Archive

Sunday Post: Why Was This Medieval Castle Where a King Was Murdered Decorated for an American-style Halloween?


Welcome back to the Sunday Post, your little bit of Britain in your inbox, every Sunday.  This week we visit Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, encounter some fascinating Royal History, but then we find ourselves in the middle of an American-style Halloween display.

Member Update


We're up to 174 members, 26 to go to our 200 member goal! I was going to let members know that we have a new book out, all…

Sunday Post: My Dream of Living in England



This week was about recovering from the illness that took me down the previous week. So, I think we'll share another bit of writing from our archive that hasn't been seen on the website before. I've been thinking a lot lately about moving to England. Well, I'm always thinking about moving to England. I've probably thought it about it multiple times a day since I was 16 years old. But I've been…

Sunday Post: The Stately Home


I have been sick the past week and unable to write a new article for this week's Sunday Post, so rather than send nothing, I thought I would share an excerpt from one of my books that most of you probably haven't already read. The essay is about English Stately Homes. I initially based the essay off a similar one written by George Orwell in 1946, where he described the perfect English…

Sunday Post: Long-running British TV shows to Completely Fill Your Free Time


This week's Sunday Post is a little different. Walking recently, I wondered what British TV shows have been on the longest, and would completely fill my free time if I chose to watch them. After a lot of research, I've put together a massive list for Friends of Anglotopia of British TV shows with a lot of episodes. Watching these shows will immerse you in British culture, and transport you to Britain…

Early Podcast Release: Episode 45 - The New Espionage Behind Operation Market Garden Revealed with Author Robert Verkaik


In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Robert Verkaik, author of 'The Traitor of Arnhem', about the hidden espionage that shaped the fate of Operation Market Garden during World War II. They delve into the roles of double agents, particularly Anthony Blunt, and the impact of Soviet intelligence on the Allied war effort. Robert shares his personal connection to the story, the shocking revelations from newly released…

Sunday Post: A host of golden daffodils


It's February, and soon we will begin seeing the shoots of spring - in England, one of those signs of spring is the daffodil. So, this week we explore the natural and cultural history of this beautiful little flower and how England appreciates it. 

Member Update


We are now 170 members strong! Welcome to the new member (who joined today!). Apologies again for the lack of an early podcast this week. The…

Monthly Free Desktop Wallpaper - Basildon Park Grounds



Welcome to all the members who have joined the free tier of the Friends of Anglotopia Club in the last month. One of your benefits is a monthly free desktop wallpaper (existing members, of course, will also get the wallpapers!). Our hope is that you will enjoy these little bits of Britain enough to become a paying member of the Friends of Anglotopia Club.

This month's wallpaper was taken last October on…

Sunday Post: Exploring London's Newest Museum - The Chelsea Pensioners Museum

This week, we tell you about a fun experience we had on our trip last autumn where we had the chance to visit (at the time) London's newest museum, the new Chelsea Pensioners Museum in the restored stableblock at the famous Royal Hospital Chelsea. Come with us as we explore this fascinating history and take a look at the special new museum. 

Member Update


We are now 169 members strong! We are…

Sorry, No Early Podcast This Week

Hi Everyone - just a quick podcast update to let members know that there won't be an early podcast this week. I was unwell on Friday and had to cancel the recording session with the guest, so there was nothing to release this week (we're rescheduling with the guest - and I am fine now - just annoyed there isn't a podcast this week!). There will be next week! I promise!

Sunday Post: Why This Georgian House in Berkeley Is One of the Most Important Places in Human History

Introduction

Step into a remarkable journey through one of history's most significant locations - Dr. Edward Jenner's house in Berkeley, England. We take you inside the Georgian home where vaccination was born, from its slightly shabby but charming white facade to the glass-protected laboratory where Jenner conducted his revolutionary smallpox experiments. We share our personal observations with historical significance, bringing you face-to-face with the humble setting where a country doctor's curiosity changed…

Anglotopia Podcast Early Release: Episode 44: Exploring Churchill’s D-Day Strategy with Allen Packwood


In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Allen Packwood, director of the Churchill Archives Center at Cambridge, about Winston Churchill's role during the D-Day landings. They explore the complexities of military strategy, the scale of preparations, and the integration of civilian and military efforts. Allen shares insights from his research and discusses how Churchill's past experiences, particularly the Gallipoli campaign, influenced his decision-making during World War II…

Sunday Post: The Unexpected American Connection at Gloucester Cathedral

Welcome to the Sunday Post, your exclusive article about something lovely and British delivered to your inbox every Sunday. This week, we explore the unexpected American connection we discovered on our visit to Gloucester Cathedral a few months ago. It's a fascinating, and strange story! 

Member Update


We are now 164 paid members strong! As always, welcome to all the new members who joined in the last week. We're so glad to…

Sunday Post: Visiting Laurie Lee Country in the Cotswolds

Member Update


We did it! We smashed our goal of 150 new members, and ended up 160 paid members! Welcome to all the new members! We hope you enjoy your first Sunday Post this week. In case you missed the announcement earlier this week, we will begin sharing monthly desktop wallpapers with members of the club, just another lovely little benefit for everyone.

Now, we begin the work to get our membership…

Introducing Monthly Desktop Wallpapers for Members!

During our New Year's new member push last week, I promised that if we reached 150 members, we would unveil a new membership benefit. Well, we hit that target - and beyond. We're now 159 members strong! Welcome to all the new members!

The new membership benefit for everyone is free monthly desktop wallpapers of beautiful British places or things. Every month, we'll dig into our archive and find a beautiful picture…

Sunday Post: Snowdrops - England's Winter Flower

Member Update


We decided to do a New Year's membership drive and are welcoming several new members this week. We're very close to 150 members, and when we get there, we can unveil something we think everyone will love (and add value to your club membership).

Also, do you know anyone you think would like a free membership to the club? A kind patron who would like to remain anonymous has purchased…

Sunday Post: New Year's On Gold Hill

Member Update


We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! We are now 138 members strong. Let's give a big Anglotopia welcome to the new members who were gifted subscriptions for Christmas! Welcome!

Here are some highlights from the chat community this week:

Sunday Post: Christmas on Gold Hill

Member Update


We've welcomed a few new members this week - we're now at 137 members, with a few gift members to join us after Christmas. Don't forget, you can give the gift of a subscription to the Anglotopia Club here

We want to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas, and a very happy New Year (though we'll be back next week with another Sunday Post as scheduled!). 

Here are some…

Sunday Post: British TV and Christmas

Member Update


We're now at 135 members! Welcome! There are also a few new gift memberships in the queue that will be active on Christmas. We wanted to remind everyone that you can give the gift of a membership in the Friends of Anglotopia Club and then schedule the delivery of the message for Christmas. You can send a gift membership here. If you have an Anglophile in your life, it's a…

Podcast Update - Temporary Hiatus

Hi All - 

We just wanted to let everyone know that the podcast is currently on hiatus until the New Year, so there won't be early releases until January. We're already scheduling some great interviews and topics for next year - we can't wait to share them with you! Now, if you're behind on all the podcasts we've been putting out, you can catch up!

Cheers,
Jonathan & Jackie

Sunday Post: A Golden Autumn Afternoon at Basildon Park - A House of Empire, War, and Survival

Member Update


We are now 134 members strong! Thank you to everyone who joined recently. We're building something really special here, and we're happy to have you here!

One of…