February 9, 2012

Weird Britian: British Man Lives In 1930′s Time Warp

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One would think a local Riddleton, in the West Yorks, has stepped back into the late 1930's. However, Michael McTigue, hasn't he is living and breathing in 2011. Mr McTigue has a passion for the era and lives his life, when he is not driving a school bus as if it were 1938. What does living in … [Read more...]

Brit Book Reviews: Life in The Victorian Country House by Pamela Horn

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  There is such a romance about the British country house, I wonder what it would have been like to be a guest at a grand country house during this time in history. I would have adored participating in all of the events of a grand weekend in the country. While I cannot travel in time, Life … [Read more...]

Weird Britain: The Bingo Calling Championships

The perception of Bingo as the quaint English game played on a seaside pier has long gone. Bingo is played by huge numbers of the public across the country and in many other parts of the world. Bingo has come a long way from its halcyon days in the 1950's when it was found on sea piers. In the … [Read more...]

Odd Britain: Lawnmower endurance race in West Sussex

I used to thing that Lawnmower racing itself was odd but this just takes the cake! Teams of eccentric racers take on the 2012 12-Hour lawn mower endurance race in West Sussex. … [Read more...]

Odd Britain: Pub in Yorkshire Fries World’s Largest Fish & Chiips

A pub in Yorkshire, UK, has made fish and chips weighing 45.36 kg on Saturday, breaking the Guinness World Record held by American pub in Boston who cooked 35.4 kg of fish and chips. Looks delicious! … [Read more...]

Odd Britain: Where A Simple Beach Hut Fetches $400,000

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Britain is known for it's insane property prices - but the Daily Mail has the latest example of Britain's property price madness. A beach hut for sale for £250,000 ($400,000). From the article: It is a Tardis inside with two floors, gadgets galore and is expected to sell for £250,000. The … [Read more...]

Exhibit… Eh? More of Britain’s Weirdest Museums

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It’s surprisingly easy to have an affordable holiday in Britain. From cheap hotels to inexpensive (or free) museums, there’s a lot to see and do that won’t cost you a fortune. But don’t be fooled into thinking you’re stuck with the usual castles and classic artworks. Britain is home to … [Read more...]

Weird Britain: Lawnmower Racing Season Begins in Britain

The fastest grass cutters in Britain do battle as the Grand Prix season gets underway. If you think this is odd, there's even a Lawnmower Museum in Liverpool. … [Read more...]

British Man to Travel Across America and Visit Every Town Named Manchester

A British man named Pete Johnson from Manchester, England - having a bit of a mid-life crisis - has decided to travel across North America and visit every town named Manchester. According to the BBC: Pete Johnson, 53, from Sale will criss-cross the United States by motorbike, starting in … [Read more...]

Odd Britain: Welshman Builds 50′s American Diner in his Garden Shed

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I don't know what'd more odd - the fact a man from Wales converted his garden shed into a 1950's style American diner or the fact that there is an entire website dedicated to garden shed modifications... Paul Siudowski from Wales has turned his garden shed into a 1950's style American diner and … [Read more...]

Record-Breaking Britain: Experience Something Special

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Record-Breaking Britain: Experience Something Special The U.K. is home to some of the world’s record-breaking wonders, although chances are, not everyone is aware of them. Forget researching cheap holiday deals to far flung destinations; Britain has some world wonders of its own. From … [Read more...]

The Quirks of Oxford and Cambridge

The Telegraph has put together an excellent article about some of the cultural quirks at Oxford and Cambridge. Here's an excerpt: Subfusc Subfusc is a mode of full academic dress worn by students to sit exams and attend university ceremonies such as matriculation at Oxford. Generally it … [Read more...]

Odd Britain: The Tetbury Woolsack Races

The Tetbury Woolsack Races take place every year in the historic market town of Tetbury in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds. Individuals and teams demonstrate their strength and fitness by carrying a sack of wool up and down a hill that reaches a gradient of 1 in 4. It is thought that the races … [Read more...]

New Site Feature: Funny British Place Names

One thing that astounds me about Britain is the variety of place names - many of them rude and hiliarious. So, we set out to create the biggest list we could find of funnysound places names in the United Kingdom. The result was a list that features towns and villages like: Crapstone Beaver … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the North: Top 10 Best of the British Summer

I realize that I'm posting this right at the end of the summer, possibly not the best timing for a post such as this but I've had so much excitement this summer from the process of getting my ILR Visa to the Tall Ships Races here in Hartlepool and Red Dreams Pitch Invasion music festival last … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the South: American Things I Still Can’t Do in Britain

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Photo from Flickr To continue with my “I've been here how long?” theme, this week we'll take a look at some of the things I would like to adapt to, but just can't seem to get the hang of. On the up side, I am pleased to say I can now travel around without getting lost (too often), … [Read more...]

Anglophile in Exile: All You Need Is… a Beatles Master’s Degree

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If you've been following my column here on Anglotopia, you know I am batty for all things Beatles. Practically every book, film, video game, you name it, I have devoured it. Needless to say, my curiously was piqued when I saw that Liverpool Hope University is offering a new Master's degree in The … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the East: At Play in the Field of Gnomes

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Two things happened this week, I moved into a new home, and I bought my first garden gnome.  To be fair, I bought it ironically, but I'm now a gnome owner just the same.   And the most awesome thing about my gnome, apart from it's essential gnomeness, is the fact that it is powered by the sun, … [Read more...]

Britannia in Brief Week: Don’t Be a Pillock in the Pub – Do’s and Don’t's of British Pub Etiquette

The final post in our Britannia in Brief series is a fantastic article from co-author William Mullins about how to behave in a British pub. I'm glad he decided to write about this as I've experienced the confusion of being a pub for the first time. Be sure to check out the rest of the posts for … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the North: And Bingo was its Name-o

I have known for a couple of weeks now that I wanted to write a post about social clubs, but I am having a difficult time describing the atmosphere of a social club because there is just nothing like it in the US. A social club is like a marriage of an American Legion club and your local dive bar. … [Read more...]

Only in Britain: Let’s Build our Own Steam Engine

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Photo of the Peppercorn Tornado from Flickr Filed under the 'Only in Britain' Banner. According to the Times Online recently, a brand new steam engine has had it's final tests and is ready to roll on Britain's mainline rails. What's odd about this is that they simply don't make steam trains … [Read more...]

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