Next month, I'll be at Buxton Festival Fringe to chat about The Castles of Derbyshire on 8 July. I'll be looking at sites from the 11th to 16th century - inc. the highly elaborate Haddon Hall, featuring the Eagle Tower (pictured). More info & tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/castles-of...

Gorgeous weekend of drifting about in Nottingham with my family. Also caught the opportunity to see the mighty Wolfsbane live on Blaze Bailey's 63rd birthday!

Popped in to Nottingham Contemporary and discovered an excellent folklore bookstall including the new tome by none other than @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social

Little update on where I'm at with Triskele Heritage: ✒️ Book submitted & out 8 Oct 🚂 Currently booking tour dates 💻 Writing client reports 🧐 New building surveys in Surrey, Notts & Jedburgh 🎤 Some talks this summer 🎬 New film on pubs for Historic England drops soon Busy!

I'm coming back to Buxton Festival Fringe on Wednesday 8 July to speak about The Castles of Derbyshire. This is one of only a handful of events I'm doing this summer so let's make it a good 'un! Booking & more info... tinyurl.com/fbtkykj3 📸 Peveril Castle

Just a few moments from Bearded Theory last weekend. Saw dozens of acts but here are Garbage, The Wildhearts, Panic Shack, and The Damned...

I'm coming back to Buxton Festival Fringe on Wednesday 8 July to speak about The Castles of Derbyshire. This is one of only a handful of events I'm doing this summer so let's make it a good 'un! Booking & more info... tinyurl.com/fbtkykj3 📸 Peveril Castle

Little update on where I'm at with Triskele Heritage: ✒️ Book submitted & out 8 Oct 🚂 Currently booking tour dates 💻 Writing client reports 🧐 New building surveys in Surrey, Notts & Jedburgh 🎤 Some talks this summer 🎬 New film on pubs for Historic England drops soon Busy!

Happy to have booked the 42nd date of The Buildings Archaeologist tour. Douglas Adams would be proud. That'll be in Newcastle in April 2027. However... the Mythbusting tour was 110 dates long, so I'm still looking for more opportunities! More info: triskeleheritage.com/the-building...

Happy to have booked the 42nd date of The Buildings Archaeologist tour. Douglas Adams would be proud. That'll be in Newcastle in April 2027. However... the Mythbusting tour was 110 dates long, so I'm still looking for more opportunities! More info: triskeleheritage.com/the-building...

Spent the weekend drinking beer and watching bands in a field at Bearded Theory festival. This sign on the site is resonating hard with me today.

Kenny tells a very sad story here of the neglect and disrespect of heritage by both commercial entities and the very institutions charged with its protection. Grim.

I've been busy writing for the Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog recently. New articles include those on... ~ Priest Holes tinyurl.com/bdh39pcs ~ Who Invented the Corridor? tinyurl.com/438h9k8t ~ The Bloxham Tunnels tinyurl.com/4fhb9n7m 📸 Priest hole at Harvington Hall

I'm pleased with recent bookings in York, Manchester, Guildford, Worcester & Sherborne. However, when we launch the tour there will be many "Why aren't you doing my back garden!?" comments... Well, now is the time to book me for that gig! More info: tinyurl.com/bdhbmmer

I'm pleased with recent bookings in York, Manchester, Guildford, Worcester & Sherborne. However, when we launch the tour there will be many "Why aren't you doing my back garden!?" comments... Well, now is the time to book me for that gig! More info: tinyurl.com/bdhbmmer

Pippin sings the Song of His People.

Really useful advice. I've received numerous scam emails purporting to offer promotion of my writing recently, most of them AI generated...

I've been busy writing for the Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog recently. New articles include those on... ~ Priest Holes tinyurl.com/bdh39pcs ~ Who Invented the Corridor? tinyurl.com/438h9k8t ~ The Bloxham Tunnels tinyurl.com/4fhb9n7m 📸 Priest hole at Harvington Hall

Two cats using thing bought for those cats. Shocking footage that isn't even AI-generated! 🤯

Last week, a story broke about the discovery of tunnels at Bloxham in Oxfordshire. After a long piece of research, I've put together a piece about what they probably are (mines), and what they probably are not (escape tunnels for priests)... triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/2026/05/14/m...

Last week, a story broke about the discovery of tunnels at Bloxham in Oxfordshire. After a long piece of research, I've put together a piece about what they probably are (mines), and what they probably are not (escape tunnels for priests)... triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/2026/05/14/m...

Publisher: "Someone has bailed on us, could you write a 5,000 word book chapter by the end of next month? Oh, by the way, there is no fee and you will get no royalties." Well, who would ever consider refusing such a deal? Me. That's who. Labour must be paid for.

Sometimes it all about fragments in the buildings archaeology game. Buried in the attic of an unassuming Leicestershire cottage are the remains of what may be a collar and raking queen strut, infilled within later brickwork, of an early 16th to mid-17th century roof structure.

I'm still looking for dates for The Buildings Archaeologist book tour from Oct 2026 to July 2027. If you are an event organiser, or you personally know someone who is, please do get in contact 🙂 More info: triskeleheritage.com/the-building...

I'm still looking for dates for The Buildings Archaeologist book tour from Oct 2026 to July 2027. If you are an event organiser, or you personally know someone who is, please do get in contact 🙂 More info: triskeleheritage.com/the-building...

A tour guide has just done the spiral stair myth to my face.

I've been writing about Romans. I feel sullied.

I'm not interested in genealogy, but just spotted the phrase 'licence to crenellate' on my wife's family tree. As a castle specialist, I was interested. Turns out it was granted to Nicholas Benton in 1376 for Faulston House (Wilts). Nice 17thC house and dovecote now on the site.

I'm getting multiple invitations to appear at online literary events. The text of the emails always reads oddly and I suspect is written using AI. Within 2 or 3 responses there is always a demand that I pay a fee. I don't ever "pay to play". Its predatory. I now suspect a scam.

After approximately 3,343,231 of you sent me this article, I've done some digging around. Just finished speaking with David from the Bloxham Underground Tunnels Society for over an hour. He's very clear on what has been found. The BBC article is not. New blog article on the go...

Its widely claimed that corridors were invented in 1597 by the surveyor John Thorpe. There are plenty of Roman & Mediaeval examples that beg to differ so I took on the subject for the Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog #33: Who Invented the Corridor? triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/2026/05/06/m...

This afternoon I've settled on a venue for the book launch, signed a non-disclosure agreement, and been invited to a wedding on Halloween. These three things are entirely separate, I hasten to add.

I'm coming back to Buxton!

The big stack of books on my desk indicates that: 1) post-book submission, my creative brain cells are working again; 2) I've written something I like for fun; 3) there will be a cider celebration tonight 🤯✒️🍺

I got so much paint on myself today whilst redecorating the bathroom that I just spent about 30 seconds trying to scrub off one of my tattoos.

Sumer is icumen in.

Me: Sends email to an event organiser with the date "8 October" in the header and "8 October" in the first line of the message. Event Organiser: "What date are you looking for?" Why must people?

Inspector of Kibbles.

Tonight, I finished a 6 month lecture series. Then I cleaned out the litter trays, put the bins out, and mopped up cat piss. The life of glamour...

Tonight - the final session in the series before I take a year off (just like Glastonbury). More info & bookings: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

I'll be testing out this claim by the QI Elves that the first corridor was recorded in 1597 during an online event tomorrow night (Wed 29 April): The Surprising Secrets of Ancient Corridors. Please do join us! More info & bookings... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

Tonight - the final session in the series before I take a year off (just like Glastonbury). More info & bookings: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

I'll be testing out this claim by the QI Elves that the first corridor was recorded in 1597 during an online event tomorrow night (Wed 29 April): The Surprising Secrets of Ancient Corridors. Please do join us! More info & bookings... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

Zakia Sewell's Finding Albion is the first book I've read cover to cover in over a year. One of the major obstacles to reading is writing. Now that The Buildings Archaeologist is submitted I can explore other writers again. What a thought-provoking joy this was 🖤

The final online talk; happening Wednesday. More info & bookings: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

Puss'n'Boots.

The final online talk; happening Wednesday. More info & bookings: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

For centuries the most common form of corridor was the cross-passage. It provided social & functional division between the hall and services in houses, such as Oakwell Hall. For more on The Surprising Secrets of Ancient Corridors, join us online 29 April: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

For centuries the most common form of corridor was the cross-passage. It provided social & functional division between the hall and services in houses, such as Oakwell Hall. For more on The Surprising Secrets of Ancient Corridors, join us online 29 April: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-surpri...

Two very different frontmen last night. The punk mania of Kory Clarke followed by the AOR perfection of Danny Vaughn. I absolutely love both Warrior Soul & Tyketto - yet they were such an unlikely pairing for a tour... it really worked though! So glad I made the trip to Wolves 🖤