Category: Medieval

The neo-gothic redesign of the Palace of Westminster

Posted by Katherine on in 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, Local, Medieval

The complex of buildings found at Westminster is a little architecturally confusing. We have Westminster Abbey, clearly old from what you see inside it, Westminster Hall and the Palace of Westminster, which look similar, and Big Ben, which screams Victoriana. These buildings can easily blend together if you don’t look carefully and that blending was indeed the intention of the designers.

Motley Crew

Posted by Katherine on in 18th Century, Language, Medieval

The phrase ‘motley crew’ derives from the eighteenth century. ‘Motley’ is a medieval word meaning mixed in colour and often referred to clothing. The Motley was therefore the court jester due to his multi-coloured costume. The meaning of the word…

Lukewarm

Posted by Katherine on in 16th Century, Medieval

Somebody drew my attention towards the term lukewarm yesterday, wondering why we add the word luke to warm to mean tepid. The term derives from Middle English, first used in the 14th century, when the word ‘luke’ was a adjective…