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Thoughts on Exploring the Lives of Women, 1558–1837, by members of the Women’s Studies Group 1558-1837

Thoughts on Exploring the Lives of Women, 1558–1837, by members of the Women’s Studies Group 1558-1837

As citizens of a very different world, though one in which work still needs to be done, the members of the Women’s Studies Group can honour both of them, along with many of the women whose lives we have been exploring, for their refusal to leave the world as they found it. 

Carolyn D. Williams

Women’s History as a scholarly discipline owes its roots, in part, to historical revisionism – whereby…

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She Noted: An Interview with History Blogger, #HistoryGirls Founder and Friend, Hisdoryan

She Noted: An Interview with History Blogger, #HistoryGirls Founder and Friend, Hisdoryan

It’s ok to live in the past…

Hisdoryan, Claire

It was within a community of likeminded women that I found my place in the blogging world. Through carefully chosen hashtags, I was guided towards my niche – one that holds a particularly special place in my heart: women’s history and the women writing it. Lighting up the night sky with a new constellation of bright, learned women, Claire (known by…

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A Tale of Three Restaurants: Quick Lunch, Long Lunch, Dinner Date

A Tale of Three Restaurants: Quick Lunch, Long Lunch, Dinner Date

Three moods, three meals. Time-off from work afforded us the opportunity to experience three styles of eating-out ahead of, during and after our staycation…

Eating out is something that I savour – there’s so much room for gratitude when you take a break for your own kitchen rhythms to be taken care of for an hour or two. Darren and I had the pleasure of sampling a trio of dining experiences…

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A UK Staycation, Cotswolds Edition

A UK Staycation, Cotswolds Edition

When the opportunity presents itself for an escape to the country, you can’t go far wrong with the Cotswolds…

This destination is right on our doorstop – living in Oxfordshire, it’s an hour’s drive and you’re there. At times you could quite easily be en Provence in rustic France or Italy – an effect accomplished by hazy sunshine, Cotswold stone, and rolling fields. Taking time to meander and…

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Nourishing Greens, Brown Rice Dish

Nourishing Greens, Brown Rice Dish

Ingredients:

Brown rice, bean sprouts, whole broccoli florets, garlic pepper, diced onion, vegetable stock, sliced mushrooms, spinach leaves, coconut oil (Lizzo track, optional but highly recommended for a whole bunch of flavour and self-love).

Background:

Work often has hectic periods, particularly in the run-up to new season launches – factoring in three brands, each with its…

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A Cosy Shepherd Hut Stay, In St. Veep, Cornwall

A Cosy Shepherd Hut Stay, In St. Veep, Cornwall

As a couple, we’ve got this thing with shepherd’s huts. For proximity, familiarity, the simple pleasure of pretending we own a herd of goats and live off the land…

Maybe it’s because I grew up caravanning with my grandparents, outgrew this in my teens, then re-visited the concept. I spent so many savoured holidays down in the New Forest, catching minnows with little bits of bread, riding…

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Testing

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Little Things Living: Meet Brighton's Regency Cook, Paul Couchman

Little Things Living: Meet Brighton's Regency Cook, Paul Couchman

It’s my absolute pleasure to bring She Noted’s Little Things Livingproject to life with our first feature fully fledged feature for the year. This week, we’ll wax lyrical with Paul Couchman – the gentlemen behind the pop-up supper club called ‘Dine Like a Servant’ at The Regency Town House, a grade I listed historic townhouse, museum and heritage center in Hove where the past is very much living…

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Formal Gardens in the 17th Century: Ideas from Italy

Formal Gardens in the 17th Century: Ideas from Italy

Prior to the seventeenth century, the prodigy houses of the Elizabethan age were those sites privy to landscaping on the scale that we can later expect from Britain’s grand country house gardens. This period of the Renaissance ushered in strands of Italianate influence, greatly received by a proportion of courtiers and gentry. Properties such as Kenilworth, Theobalds and Wollaton exhibited the…

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She Noted: The Anatomy of a Copywriter's Desk

What’s in a desk? A desk by any other name would still be as untidy…

Were I writing an ode to my desk at work, that would probably be it – partly down to the oftentimes chaotic, creative energy that fuels my day, and then my love of well, stuff. At home, I have a cabinet of curiosities and a recently acquired kitchen dresser – both are filled to the brim with all manner of antiques, vintage…

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Thoughts On Lady M: The Life and Loves of Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne 1751 - 1818 by Colin Brown for fellow historians and readers

Thoughts On Lady M: The Life and Loves of Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne 1751 – 1818 by Colin Brown for fellow historians and readers

The best friend I ever had in my life, and the cleverest of women.

So said Lord Byron of Lady Melbourne, 17 November 1813. Before we delve into Colin Brown’s tidy paperback, let us first familiarise ourselves with Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne (née Milbanke; 1751 – 1818) and her timeline – one that spans grand old Georgian England and a romp through the whimsical Regency; two of my…

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West Wycombe Park - State & Drawing Rooms

West Wycombe Park – State & Drawing Rooms

State Rooms

The principal or state rooms of West Wycombe are identifiable by the monumental chimneypieces and door cases which were installed during the period of renovation. The coloured marbles used here would’ve been of great expense and, combined with the rich carving, attest to the status of the room as a showpiece and social hub. For example, the centrality of the Saloon denotes its…

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She Noted: Preparing for Christmas

She Noted: Preparing for Christmas

It’s no secret that I adore this time of year. Having resumed my studies in the Country House, I’ve had the space to map out new historical content for readers and hope that in the meantime, you enjoy reading about the activities I’ve been indulging in this season. Having recently moved into our new house, I take great pleasure in little homemaking tweaks here and there and in busying myself with…

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She Noted: Tabletop Talks - The Victorian Country House

She Noted: Tabletop Talks – The Victorian Country House

When delivering a talk, my preparation varies depending on the topic. In this instance, I had made a last minute decision to switch the theme from the Elizabethan Prodigy House to the Victorian Country House as I’d been struggling to condense so sprawling a topic as the prodigy house and cult of sovereignty. It’s always important to consider your audience and, on this occasion, the Downton Abbey…

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She Noted: A Restorative Weekend, With Friends

She Noted: A Restorative Weekend, With Friends

My cousin, his husband and their gorgeous little girl Billie recently took up residence in their new home. Darren and I were delighted to receive an invitation to stay for the weekend – setting out after work on a Friday evening to brave the M40 and arriving to settle into a wonderful few days. I’d just started my new job, as the Content & Copywriting Executive for three delightful brands and we…

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West Wycombe Park - Architects & Collectors

West Wycombe Park – Architects & Collectors

The remit of the architect is inseparable from the character of the collector, which they sought to accommodate. Indeed, the architecture of the country house was used to house great works of art and the purpose of the setting was to complement this accordingly. West Wycombe’s entrance hall is particularly theatrical in this case, taking the form of an inner court or atrium within which Dashwood…

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Thoughts On A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty by Mimi Matthews for fellow historians and readers

Thoughts On A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty by Mimi Matthews for fellow historians and readers

I often find myself wishing that I owned a stash of Victorian fashion magazines – perhaps those gorgeously volumnious bound editions that are practically bursting at the seams with patterns, tidbits and illustrated fashion plates. Sigh, there’s the dream. UntilI have the luxury of even more shelf space, there are plenty of ways to make do and mend – and you don’t even need to scrimp on the…