New blog post - Juvenile Crime and Child Gangs in the Victorian Era By the beginning of the era, it was now recognised that homelessness and poverty played two very large roles in the causes of offending. Children themselves were still regarded as adults once they reached the age of 12 ... #History

Beautiful William Morris fabric plus trimmings ready to make some book marks and book bags to give away at The Sherlock Holmes Showcase on May 23rd at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London 😊Photos of the finished product to follow 📚💙🗃️ #History #Histodons #PublicHistory #19thC #nineteenthcentury

I kind of went down a bit of a rabbit hole with this 1819 German chemise dress. While it shares many similarities with the English and French styles of the time- the high waist, white cotton fabric, columnar silhouette, it also has noticeable differences that made me pause when I

“‘Please, sir, I want some more.’” Oliver Twist Nowhere was class more obvious in Victorian England than in the food of the people. The food the Victorians put on their table, if they had one, said everything about their life, from those who indulged in several courses of food per evening ...

#OtD 21 Apr 1834 30,000 marched for the freedom of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, agricultural workers from the Dorset town of Tolpuddle who were transported to Australia as punishment for their trade unionism stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9336...

Pop over to Pen and Sword's website (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/How-the-Victorians-Lived-Hardback/p/50591) if you'd like to read more excellent reviews or pop to my blog to read a sample! #historyuk #history #victorian #victorianhistory #englishhistory #englishhistorynerd #queenvictoria

This is my next event! I will be signing and selling my book 'How the Victorians Lived' as part of the Sherlock Holmes' vendor’s market, with a free bookmark or book bag with every copy purchased!

#onthisday, 14 April 1862, Alfred Allshorn, owner of #TurkishBaths in Princes St, #Edinburgh, opened a second in Yeaman Shore, #Dundee. These included 3 "frigidaria", tepidarium, caldarium, sudatorium. slipper baths, douche & a hall. Allshorn also opened a bath in #Perth later that yr. +ALT 🗃️ #C19th

One for all the #Quaker history folks, as well as #DressHistory and #FashionHistory 👇🗃️

Victoria Sponge Cake …with a twist! My own take on a classic where I flavoured the buttercream with orange flower water and layered in some orange curd as well.

Costume Couture – Sixty Years of Cosprop The Fashion and Textile Museum, Bermondsey, London 31st January 2026 I popped along to London to see the exhibition of costumes designed and made by John Bright’s company, Cosprop. Bright, a costume designer, set up the company in 1966 ...

Court suit and sword worn #onthisday in 1870 by Charles Dickens to a levee at Buckingham Palace. The suit, made by tailors Charles Smith and Sons according to the strict specifications for court dress, is the only known suit worn by Dickens to have survived. #OTD 📷 Guildhall Art Gallery

I have posted a new blog post on 1850s fashion! Pop over to my website for an easy read and some more photos from the Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop photographs and let me know what you think! backinthedayof.co.uk #Victorian #FashionHistory #19thcentury #19thC #histbookchat #booksky

A year or 2 ago a mutual, encouraging me in my spendthrift ways, persuaded me to buy this actual #19thc flirtation card from Abebooks. Little did I know that these minute paper scraps (aids to flirtation & discretion) would make a comeback. So says the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/thefilter-us...

#onthisday, 2 April 1877, Daniel Routledge opened #TurkishBaths in Abbey Road, #Barrow-in-Furness. 2 hot rooms, plunge pool, 20+ slipper baths &—following yr—swimming pool, later adding ice rink & other facilities. Closed c.1911. In 1912 Council mooted proposals for Tbs on site, but no go. 🗃️ #C19th

Thank you to everyone who has bought and read How the Victorians Lived. If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving an honest review. It helps other readers discover it and it supports my work as an author. Your feedback means the world to me ❤️ #booksky #History #histbookchat #19thC #books

A great time was had by all on Thursday evening as members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London gathered to eat a beautifully cooked meal, discuss all things Sherlock and hear my talk on Victorian food at The National Liberal Club along the Embankment in London. #books #history #histbookchat

Hand made book bags and book marks to be given away with every purchased book Thursday night at the Sherlock Holmes Society of London's spring meeting (see my talk post for more details)!! @penandswordbooks.bsky.social #Victorianhistory #History #nineteenthcenturyhistory #19thC #booksky #Victorian

Author Talk - The Food of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson by Shona Parker The Sherlock Holmes Society of London's Spring 2026 meeting will be held on Thursday 12th March 2026 at The National Liberal Club, 1 Whitehall Place, London. The guest speaker is me! #19thC #Victorianhistory #Victorianfood

I am loving the new season of Bridgerton and can't wait until the end of February for the rest! Here are a few of my favourite pictures with Eloise and Violet being my absolute favourite characters 💜 #Bridgerton #Regency #19thcentury #FashionHistory #19thC #history #History #booksky

Newsletter sign-up page if you would like to hear from me every month about my shenanigans as a history writer ...💜 www.backinthedayof.co.uk/newsletter #19thcentury #19thC #history #books #histbookchat #History #booksky

I am finally doing it 😍 I am starting a newsletter to be sent out on the last weekend of the month! If you would like to know what I have been up to, if I have a new blog post or article published or just what I do all day, then pop to my website and sign up! #booksky #history #19thcentury #19thC

Pen and Sword books are offering 3 for 2 on all their books through February including eBooks! If you spend over £40 on physical books then postage and packaging is free! The perfect time to invest in How the Victorians Lived by me! #booksky #History #history #histbookchat #books #19thC

Got to love a Victorian greetings card! #History #19thC #Victorian

Hi, I'm Shona, and welcome to my Bluesky page! This is a sneak peek into my life as an author of non fiction - research visits, books I'm reading, films I'm watching and other random bits and pieces related to history, old buildings and tea and cake.

Never mind GenZ & Gen Alpha. Some things are ageless. Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Charles Dickens, a master storyteller who still captivates audiences today. Discover more about his timeless appeal at wix.to/ZQzjTuV #19thcentury #novelists #history #authors #dickens

You can find it at www.victorianturkishbath.org/_6DIRECTORY/... It is hoped to start adding articles again more regularly in the near future. 🗃️ #C19th

30% off all print books from @penswordbooks throughout the whole of August!! That's me now completely skint... so if you would like a beautiful, hardback copy of my book, buy now for £15.30! Spend £40 and get free delivery plus you get points towards rewards too! #books #victorian #19thcentury

Did you know that before the Hollywood film industry took off, it wasn't common for men to drop to one knee when proposing marriage? This pose was often used in art and literature to poke fun at the situation rather than to be taken seriously. #victorianhistory #victorianjewellery #victorianfashion

Fan art!! Actually, this was made by my daughter @francescalily007 as a birthday present 💜 🩷 🩵 #howthevictorianslived #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks

I was sorting through my photos and found this picture from last year at the O2 in London. It just goes to show how history is everywhere ⭐ #O2 #londonhistory #history #musichistory #bands

As part of my fact finding mission for Chapter 3 of the new book, I headed to the Foundling Hospital museum in West London, built in the 1930s a stone's throw from the site of the original hospital itself which was opened in 1741. #C19th #History #WhatsHistory🗃️ #19thcentury #nineteenthhcentury

I went to the Florence Nightingale Museum in London on Saturday and called into St. James Park afterwards for an ice cream. It's actually named for the Leper Hospital of St. James the Less which treated women suffering from leprosy, not the monarch as is often thought ... #History

Love the word #ructions - haven't heard it for years 😂

" If a woman begin to "wear trousers", as the disposition has been described, that is if she begin to take upon herself some of the duties and directions that properly belong to her husband, soon after marriage, there will be ructions without a doubt." #history #womenshistory #19thC #victorian

If you have been pondering whether you would like my writing, you can now try it out for only £1.99 for the e-book from Pen and Sword t.co/kZ1bBSqQFj Don't just take my word for what a fabulous book this is … pop to the Pen and Sword website to read the 5* reviews! #19thCentury 🗃️ #HistBookChat

If you have been pondering whether you would like my writing, you can now try it out for only £1.99 for the e-book from Pen and Sword t.co/kZ1bBSqQFj Don't just take my word for what a fabulous book this is … pop to the Pen and Sword website to read the 5* reviews! #19thCentury 🗃️ #HistBookChat

If you have been pondering whether you would like my writing, you can now try it out for only £1.99 for the e-book from Pen and Sword t.co/kZ1bBSqQFj Don't just take my word for what a fabulous book this is … pop to the Pen and Sword website to read the 5* reviews! #19thCentury 🗃️ #HistBookChat

I am researching this lovely lady for my current WIP. Whenever someone says the rich didn't care about the poor in the Victorian era, I start to count the names of the wealthy people who did. Angela Burdett-Coutts, Louisa Twining, Octavia Hill, The Earl of Shaftesbury, Louisa Baring ... #History

Arthur Conan Doyle has one of the most delightfully legible handwriting styles of any 19thC writer. The letter below is to Bram Stoker, congratulating him on the publication of Dracula. Font people! Why has no-one made this into a font yet, like the Jane Austen font? #C19th

A Victorian classic and staple food - Leek and Potato soup 😋 Cooked in my Denby pottery casserole dish bought for £2.50 from a charity shop #VictorianThrift #VictorianFood My eBook is on sale for only £1.99 for the whole of April: t.co/kZ1bBSqQFj #HistBookChat #19thCentury #History #Victorian

If you have been pondering whether you would like my writing, you can now try it out for only £1.99 for the e-book from Pen and Sword t.co/kZ1bBSqQFj Don't just take my word for what a fabulous book this is … pop to the Pen and Sword website to read the 5* reviews! #19thCentury 🗃️ #HistBookChat

Free delivery from Pen and Sword this weekend! Why not treat yourself to a beautiful history book to read whilst devouring your Easter Eggs? 🤩 (It's an opportunity to grab mine too!) #Easter #booksbooksbooks #history #victorian #victorianhistory #19thcentury #chocolatehistory

"Queen Victoria, or Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, to give her full name, was born 24th May 1819. It was thought she would never be queen as she was only 5th in line to the throne, but due to the King’s fairly early death and a lack of direct descendants available to inherit the throne...

If you have been pondering whether you would like my writing, you can now try it out for only £1.99 for the e-book from Pen and Sword t.co/kZ1bBSqQFj Don't just take my word for what a fabulous book this is … pop to the Pen and Sword website to read the 5* reviews! #19thCentury 🗃️ #HistBookChat

An illustration of a scientist using a steam machine, with pulley, to extract a tooth from a man drawn on the front of an envelope addressed to a Dr. J. Chapman, 1894. It's hard to believe this "doodle" is 131 years old! It looks like modern steampunk. Photo: Wellcome Collection, London

I have spent this week frantically typing up notes and sorting out my digital folders for A Guide to Victorian Love, fortified by homemade scones (by me!) and Piccadilly tea in the most beautiful vintage cup and saucer which is my Mother's Day present! 😍🗃️ #19thC #HistBookChat #Skystorians #History

This is an absolute bargain and not to be missed! How The Victorians Lived e-book version is only £1.99 direct from Pen and Sword's website. Grab your copy now 😍https://buff.ly/cF0RDK7 #history #nineteenthcentury #19thcentury #victorian #victorianhistory #victorianfashion

Definitely worth a peek! 🗃️👀

#skystorians #envhist will appreciate.