Welcome to my blog! I am an academic historian of medicine and the body, and 2014 AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinker . Please enjoy and let me know what you think. All content is generated by AW and not AI!
If there is one form of transport that perhaps typifies the 18th century more than any other, it is a sedan chair. Recently I have been doing some work on stage coaches, and the experience of what it was actually like to travel in one. This is already turning up some interesting evidence, suggesting that, far Continue reading Jolted and Jumbled: Riding in a Sedan Chair in the 18th Century
Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how much/whether to tip rumble on, but they are not new. Even in the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers were complaining about the amount of unwanted or unexpected extras they had to pay for.
Yes, it s true I ve finally joined the 21st century and decided to try something new. I am still only setting things up, so please be patient with the extremely cheesy and clunky vids as I try to work out what I m doing! I ve only got a few videos up at the moment too, but Continue reading News Just In: Dr W Joins TikTok @dralunwithey
Victorians were inveterate 'swappers' (NB: this might not be what you think!). Newspapers and journals were full of ads for objects sought and to be exchanged. These offer a fascinating insight into what was considered desirable, the value of objects, and the processes of exchange.
Travel today is often portrayed as a healthy activity, good for body, mind and what’s left of the spirit! A good holiday is generally viewed as a tonic, and holiday company advertisements extol the virtues of ‘getting away’, encountering new places, people and cultures and (if you want to ‘live life to the full’) experiences. As one travel Continue reading Should I Stay or Should I go?:…
For this post, I am going to wander into the world of crime in the late eighteenth century, and the grisly fate that befell many who committed the heinous crime of highway robbery. (Full disclosure: I’m not an historian of crime, gibbets or highwaymen…perhaps the case I’m about to discuss is very well known. But he’s Continue reading The Troublesome Gibbet of John Haines, the ‘Wounded Highwayman’…
I am currently on study leave, getting on with research for my new project on the history of travel preparations. One thing that I’m particularly interested in is the material culture of travel, and what sorts of things were available for travellers as they got ready for their journeys. Today, ‘things’ are incredibly important both Continue reading Creams, Clothes and Cases: The material culture…
As my new project on the history of travel, health risk and preparation begins to get underway, one of the things that I am thinking about is the place of travel within early modern medical remedy culture. What kinds of conditions could befall travellers? What did early modern people think that the processes of travel, Continue reading Medicine on the Move: Early Modern Travel and Remedies
As I start to make some progress on my new research project on travel, health and risk I am turning my attention to the sorts of things that early modern travellers were fearful of. As a bit of a nervous traveller myself, it’s quite comforting to know that there is actually a long history of Continue reading The Health Risks of Travel in Early-Modern Britain
Now that Covid restrictions have finally been lifted, and summer is at least theoretically here it’s raining outside as I write! many people are returning to travel and undertaking the holidays that have had to be postponed over the past couple of years. The pandemic aside, international travel has become virtually routine to Continue reading Packing the Essentials!: Preparing to Travel in the…