The alchemist​ in his laboratory was a popular subject for Dutch painters of the 17th century because it allowed them to show off their skill with light. Mattheus van Helmont’s A Savant in His Cabinet, Surrounded by Chemical and Other Apparatus, Examining a Flask (1670s), one of the splendid plates in Philip Ball’s introduction to alchemy, depicts an alchemist at work, brandishing a beaker of pale blue fluid in one hand, surrounded by the implements of his craft.

Among the most magical moments of this Hanukkah and Christmas season of gift giving is opening handsomely wrapped books from friends. As much as the socks, scarves and English sparkling wine are appreciated, none of these thrill as much as a reading surprise.

On BBC 2 last Monday,’ noted the Sunday Telegraph’s TV critic Trevor Grove in February 1979, ‘the return of Fawlty Towers was immediately followed by a programme about faulty towers.

Miss Fanny’s ferocity merited special notice in The Picture of London, for 1809, a guidebook published by John Feltham. Even among others of her kind, “the difference of disposition in the same species” was “very striking”.

Miss Fanny’s ferocity merited special notice in The Picture of London, for 1809, a guidebook published by John Feltham. Even among others of her kind, “the difference of disposition in the same species” was “very striking”.

The succession of mass rallies across the UK against the genocide in Gaza form the single biggest protest movement in recent British history. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to show their sympathy for the bombed, starved and displaced civilians of Gaza.

The book’s black and white cover photo is very clearly a scene from the 1960s — a woman with a distinctive beehive haircut is looking out from her 17th-floor flat, carefully holding a young child as they gaze into the distance.

On the evening of 6 May 1527, Henry VIII entertained an embassy from France at a lavish party in Greenwich. The festivities took place in a banqueting house and a theatre, both built for the occasion. At the feast’s end, Henry led his guests out through a great archway.

In the middle of Seven Dials, an area of Covent Garden that can be crossed on foot in a matter of minutes, is a thin, elegant stone pillar. I’ve walked past it countless times, assuming it must be as old as this part of London, laid out by Thomas Neale MP in the early 1690s.