History is the 'pointless' subject that we should all love

'We are not the makers of history. We are made by history.'- Martin Luther King Jr., from his book Strength to Love, 1963

For all those that have somehow kept up with all my ramblings and rants about the world we live in, it may be no surprise to know that I have a great love of history. At school, it felt like it was the only thing that I really excelled in, although my grade at A-Level doesn't act as good evidence for this. I had a burning passion for learning about how the past had shaped the modern world, with the beautiful tapestry that is history showing us incredible stories of love, betrayal and innovation. These stories act as an inspiration to many people, citing the sharp wit of Winston Churchill and the wise words of Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi as examples of the glories of the past. People spend hours studying the campaigns of Napoléon Bonaparte and Alexander the Great, their mouths open in disbelief in how expansive their empires became. While history is also full of moments of tragedy and deplorable actions, mainly in the forms of genocide and war, they act as lessons to learn from; that no human life is worthless, and we all have to share this sphere of water and dirt hurtling through space. 

Friendship sure is lovely

That emotive introduction has surely peaked your interest in my topic for today, that being the importance of history in a world that is rapidly changing every day. Change, however, comes from the breakthroughs that arise from the field of science and technology, rather than history. For this reason, history has started to become somewhat irrelevant when compared to science. You can see evidence in this by the bursaries given to trainee maths and science teacher, in which they are given £26,000 regardless of what degree they got. A history teacher, with a 2:1 degree, only receives £4000 to make a living. I'm all for the progress of humanity, but it clear to see where the effort is being made when moulding the next generation. Perhaps it is because that knowing names and dates are not as important as learning about how to create safe genetically modified food, or how our rapidly expanding universe needs to be studied in greater detail. History, it seems, has been put on the shelf.

As a good historian, it is worth examining both sides of the argument over whether history is worthless nowadays. I certainly have a preference in what side I argue, but that's an extremely dangerous position to take when putting forward a 'balanced' debate. Even though the answer is blaringly obvious, the 'Piss off History' supporters should at least be heard out. After all, we are a democratic society (I guess so- I mean, no one actually voted for Theresa May to be Prime Minister when David left in 2016) and both sides needs to be respected. There will be times, of course, when I move back over to the 'History is Cool' side, but when you are as passionate for history as I am, then that should be a good enough excuse. Yet despite my personal feelings, it should be interesting bringing up reasons why the past should stay dead, and why knowing the main players of The Wars of the Roses is useless when compared to understanding quantum mechanics. Don't worry Richard Neville, I won't forget you!

It's hard work overthrowing monarchs and switching sides constantly

THE FUNCTIONING OF SOCIETY

So why is history important? What possible reason could there be in studying dead people who did something mildly important and interesting? Well, history gives us a fascinating insight into how societies and people function. Anyone can run surveys on how our current society behaves, yet without studying the past they will have nothing to compare it with. For example, somebody can run a survey on the public's opinion of the monarchy, but by simply relying on this data then this study would be worthless, and would end before it has even begun. Although modern factors can be used to help evaluate why the data is set out the way it is, the conductors of this study should use past opinion poll figures to compare the data more comprehensively. The factors that influenced a poll from 100 years ago can then be compared to the factors that influenced the modern day poll. A poll in 1918 could have been influenced by the end of the First World War and the glory attributed to the monarch being head of the British Empire, while 2018 pollees are more concerned by the fact that royal weddings give people an extra bank holiday and Will and Kate's new baby has a funny name. How times change.

Louis Arthur Charles is a great name and all, but did you ever consider Æthelstan 

CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

Society never stands still; change always happen. As I mentioned above, the factors that influence the opinions of one group in 1918 won't be the same as the ones of 2018. Societies may have similar concerns over the course of history (e.g. people will always be concerned with where they can live and how to make money), but change always occurs. Studying history allows the average person to understand how and why change occurs, whether on a local or international level. The start of a new war, for example, can be easily explained through studying modern factors, such as the rise of a internationally condemned dictatorship, yet the full scope of the situation cannot be fully understood without looking into the past. The War on Terror that arose in 2001 can easily be said to have been a direct response to the 11 September terrorist attacks on New York, but that's only half of the story. Further study into American policy in the Middle East reveals their relationship with Israel, an interest in the oil supplied from the region and a desire to make sure that those pesky Russians don't get the upper hand. Change, through the study of history, can then be fully appreciated.

All in the name of democracy

IDENTITY

People want to know where they came from, which is perhaps the reason why websites such as Ancestry.com are so popular. People are intrigued to know where their ancestors originated from, whether out of sheer curiosity or just to desperately find a reason to sue their boss for racial discrimination since they're 0.0000001% Algerian. It allows people to take pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors, perhaps by them being a pillar in the origins of a community or by doing their duty in the country's time of need. National identity can also be taken into account here, and diving into the past reveals the origin stories of groups, institutes and nations. To think that there has always been an England is a horrifying mistake, as our nation has gone through many stages of change. Once an outer province of Rome, it soon became a point of interest for Saxons and Scandinavians, before a Northern French duke decided to take the whole thing for himself. Dynasties came and went, monarchies were abolished and reinstated, and the nations of the British Isles were united and torn apart. To fully understand the origins of a nation gives people a respect for their country, even if it seems that the country is edging slowly towards disaster.

Sigh...

ENGLAND AND FRANCE: A CASE STUDY IN RELATIONS AND IDENTITY

I will use the love/hate relationship of England and France as an example of changing international relations and a sense of identity. William the Conqueror (William I of England) took control of England in 1066, and French became the language of the English aristocracy for many centuries to come. A part of our modern day English language derive from the various Francian languages, so there is already a strong connection there. The Angevin Empire (derived from 'Anjou', a province in France), a phase of the English Plantagenet dynasty, came to rule both England and large sways of France such as Aquitaine. Relations were further strained by the Auld Alliance made in 1295 between Scotland and France. Although the Angevin Empire collapsed during the reign of Henry III (reigned 1216-1272), England still had a vested interest in France, as proven by the onset of the Hundred Year's War (1337-1453). The three phases of the war saw many great English victories, such as Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415), yet showed the brutal side of the English with the numerous chevauchées (French for 'ride'). Soldiers burned and pillaged their way through France, leaving the French countryside a smouldering wreck. It left a sour taste in the mouths of the French.

Conflicts continued to break out, as the two nations always taking opposite during the Italian Wars (1494-1559) and the start of the English Reformation led to Protestant dominance in England, which became a safe haven for the French Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598). Spanish dominance aligned England and France in a common goal to weaken Spanish power, yet war was always on their minds. The execution of Charles I in 1649 during the Civil War (1642-1651) and the removal of James II through the Glorious Revolution (1688) showed how England was the opposite to the French in that the powers of the French monarchy was unchallenged, while the English seemed to change systems every so often (ironic coming from a Frenchman). Parliament grew in power, while the French monarchy held on to its absolute power, and the new nation of Great Britain continued that English policy of annoying France at every possible turn. The fear of France establishing a 'universal monarchy' (supremacy over all other rivals) fuelled the British in their quest to pester France. 

Henry V would be proud

The 18th century saw the war become more global, with the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713), the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) being fought over new theatres such as the Americas and India. British and French power stretched across the globe, with Britain's navy being a thorn in the side of the French. The American War of Independence (1775-1783) allowed the French to scupper British power by siding with the American revolutionaries,although it cost France dearly in the form of the French Revolution (1789-1799), as economic ruin cost Louis XVI his power and his head. Conflict now had a new meaning; stop the radical French ideals sweeping over Europe. By 1815, the Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte was defeated and the era of Pax Britannica (i.e. British domination of global affairs) had begun. A new phase had begun between Britain and France, as the two nations somewhat abandoned their hostility towards one another and sought peace. The Crimean War (1853-1856) saw Britain and France fight the Russians side by side, and the joint venture in administrating the Suez Canal in 1875 are perfect examples of the strange new friendship, even though the 'Scramble for Africa' may have caused some harsh words to be exchanged between the two.

8 April 1904 saw Britain and France sign a series of agreements known as the Entente Cordiale, and Franco-British relations were now in a new friendly phase. The two nations fought together as part of the Triple Entente (Russia formed the third party) against the Triple Alliance during the First World War (1914-1918). The ensuing Treaty of Versailles put the two nations in a position of power over the international political stage, yet the failure of the League of Nations was instrumental in the breakout of the Second World War (1939-1945) and the subsequent Nazi occupation of France. It was in this conflict that saw the British preemptively destroyed the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir in July 1940, a decision that Free France leader Charles de Gaulle would take to heart, and would have certainly influenced his position in denying British membership to the European Economic Community in 1963. Although the British were heralded as liberators after the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, and were co-conspirators during the Suez Crisis of 1956, there were still historical tensions between Britain and France.

Just two mates taking a stroll

The Paris Air Show of June 1969 showcased the new project between the Entente Cordiale; that being the supersonic jet Concorde (the French word for 'unity'). The technical innovation shown by both the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Sud Aviation was a shining example of the strong friendship between the former enemies. The opening of the Channel Tunnel in May 1994, and the continuous ferries that cross the English Channel, further showcase the close links between Britain and France. Recently, the joint operation in Syria shows the military commitment of both nations, ratified by defence co-operation treaties signed in 2010. 'Le Crunch', the name given to any rugby match between England and France, and the various meetings between both football teams are now the closest times when hostility towards either side is shown, even though mocking the French is very much rooted in the British conscience. It is likely to have derived from the various scuffles we've had with our neighbours across the Channel.

A short, but still long and probably boring for some, history of Anglo-French relations perfectly demonstrates how history can teach someone about change and national identity. The joy taken from putting on a fake French accent and shouting 'We Surrender!' would put a smile on the English monarchs and soldiers that spent their lives pushing forward English interests in France. Likewise, the French mock English cuisine and find our passion for queuing puzzling, yet even though their nation has been plundered and ransacked by the English multiple times, there is a respect for the sacrifice of their fallen soldiers in liberating France. Indeed, we can thank the French for the likes of Arsène Wenger and Thierry Henry, for their influence on English football should not be forgotten anytime soon. Merci Arsène!

Shame the players have given up...

PRESERVING STORIES

The detail that I went into, and indeed could have gone into, is all thanks to the preservation of knowledge and texts. Through the tireless efforts of some, we can hear personal accounts from those that experienced vital historical events. I will always regret not having the chance to question my grandfather about his experiences as a Colonel in Burma during the Second World War, showing how imperative it is for us to make the effort in making sure future generations have enough historical materials as possible when studying history. Efforts made by those working in museums and galleries should be held in the highest regards, as they are the ones that not only provide us with a fun day out (seriously, check out the Imperial War Museum in London- it's free and full of incredible exhibits) but are preserving our past in order for us to further examine both national identity and human advancement. So, thanks to the efforts of Indiana Jones, we have ourselves an extensive collection of artifacts showcasing the glories of the past.

Well said

EQUALITY- WELL, HINTS OF IT ANYWAY

If you take a walk along Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament, you will be greeted on the Embankment by the imposing statue of Boadicea and Her Daughters. The Iceni queen Boudica led her tribe in rebellion against the Romans in 60/61 AD, after her husband Prasutagus died, his kingdom was annexed and, according to the Roman historian Tacitus, Boudica was flogged and her daughters were raped. Her rebellion saw both Camulodunum (Colchester) and Londinium (London) razed to the ground, before the Romans gained the upper hand and Boudica, whether through suicide or illness, died. While the statue is anachronistic in that it is a scythed chariot (much like the Persians used), it stands as a legacy to a British hero who stood up against the occupying forces. Indeed, it shows how wrong the statement that 'the history of the world is but the biography of great men' (Thomas Carlyle, 1840) is.

Romans Go Home!

In Parliament Square, there are even more statues to admire. Prime Ministers Churchill and David Lloyd George are joined by the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela, and recently a new face had arrived. She is not a world leader, but is certainly integral in the development of British society. Millicent Fawcett, a pillar in the suffragette movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, stands amongst the likes of Benjamin Disraeli and Robert Peel, with a section of her speech upon the death of fellow suffragette Emily Davison (she threw herself in front of King George V's horse at the Epsom Derby in 1913) held triumphantly before her- 'Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere'. Fawcett co-founded Newnham College, Cambridge in 1876 and served as president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies from 1897-1919. Erected (stop sniggering back there) to commemorate the centenary of women being granted the right to vote through the passing of the Representation of the People Act on 6 February 1918, the president of NUWSS now finds herself in the company of other presidents who fought for social equality.

A welcome addition 

History may still be dominated by men, and will continue to do so due to the seemingly invincible system that is the patriarchy (down with the patriarchy!), but the stories of these two women show how history is not all about men. Henry VIII is widely seen as the defining English monarch due to his wife disposal rate, extravagant lifestyle and his divorce from the Catholic Church, yet it is his daughter Elizabeth I that stabilised England through countering the Catholic Reformation of her half sister Mary I and defied Spanish dominance with the defeat of their Armada in 1588. Call it personal preference, but Elizabeth was a far superior monarch compared to her father. The examples of Fawcett, Boudica and Elizabeth I are defining examples not just of the glories of British history, but also of how women, contrary to the historical prejudices, don't just stand around and look pretty.

What a woman

INSPIRATION AND TEACHING

The three women that I highlighted above are inspirational in the sense that they are seen as examples to modern day feminism. The modern day movement may have moved beyond killing Romans, championing Protestantism and winning the vote, but there is still work to be done in regards to the latter. But while I may be triggering the men threatened by strong women, let us not forget that we are here to defend history itself. Stories and quotes from history can inspire us, as we see how some of the greatest figures in history have overcome adversity, with the odds firmly stacked against them. Winston Churchill has been attributed to saying 'if you're going through hell, keep going', and the words of Vyacheslav Molotov in the wake of the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 are perhaps one of my favourite in all of history:

'Ours is a righteous cause. The enemy shall be defeated. Victory will be ours'.

These words were broadcast across the whole of the Soviet Union, and in the face of a full scale invasion by the ruthless Wehrmacht Molotov calmly retorted that they would win in defence of their 'righteous cause'. It might be personal preference since this was the subject of my dissertation, but the words of the Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs teach us a valuable lesson; stick to your guns, no matter what odds you face, and even if everyone is out to get you. At least, that's what I would like to interpret from this quote.

A wise man- well, for me anyway

Yet even though history is a fascinating mode of character study and changes in society, there are those that hold history as an irrelevant field of study. The efforts of these history naysayers are better spent sweating over quadratics and unravelling the mysteries of the universe, instead of learning the names and reigns of the Holy Roman Emperors. The daunting scope of history can certainly turn people away from the subject, and when you are trying to understand how all the monarchs of Europe are related, I can hardly blame them.

WHO NEEDS FACTS AND DATES?

It is drilled into us to remember the key dates in history, such as the year the Battle of Hastings took place (1066) or the year in which the Spanish Armada sailed forth to subdue the heretical English (1588). But future employers would not be swayed by your historical knowledge, unless of course you were becoming a teacher, and it certainly helps actually knowing your history rather than picking it up as you go along. Although most people have the same criticism of other subjects, such as how useful knowing how to integrate an equation would be in adult life, it appears that knowing the basic facts and dates of history are further down the pecking order. Even though these events are pivotal in shaping the present, people just don't care about them because they've already happened. The past should stay in the past.

I'll just study later

GENOCIDE: A QUICK CASE STUDY OF WHY HISTORY IS SO DEPRESSING

When grinding out my dissertation on Operation Barbarossa, I knew what I was in for; atrocities, brutal occupations and humanity descending into chaos amidst this brutal conflict. What I read and discovered was even worse than I had ever thought. The warning signs were there from the beginning, with the approximate 27 million Soviet casualties, the majority being civilians, sustained during the Second World War. Fuelled by an ideology of Aryan supremacy and Slavic inferiority, the Nazis unleashed literal hell upon the peoples of the Soviet Union, who were hailed as liberators in areas such as Ukraine, who had suffered immensely under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. Adolf Hitler himself declared the war to be one of extermination, as he sought to fulfill his dream of destroying Bolshevism and colonising the east with Germanic peoples, with their 'pure blood'. Einsatzgruppen (SS paramilitary death squads) sat behind the advancing Wehrmacht and killed any opposition to the occupation, no matter what age, religion or gender they were. Death camps sprung up, and the untermenschen (the term for 'subhuman') filled these camps rapidly.

The genocides that arose from the Second World War, committed by both Nazis and Soviets, are events that stain the overall conscience of humanity. The Soviets, as they advanced towards Berlin, believed that they had every right to treat the German civilians in the same vein that they were treated by the Nazis. Raping and pillaging occurred over the remnants of the Third Reich, as rage rose as the true crimes committed by Hitler's regime came to light. The systematic killing of Jews, gypsies and other 'subhumans' by the Nazis was discovered as the concentration camps were liberated. Mass graves and abandoned piles of clothes were scenes that greeted the liberating forces, with the survivors on the brink of starvation and their minds destroyed by witnessing the true brutal nature of mankind.

Never again

They say it is worth studying history just to make sure that we learn from our mistakes, yet the Holocaust (which left approximately 6 million dead) did not stop other genocides from occurring after the war ended in 1945. The 'Stolen Generation' of 20-25,000 Aboriginal children in Australia was part of a process to assimilate Aborigines into the 'superior' white society and allow the Aboriginal people to die out. The Hutu majority government in Rwanda conducted a mass slaughter of the Tutsi across 100 days in 1994, with estimates ranging as high as 1 million dead. During the Bosnian War (1992-1995), the Srebrenica massacre saw the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) slaughter more than 8000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslims, to use another term) civilians and prisoners of war as the war slowly drew to an end in 1995. These are just a few prominent examples, but the message is clear; even though traumatic events occurred, they will always happen again. History is just one long brutal story of how evil some people really are.

The memorial at Srebrenica, dedicated to those that were victims of the genocide

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO AND MAKE THINGS SO COMPLICATED?

I mentioned before that some people feel overwhelmed when doing historical research because there are just too many places and people to memorise. When looking through the entangled mess that is a royal family tree, you would be excused in having a brief mental breakdown as you try and work out how an Englishman can claim to be King of France because he is the closest male relative to the recently deceased French king due to his mother being French. Seems simple enough, but then laws on women being barred from ascending to the throne come forth, meaning that the new king of France is a cousin of the dead king, even though the Englishman is the nephew of the dead king. The English king throws a strop, gets his lands taken away and then declares himself King of France. It's a very simple retelling of the origins of Edward III and the Hundred Years' War, but for a kid or just any regular adult their eyes would roll as they try and get their head around everything. More people are thrown into the mix, titles are passed on due to deaths and changing favour, making the whole thing a colossal clusterfuck.

Yep, cheers for that Ed

BEING A HISTORIAN SEEMS LIKE A POINTLESS PROFESSION

It is widely assumed that hose who decide to pursue a degree in history are destined to become a teacher. I don't blame them really, as I have gone down the route of becoming a teacher before my ordeal threw everything off course. Honestly, I stepped out of university and thought 'well, guess I should be a teacher now'. Even though this may appear as if I gave up on pursuing a well-paying career, history has a reputation of being a useless subject. Evidence for this can be seen by the bursaries given to graduates looking to get into teaching. Maths, the sciences and foreign languages are given the largest bursaries due to the fact that science and technology are the driving force behind society's progress into the future. With businesses expanding abroad, learning a foreign language is now of vital importance, and no longer can students be expected to simply getting away with knowing how to say what you did over the weekend.

The inferior bursaries given to graduates who want to become history teachers can put somebody off, especially since you can get £26,000 for getting a 2:1 degree in maths or geography, compared to £4000 for trainee history teachers. The overall feeling of the pointlessness and apparent inferiority of history compared to these more 'practical' degrees can also be seen by the decisions of British exam boards, such as AQA, to scrap A-level courses in archaeology, art history and even classical studies. These moves were made in 2016, and was met with opposition from the likes of Tony Robinson, famed for heading the show Time Team and being the sidekick to Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder. Robinson said 'it [felt] like the Visigoths at the gates of Rome... all these incredibly valuable and important subjects are being cast into the fire'. The government seemed to share the consensus of the history haters in that there was no worth in obtaining grades in these sorts of subjects, and would rather focus the youth towards science and maths rather than history.

Michael Gove (former Education Secretary) also said that Blackadder was being used to feed 'myths' to youths

In hindsight, perhaps studying history wasn't the best move I could have made. Economics would have allowed me to enter the business world, and my passion for politics could have seen me end up working in the Civil Service, maybe even further afield if I became fluent in a foreign language. Yet that's all nonsense, since history has given me the chance to do all of that. Learning how to research for certain pieces of information and analyse data to study trends are skills employers desire. Having a good knowledge of the inner workings of the government is actually a major component of historical study, as the passing of certain laws had major effects on society, and allows us to fully appreciate how much our lives have changed. Indeed, as part of my dissertation, I made the decision to improve my German (which I continue to this day) to find more primary sources and cut down on my use of Google Translate. All essential skills from a subject that is based on the successes and failures of dead people.

While history may seem to be stuck in the past, the profession is actually always evolving. New evidence comes to light, and suddenly new theories emerge, much like in science when everyone realises that the world is round or those gases and clouds that are pumped from car exhausts are making the planet hotter. Recently, the body of Richard III was found in a car park in Leicester (built over the site of Greyfriars), and that began a process of reassessing how we should view the apparent tyrannical king who murdered his nephews and had a hunchback. William Shakespeare's play Richard III was once the best source on the life and character of Richard III, yet was written in order to appease the Tudor monarch Elizabeth I, whose grandfather, Henry VII, had killed Richard at the Battle of Bosworth (1485). The efforts of the Richard III Society in getting everyone to see that Richard was not a villain are to admired, and show people's passion for making sure the facts are known. Also, how cool is it to find the burial site of a deceased King of England in a car park! Only in England...

Seriously, of all places

History has been a firm part of 'Absolute Shambles' over the last year or so, and I have used my historical knowledge to not only demonstrate that I was paying attention in class, but also really hammer home the point that history is vital in helping to understand everything. Laws on firearms were vital in working out why Americans love their guns, or that our potentially obsessive desire for coffee derives from the discovery by an Ethiopian goat herder. Recently, my trip to Paris allowed me to educate my two companions in the brutality of French politics, as I went into detail of ambitious emperors and grand monuments to French glory. Indeed, knowing about the Cold War allowed me to assess the reasons why cheating occurs in sports and also how the poisoning of a former Russian military intelligence officer have opened frosty tensions and a new 'Great Game'. Thanks to history, we can all learn about different cultures and appreciate the sacrifices of those that fought for what they believed in.

Essentially, history is under threat. Government policies deprive history graduates from pursuing a career in history due to low bursaries, while ambitions are crushed before they've even begun as subjects are removed from the syllabus due to budget cuts and a lack of interest. The actions of ISIS in cities such as Palmyra and Mosul have seen ancient sites destroyed in order to capture the world's attention and follow their extremist understanding of Salafism, as these sites could lead to polytheism (worshipping multiple gods, like the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans did). Human stupidity also threatens history, as seen with the 2009 Dakar Rally, as competitors rode over numerous pre-Columbian hunter-gatherer camps across Chile and Argentina. In 2007, in Nanjing (China), ten tombs from the Six Dynasties (220-589) were destroyed by excavating a site that would soon be home to a brand new IKEA. I love cheap furniture, but when people are saying 'please don't build here, you will destroy priceless artifacts', you should really listen to them.

Meatballs > history? 

As we move further forward into the future, our past is in greater need of being preserved. Although history may be seen as a hobby or 'bunk' according to Henry Ford, it is even more important now than it was centuries ago when history was taught to the aristocracy in order to demonstrate their overall intelligence. The stories and memories of the past need to be preserved, and the process of digitisation should be used to its full advantage. If kids are so distracted by their phones and other gadgets nowadays, then get them using them for the right reasons rather than to stalk their classmates or watch Fortnite compilation videos. Remind them of how society came to be, and that the ramblings of some fat dead guy are actually words that inspired the nation to rise as one in the face of overwhelming and terrifying odds. In this ever changing world, history should never be forgotten or made to be seen as insignificant, as it is our past that defines the present and the future.

Ben G 😁 xo

P.S. I always seem to find a way back to Hankley Common. Never a bad thing though.

Always did add a touch of class to the place