Archives: September 2016

Pirates vs Smugglers Pirates versus smugglers? Well not in any battle I know of, but it could well have been, as the two groups of varmints were of a different ilk. I often hear people say ‘Julie writes about pirates’. I’ve been asked to do talks about pirates, but it’s smugglers I know about. What’s… Read More

The Thirteenth Box and The Face of Sam are set in late 18th-century Hampshire, in and around the ‘smugglers’ town’ of Christchurch. Christchurch, with its then secluded beaches, a double tide, large harbour with a narrow entrance and two rivers feeding the harbour was an ideal place to bring in sought-after contraband.  Smuggling was undertaken… Read More

I love history. It is fascinating to read about how people lived in the past within the conditions of the time. Social history tells us as much about human nature and fortitude as it does of human progress. History is often seen in terms of timelines – chronological lists of key people and facts, but… Read More