Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
Photo by John Boyd (1865-1941), from the City of Toronto Archives via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
At the very centre of Sir Robert Peel’s idea of policing was the constable’s beat: a few streets, shops and families that he must know and care about.
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© West Midlands Police. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police reiterated that what they liked best was a policeman who never arrested anyone.
Pierre Prévost (1764–1823), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Chinese merchant Lien Chi tells a colleague that English liberties have little to do with elections, taxes and regulations.
© Amr Badawy, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
After witnessing a bus conductor’s battle of wills with the London public, journalist Alfred Gardiner felt obliged to give him a little advice.
By Francis Owen Salisbury (1874-1962), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
On the day that the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, ‘Alpha of the Plough’ wondered if the country would prove worthy of him.
By Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Marguerite, Lady Blakeney, is powerless to intervene as her husband Sir Percy walks into a trap.