Tom Williams
@tomcw99.bsky.social
Tango dancer. #HistFic writer who dabbles in #UrbanFantasy. https://substack.com/@tomwilliams619869
Hurst Castle: a Tudor/Georgian/Victorian/20th century fort defending Portsmouth and Southampton for a surprisingly long time. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Hurst Castle: defending the coast for over 400 years
Built in 1544, Hurst Castle, near Southampton, incorporates Tudor, Georgian, and Victorian defences. It was even manned in World War II. Take a look round.
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This painting at Hampton Court shows Henry VIII leaving Dover on his way to meet the French king. After my trip to Hurst Castle, near Southampton, I was interested in the detail at the bottom left. Find out why on this week’s Substack post. tomcw99.substack.com/p/hurst-castle
A few days away with a smidgen of Georgian history, a bit of random tango, some pretty pictures, a serious thought that snuck in, and a plea for you to talk to me on Substack. substack.com/home/post/p-...
What I did on my holidays
It’s Friday and that’s the day I usually post on Substack, but I’ve been away, so I’m fairly desperately getting a few lines down and wondering if they’ll vaguely make sense.
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Apparently reading is now sexy. So what sexy books have I been reading lately? Some reviews on my Substack: substack.com/home/post/p-...
The Art Deco Society (yes, I know I’m unfitted for modern life) recommended Agatha Christie’s 'The Secret Adversary', to get into the feel of the 1920s. It's a fascinating glimpse into a very different world. My thoughts about it on Substack: substack.com/home/post/p-...
300 years ago, an author, a poet, and a playwright went into a house in Twickenham and now Hester Gray has written a book about it. I have mixed opinions about this book but it definitely has good points. Check out my Substack review. tomcw99.substack.com/p/the-twitna...
THE TWITNAM SUMMER
Mainly about Jonathan Swift
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Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels) was a deeply unpleasant man but Hester Grant is a huge fan. Read my review of her book about Swift, Pope (the poet) and Gay (The Beggar's Opera) spending a summer together in Twickenham, down the road from where I live. tomcw99.substack.com/p/the-twitna...
THE TWITNAM SUMMER
Mainly about Jonathan Swift
tomcw99.substack.com
My short series of Substack posts on the historical buildings between Richmond and Twickenham ends at Twickenham. There are links to the other buildings on the walk if you fancy a stroll along the river. tomcw99.substack.com/p/twickenham
Twickenham
An 18th century village hidden behind a modern suburb
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This week on Substack, I've posted the third in a series looking at the riverside development in the 18th century heading upstream from Richmond Bridge. It was wildly popular in Georgian times and there are a surprising number of lovely buildings still standing there. substack.com/home/post/p-...
More houses along the Thames at Twickenham
I’m working my way along the north bank of the Thames heading upstream from Richmond Bridge.
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I wrote about Marble Hill House on Substack last week and this week there are pictures of what remains of their once much grander neighbour, Orleans House. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Orleans House
The Octagon Room
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My Substack post this week is mainly about Napoleon and his strike north to Charleroi, the beginning of a short campaign that was to end at Waterloo. Next week I’ll be looking at what happened after Charleroi. Join the campaign now. substack.com/home/post/p-...
A bit of Napoleon, a bit of Gibraltar
Two of my favourite topics in one post. Plus Romans in London.
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An unusually positive story from the Georgian prison system and one with a happy ending.
Sarah Murden@sarahmurden.bsky.social · 6mo agoA Prison Romance – Guest Post by Elaine Thornton I was delighted when Elaine Thornton contacted me about another story she had unearthed some new information about, so I'll hand over to Elaine to tell you more about a tale with an unexpected ending. While looking through the Home Office papers for…
I’m working on a new Galbraith & Pole story. It seems a good time to chat about the strange world of Contemporary Urban Fantasy, or at least my tiny corner of it. tomcw99.substack.com/p/vampires-a...
Vampires and other distractions
I feel that what the world needs right now is some escapist nonsense. Are you with me?
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I’m working on a contemporary urban fantasy, featuring a modern version of the Hell-Fire Club. I've taken a look at the history, so my Substack this week is 18th century sexual perversion and politics, neatly tied to adventures now on a Caribbean island. tomcw99.substack.com/p/do-what-yo...
'Do What You Will'
Sex and politics in the 18th century
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More Georgian fashion, thanks to Ackermann's excellent 'Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics'. #MondayBlogs
Sarah Murden@sarahmurden.bsky.social · 6mo agoThe fashion for Spring 1826 featuring Urling’s lace Today, we will take a brief look at spring fashionable London dress from two hundred years ago courtesy of the trusty reference book, Ackermann, Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics. The 1820’s saw a…
My Substack post this week is a day early. There’s a reason for that. tomcw99.substack.com/p/the-time-i...
The time is out of joint
Sometimes I feel I'm living in the End Times
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Intensive aerial bombardment of areas with significant civilian populations is morally unacceptable. This should not need saying, but apparently it does.
It’s a short post on Substack this week. I write about Canterbury Cathedral and an unexpected link to Gibraltar and about thoughts on a possible new Galbraith & Pole book. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Cathedrals and Sex Dolls
I've been having a fun week
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My latest Substack is reviews. There are a couple of non-fiction and some lighter reading plus, for those who didn’t see it earlier, a link to my review of the new musical, ‘Midnight’. tomcw99.substack.com/p/lately-ive...
Lately I've been reading (and watching)
Reviews, reviews, reviews
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At the weekend, I went to see ‘Midnight’, a new musical at Sadler’s Wells East. My beloved and I were very impressed, so we talked about it this morning and recorded the conversation as a podcast. You can hear it here: tomcw99.substack.com/p/midnight #Midnight
Midnight
A new musical by Todrick Hall
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After two long posts on late 18th century siege warfare (OK, really just going on about a holiday in Gibraltar) a very lightweight piece about cacti (with just a tiny bit about Gibraltar). Enjoy! substack.com/home/post/p-188154402
Cacti
In which I tie together Georgian royalty, Gibraltar, and a glimpse of my domestic life.
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The Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779 - 1783) had consequences that reached far beyond the 18th century. Developments in artillery led to changes in the way big guns are used even today. More historical musings from my holiday in this week’s post. substack.com/home/post/p-... #MondayBlogs
More Gibraltar
It's not just fortifications. The Great Siege saw development in military technology that shaped the way we use artillery today.
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It's lovely to see a link between someone I know on BlueSky and the events I've just written about on Substack. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Gibraltar
History, fortifications, big guns and monkeys. What's not to love?
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Liz Lloyd@lizanne.bsky.social · 7mo agoMy parents lived in the house of Sergeant Major Ince who started the tunnelling in Gibraltar somerville66.blogspot.com/2014/09/tunn...
Not the first time I've seen details of servants' wages but always useful because, without information like this, it's almost impossible to make sense of prices in the past. #MondayBlogs
Sarah Murden@sarahmurden.bsky.social · 8mo agoFrom the archives of All Things Georgian, 'Servants wages in the late Georgian Era' - wp.me/p3JTNy-72G #MondayBlogs
My latest Substack post is up. It’s another straightforward historical one which, despite what you might think, isn’t about Greenland at all. It’s about Britain’s smash-and-grab in Argentina in 1806. open.substack.com/pub/tomcw99/...
Invading countries for fun and profit
What we might or might not learn from the British attack on Argentina in 1806
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I’m delighted to have been told that one of my Substack book reviews might even have boosted a book. If I can persuade more of you to read it, might anyone else buy the books? substack.com/home/post/p-...
Lately I've been reading ...
Two books by people I follow on Substack
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An absolutely fascinating account of how America almost went metric and then didn't and how politics and war can wreck scientific endeavour. Yet again, I feel that today we are reliving the Georgian era.
Sarah Murden@sarahmurden.bsky.social · 8mo agoA Failed Attempt to Bring the Metric System to the US by Dr Judith E Pearson As always, it is a pleasure to welcome a regular guest to All Things Georgian, Dr Judith Pearson, who has written several articles on here, such as How Mount Vernon, Virginia got its Name and A Mansion, a Grand Dame, and…
Book reviews on my Substack this week where I'm recommending a memoir and a Roman detective story. tomcw99.substack.com/p/lately-ive...
This week, I am writing about the link between tango and the Congress of Vienna. So nine days into 2026 and we have already reached peak ‘Tom’s Substack’. open.substack.com/pub/tomcw99/...
From Congress of Vienna to the dance halls of Buenos Aires
After last week’s post on the fun and games at the Congress of Vienna, I’m combining two of my interests, tango and Georgian history, and writing about the popularisation of the waltz in the early 19t...
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