https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/country-names/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T18:34:59+00:00What the world calls each otherdata, maps, Wikidata, country names, languages, etymology, Chinesehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/country-names-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/hard-water/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T16:44:00+00:00Hard water: the world’s water hardness and the rocks behind itdata, Britain, maps, geology, interactive, water, hard water, limestonehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hard-water-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/britain-500/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T16:28:09+00:00Britain in AD 500: what the ground tells usdata, maps, early medieval, sub-Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxons, hillforts, ogham, Pictshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/britain-500-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/footpaths/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T16:12:25+00:00The footpath capital of Britainhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/header-4.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/rocks-beneath/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T16:10:38+00:00The rocks beneath: a geological map in the colours of 1969data, maps, geology, British Geological Survey, Geological Survey Ireland, Macrostrat, rocks, history of sciencehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/rocks-beneath-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/sea-level/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T14:29:09+00:00Drowned and rising: Britain and the world at every sea leveldata, Britain, maps, climate change, sea level, Doggerland, Ice Age, interactivehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/sea-level-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/pleasant-months/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T14:17:04+00:00How many months a year are pleasantly warm?data, maps, climate, weather, climate change, cities, WorldClimhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/pleasant-months-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/sun-and-rain/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T14:16:51+00:00Sun and rain: the world’s sunshine against its rainfalldata, maps, data visualisation, climate, sunshine, rainfall, bivariate map, weatherhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/sun-and-rain-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/sun-and-rain-uk/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T14:11:05+00:00Sun and rain: the UK’s sunshine against its rainfalldata, maps, climate, sunshine, rainfall, Met Office, HadUK-Grid, UK weatherhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/sun-and-rain-uk-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/eclipse-towns/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T13:44:15+00:00When did your town last see a total eclipse?data, history, Britain, Ireland, maps, eclipses, astronomy, Halleyhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/eclipse-towns-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/royal-itineraries/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T13:02:53+00:00Governing on the move: where England’s kings sleptdata, maps, medieval, King John, Edward I, Elizabeth I, royal progresses, itinerant kingshiphttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/royal-itineraries-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/turnpike-towns/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:57:14+00:00The turnpike towns: did the turnpike make the town grow?data, maps, towns, turnpikes, roads, milestones, coaching inns, transport historyhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/turnpike-towns-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/postbox-kings/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:38:19+00:00What’s the king on your postbox?data, maps, OpenStreetMap, post boxes, pillar boxes, royal cypher, street furniture, Royal Mailhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/postbox-kings-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/british-earthquakes/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:38:03+00:00Britain’s earthquakes since 1382: the big ones, the coalfield quakes and the biggest near youdata, history, Britain, maps, coal mining, earthquakes, geology, seismologyhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/british-earthquakes-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/lido-boom/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:37:47+00:00The lido boom and bust: how Britain built, closed and saved its open-air poolsdata, maps, heritage, seaside, lidos, swimming, outdoor swimming, 1930shttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/lido-boom-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/pit-closures/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:37:33+00:00Did the Pits Closing Still Show?history, maps, data visualisation, open data, Census 2021, coal mining, miners' strike, pit closureshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/pit-closures-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/air-raids/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:37:19+00:00Bombs on Britain: where the air raids killeddata, maps, Second World War, Remembrance, First World War, air raids, the Blitz, Zeppelinhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/air-raids-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/ancient-trees/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:31:18+00:00Where are Britain’s oldest trees?maps, trees, ancient trees, yews, oaks, churchyards, royal forests, OpenStreetMaphttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ancient-trees-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/ring-the-changes/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T12:30:55+00:00Ring the changes: where England’s bells hangdata, maps, churches, England, church bells, change ringing, bell ringing, Dove's Guidehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ring-the-changes-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/war-memorials/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T11:24:48+00:00How many names on your war memorial?data, maps, war memorials, Remembrance, First World War, Thankful Villages, Imperial War Museumshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/war-memorials-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/seaside-railways/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T11:14:27+00:00Did the railway invent the seaside?history, maps, data visualisation, open data, census, railways, seaside, Victorianhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/seaside-railways-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/captain-swing/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T11:03:09+00:00Captain Swing: did the riots follow the machines?maps, data visualisation, Swing Riots, Captain Swing, threshing machine, automation, rural history, nineteenth-century Englandhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/captain-swing-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/medieval-markets/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T11:02:47+00:00Market towns that failed: what became of the medieval markets of England and Wales?data, maps, market towns, medieval, markets, charters, Black Death, townshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/medieval-markets-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/stop-lines/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T10:57:35+00:00Britain’s last line of defence: the pillboxes and stop lines of 1940maps, data visualisation, heritage, Second World War, pillboxes, stop lines, Operation Sea Lion, Defence of Britainhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/stop-lines-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/beeching-cuts/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T10:52:32+00:00Did Beeching Kill Your Town?history, maps, data visualisation, open data, Census 2021, Beeching cuts, railways, small townshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/beeching-cuts-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/28/domesday-mills/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-28T10:45:49+00:00From Domesday mills to modern millsmaps, open data, Industrial Revolution, Domesday, watermills, windmills, textile mills, medieval Englandhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/domesday-mills-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/ley-lines/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T14:32:39+00:00Ley lines, tested: are Britain’s ancient sites lined up more than chance allows?Britain, maps, open data, archaeology, ley lines, Alfred Watkins, Saint Michael's line, statisticshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ley-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/bread-rolls/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T14:23:46+00:00Barm, bap, cob or roll? Britain’s bread roll linesmaps, data visualisation, open data, dialect, food, bread, language, United Kingdomhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/rolls-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/devils-britain/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T14:18:58+00:00Where the Devil lives: Britain’s Devil place names, mappedmaps, data visualisation, folklore, saints, place names, British history, the Devil, prehistoric monumentshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/devils-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/fairy-forts/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T14:15:15+00:00Did fairy belief protect Ireland’s ringforts?Ireland, maps, data visualisation, folklore, open data, ringforts, fairy forts, archaeologyhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/fairy-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/ghosts/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T14:11:03+00:00Haunted, or just old? What Britain’s ghost stories say about its buildingsdata visualisation, folklore, castles, British history, ghosts, haunted places, pubs, listed buildingshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ghosts-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/giants/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T14:07:23+00:00Giants in the landscape: did people explain big things with big people?Ireland, maps, data visualisation, folklore, place names, giants, megalithic tombs, hill figureshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/giants-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/great-fires/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T14:03:48+00:00Great Fires: Did the Towns That Burned Rebuild Bigger?history, maps, data visualisation, open data, Census 2021, great fires, Georgian towns, market townshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/fires-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/blue-plaques/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T13:59:54+00:00Who gets a blue plaque?data, maps, London, blue plaques, English Heritage, public history, women's history, commemorationhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/plaques-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/rotten-boroughs/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T13:56:01+00:00Rotten Boroughs: Where Are They Now?history, maps, data visualisation, Census 2021, Reform Act 1832, rotten boroughs, elections, Cornwallhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/rotten-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/saxon-mints/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T12:43:08+00:00Minted: were England’s mint towns still the big towns?data, maps, Anglo-Saxon, coins, mints, medieval towns, Domesday, censushttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/mints-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/canal-mania/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T12:38:39+00:00Canal Mania: Did the Canal Towns Boom, and Do They Still Lead?history, maps, data visualisation, open data, Census 2021, Lancashire, canals, Industrial Revolutionhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/canals-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/here-be-dragons/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T12:32:51+00:00Here be dragons: do Britain’s dragons live by the church?maps, data visualisation, churches, folklore, place names, British history, dragons, barrowshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/dragons-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/cholera-1849/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T12:28:16+00:00Cholera 1849: low ground, bad water and a long shadowmaps, data visualisation, cholera, John Snow, William Farr, London, public health, history of medicinehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/cholera-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/roman-villas/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T12:23:08+00:00The Roman Commuter Belt?data visualisation, England, Roman Britain, Roman villas, Income, Commuter belt, Wales, History datahttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/villas-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/harrying-of-the-north/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T12:05:51+00:00Laid Waste: the Harrying of the Northhistory, maps, data visualisation, Norman Conquest, Domesday Book, Harrying of the North, Yorkshire, Lancashirehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/harry-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/armada-beacons/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T11:34:47+00:00Fire on the Hills: how fast could the Armada beacons carry the news?maps, data visualisation, place names, Spanish Armada, beacons, line of sight, Tudor history, Englandhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/beacons-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/fords-and-bridges/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T11:31:00+00:00Ford or Bridge?history, maps, data visualisation, Domesday Book, open data, place-names, Census 2021, rivershttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/fords-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/gallows-hill/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T11:27:21+00:00Gallows Hill: where Britain put its execution placesmaps, data visualisation, place names, gallows, execution, Ordnance Survey, British history, landscape historyhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/gallows-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/norman-castles/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T11:23:41+00:00The Conquest in Castleshistory, maps, data visualisation, Norman Conquest, castles, Domesday Book, Welsh Marches, open datahttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/castles-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/holy-wells/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T10:54:41+00:00From saint to wish: the holy and wishing wells of Britain and IrelandIreland, maps, data visualisation, holy wells, wishing wells, folklore, saints, place nameshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/wells-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/oldest-buildings/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T10:42:37+00:00Still Standing: why do old buildings survive?history, maps, data visualisation, oldest buildings, architecture, heritage, Wikidata, churcheshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/oldest-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/there-and-back-again/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T10:37:34+00:00There and Back Again: 2,500 years of great journeys, and how sure we are that they happenedhistory, exploration, voyages, maps, data visualisation, Vikings, Zheng He, historical evidencehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/travel-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/stone-circles/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T08:32:36+00:00Same Shape, Different Millennia: every stone circle in Europe on one maphttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/circles-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/barrows-of-europe/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T08:30:02+00:00Is the barrow a European thing?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/barrows-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/megalith-highway/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T08:29:54+00:00The Megalith Highwayhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/megalith-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/after-the-abbeys/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T08:05:32+00:00What Became of the Abbeys?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/abbeys-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/saints-and-wells/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T07:43:26+00:00Whose Church Is It? The map of saints across Western Europehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/saints-header-1.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/where-was-the-battle/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T07:34:57+00:00Where Was the Battle? The lost battlefields of early Britainhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/battle-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/viking-silver/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T07:34:48+00:00Silver and Nameshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/viking-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/witch-hunts/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T07:27:31+00:00Cold years, witch years? Scotland’s witch panics and the Little Ice Agehttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/witch-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/lost-villages/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T07:27:10+00:00The Villages That Vanishedhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/lostv-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/27/bloody-place-names/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-27T07:21:35+00:00Bloody Place Names: do Britain’s battle names mark real battles?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/bloody-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/wrecks-of-europe/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T23:44:28+00:00Whose ships sank where?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/wrecks-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/victoria-cross/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T23:30:27+00:00Far from home: where the Victoria Cross was wonhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/vc-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/the-geography-of-saints/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T21:52:25+00:00The geography of saintshttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/saints-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/what-pub-names-remember/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T21:52:20+00:00What pub names rememberhttps://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/pubs-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/thankful-villages-luck-or-size/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T21:52:15+00:00Thankful Villages: luck or size?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/thankful-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/is-there-a-barrow-in-barrow/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T21:52:10+00:00Is there a barrow in Barrow?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/barrow-header.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/did-detectorists-start-a-boom/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T21:10:13+00:00Did Detectorists start a boom?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/header-3.png?w=150https://blog.tristanhotham.com/2026/10/26/how-roman-is-your-road/Tristan Hothamen2026-10-26T21:08:26+00:00How Roman is your road?https://blog.tristanhotham.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/header-2.png?w=150