Wales has a rich boxing history, with many of Britain’s greatest fighters originating in the Principality. One iconic boxer from Cardiff was Jim Driscoll, a child of Irish parents, who won the Lonsdale Belt in 1910. A featherweight, Driscoll grew up in grinding poverty in the Newtown district of Cardiff. An interesting figure in Welsh […]
Situated in the heart of the city, Cardiff Castle is one of Wales’ most famous and historical sites. The castle is located on land which was once home to a Roman Fort, but the structure you see today traces much of its history back to the 11th century when the Normans established their presence in […]
The Premier League was officially founded in 1992, after all clubs in the old First Division resigned from the Football League and joined the breakaway division. Since that time, the Premier League has functioned as the highest level of professional football in England. One of the main reasons behind the new league was commercial independence […]
Gambling dates back as far as cavemen watching rain drops trickle down a cave wall but Casinos are far more modern. Taking the definition to mean a building specifically used for the purpose of gambling the first known example is found in Venice, Italy in 1638. There, the Ridotto was set up to provide a […]
Ah, Valentine’s day, the most romantic day of the year. And what’s more romantic than the symbol of a heart? Well, in playing cards, it’s not symbolic of just love. Card suits have a long and disputed history. There are many different theories linking certain suits to certain meanings. The original french deck of cards, […]
You might not think of Welsh beer as one of the classic British beers, but brewing in Wales has a long and rich tradition. Ancient legends claim that Welsh beer could give its drinkers poetic inspiration and even the gift of immortality. In the middle ages, Welsh brewers produced a strong ale called bragawd or […]
The world’s favourite sport, football is a global industry with huge celebrities, vast paycheques and recognisable brands. Its origins, however, are very different. In the middle ages, English football was a rough and violent game with few rules. A game of football often pitted the men of one village against the inhabitants of a neighbouring […]
The humble casino chip seems like such an important feature of the modern card table that it’s hard to imagine that they didn’t always exist. Early gamblers used whatever tokens came to hand, including sea shells, beans, bits of broken pottery and other improvised tokens. Of course, cash was a commonly used form of exchange. […]
