NATUREWhy does Britain’s weather change so quickly?
Air masses, Atlantic fronts and the geography behind a familiar British conversation.
THE STORY STARTS WITH A QUESTION
A little closer.
A little deeper.
Browse our first ten explainers, with England and the United Kingdom at the centre.
ENGLAND & THE UNITED KINGDOMStories with a sense of place.
10 explainers
NATURE
SCIENCEHow does the Thames Barrier protect London?
A movable defence, an operating decision and a wider system of flood protection.
HISTORYStonehenge: what do we know, and what is still uncertain?
Separating the monument’s visible alignments from the stories told about its purpose.
HISTORYHadrian’s Wall was more than a line across a landscape
A Roman frontier needs to be understood through forts, movement and the people around it.
UK LIFEBefore quoting a UK census number, check the label
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are not interchangeable statistical geographies.
HISTORYWhat can Domesday Book really tell us about medieval England?
An extraordinary survey is still a record created for particular purposes.
UK LIFEHow was the first London Underground built?
The difference between digging a trench and boring a deep tunnel helps explain the network’s history.
NATUREWhy is high tide not at the same time around Britain?
Astronomy sets tides in motion; coastlines and seabed shape their local behaviour.
NATUREWhy Britain’s peatlands matter beyond their scenery
Waterlogged ground can hold a long environmental record — and a vulnerable store of carbon.
NATUREFlooding in England: why the type of water matters
A river, a heavy downpour and rising groundwater can create very different problems.
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