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Adam Chapman

@adamchapman.bsky.social

7.9K followers 3.1K following 8.2K posts

Medieval historian interested in Wales, Somerset exile, inept cricketer, General Editor of the longest-running and largest local history project yet devised, the Victoria County History of England. Probably drinking tea.

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · Nov 11

Good morning (UK time), to new followers.

I’m a medieval historian working on Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (personally), and using the lens of place, working on the histories of England from way back to right now, editing the amazing @vchlondon.bsky.social.

Also, place, landscapes, cricket (sorry), fuelled by tea.

Shallow curved steps with treads decorated with mosaics in shades of white and grey, mingled with plants. The lowest step has ‘croeso’ (Welsh, meaning ‘welcome’ inscribed on it.

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 5h

Not mass market anyway. I did spot the other day that the new destination boards at Charing Cross have digital facsimiles of the old Network South East electro-mechanical digital clocks. ‘80s retro’.

Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 5h

I disagree on the clock (but I’m not raving about it), but very much with you on the floor…

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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 5h

Other work of the Ladybird artists.
Autumn Landscape
Artist: Rowland Hilder

A very loose, freely painted watercolour in Hilder‘s distinctive style featuring a sparce Essex landscape viewed from a distance towards past houses and misty hills

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 9h

Small afternoon rant: we need to stop talking about the ocean in terms of “secrets” & “mystery”. That tends to be an excuse for not actually looking at its wonderful (known) richness properly. It’s not a void… it’s a fascinating physical part of Planet Earth. We know a lot and we will know more! 🌊

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 6h

We move but slowly (but we get there).

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Justin Colson @justincolson.bsky.social · 2d

At @ihr.bsky.social we can now offer PhD by Publication in History! For those with a substantial body of existing published research (within past 10 years), but without a PhD, should be of particular interest to #heritage professionals and independent scholars!

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 6h

I’m sorry, what a mess. Wishing you all the courage and forbearance you can muster. And possibly hard liquour.

Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 6h

I am suitably jealous.

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Leicestershire VCH Trust @leicsvcht.bsky.social · 12h

Very pleased to be supporting this project with a talk about our experiences in Leicestershire and sources for 19th- and early 20th-century local history

Victoria County History @vch-home.bsky.social · 1d

We're delighted to announce the first in a series of workshops hosted by our new project in Lincolnshire will take place in Spalding on 15 November - more details in the link. 1/2

Friends of the Centre for English Local History @fcelh.bsky.social · 2d

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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 15h

urgently need you guys to know that this French politician below 1) didn't know he'd been appointed as a minister until he saw it on TV 2) reacted by going: "bah pfff voilà"

Libération @liberation.fr · 15h

Le nouveau ministre de la Ruralité, Michel Fournier, raconte avoir appris sa nomination à la télé

Le plus vieux ministre nommé sous la Ve République précise avoir discuté avec le Premier ministre «deux jours avant», sans que rien ne soit arrêté. «Comment j’ai réagi ? Bah pfff voilà», résume-t-il.

Le nouveau ministre de la Ruralité, Michel Fournier, raconte avoir appris sa nomination à la télé

Le plus vieux ministre nommé sous la Ve République a précisé avoir discuté avec le Premier ministre «deux jours avant», sans que rien ne soit arrêté.

www.liberation.fr

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 15h

A certain amount of eye rolling?

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Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 18h

Cardiff will be the first UK city to introduce a surcharge for oversized SUVs and trucks, "while very large vehicles – those over 3,500kg – will be excluded from residential permits entirely."

Cardiff set to tackle SUV 'carspreading' in UK first

Cardiff Council is set to become the first local authority in the UK to introduce higher parking charges for SUVs and other heavy vehicles, in a move campaigners say will make city streets safer and f...

nation.cymru

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Jack Saundrs @jacksaundrs.bsky.social · 16h

What possible use could the "People Who Teach You How To Understand and Work With Ideas and Information" have in the age of "The Machine That Punches Out Information of Questionable Quality"?

Vlad 🐸 Țepeș @porcupunk.bsky.social · 1d

Wow. Just wow.

"Students pay premium prices for information that AI now delivers instantly and for free. A business student can ask ChatGPT to explain supply chain optimization or generate market analysis in seconds. The traditional lecture-and-test model faces its Blockbuster moment."

When Knowledge is Free, What are Professors For?

Higher Education Must Stop Competing with AI on Information and Start Teaching What Machines Can’t Do

www.forbes.com

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J Farrers @jfarrers.bsky.social · 19h

Thursday

two men are having a conversation and one of them says it must be thursday

GIF from Tenor

media.tenor.com

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Chris Giles @chrisgiles.ft.com · 1d

There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.

Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts

Spending is controlled, not spiralling

Worklessness is near record lows

My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...

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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 19h

A bad news/good news story. Bad news that some non-eligible actors have tried to help finance the party. Good news that it's complied with the law and rejected their donations. www.ft.com/content/5392...

Reform UK forced to reject slew of unlawful donations

Eleven of the returned contributions were made by people living overseas

www.ft.com

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Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · 13d

Celebration and Resistance: Explore LGBTQ+ collections and more at History Day 2025 🎉

This #HistDay25 we're partnering with @justinbengry.bsky.social to create a Queer History and Heritage Trail highlighting queer stories, figures & collections. Hear from Justin here: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Celebration and Resistance: Explore LGBTQ+ collections and more at History Day 2025

Every year in November we host History Day, an event for students, researchers and history enthusiasts.

www.sas.ac.uk

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 1d

Balls. I’m so sorry, Cath.

Reposted by Adam Chapman

Katie Parker @kparkerhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

Are you using #maps in research?

Want to learn about their history and use as sources?

In London in late January?

Sign up for @ihr.bsky.social short course, Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place!

#maphistory #skystorians 🗃️

Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place

Discovery Course 1

www.sas.ac.uk

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The Fake History Hunter @fakehistoryhunter.net · 1d

Oh dear @theguardian.com

Hugo Boss did not design any Nazi uniforms, he did manufacture them, was a war profiteering Nazi scumbag who used forced labour, but he did not design the uniforms.
The truth makes Boss even worse.
More information here;
fakehistoryhunter.net/2019/09/10/n...

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Kent Archives and Local History Service @kentarchives.bsky.social · 1d

Opened in 1830, the #Canterbury and #Whitstable Railway was among the first in the world to carry passengers and freight by steam. It also featured Britain's first purpose-built railway tunnel, at Tyler Hill.

For more information and document details, click ALT ☟
🚂 #Railway200

Shown here are early documents relating to the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, including:

· A hand drawn plan [Q/RUm/74A] and corresponding book of reference [Q/RUm/74B] concerning the line's proposed route, 1824

· The Act of Parliament which approved the line's construction, 1825 [Q/RUo/5a/8]

Designed by pioneering railway engineer George Stephenson (1781–1848), the "Crab and Winkle Line", as it came to be known, was a modest six miles in length and opened on the 3rd May 1830.

In 1834, it became the first railway in the world to sell season tickets, allowing passengers from Canterbury to visit Whitstable throughout the summer season. The following year, Isambard Kingdom Brunel paid a visit to inspect the line and conduct experiments amidst debate about his proposed Great Western Railway.

In addition to its use of steam locomotion, the line was notable for its innovative traction system which hauled trains up steep gradients using cables controlled by stationary steam engines.

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Victoria County History @vch-home.bsky.social · 1d

We're delighted to announce the first in a series of workshops hosted by our new project in Lincolnshire will take place in Spalding on 15 November - more details in the link. 1/2

Friends of the Centre for English Local History @fcelh.bsky.social · 2d

The Historian’s Craft and the VCH Spalding Project.

Saturday 15th November, 2025. 10:00am – 4:00pm. Spalding Baptist Church. Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT.. FREE. The Victoria County History Spalding Research Programme invite you to a FREE i…

www.englishlocalhistory.org

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dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 1d

NEW

Trying to make sense of the nonsensical decision to drop the Chinese spying prosecutions

How the positions of neither the CPS nor the government stand up to scrutiny

By me

emptycity.substack.com/p/trying-to-...

The more one knows about this case, the more confusing it becomes.

The CPS insists on further evidence it does not require, and the government insists it could not give that evidence, even though it could.

Neither side makes sense, and together they make no sense absolutely.

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David Underdown @davidunderdown.bsky.social · 1d

#DigiPres the Digital Archiving Department at The National Archives (UK) is currently looking for a Digtial Archivist (Transfer) www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi... and 2 Data Engineers www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi.... ce.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 1d

That's an improbable amount of turkey's worth.