
Arms, feet, local stones and even barleycorn have all played a part in our bid to quantify the world, discovers Ben Lerwill, as he weighs up the stories behind how units of measurement were standardised.
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Curious Questions: Can you hear the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights — or Aurora Borealis — are among the planet's most extraordinary natural phenomena. Even stranger than their ethereal glow, however, is the fact that they can be heard as well as seen. Martin Fone explains more.
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Curious Questions: Why is pancake day called 'Shrove Tuesday'?
Martin Fone investigates how Shrove Tuesday got its name — and also unveils the history of the day that precedes it, Collop Monday.
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Curious Questions: Why do we call a waterproof rain coat a mackintosh?
Scotland has turned out endless inventors of great genius in the past few hundred years, and Charles Macintosh — the man who brought waterproof clothing to the world — was as successful as any of them. Martin Fone tells his story.
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Curious Questions: How does Witches' Broom form in trees?
Martin Fone looks into one of the most curious — and curiously named — natural phenomena visible on a country walk in Britain.
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Curious Questions: Who invented the fork?
Once viewed with suspicion, forks remained the preserve of royalty until nearly 200 years ago. Matthew Dennison takes a stab at the king of cutlery, which changed the way we eat.
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Curious Questions: Do Brussels sprouts come from Brussels in Belgium?
As healthy as they are divisive, Martin Fone takes a look at the humble Brussels sprout. Why do we eat them at Christmas? Does anybody eat them during the rest of the year? And do they really come from Brussels?
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Curious Questions: Who started the first charity shop?
Charity shops have become a staple of British high streets in the past decade, and more and more of us are doing our shopping there — particularly as times are tight. But what's the story behind them? Martin Fone unearths the history of the charity shop.
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Who wrote the Christmas Carols we know and love? 11 songs and their stories, from Silent Night to Good King Wenceslas
Many of our best-loved and most moving Christmas carols started life as poems in search of a tune. Andrew Green uncovers the writers whose works were nearly forgotten, yet are now imprinted on the memory.
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Curious Questions: Is there a 'right' way up to use aluminium foil?
As we prepare to embark upon the season of wrapping leftover foodstuffs, Martin Fone answers a question that's been bugging us for years: is it dull side up and shiny side down, or the other way around?
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Curious Questions: Why is smell the most evocative of our senses?
The smell of something familiar can transport you back in time as none of the other senses will, says Ben Lerwill.
