Taking Liberties at the British Library

This week, I went to a free exhibition at the British Library, Taking Liberties, which charts the history of Britain’s fight for freedom and rights from the Magna Carta of 1215 to the Human Rights Act of 1998. It’s fantastic to see so many historical documents integral to the history of Britain, all together in one place. Often, as we look at the very clear cut, unchangeable Constitution of the USA, we tend to think of Britain as running on a very dangerous system of rights that could be removed from us at any moment. Although it can be argued that there is some truth in this, this exhibition will demonstrate the immense volume of conflict and documentation, which has built up our “constitution” over hundreds of years.

Surely, even the constitution of America, Now a beacon for the aspirations of Western Democracy, was based on the results of this long struggle for freedom in Britain – so this exhibition is a must-see for all.

Tristam Hunt has written a good article on the exhibition here.

He says:

It was the late Lord Scarman who once suggested that the British constitution was not so much “unwritten”, but just “difficult to find”. While Americans queue round the block of the National Archives building in Washington to pay homage to the Declaration of Independence, the diffusion of Britain’s constitutional record has systematically neutered any popular enthusiasm for this past. It is as if, down the generations, Britain’s rulers have never dared to let daylight in upon the magic of their governance.

One of the exhibits, I found fascinating was the designs for the Union Flag prepared in 1604, when they were trying to decide how best to incorporate both the English and Scottish flags to create a flag with equal emphasis on each country. It’s amazing to see that somebody’s sketches could have such resonance in creating an image that has meant so much over hundreds of years and still does today.

Flag designs for a United Kingdom of England and Scotland, prepared by the Earl of Nottingham in 1604

Another interesting aspect of the exhibition is the Taking Liberties interactive voting system. Amongst the exhibits, they have videos playing with people’s opinions on current political issues, such as the voting age. At the beginning you can take a wristband with a barcode on it and then during your visit, you can scan the band, enter into the computer system and then vote on these issues. At the end, you scan in again to view on a large screen where your opinions come in regard to the other visitors: are your views pretty mainstream, or radical. It is an interesting idea to get you thinking about Britain’s liberties today and you can also participate online here.

If you are in London before 1 March 2009, when it closes, do take a look. However, if you can’t make it, the website is great and many of the key exhibits are available to see, with loads of information about them. There are also videos and podcasts to download, including a really good one I listened to about the Magna Carta. They also have several books on sale as well.

To quote the website:

These rights didn’t simply happen. They were hard won, the product of hundreds of years of debate, struggle, bloodshed and war. Many people died for them: heroes, villains, and some who were both.
Nor are these rights ours forever. They can be changed or removed, and at various times in our history, they have been.
The British Library’s free exhibition ‘Taking Liberties: the struggle for Britain’s freedoms and rights’ uncovers the roots of British democracy over a period of more than 900 years.

History of the future follow up

Just a follow up on a previous post from October, A History of the Future. I started a thread on Historum.com (which by the way is a great forum for historical discussion) and everyone on there came up with some fantastic ideas, so do take a look! Thanks to Voskhod for directing me to this great blog, Paleofuture.com, which gives great examples of what the future was expected to be like during different decades. There are loads of fascinating images, even of things that did kind of come true, like the flying bus from c.1900. With the technology of the time, it’s great to see how they imagined it would be:

Flying Bus - French print, c. 1900

Shopping in 18th century London

As we’re currently at the start of the Christmas shopping season and I live in London, I’d like to write something about London and its commercial and aesthetic development, particularly in the 18th Century, as well as mention a few sites where you can view incredible maps of the city.

The real development of London kicked off in the 18th Century, when the population grew from about 630,000 in 1715 to 740,000 in 1760. The rich-poor divide was immense with areas in the west, like Mayfair, transforming into fashionable residential, shopping and entertainment districts. South and East London were also developing rapidly with expanding trade causing the docklands to flourish. Particularly for workers, the expanding population worsened living conditions and increased poverty and crime, but for the rich, it was a period of extravagance.

A great deal of money was invested into building beautiful town houses, pleasure gardens, squares, museums and shops. The British Museum opened in 1759, becoming a place of pleasure for the rich and Buckingham House (the future Buckingham Palace) was also built in 1703. The architecture was usually in a classical style, which has now become the mark of Georgian buildings, as with St. Paul’s Cathedral completed in 1708 and the designs for Burlington House in Piccadilly in 1715.

St. Martin’s Workhouse Map

Grosvenor Square c1750

Burlington House, home of The Royal academy and other societies

Buckingham House c1710

The British Museum

Plan of the Proposed Improvements at Charing Cross, st. st Martin’s Lane and Entrance to the Strand

Shopping became less of a necessity and more of an enjoyable pass-time, with the growing popularity of window shopping and luxury goods. Shopping areas like Cheapside and Oxford Street flourished. Sophie de la Roche, a German visitor to London in 1786 wrote:

We strolled up and down lovely Oxford Street this evening, for some goods look more attractive by artificial light…First one passes a watchmaker’s, then a silk or fan store, now a silversmiths, a china or glass shop. Just as alluring are the confectioners and fruiterers, where, behind the handsome glass windows, pyramids of pineapples, figs, grapes, oranges and all manner of fruits are on show.

The grand developments to make the city more beautiful, more ordered and more like classical European cities, often acted to bring visitors attention away from the terrible poverty that also existed alongside the grandeur. In this map on the British Library Website, PLAN OF THE Proposed Improvements at CHARING CROSS, ST. ST MARTIN’S LANE AND Entrance to the Strand, you can see the plans to build a National Gallery of Painting of Sculpture opposite the Royal Academy as a cultural facade hiding barracks and St. Martin’s Workhouse. There are loads of other maps available on the website, especially in the London: a Life in Google Maps section here.

Plan of the Proposed Improvements at Charing Cross, st. st Martin's Lane and Entrance to the Strand

You can find other great maps at oldlondonmaps.com

For more information, go to these pages at:
umich.edu
britainexpress.com
hrionline.ac.uk
museumindocklands.org.uk
britannica.com