Press Gangs
The press gang is deeply imbedded in our perception of the 18th century Royal Navy. The popular view is of warships, ever hungry for...
The Battle of the Texel
In the autumn of 1794, the resurgent French Republic was on the march. The royal family had been executed, various attacks on France had...
The Curious Tale of William Adams, the Samurai Sailor
In the early 1980s a novel by James Clavell called ‘Shogun’ gripped the Western World. The book sold in millions, and awoke considerable...
The Galleys' Last Hurrah - The Battle of Lepanto
In the 16th century the Ottoman Empire was on the march. Having established rule over almost all of North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey...
Naval Surgeons
Age of sail ships were utterly reliant on the health and strength of their crews. Before the introduction of steam winches in the 19th...
The Lighthouse Stevensons
Robert Louis Stevenson, writer, traveller and creator of some of literature’s most enduring tales, was a crashing disappointment to his...