AMERICANA

This week I traveled to Grantham for the unveiling of a historic blue plaque honoring Thomas Paine, one of the fathers of the American Revolution. Thomas Paine had a relatively undistinguished career in the U.K., serving as an excise officer in Grantham for a number of years before leaving to seek a better life in America. He is widely believed to have stoked the embers of the American Revolution to a full-fledged bonfire with his publication Common Sense in 1776. The work became one of the best-selling publications in history, selling 500,000 copies in its first year to an American population of just around 2 million people. You can read more about the plaque unveiling here.

While in Grantham, I also had the opportunity to be shown around the town by Rotarian Courtney Finn, an avid local historian and member of the Grantham Civic Society. Courtney had kindly made arrangements to show me the small but utterly charming Grantham Museum, which dates back to 1926. The Museum holds a interesting collection of local artifacts and exhibits dedicated to local history.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was born in Grantham and has donated some items to the museum, which made for unexpected and particularly interesting viewing. The Museum sadly had to close in March due to budget constraints, but volunteers are currently working to fund the costs of reopening the museum. They hope to have it reopened by next spring, and it is worth a visit if you are in the Grantham area.

After leaving the Museum, we drove by the house where Margaret Thatcher was born, then headed on to the King’s School in Grantham, which has continuously served as a grammar school for boys since at 1528, with roots as far back as 1329.

Hometown hero Issac Newton attended school here in the 1660′s. In the picture above, you can see the apple tree planted in his honor. Even better, I had a chance to see the library, which boasts an inscription on the wall believed to have been made by Newton himself!

Our final stop was Harlaxton Manor, the stunning home of an American educational institution: Harltaxton College, the British campus of the University of Evansville.

The Manor grounds and the building itself are simply breathtaking. American Principal Gordon Kingsley was kind enough to take us on a tour and share some of the history with us, as well as talk to us about the school’s educational exchange program for American students. The campus offers a core program of British studies, taught by British faculty. A wide array of other courses are also on offer, taught by visiting faculty from a number of different American institutions, so that students of various majors can participate in the program. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity for students and visiting professors alike, and all just an hour away from London by train. In fact, I enormously envy the 300+ American students and professors who come here to study and teach every year. It is a beautiful setting, and what better way to learn about British history than actually living, working and studying inside a piece of it. Even the professors live on campus, and indeed are provided with some of the most glamorous campus accomodation I’ve ever seen. Students also have a number of activities at their disposal, including a sports center and a number of athletic teams. There seems to be something there for just about everyone!

My trip to Grantham proved to be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about British history and to celebrate several notable U.S.-UK links.

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.–Thomas Paine

Americans who visit London are always asking for advice on what to see and do during their trip. I always recommend the Churchill War Rooms, and Americans are always absolutely delighted with their experiences there.

For those of you who have not yet visited, the Churchill War Rooms are a branch of the Imperial War Museum comprised of the Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill Museum, a museum devoted to Winston Churchill. The Cabinet War Rooms were the basement bunker that housed the nerve center of British government throughout World War II. The War Rooms have been exactingly recreated as they were at the time of the war, so it truly feels like stepping back in history. There is also an excellent audio tour available which I highly recommend (and I don’t even like audio tours!). The Churchill Museum is also worthwhile, with well done exhibits and many interactive features. It is a wonderful look at history, and also at the birth of the very special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

This weekend marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Atlantic Charter, on August 14, 1941, and the beginning of our special relationship. Tonight is the perfect night to explore the Churchill War Rooms, in fact! From 6pm to 10pm, the War Rooms will be holding a special “After Hours at the War Rooms,” in celebration of the 70th anniversary. The night will have an American theme and will feature performances at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 p.m. by the London Swing Dance Society. Informal tours will be given, and the menu will feature American barbecue favorites. You can even sip on Winston Churchill’s favorite champagne!

More information can be found here.