Dr Caron Lipman

Two of my academic books are on offer (so slightly less overpriced than normal) - if you're interested in how people relate to their homes' pasts: what objects they find, how they imagine past residents' lives, what uncanny encounters they experience, and why these things matter.

Reasons recorded for worker absence on this 3,200 year-old ancient Egyptian attendance register include ‘brewing beer’, ‘stung by a scorpion’, and ‘embalming brother’! 🤯 From Deir el-Medina worker’s village. Written in Hieratic script. 📷 by me #Archaeology

Myths aren't historical records. But, says Emily Hauser, for centuries, (mostly male) archaeologists have got this wrong, searching for the “reality” behind legendary sites like Troy. Yet there is history to discover behind the myths, as she explains at historiamag.com/real-women-gre…

It’s now confirmed that Toby Carvery did indeed fell the Whitewebbs Oak, on the same day that evidence is emerging the tree may have been 500 years old. The lame excuse they gave that the tree was “dead” is not only false (ecologists have found green buds on the felled branches) but in any case inadequate: ancient oaks host many unique species in their dying phase, which can take a century or more. @tobycarvery now need to apologise for this desecration of our natural heritage & reassure us all that trees elsewhere on their estate are safe; if not, customers should boycott them as a company. The fact that a company like Tony Carvery can apparently just decide to fell a tree older than the United Kingdom without consulting the authorities, arboriculturalists or ecologists shows that our current tree protection regime is clearly inadequate. In this comment piece for the Evening Standard, I look deeper at the problems with legal tree protections, & some potential solutions. standard.co.uk/comment/oak-tr…

This is high art

Spring is here!

You HAVE to watch this... an eccentric tour of London oddities from the mid-1970s. It's just brilliant londonist.com/london/videos/…

People keep asking for more, so here they are - two atmospheric guided tours exploring local history with a twist #StokeNewington #uncanny #ghosts #tours

I very much look forward to Tony Rich's Hackney History Festival talk, Stoke Newington at War: Hidden Stories of Resistance and Survival, about Stoke Newington during WW2. One of London’s smallest boroughs, Stoke Newington played a vital role in Britain’s home defence, with its Town Hall still bearing wartime camouflage. Tony will explore how and why it was painted that way, alongside the efforts of volunteers in the Air Raid Precautions and Civil Defence Services. Sunday 11 May 2025, 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM, Sutton House, E9 6JQ Tickets: tickettailor.com/events/hackney…?

A walk through Clissold Park tonight, as the bell rang #StokeNewington

Our Milton Keynes field team recently discovered a rare 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗱-𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 in the topsoil during excavations near Northampton! While barbed and tanged arrowheads of flint are typically linked to the 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲 (𝗰. 𝟮𝟰𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗕𝗖), this metal one may be from the 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲 (𝗰. 𝟭𝟱𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗕𝗖)—a period when use of bows and arrows apparently became much rarer in Britain. How did it end up here? Was it lost during a hunt or kept as a keepsake, being lost much later during Iron Age (c. 700 BC – AD 43) occupation of the site? Similar finds suggest some of these arrowheads could have been produced in the UK, challenging old theories that they were imports from the continent or foreign finds lost by rambling antiquarians. With 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟯𝟬 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 from England, each new find helps us unravel the mystery of these intriguing objects. Read more about this unusual find: cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/getting-to-the… @BloorHomes #Archaeology #BronzeAge #prehistory #Northamptonshire

Artemisia Gentileschi, The Birth of Saint John the Baptist c. 1635. (Museo Nacional del Prado)

It was the first chance to hear the new #AbneyPark 'audio tour' for most of us on today's panel, including the author and the actor who brought her lived experience to the telling of Harriet Delph's story. A masterclass in investigative research + sound artistry @AbneyParkN16👏

Finally, remains of Roman London's basilica! At least it was where we thought it would be... bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Adele has been accused of sabotaging the sale of a £6m mansion she used to live in by its owners, who claim she once said it was haunted. Adele said [in an interview], 'It gives me the creeps' [but did not use the word 'haunted']. ⬇️👻🏡MORE DETAILS🏡👻⬇️ bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Just on - join me for the final two ghost walks of the year! #StokeNewington #Stokey #NewingtonGreen #ButterfieldGreen

As a quietly-spoken young journalist amidst the loud press throng, John Prescott used to shout at me: 'Speak up, Caron!' He once signalled for me to walk around a corridor, where he gave me a story everyone else had missed. I liked him very much.

This Friday evening, join me for the last Angel Ghost Walk of the year! From Islington Green, meandering to the ancient Canonbury Tower, this area crackles with weirdness👻Click on QR code in poster to book #ghostwalk #uncanny #islington #canonbury #LondonFortean #ghosts

What a thing! A 1903 Suffragette defaced penny, in the collection of the British Museum.

Oh no! Just catching up on the news of the death of one of my favourite writers - Phil Rickman. I loved his Merrily Watkins series of novels which drew on local folklore, conjuring an atmospheric sense of place in and around the English-Welsh borders. RIP Phil.

@droedmawr @HistoryOfStokey Ah, that's the 'depository'. Looks big!

Aerial photo of prefabs built after WW2 in Clissold Crescent, Stoke Newington - other local sites included Queen Elizabeth Walk and Bouverie Rd. I’d love to see some close-up local pics eg family photos, if any one can help? #StokeNewington @HistoryOfStokey