Maxstoke Castle in the English Midlands dtaes back to the 12th century. Relics in there include a chair reputed to have been used to crown Henry VII at Bosworth Battlefield in 1485 and a table that the Gunpowder Plotters sat round when making their plans.

Tamworth Castle in Staffordshire is judged to be the finest preserved example of a motte and bailey castle in the UK. Legend associates Sir Walter Scott's Marmion with the de Marmions who once owned the castle.

Kenilworth Castle in Warweickshire was once the seat of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite of Elizabeth I. Aniother famous owner was Simon de Montfort who challenged Henry III in pusuit of establishing a parliament.

24 August 1482: Berwick upon Tweed and its castle were captured by the English in 1482 during the Anglo-Scottish Wars under the direction of 29 year old Richard of Gloucester.

24 August 1482; Berwick on Tweed's castle fell to an Ebglish army led by Richard of Gloucester and has remained on the English side of the border ever since. Founded in the 12th Century it had been rebuilt by Edward I

9 October 1514: 18 yr old Mary Tudor married 52 yr old Louis XII of France. He didn't last long...

Ear Grey (1764-1845) gave his nam,e to a tea specially created for him by Twinings. It has a smoky, malty flavour with a touch of citrus bergamot.

Earl Grey Tea is famous everywhere but does everyon actually enjoy it?

25 October 1415: Not only was it St.Crispin's Day but one of the greatest victories of the Hundred Years War - Agincourt, where Henry V and his tiny band of warriors defeated the French who outnumbered them by about 10 to 1.

You can't beat a good book

11 January 1591: Birth of Robert Deveraeaux 3rd Earl of Essex. (His father also named Robert was Elizabeth I's favourite went to the block when his son was only ten years old.) Robert Jnr. became a leading light in the English Civil War taking prominent roles in the battles.

George Eliot aka Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) was a pioneer for women's roles in Victorian England due to her outspoken, Bohemian lifestyle. She defended her agnostic views while openly living with George Henry Lewes but still had to publish under a pseudonym for serious acclaim.

Charles dickens was born at this stylish town house in Portsmouth's Commercial Road in 1812. You can still visit it today and see the rooms where he played as an infant. However, his carefree days didn't last long...

At the age of 12, Charles Dickens suffered the indignity of being sent to a factory to glue labels on bottle while his incompetent father and the rest of his family languished in Marshalsea Debtors' Prison. It was a trauma that affected the rest of his life...

Black Cats are wonderfully handsome with glossy fur and great temperaments. Adopt one and it will bring good fortune and happiness into your life.

Rainbow Bridge, Oxford. This bridge set across the River Cherwell was constructed in 1923 at the request of the university. It 's set in a beautiful area with meadows and woodlands that's great for punting along the river in the summer.

In Celtic mythology a fairy known as the Cat Sith could transform into a cat nine times and if choosing to change for the ninth time, remained as a cat forever. a bit like the regeneration of Dr. Who...

The Pilgrims on the Mayflower were obsessed with devilish things and viewed black cats as witches' familiars. Consequently many Americans see Black Cats as bad luck yet thankfully in Britain and Japan these handsome little creatures are Good Luck.

Henry Viii's frustration at his protracted negotiations to obtain a divorce in the late 1520s and early 1530s is suddenly more understandable with the farcical brexit performances in the house of Commons. Still, Henry got his own way after all in 1533...

Good luck for the play off 26 may 2018 x.com/tomhanks/statu…