Rarely a cheery paragraph ahead when, while writing you're leaving a gap that says: 'SLAVERY HERE'

this is not true, and this guy doesn't speak for me! nymag.com/intelligence...

Lincolnshire life: a man just came to my door, introduced himself as a local farmer and offered me a bag of manure – or as many as I'd like – off the back of his pickup, and now I have several bags of manure ready for my roses. Fabulous

Well this was super fun: this week's Great Estates is on the Throckmortons at Coughton Court who have now taken back the management of that great, romantic house from the National Trust. This must be the best National Trust-donor family deal ever struck www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/592a600...

Genuinely can't tell if it's thunder I can hear or the typhoons out for a lap of the county

Well this was super fun: this week's Great Estates is on the Throckmortons at Coughton Court who have now taken back the management of that great, romantic house from the National Trust. This must be the best National Trust-donor family deal ever struck www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/592a600...

Some wise and rather touching words to the House of Lords from the retiring Lord Hennessy. Paras 4-9 in particular are well worth reading. www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=20...

Once again on a train to Crewe and once again imagining that Crewe is somewhere in Cumbria

Imagine if we all liked different books eh? On which note: BUY MINE. It’s the book about the British aristocracy that even The Guardian couldn’t bring itself to hate (and which The Times called ‘superb… a marvellous book’) www.penguin.co.uk/books/453305...

⭐️ Very exciting post day! ⭐️ Paperbacks of HEIRS AND GRACES are here and let me tell you they are far better than the government’s side show and considerably more beautiful too. It’s out on 11 June and you can pre-order it now – or catch the hardback, audiobook or Kindle version anywhere you like! ⭐️

Can we really have a PM called *Andy*? I know there was Bonar Law but I highly doubt anyone called him Andy, though I should like to sit here and imagine that, just for a second

I know there’s a lot going on right now but this week’s Great Estates is an interview with the Duke of Argyll – chief of Clan Campbell and, among other things Admiral of the Western Isles – and it’s good! Who’d invest in a business like Inveraray Castle? No one! www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/d4dd6de...

It was my pleasure to interview five excluded hereditary peers about their 192 years in the House of Lords for today's Telegraph: Inglewood, the MEP; Crathorne, the Lord-Lieutenant; Roborough, the hedgie; Glenarthur, the soldier; and Peel, the Lord Chamberlain www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/7fb156e...

It was my pleasure to interview five excluded hereditary peers about their 192 years in the House of Lords for today's Telegraph: Inglewood, the MEP; Crathorne, the Lord-Lieutenant; Roborough, the hedgie; Glenarthur, the soldier; and Peel, the Lord Chamberlain www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/7fb156e...

Big job news for the Welsh Wizard

Chuckling about this a whole 19 hours after the fact following a day in London yesterday, to which I travelled from my home in Lincolnshire, and during which I had to explain to a colleague that no, it really isn't very far away from London at all, only 1 hour 7 on the train to KX in fact

A short story. Hull primary school trip to London on the train; 30 children with no social awareness. Teacher calls, hopefully, ‘it’s starting to get a little noisy here.’ Noise continues. Surrounding adults, not affiliated with the school, sigh. Headaches all round.

For more on this please see my entire book on the subject, published last year!! www.penguin.co.uk/books/453305...

This week's Great Estates is a big'un: the Lothian estates – yes, plural – and Ferniehirst Castle with Lord Ancram – not the late Tory grandee but his nephew who, almost uniquely among his peers, faces inheriting three big houses and has quite a job on his hands www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/55a4ab0...

This week's Great Estates is a big'un: the Lothian estates – yes, plural – and Ferniehirst Castle with Lord Ancram – not the late Tory grandee but his nephew who, almost uniquely among his peers, faces inheriting three big houses and has quite a job on his hands www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/55a4ab0...

This is the best and most lovely news. Peter is such a kind, wonderful man. I will never forget the generosity he showed me as an ambitious undergraduate desperate to be someone just like him – hack, historian, general Good Egg

Huh, Google, fancy thinking a Lib Dem MP elected in 2024 is more 'prominent' than the actual painter of the same name. Dire cultural times

This doesn’t feel remotely like an original take but in all the discussions about who said what about vetting or not vetting, I can’t get beyond the idea that the PM could ever have thought that Mandy was a reasonable choice. You don’t need UKSV or the FCO to tell you that, surely

Today I experienced the incredibly flattering novelty of seeing someone else’s copy of a book that I have written filled with post its and it was a warm glow like no other

It is my huge pleasure to be on Violet Manners’ Hidden Heritage podcast this week talking about the aristocracy and country houses and my book and the last 13 years of writing about this stuff!! It’s really good, listen! podcasts.apple.com/si/podcast/h...

What's next for Beaulieu, one of the founding estates of the stately homes industry? This week's Great Estates – on trusts, titles and being scions of the Dukes of Buccleuch with Lord Montagu, whose very famous father led the charge in more ways than one www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/da4bf84...

What's next for Beaulieu, one of the founding estates of the stately homes industry? This week's Great Estates – on trusts, titles and being scions of the Dukes of Buccleuch with Lord Montagu, whose very famous father led the charge in more ways than one www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/da4bf84...

Absolutely deeelighted to have contributed to this lovely bit on Good Friday's The World Tonight about the hereditary peers in the House of Lords – from 18 mins here www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Baffled by the NYT/AI book review story. The whole point of having such a lovely job as reviewing books that you get sent, for free, is that it is a Nice Job? Fun, even. I don’t even use AI to transcribe interviews. It’s my job – an amazing one! Why use AI to ruin something so inherently excellent?

This week's Great Estates is on Euston Hall and the Duke and Duchess of Grafton, their first interview of this kind. Ft the duke's approach to being ducal today, his vinyl decks alongside the Reynolds in the drawing room, and what to do with the rows of Van Dycks www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/bb94f26...

Love getting comments like this.... keep them coming ragers, it really lifts the spirits that you enjoyed the episode with @brushingboots.bsky.social . Thanks @finch4077.bsky.social Listen to the episode here: pod.fo/e/3a194b

This week's Great Estates is on Euston Hall and the Duke and Duchess of Grafton, their first interview of this kind. Ft the duke's approach to being ducal today, his vinyl decks alongside the Reynolds in the drawing room, and what to do with the rows of Van Dycks www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/bb94f26...

This is (possibly) very niche but today I have had to put my password into Who's Who/the DNB FIVE SEPARATE TIMES. 'We're making improvements to make your access smoother,' says Who's Who. Come again?

Today is the sort of day where I could really do with talking to AJP Taylor

An enjoyable romp in newspaper archives produces a favourite of the genre: ‘The duke’s long life was not eventful save for his active service in the Crimean War'. [He died aged 97 in 1918 – what a world he experienced.]

This week's Great Estates is on Rousham, one of the most beautiful places in the land – which is being threatened by a proposed new town. Just how special does a place have to be to be sacred? 'For the UK,' says the artist Francis Hamel, 'this is Taj Mahal level' www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/d5980be...

This week's Great Estates is on Rousham, one of the most beautiful places in the land – which is being threatened by a proposed new town. Just how special does a place have to be to be sacred? 'For the UK,' says the artist Francis Hamel, 'this is Taj Mahal level' www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/d5980be...

I’m back on Times Radio in a few minutes talking about the House of Lords again! This time with @harrywallop.co.uk!

Looking forward to talking to Jon Harvey tonight on Times Radio about the hereditary peers and the House of Lords!! In a few mins hopefully, do tune in!

Just had cause to sing the 'je suis fatigue' French verbs song down a voicenote and well, I am back in 2002

Very happy to have helped Alice Cockerell with this piece in the Spectator US, in which she kindly plugs my book HEIRS AND GRACES spectator.com/article/uppe...

🚨 THIS WEEK🚨 Aristocratic power today isn’t in Parliament — it’s in land and legacy. 🌿🏛️ Hear @brushingboots.bsky.social break it down on History Rage. 🎧 Listen : pod.fo/e/3a194b #HistoryRage #SoftPower #Aristocracy #Podcast

I wrote about the confrontingly honest and rather brave Cavenagh-Mainwaring family of Whitmore Hall in Staffordshire who are grappling with 940 years of history and how to manage that legacy, with a 17-year-old future heiress in tow www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/80b6d36...

🚨 THIS WEEK 🚨 @brushingboots.bsky.social unpacks Britain’s upper class today 🏰📘 From shrinking estates to hereditary peers & the National Trust’s influence, with Wentworth Woodhouse as a study of decline and survival. 🎧 Listen: shows.acast.com/hist... #History #Podcast #BritishHistory

This was the BEST podcast to do, I loved it! And you can listen now! It is really worth your time if I may say

Delighted to see that comrade @henrymance.ft.com had just as much fun interviewing Benjy Mancroft for the FT as I did for my book. He is a 10/10 lunch date www.ft.com/content/ab4d...

It’s World Book Day and I am off to talk to my old school about writing books! Why not treat yourself to my book, HEIRS AND GRACES? The paperback is available to preorder now, but if you can’t wait pick up the hardback. It is SUCH good value and it’ll come tomorrow www.penguin.co.uk/books/453305...

This week's Great Estates is on Knepp – yes, the rewilding one – and Ned Burrell, who speaks cogently about his inheritance, about farming and about food security. It would be easy to be romantic about Knepp but he's pragmatic. It's a great piece if I may say www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/435f14a...

This week's Great Estates is on Knepp – yes, the rewilding one – and Ned Burrell, who speaks cogently about his inheritance, about farming and about food security. It would be easy to be romantic about Knepp but he's pragmatic. It's a great piece if I may say www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/435f14a...

Found a pile of unused blueys, presumably deriving from my dad’s last tour of the Middle East. Would they still work? Have I time travelled to early 2000s postage rates?