The first prime minister of Great Britain is generally considered to be Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745). He was also Britain’s longest serving, holding the office for nearly 21 years: bit.ly/2SBylWZ

Election Day is here, and to mark it we've got this 19th Century image of voters having their say. Make sure you get down to the polling station to cast your vote like they did!

At the general election of December 1832, the polls in each constituency could be open for 2 days. This was reduced to one day in boroughs in 1835 & in counties in 1853. But it was only after 1918 that all polling took place on the same day in every seat.

How did the legendary ancient empire come crashing down? bit.ly/2QP1XRt

Who else is looking forward to showing off their first haircut in what feels like forever?

#OTD 1999 legislative powers were transferred from Westminster to the devolved govts of Scotland and Wales, officially opening Scottish Parliament & Welsh Parliament. Both nations held referendums in 1997, & Parliament passed the Scotland Act & the Government of Wales Act in 1998. 📸Scottish Parliament

On this day in 1793, Revolutionary France declares war on Great Britain ushering in 22 years of almost continuous conflict between the two powers.

Almost finished reading this fascinating book by Keith Lowe. At a time when statues spark so much controversy, I thoroughly enjoyed reading a detailed analysis of so many different WW2 memorials. Lots of discussion points to bring to the classroom.

This analysis about the meaning of ruins seems a logical next read given my recent read of 'Prisoners of History'. Both texts seem to argue that monuments/ruins tell more about the society in which they appear than that which they came from.

Hand-drawn original maps, charting the Spanish Armada, were just acquired by The National Museum of the Royal Navy Check out armada.parliament.uk for a close look at the epic Armada Paintings in the House of Lords. #ArmadaMaps

3 February 1924. Historian E. P. Thompson was born in Oxford. He is best known for his historical work on British radical movements, in the early 19th century, most notably, his landmark book: The Making of the English Working Class.

Clocking Off A young Fellow-Me-Lad carrying a clockface through the streets of #London, by Scharf c.1830. I hope he's on time

mimi numinum niuium minimi munium nimium uini muniminum imminui uiui minimum uolunt

I just referred to Julius Caesar as an emperor and my 5 year old child told me he wasn’t one. I think this might be a lifetime low point for my intellectual confidence.

Excellent article from Suzannah Lipscomb Suzannah Lipscomb on the role that the archives play in erasing certain historical narratives. 'The archives are not a reliable record of history; the archives are a site of power.'

#OTD in 1918 the Representation of the People Act was passed - extending the right to vote to women over 30 (who met certain property qualifications) and all men over 21. An important milestone in the fight for women's suffrage, but still 10 years away from equal franchise.

Looking for some extra reading recommendations for keen Year 8 historians. Any ideas?

Watching the sun slowly rise can help relieve the worries on your mind. #EveryoneNeedsNature Photo: Coldrum Long Barrow.

City of London, Old & New: 5. Tower of London and Renzo Piano’s Shard.

Fascinating symposium session today from Chance Williams from Routes of Liberation helping us to explore the nature of memorialisation and the different challenges that are faced when trying to preserve memory and creating a linear route when the history is not linear. Thank you!