We love a spectacular book find at a local church hall sale. Never knew this collection of extraordinary #tapestries even existed. Has anyone been fortunate enough to admire it in person?

Today I am celebrating the official beginning of #spring with my #Magnolia soulangeana. This hybrid is named after the French plantsman Étienne Soulange-Bodin (1774-1846) and was first introduced to England from France in the 1820s.

#nature is a cruel mother.

Digging up weeds in my garden is always followed by unearthing #treasure. #materialculture of the personal kind

My mysterious #mandrake has woken up. Bought from a retiring ‘alchemist’ several years ago.

You may access a digital copy of this fantastic book over here, #earlymodern #bookhistory folks: digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/suche?queryS...

The talented Jim Newboult of Trinity Court Potteries has made me this flowerpot for my basil, inspired by a depiction in Jacob Meydenbach's Ortus Sanitatis from 1491.

Muscari botryoides are first described by Gerard in his Herball (1597) and according to him were grown in London gardens for their beauty.

Soaking up the sun ☀️

We are getting excited - proof-reading the MS for The Wreck of the Gloucester: A 17th-Century Warship Through Time! Finally! It should go to @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social for publication next week! @benjaminredding.bsky.social & I are now discussing the cover image ... tempted by this artefact (!?)😉

The #Almond tree produces the prettiest flower in early spring. Last year I harvested my very first and only almond in September. Horticulturalist William Turner had not heard of many who successfully grew almond fruits in England by 1551.

Highly effective, natural stress buster🌱

When ‘compost’ making was done in the kitchen …

Visitors can always expect something a bit ‘different' when they come here. And for me this presents the best excuse to get into the #Early #Modern kitchen and bring another ‘new’ historic pie recipe to life. This #orange #pie scored 10/10.

The buds of the Sanguinole #pear, first mentioned in England by horticulturist John Rea in 1665, are always setting the pace in my heritage orchard.

In 1597, John Gerard describes 9 different daffodils growing in English gardens, but dwarf varieties such as Tête-à-Tête are not amongst them.

Late to the party. Finally got round to making Plat’s #marmalade with Seville #oranges and my last, wrinkly #pippins. A match made in the late #Tudor kitchen and yes, tastebuds are in heaven.

The wonderful season of serenading #frogs and #toads gathering at the moat and competing for prospective mates has began. Several try their luck at my back door which, of course, is also a good place to hide from the heron’s ferocious appetite. Nature is everything but kind.

I’m a firm believer in the effectiveness of ‘experimental’ history in as far as truly understanding ancient skills, there is no better way than actually ‘doing’ them. My admiration for hot lime making, application and performance tripled by simply trying my hand at it. Superbly enlightening day.

We love the colours and skill in this late 12th C illumination from @StPeterMancroft parish deposit #WorldBookDay2026 #WorldBookDay

#Spring is in the air. We have made it through another winter. Warm air, birdsong and once again there is hope for better things to come. #escapeism

In 1550, one Elephant Power (EP) was the equivalent of 10 Horse Power (HP).

OTD, William Turner praised Elizabeth I in his A new Herball (1568): 'As for yur knowledge in the Latin tonge xviii years ago or more, I had in the Duke of Somersettes house (beynge his Physition at the tyme) a good trial therof, when as it pleased your grace to speake Latin unto me'.

For those who have missed it and are interested, my talk is now available online.

Focus on my universe

#Brain-fog treatment the #Tudor way: #Rosemary flower in wine vapour

Late C17 #crewelwork fragment from the Tree of Life design depicting the rose and a carnation. The use of bluish greens supplemented by brighter greens and browns indicates a former use in bed hangings or curtains. #embroidery #needlework

Another piece of #essential literature on #medieval #churches has arrived at my doorstep. Looking forward to that coffee break for a quick peek.

'Tudor Voices on the River Orwell', a Suffolk Archives project, utilises the legal inquiry into the drowning of oyster-catcher Richard Astill in 1518 to explore how deodand law affected the verdict & together with original witness testimonies the audience was submersed in Middle English. Brilliant!

#Dwarf #iris is in full swing at the moment but it was definitely not a flower that graced the gardens of Tudor England. Its precise arrival is hard to pin down but the dwarf iris is most likely a C19 introduction.

The delightful north door of Bibury church. And inside, through the remains of a Saxon chancel arch, a confection of early Tudor bedposts and random other stuff made into a settle.

You may enjoy the #earlymodern book the images are taken from: "Thierbůch || Das ist ein kurtze bschreybung aller vier=||füssigen Thieren/ so auff der erde vnd in wassern wonend/ sampt || jrer waren conterfactur..." digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/werkansicht/...

Most traditional recipes use dried peas. This one, from Balthasar Staindl's 1547 cookbook, serves them fresh from the pod, with bacon. www.culina-vetus.de/2026/02/26/f... #culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern

In Tudor England, ‘Laus Tibi' could refer to either squill or white daffodils, making a clear identification not always possible. #daffodils

The therapeutic effect of running water on humans is evident in its natural allure and limerence. The young Yare at the bottom of the garden working its way

Fantastic turn out at the talk today - despite the glorious sunny day we have all been waiting for!

First cup of #morning #coffee outdoors in 2026. Spring is just around the corner.

Question for #EarlyModern #Skystorians please! 🗃️ What are your favourite online places to search for public domain images? (free to use, out of copyright, cleared by copyright owner for public use etc)? Example: Public Domain Image Archive pdimagearchive.org

New season #Alexanders are out! #Tudor #Salad ❤️

One of my favourites this time of year is the #Winter #Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) which sadly is not Tudor period correct, having been introduced to England in 1844 by Scottish botanist Robert Fortune. The summer flowering Common Jasmine, however, was introduced to England during the C16.

Looking forward to it! #Tudor #Kitchengarden

#Stinking #Hellebore's ground root was used by the Tudors to 'purge' the stomach. It also came in handy as vermin bait baked with oatmeal and honey.

C16 Italian silk appliqué on velvet.

The #hazel nut (Corylus avellana) is one of Britain's native trees. The Tudors called it hedge nut and pollarded (removal of upper branches) or coppiced the trunk (cut down to the ground). The resulting thin and bendy branches were used for weaving fence hurdles & wattle panels.

#Squirrels are the masters of looking cute & destroying my home by making it theirs. Chewed (renewed) cables and newly created holes in the roof (allowing water in) are ongoing concerns. Their breeding program is impressive too. I really need them to understand that my roof space is off limits. 😳

Henry VIII octagonal pewter saucer by Thomas Curtis of London. Circa 1540. Sold recently at Bishop & Miller Auctioneers.

Someone else with clearly more cooking talent than us managed to make them look quite nice, so obviously results may vary...

Practice makes perfect they say. If it didn’t quite go to plan the first time, try again and you might surprise yourself but go very easy on the butter for frying and do not use oil please 😊

#Pancakes the #Stuart way: Modern interpretation: Ingredients: 2 eggs & 1 egg white ½ l flour (converted & reduced from a ‘pottle’) 120ml sherry (sack substitute) 175ml milk 1 tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground mace – each 1 pinch salt Butter for frying