Modern

By Lauren Chaloner Located in the North Western suburb of Sheffield between Middlewood and Wadsley, Middlewood Hospital is a former psychiatric hospital first opened in 1872. Although visitors to the site today would be met with rows of modern family homes, in the early nineteenth century this was quite a different story. The hospital is …

By Bethan Davis “It appears that there is in England somewhere, a Miss Groom who thinks she is doing a good work by purchasing a quarter section of land in the North West and settling a colony of fifty deaf mutes upon it.” Toronto World, 1884 This alarmist article refers to an emigration scheme invented …

By Hannah McCann When discussing the life of Princess Alice of Battenberg, people often describe it as ‘stranger than fiction’. But that undermines the achievements of a remarkable woman who, despite being born in the presence of her grandmother Queen Victoria and dying in the home of her daughter-in-law Queen Elizabeth II, was immensely humble …

By Anya Goulthorpe Frida Kahlo (1907-54) is known as a mogul of the artistic realm. The average person may know her from the self-portrait ‘with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird’, featuring the now iconic monobrow, which now stands in the artistic hall of fame. However, some – not even avid art enthusiasts – may know Kahlo’s …

By Charlie Bunker Franklin Roosevelt was and remains the longest serving President in the history of the United States. In the 12 years Roosevelt led America, he won a record four presidential elections, dragged his country from the depths of the Great Depression, and commanded the free world to victory in the Second World War …

By Hannah McCann. (REPRINT FROM VOLUME 13) As part of the English National Curriculum in primary school, students are taught about the impact of the Roman Empire in Britain. However, I highly doubt that many people reading this article were taught about the ‘Ivory Bangle Lady’ of York or the North African soldiers that were …

By Hannah McCann (REPRINT FROM VOLUME 14) George Arthur Roberts was an incredibly brave soldier, a pioneering civil rights activist and a fearless firefighter. His life was full of hardships – two world wars and rampant discrimination to name but a few – but he fought for justice for all and helped others throughout his …

By Bethan Davis  Remembrance of America’s ‘Golden Age of Radio’ often leaves out African-American contributions. The 1920s gave way to some opportunities in broadcasting for black musicians and actors, but historian Erik Barnouw firmly argued they had a ‘dwindling role’ in radio. The recurrent and popular programs like ‘The Jack and Benny Show’ were incredibly …

By Lauren Hare When you think of Notting Hill you may picture Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, hand in hand, strolling down Portobello Road in a sea of white faces. However, Notting Hill from the fifties was home to black Londoners whose presence seemed to have been forgotten during the filming of this ‘classic.’  The …

By Hannah McCann (REPRINT FROM VOLUME 16) If you were to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to the Union Station in the early 1900s, you would see a young black girl playing in the railway yard and making her money by dancing on the street corner. This girl is Freda Josephine McDonald who was born …