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Spittoons in Arcadia
Having spent many hours in pubs over the decades I have long been fascinated by their history and the people who used them. I wrote this for the Twentieth Century Society newsletter about fifteen years ago.
I'm Simon Fowler, The History Man
Freelance writer and researcher
By training, I am an archivist with an MA in Archive Administration from University College London. I worked at The National Archives (then the Public Record Office) for roughly thirty years, although I had a break firstly to do a PhD on charities and the First World War and then edited Family History Monthly, as well as being archivist at the Royal Star and Garter Home and the Society of Genealogists.
In 2004 I returned to The National Archives to edit Ancestors Magazine which closed in April 2010. So I thought why not try to do what I like to do best writing and researching.
Latest Posts
Humanity in the Heavens
Occasionally one comes across records which can astound. One example is the messages dropped by both German and British pilots over enemy lines during the First World War seeking information about missing airmen.
Going to the Loo in the 1960s
Too many years ago to recall I gave my mother a copy of the ‘Good Loo Guide’. On clearing out her papers following her death I found the book. It reveals a side to life in London that hadn’t really been studied by historians. Naturally I wanted to find out more.