DIY History

DIY History

DIY History

History comes to life when you get involved and do it yourself. In this DIY section we show you how to get hands on with the history around us. You do not need fancy equipment to try these activities. Everything required is a household item or cheaply available in shops.

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Welcome Back

Welcome to the new incarnation of the History.UK.Com website.

Our regular visitors will have noticed that History.uk.com site has not been available for several weeks. This was due to a completely pointless and malicious hacker attack. We are finally on the go again with a streamlined ‘stripped down’ resource. History Lite if you like! Just give us a few weeks and you will start to see lots of new features including user comments and
article rating. We hope you like it!
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Drop Dead Gorgeous – Part II

Drop Dead Gorgeous – Part II

Drop Dead Gorgeous – Part II

by Jess Dyde

It seems strange nowadays, in this world of a “healthy tan’ that pale skin was once so much admired. Like so many things in fashion, it comes from a statement of affluence, and status. In times gone by, the poor usually worked out of doors, and had a tanned face, hands and arms whether they liked it or not, so a pale skin was a sign of wealth and high class. To be pale meant you didn’t have to work for your living. Ladies who had to go outside in the sun, for example to a garden party, would carry a parasol, and make sure they wore shady hats and high necked dresses, to keep the face and neck as white as possible, and avoid the dreaded freckles.

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Traditional Christmas Food

Traditional Christmas Food

Traditional Christmas Food

In modern times, there are certain foods we associate with Christmas:

• Roast Turkey or Goose
• Christmas Cake with marzipan and icing
• Satsumas
• Nuts
• Chestnuts
• Mulled Wine
• Sweets

But where did all these ideas come from? During the rest of the year, many of these foods aren’t eaten at all. continue reading…

History of Glass Making

History of Glass Making

History of Glass Making

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Drop Dead Gorgeous – Part I by

Drop Dead Gorgeous – Part I

by

Drop Dead Gorgeous – Part I

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The 1940s Look – book review

The 1940′s Look – book review

The 1940′s Look; Recreating the Fashions, Hairstyles and Make-Up of the Second World War by Mike Brown.

As a girl, my history classes at school were considerably enlivened by the addition of a fabulous 1960′s technicolour history text book by R.J Unstead. As R.J carefully guided us through the history of Britain, each era was illustrated with garish illustrations of how the people looked, which for me, was the most interesting aspect of history. Even today, R.J’s illustrations costumes are still etched on my mind. Mention medieval and I’m instantly reminded of an illustration of a Diana Dors lookalike in a wimple.
R.J’s publishers then, were wise indeed. A foray into fashion shines a light onto history. Clothes define an era, in a way that no other historical artefact can. From velvet cloaks and sable muffs to linen smocks and cotton bonnets, the clothes on our backs reflect the materials, class systems and cultural ideologies of the age. The Victorians were uptight, pulled in and covered up, terrified of the temptations of the flesh. The roaring twenties reflected modern ideas about women’s emancipation – clothes became loose and mannish, while the thirties saw a return to a more feminine form inspired by new bias cutting techniques. By the early 1940′s however, the war had impacted every area of life, and fashion responded accordingly. Textiles became precious, clothing coupons were introduced, and the frivolities of fashion were denounced, while the few clothes available to buy achieved the functionality of all other aspects of war time life. While we’ve all heard the story that stockings were so rare women had to paint their legs with gravy browning, The 1940′s Look takes an in depth look at the problems and solutions of dressing well throughout the war years. As a fascinating account of how fashion adapted to the shortages imposed by the government, it’s both a reminder of just how much we take cheap throwaway clothing for granted, and an insight into the very real difficulties of clothing oneself.

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