The Past brought to Life
Welcome to ‘And Did Those Feet’.
This site is about London, archaeology, folklore, history, literary history, and museums.
These are the latest posts from my blog the ‘Almanac of the Year’
My original blogspot blog is here .
And Did Those Feet has extensive experience of working in the heritage field. It has run several small museums, provided consultancy for many museums and leading heritage organisations. and managed many event programmes, lectures, walks, cultural study tours, and conferences.
Kevin Flude lectured at:
Central St Martins College on the M.A. For Narrative Environments course
University of Westminster on the ‘Londinium to the Blitz’ module. and other courses
I am a former Honorary Lecturer at UCL and Associate Lecturer at the University of Worcester teaching museum based modules. I also gave a 10 week course on the History of Museums to Stevenage Art Society
I have worked on projects in collaboration with a range of organisations including the British Museum, Camden Council and the National Trust.
More can be found on my heritage web site here:
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I have a huge range of Lectures, Guided Walks and Study tours which I do or have done. Currently, I am doing Study Tours for Road Scholar, Guided and Virtual Walks for London Walks and University courses for Central St. Martins.
Walks for London Walks
I do many guided and virtual walks for the marvellous London Walks. You can see my upcoming walks here:
Road Scholar Programmes
I am preparing a new season of study tours for Road Scholar with the programme:
‘Quintessential Britain’ which takes in London, Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge, Cotswold, Chester, Wales, Haworth, York, Edinburgh and other places en route.
Michael O’mara Books, 2021 (Reprint). Kevin Flude To buy click here.
What is unique about my history of the Kings and Queens of this fair Isle is that it is not just the Kings and Queens of England. Starting with William the Conqueror, or Alfred the Great. No, it is the Kings and Queens of Britain, beginning with the legendary ones like King Brutus, King Bladud and King Leir. It has sections on the Emperors who ruled from Britain; the Dark Age War Lords, Saxon Kings and all the Kings and Queens from King Alfred onwards. And then and selection of Welsh and Scottish Kings. You will find nothing else like it for a survey of British Royalty through the ages.
As of 7/12/2022 this has sold 135,772 copies in 7 editions and formats (not counting audio). It has been on sale in the British Library, and is still on sale at the British Museum where once it was displayed in 7 different locations in the shop. (Yes, I did count them). To buy click here
This has also been published by Michael O’Mara books as:
‘Divorced, Beheaded, Died …the History Of Britain’s Kings And Queens in Bite-sized chunks’ Michael O’mara Books, 2009. Kevin Flude To buy click here
D A Horizons, 2009, republished on Amazon 2024. Kevin Flude
‘In their Own Words’ is a rather wonderful collection of historic and literary quotations about Britain and London from the origins of London to the foundation of St Pauls in 604AD. The quotations are linked by my commentary which gives an introduction to the legends of London, the conquest of Britain by the Romans, and an idea of the Roman view of life in a Roman town. Really is a good read.
It has recently (Dec 2024) been republished as a paperback on Amazon.
To buy click here
By Benjamin Ernest Flude and Kevin Flude
A Boy from Haggerston by Ben Flude A book that vividly shows the hardship of life for working class for Londoners before World War 2. The Author tells his life story, from humble beginnings in London’s East End to the beginnings of a professional career and married life in Surrey. Ben Flude’s Mum was from a large East End family brought up in a two-roomed flat. His Dad was from a family of Umbrella Makers, who transferred his skills to begin a career in servicing early aeroplanes for the Royal Flying Corp at Croydon Aerodrome. Ben’s Mum had a good job working in the canteen of the Bovril Factory in Old Street, but, convention insisted she had to give it up as soon as she got married. So, everything changed when his Dad died unexpectedly from a perforated ulcer, at only 28 year’s old. The book tells the story of how the family coped, not just with poverty and poor housing, but with war, evacuation and service in the Armed Forces.
ISBN: 9781835970515, Type: Paperback, Pages: 84, Published: 28 April 2024, Price: £4.18
Available on Feedaread. https://www.feedaread.com/books/A-Boy-from-Haggerston-9781835970515.aspx at £4.18
Or Amazon At £7.99
Feedaread.com, 2014. Kevin Flude
While I was director (for 25 years) of the Old Operating Theatre Museum, I found a handwritten list of medical information recorded in the historical documents of St Thomas’s Hospital in London. I then discovered a book which was the medical case notes of Shakespeare’s son-in-law, Dr John Hall. I gave museum talks about it, and then wrote up my notes and this pamphlet emerged which gives an introduction to medicine in the time of Shakespeare. I have not yet released on the public, but occasionally print a few for sale. So if you want one, email me: kpflude AT anddidthosefeet.org.uk
Virgin Books. 1991. Kevin Flude and Paul Herbert (republished 2001 Authors Choice Press)
While I was at the Museum of London and also running, with Paul Herbert, a small guided walks company called ‘Citisights of London’ we published a history of London in 10 walks. While some of it is out of date, it still gives a credible history of London and 10 walks.
To buy click here:
Usborne 1984 Barbara Cork, Struan Reid, Iain Ashman, Dr Anne Millard and Kevin Flude
I was the archaeological consultant on this children’s book. At the time, I had just left the Museum of London and was starting a whole new career at the V&A.
As with the books above you can buy these second hand books at the wonderful Abebooks. This will link you to the Usborne Young Scientist page.
For my fictional works and novels click here
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Updated in December 2024
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John Stow tells us that there were bonfires and street parties in London throughout June and July. These were held on the Vigils of Saints’ Feast Days. The Vigil is the evening before a festival. A custom that might owe a little to the Celtic choice of dusk as the beginning of the new day. …
Continue reading “June & July – Street Parties in London on the Vigils of Feast Days”
Today, is Independence Day. The day that a great democracy came into being and established a rational system of Government, designed to stop autocracy. One of the great thinkers of the US was Henry David Thoreau. He moved into his hut on Waldon Pond on 4th July 1845. He wanted to experience life to the …
Continue reading “Thoreau moves to Walden Pond July 4th 1845”
July 3rd is the traditional beginning of the Dog Days of the Summer, those sultry, frazzling days when it is too hot to be comfortable. The Dog Star is Sirius, one of our nearest neighbours. In fact, it doesn’t rise until July 19th. So there are other definitions of the Dog Days. Bald’s leechbook, a …