John Harvard was baptised here, in what is now Southwark cathedral, in 1607. Tragically, he died of tuberculosis shortly after emigrating to Massachusetts, aged just 30. In his will, he left such a generous bequest to a local college that it took his name: Harvard.

I saw this advert for tourist trips out of London. Not a bad selection for a first-time visitor to England, but St Albans and Cambridge are two glaring omissions for me! What would you add?

Happy Independence Day to all my American friends and followers! The first President to live in the White House was John Adams, who moved in with his wife Abigail in 1800. Adams said he hoped “none but honest and wise men [shall] ever rule under this roof.”

The name “Cotswolds” probably reflects the area’s abundance of sheep and hills, with ‘cot’ meaning sheep enclosure and ‘wold’ meaning high ground. While some say it may instead stem from an otherwise unknown Anglo-Saxon chieftain called Cod, that sounds a bit fishy to me…

Delighted to see one of the fledgling peregrine falcons perched atop the cathedral. Gorgeous birds.