When you pour your morning tea, you’re participating in a tradition with surprising origins. The British obsession with tea owes much to a Portuguese princess who stepped off a boat in 1662, asked for a…
Posts Published byJonathan Thomas
The Power and the Glory – The Golden Age of the British Country House with Adrian Tinniswood
The decades before World War I represent the British country house at its zenith: vast estates staffed by armies of servants, weekend parties attended by royalty, architectural splendor funded by industrial fortunes and imperial dividends….
Thornbury Castle: A Tudor Treasure Steeped in Royal History
Exploring the fascinating story of England’s only Tudor castle-turned-hotel, where Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn once walked Nestled in the rolling countryside of Gloucestershire, just a short drive from Bristol, stands one of England’s most…
Why Americans Fall in Love with Britain: Jonathan Thomas on the Renaissance English History Podcast
Anglotopia founder Jonathan Thomas recently joined Heather Teysko on the Renaissance English History Podcast to talk about 19 years of Anglotopia, what makes Americans fall head over heels for Britain, essential travel advice, and his…
Comedy in Space – How Red Dwarf Became a British TV Science Fiction Icon
In 1988, the BBC premiered an unlikely science fiction sitcom about the last human alive, his holographic bunkmate, a senile computer, and a creature evolved from a cat. Against all odds, Red Dwarf became one…
Unraveling the Roosevelt and Churchill Nude Bath Story with Robert Schmuhl
It’s one of the most enduring anecdotes about the Special Relationship: Winston Churchill, emerging naked from his bath at the White House, encounters President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Unabashed, Churchill declares, “The Prime Minister of Great…
Crossing the Pond – Your Guide to Stress-Free Transatlantic Travel
The flight across the Atlantic marks the beginning of every British adventure—or it can mark the beginning of jet-lagged misery that colors your first precious days abroad. How you approach the journey matters enormously to…
Inside Country Life Magazine – Architecture, Heritage, and the Soul of Rural Britain with John Goodall
For over 125 years, Country Life magazine has chronicled the architecture, gardens, and social world of rural Britain. From stately homes to parish churches, from landscape design to country sports, the publication has become the…
Debunking Churchill Myths – Alcoholism, Depression, and Racism with Justin Reisch of the International Churchill Society
Winston Churchill remains one of history’s most studied, most quoted, and most mythologized figures. But how much of what we think we know about him is actually true? The legends surrounding Britain’s wartime leader range…
What It’s Really Like to Own a Castle – Inside Muncaster Castle with Peter Frost-Pennington
Every Anglophile has fantasized about it: owning a genuine British castle, complete with towers, history, and perhaps a ghost or two. But what’s the reality behind the dream? What does it actually take to maintain…
