Northwest Nature and History
@nwnandh.bsky.social
📤 262
📥 284
📝 787
Writer from Northwest England specialising in Natural History and Local History
pinned post!
Just finished updating the homepage for my website, now all of my articles are categorised in a hyperlinked contents page, one click and you can read all of my stuff. Give it a try!
#nature
#history
#lancashire
#yorkshire
#cumbria
#Wordpress
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk
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Northwest Nature and History
All about the Natural History and History of the Northwest of England
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/
5 months ago
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Equal day and night if it rains it will harvest the pensive cuckoo (✍️Andawn F. )
#SpringEquinox
#spring
🌖
#meteorology
#NatureScenery
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2024/03/19/t...
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The Spring Equinox and the constellations of Vulpeculae, Anser and Delphinus
Aquila, Sagitta, Vulpecula & Anser Delphinus, John Flamsteed, 1776 The Vernal Equinox On the 20th of March falls the spring, or vernal, equinox, this is the date when the day and night both las…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2024/03/19/the-spring-equinox-and-the-constellations-of-vulpeculae-anser-and-delphinus/
about 3 hours ago
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Birdle 🇬🇧 21/03/2026 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
about 14 hours ago
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This weekend marks the 64th anniversary of the Hapton Valley Colliery Disaster
#Coal
#Mining
#History
#Lancashire
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/20/t...
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The Black Seam
On the 22nd of March, 1962, the tight-knit mining community of Hapton in Lancashire was shaken by catastrophe when an underground explosion ripped through Hapton Valley Colliery, the town’s main em…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/20/the-black-seam/
1 day ago
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Clitheroe castle currently looks like a present waiting to be unwrapped, it’s had a lot of work done since it was restored in 1848, I wonder what it will look like when they’ve finished?
#Clitheroe
#Castle
#Ribblevalley
#Lancashire
2 days ago
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Latest posts on r/ruralUK on reddit ➡️Flytippers to be forced into “clean up squads
reddit.com/r/RuralUK/s/hg…
➡️ One in 3 Scots back pause on Salmon farm growt
h reddit.com/r/RuralUK/s/dQ�
#farming
#
#countryside
n
#UK
s
#news
UK #news
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RuralUK
Welcome to RuralUK! Work, live, visit or just have a general interest in the British countryside? well this is the subreddit for you, the only sub dedicated to all matters rural. We welcome everybody...
https://reddit.com/r/RuralUK/s/hg…
3 days ago
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Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit! ☘️
#StPatricksDay
#Ireland
#Nature
#Botany
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2024/03/17/w...
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Wood Sorrel, the original Shamrock
(Jörg Hempel) Wood Sorrel is one of the earliest spring-flowering plants of the woodland floor, along with Wood Anenome, Bluebell and Wild Garlic and is characteristic of old woodland, forestry pla…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2024/03/17/wood-sorrel-the-original-shamrock/
4 days ago
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It’s always really satisfying to see your stuff referenced, especially when it’s in something cool like this lovely and engaging bug blog by Cynthia Brast of San Juan Island;
#bugs
#insects
#entomology
#SanJuan
buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2026/03/13/h...
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Hang On…
Aren’t we all? Hanging on for dear life? Whether it is financial, emotional, or health-related, it sure seems like folks in the world are facing a crisis of one sort or another. Some are faci…
https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2026/03/13/hang-on/
7 days ago
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The dark and brooding Cumbrian mountains as seen from Morecambe Promenade ⛰️
#Morecambe
#Cumbria
#LakeDistrict
8 days ago
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Ammophila arenaria, Aeolian Architect. A Brief Study of the Biology and Ecology of Marram Grass and how it Shapes our Coastlines 🌾
#Coast
#Ecology
#Nature
@northlancswildlife.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/12/a...
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Ammophila arenaria, Aeolian Architect
Marram grass, Ammophila arenaria, also known as European beachgrass, is one of our most iconic and ecologically important maritime plant species. A tough, perennial grass it thrives in the harsh, w…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/12/ammophila-arenaria-aeolian-architect/
9 days ago
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I wrote this last March and it took absolutely ages to research. I reckon it’s one of the most comprehensive guides to looking at our drystone walls and barns, what do you think?
@lakedistrictnpa.bsky.social
@peakdistrict.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2025/03/02/a...
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Admiring the Barns and Walls of Northwest England
The Northwest of England is home to some remarkably beautiful landscapes, shaped over millennia by traditional farming practices. It is a part of the world famous for its ancient drystone walls and…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2025/03/02/admiring-the-barns-and-walls-of-the-northwest-of-england/
11 days ago
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#DailyPendlePic
#Pendle
#Lancashire
#Sheep
13 days ago
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How grand to stroll there at the coming of Spring, when the buds and the blossoms are fresh on the trees! To list to the song-birds, that soar as they sing, and inhale the pure fragrance that comes on the breeze. (William Baron)
#spring
#nature
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/07/w...
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When the Buds and the Blossoms are Fresh on the Trees!
The arrival of spring often feels hard-won here in northern England, winters linger longer here than in the south, with colder temperatures and more frequent frosts delaying the greening of the lan…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/07/when-the-buds-and-the-blossoms-are-fresh-on-the-trees/
14 days ago
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Birdle 🇬🇧 05/03/2026 🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜ 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
17 days ago
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Some shots from Towneley Hall today
#TowneleyHall
#Burnley
#Lancashire
@towneleyhall.bsky.social
@visitlancashire.bsky.social
17 days ago
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The Ecology and Biology of Coltsfoot and its Medicinal and Confectional uses, including a Recipe for a Herbal Tea
#Botany
#Herbology
#Nature
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/04/c...
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Coltsfoot Rocks!
Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara, a member of the Asteraceae family, is a perennial herb known for its bright yellow, Dandelion-like flowers that emerge early in spring, often before its broad, hoof-sh…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/03/04/coltsfoot-rocks/
17 days ago
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@shivmalik.bsky.social
To build your elites-only utopia you would blithely destroy communities and flatten 45,000 acres of English countryside. Your
#ForestCity1
fantasy must not become reality.
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/22/f...
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Forest City: a Critical Dissection of Proposals, and Suggestions of Viable Alternatives
Forest City 1 is a recently proposed city development planned for agricultural land on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border. A private initiative its purported aims are to address the housing crisis i…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/22/forest-city-a-critical-dissection-of-proposals-and-suggestions-of-viable-alternatives/
19 days ago
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St. Mary’s and All Saints Church, Whalley, Lancashire
#Whalley
#Lancashire
20 days ago
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Why is Lancashire’s emblem a red rose? Find out here:
#Lancashire
#History
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/28/t...
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The Red Rose of Lancashire
The story of the Red Rose of Lancashire begins in the 14th century with the royal House of Lancaster when this noble family, descended from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, adopted the red rose as…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/28/the-red-rose-of-lancashire/
21 days ago
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Birdle 🇬🇧 27/02/2026 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
23 days ago
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Today is Padiham Town Hall’s 88th Birthday! 🥳
#Padiham
#Lancashire
@lancstelegraph.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2023/04/25/p...
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Padiham Town Hall
Padiham on Parade Padiham town Hall was officially opened on the 26th of February 1938 by Herbert Morrison, the leader of London County Council (which was replaced by Greater London Council in 1965…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2023/04/25/padiham-town-hall/
23 days ago
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Clitheroe castle before they put the cladding on for repairs
#Clitheroe
#Ribblevalley
#Lancashire
lep.co.uk/news/clitheroe…
24 days ago
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Today on
#Northwestnatureandhistory
we visit Lancashire’s Samlesbury Hall
#History
#Ribblevalley
#Lancashire
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/24/t...
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The Structural History of Samlesbury Hall
The earliest phase of Samlesbury Hall dates to around 1325, when Gilbert de Southworth (Sir Gilbert de Southworth, Knight, Lord of Southworth, Croft, and Samlesbury, to give him his full title) con…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/24/the-structural-history-of-samlesbury-hall/
25 days ago
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reposted by
Northwest Nature and History
EuropeanPowell
28 days ago
This is a corporate coup, and the British public is paying for the privatisation of the UK.Find out more on my Substack, which focuses explicitly on the duopoly's free zones and free cities rollout. I'm a volunteer exposing the UK duopoly's nationwide rollout of Free zones. Please support my work
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The Tale of Bob Platt A Lancashire Dialect Poem by Eddy Crotty
#Lancashire
#Poetry
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/21/t...
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The Tale of Bob Platt
Bob Platt weren’t a temperance fella in fact he’d a likin’ fer beer. Bur he ne’er used’t go beyond’t limit except once or twice durin’t year.
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/21/the-tale-of-bob-platt/
28 days ago
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Just published in time for the Forest City “come and meet us in your local pub” Q&A sessions: Twenty Questions for Mega-project developers
#ForestCity1
#Development
#Cambridge
#Cambridgeshire
#Suffolk
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/19/t...
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Twenty Questions for Mega-project Developers
Last year news was released of a private initiative to build a £100 billion, 45,000 acre city of 400,000 homes in the countryside east of the city of Cambridge. Upon hearing about the proposal, cal…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/19/twenty-questions-for-mega-project-developers/
30 days ago
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Birdle 🇬🇧 20/02/2026 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
30 days ago
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Clitheroe Castle Museum in the early morning sun
#Clitheroe
#Ribblevalley
#Lancashire
about 1 month ago
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Hot off the press from
#Northwestnatureandhistory
Winter Gnats, Biology and Ecology of Trichoceridae, commonly known as Winter Gnats or Winter Craneflies
#Entomology
#Insects
#Nature
@royentsoc.bsky.social
@cornellentomology.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/18/w...
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Winter Gnats
Winter Gnats (Trichoceridae), also commonly known as winter craneflies, are a small family of delicate, long-legged flies in the order Diptera. They are particularly noticeable during the cooler mo…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/18/winter-gnats/
about 1 month ago
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Here’s a post I published a year ago about Shrove Tuesday
#ShroveTuesday
#Pancakeday
#Lent2026
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2025/03/04/s...
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Shrove Tuesday
Pancake Night Adriaen Rombouts (1597-1637) Shrove Tuesday is the name of the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The word ‘shrove’ is the past tense of the English verb ‘shrive’, which d…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2025/03/04/shrove-tuesday/
about 1 month ago
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Damage to the lawns at Gawthorpe Hall caused by feral kids on bikes, filmed this morning by local resident Jodie Henaghan
#Crime
#Gawthorpehall
#Padiham
#Lancashire
@lancstelegraph.bsky.social
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about 1 month ago
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Sunrise over Pendle on a frosty winter’s morning
#Pendle
#Lancashire
#Clitheroe
#RibbleValley
about 1 month ago
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Lancashire Hotpot, the latest addition to my Northwest Recipes collection
#Recipes
#Hotpot
#Lancashire
@lancashirehotpots.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/14/n...
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Northwest Recipes: Lancashire Hotpot
Back in the 17th century, the term “hotpot” didn’t refer to food at all; instead it described a hot spiced ale drink, sometimes mixed with spirits. The word gradually shifted mean…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/14/northwest-recipes-lancashire-hotpot/
about 1 month ago
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Birdle 🇬🇧 12/02/2026 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Northwest Nature and History
Letters of Note
about 1 month ago
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
162
10358
3496
Biology, Ecology and Management of the Common Bulrush, Typha latifolia
#Ecology
#Conservation
#Wetlands
#Paludiculture
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/11/t...
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The Common Bulrush
Bullrush spread via robust rhizomes underground, forming dense colonies that can dominate wetland edges, and flowering occurs from June to August, with wind-pollination ensuring widespread dispersa…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/11/the-common-bulrush/
about 1 month ago
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The Royal Train passing through Clitheroe today
#KingCharles
#RoyalFamily
#trains
#Clitheroe
#Lancashire
about 1 month ago
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Birdle 🇬🇧 09/02/2026 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
about 1 month ago
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That’s this year’s potatoes chitted; Wilja, Duke of York, Rocket and Swift. Let’s see which one does best!
#Potatoes
#Gardening
#Growyourown
about 1 month ago
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Sphagnum Moss, the Bog-builder, my latest article on
#Northwestnatureandhistory
#Uplands
#Ecology
#Nature
@moorlandassoc.bsky.social
@gret-perg.bsky.social
@peatlands.bsky.social
@iucn-uk-peat.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/08/s...
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Sphagnum Moss, The Bog-builder
Sphagnum moss belongs to the genus Sphagnum, comprising over 30 species in the British Isles, many of which can be very challenging to distinguish.
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/08/sphagnum-moss/
about 1 month ago
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Painting Padiham and Padiham on Parade events have both been shortlisted for the Burnley Culture Awards in the Outstanding Cultural Event category!
#Padiham
#Burnley
#Lancashire
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2025/08/26/p...
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Padiham on Parade 2025
Here are some shots from Padiham on Parade 2025, we only had time for a flying visit so missed the main events and a lot of people had gone home by this time. Citroen Traction Avant (I think?) 60’s…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2025/08/26/padiham-on-parade-2025/
about 1 month ago
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Horrible weather but the cows don’t seem to be bothered!
#cows
about 1 month ago
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Just published, part one of a new series looking at Lancashire’s long coal mining history
#coalmining
#History
#Lancashire
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/04/t...
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The Black Seam Lancashire’s Coal Mining History
Lancashire has a long history of coal mining, dating back to the early Roman era at least, with small-scale exploitation of shallow seams and natural outcrops being archaeologically evident through…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/02/04/the-black-seam-lancashires-coal-mining-history/
about 1 month ago
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Birdle 🇬🇧 04/02/2026 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
about 2 months ago
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This weekend marks the 18th anniversary of the Riverdance incident
#shipping
#disaster
#irishsea
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2024/01/27/t...
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The Loss of the Riverdance
On the night of the Thirty First of January, sixteen years ago, I experienced some of the wildest weather i’ve ever been out in. I remember the night well because I had to walk over two miles home …
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2024/01/27/the-loss-of-the-riverdance/
about 2 months ago
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From the damp green sphagnum and rush, they rise like small black tongues, licking the air after the rain, whispering secrets the soil won’t tell aloud
#Mycology
#Fungi
#Ecology
#nature
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/28/e...
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Earthtongue Fungi
Earthtongue fungi, belonging primarily to the family Geoglossaceae, are a fascinating group known for their distinctive tongue- or club-shaped fruiting bodies that emerge from the soil in eerie-loo…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/28/earthtongue-fungi/
about 2 months ago
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Churn Clough Reservoir on the flank of Pendle above Sabden
#Pendle
#Sabden
#Lancashire
about 2 months ago
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#Pendle
#Lancashire
#Snow
about 2 months ago
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Just fact-checked this for the umpteenth time, I’ll be writing a follow-up to it at some point this year, the whole thing must be picked apart with a fine tooth comb and I intend to do that.
#ShivMalik
#ForestCity1
#Suffolk
#Cambridgeshire
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/22/f...
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Forest City: a Critical Dissection of Proposals, and Suggestions of Viable Alternatives
Forest City 1 is a recently proposed city development planned for agricultural land on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border. A private initiative its purported aims are to address the housing crisis i…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/22/forest-city-a-critical-dissection-of-proposals-and-suggestions-of-viable-alternatives/
about 2 months ago
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Cranachan, a traditional Burns’ night dessert 🏴🥃
#BurnsNight
#BurnsNight2026
#Scotland
#recipes
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2023/01/24/n...
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Northwest Recipes Cranachan, a traditional Burns’ night dessert
Robert Burns, (1759 – 1796) Burns’ Night celebrates the life of Scotland’s National poet, Robert Burns, and falls on his birthday, January the 25th, he is famous for penning, amongst many other wor…
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2023/01/24/northwest-recipes-cranachan-a-traditional-burns-night-dessert/
about 2 months ago
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Didn’t It Rain When the Godmother of Rock and Roll played at a rainy train station in Manchester
#RockandRoll
#Blues
#Gospel
#Manchester
#Lancashire
#Music
@mcrhistory.bsky.social
northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/24/d...
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“Didn’t It Rain”
On one rainy evening in May 1964, an abandoned railway station in Manchester became alive with the soul-stirring sound of gospel and blues.
https://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/01/24/didnt-it-rain/
about 2 months ago
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