Be a part of British history TODAY

The polls are open today (Thursday 23rd June) from 7.00am until 10pm. 

Do use your vote in what must be the most important decision the British people have had to take for decades.

If you have any problems - The officials at the polling station (who are independent of either campaign) can advise you.

Where is my designated polling station? 

You can find the address of your polling station on your polling card. You can only vote at your designated polling station.  If you can not find your polling card you can contact us and we will be able to provide that information. You do not need your polling card with you to vote because your name will be on the register at the polling station.

How do I vote at the polling station? 

If you are on the register of electors you should have received a poll card a few weeks before an election. This will tell you how, where and when to vote.

This card is for information only so don't worry if you lose it or forget it. (You can still vote without the poll card but it is easier if you have it with you).

You will be assigned to a polling station in your area, for example, at a school or village hall. On election day you should go to the polling station during the times it is open - this will be stated on your polling card.

At the polling station you will be given a ballot paper which is stamped with an official mark.

Take the ballot paper to one of the polling booths and put a cross in the box next to the option you are voting for. Do not write anything else on the ballot paper, otherwise your vote might not count. Once you have voted you must fold the ballot paper and show it to the clerk before you put it in the locked ballot box. You don't have to tell anyone what you voted for.

Do I need to take my polling card to the polling station to vote? 

No, you do not need your polling card to vote. This card is for information only so don't worry if you lose it or forget it. (You can still vote without the poll card but it is easier if you have it with you).

How long will polling stations be open on 23 June 

Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm, if you are still queuing at the polling station at 10pm you will still have the opportunity vote, you will be invited into the polling station or given a ticket that will identify you as being eligible to cast your vote. Find out more information about polling stations on the gov.uk website

Can I still register to vote for the EU Referendum?

No, it is now too late to register for the EU Referendum. If you have registered to vote for any other election at your current address then you will automatically be registered to vote for this referendum. You cannot check if you are registered to vote online. If you have a polling card in your name at your address then you are registered to vote.

Oxford - brimming with 'history'

Last weekend was spent in Oxford. Although I spent a lot of time in coffee shops, I was working (amongst other things, planning for some of the series I will be running on JDM's History Explorer); and I attended a couple of meetings about US Law and History - I did spend some time exploring the great history that is to be found in the city.

One of the oldest remaining buildings is pictured above. St Michael at North Gate is now part of the very busy shopping street, we now know as Cornmarket Street. It's name derives from the fact that it stands adjacent to the site of Oxford's original North Gate. It was built in the first half of the Eleventh Century, the tower dating from 26 years prior to the Norman conquest - and it has distinctive Saxon features.

It's well worth a visit - and more details of the church, its tower and the rest of its historic heritage can be found on the church's website.

Le Château des Ravalet

On my recent visit to Cherbourg, I made a short trip to the beautiful château pictured above. It has some wonderful gardens and a great tearoom. It's worth a visit - especially at this time of year - just to enjoy these gardens which were laid out by René Clérel de Tocqueville. If the name sounds familiar - it is because he was the  nephew of Alexis de Tocqueville - who wrote "Democracy in America". It was Alexis' father who bought the château (and began to restore the manor house).

The château is also famous for other reasons. At the end of the sixteenth century the manor was lived in by the Raval family which included eleven children. Two of them were very close, Julien (b 1582) and Marguerite (b 1586) - to the extent that their parents separated them, and married off Marguerite to a thirty year old, when she was just fourteen. It was an unhappy marriage and she fled to her brothers home near Paris (he was 21 by this time). Her father had the two arrested and they were tried for adultery and incest. They were both executed on 2nd December 1603.

There was also a murder at the château. In 1661 Charles de Franquetot was killed by five masked men, two of whom were his valets.

Today the Château is owned by the town of Cherbourg. The (French language) website can be found at http://www.ville-cherbourg.fr/themes/culture/patrimoine/le-chateau-des-ravalet/ 

Brittany Ferries also has a brief description on its website - http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/guides/france/normandy/cherbourg/attractions/chateau-des-ravalet 

Portsmouth

Last week I went on a short "holiday" to Cherbourg (more of that in posts to come) - but in order to catch the early morning ferry (I live in Milton Keynes which is 120 miles from the ferry port), I had to go down the day before to Portsmouth. In fact, I've visited Portsmouth many times in recent weeks.

While I'm in the city, I enjoy exploring the history, of which it has so much. For many centuries it was the major centre of Britain's naval defences. The dockyard houses Nelson's flagship, the Victory, on which he died at the Battle of Trafalgar; the Mary Rose from the Tudor period - and so much more. I haven't visited on any of my recent visits - but I hope to soon.

The defences for the city itself are worth a visit. From just south of Gunwharf Quays (and the Spinnaker Tower - pictured above) the walls can still be walked around. That is pleasant in itself, but there are also interpretation boards which tell the visitor more about the history. Southsea castle is also worth a visit.

During our visit we bought some of the "Portsmouth Papers" which are short booklets about various aspects of Portsmouth's history. I'll be writing pieces based on some of them, once I've read them!

We also visited the birthplace of Charles Dickens, which I also indeed to write about in coming posts.

So - keep an eye on this blog - and together we can explore Portsmouth (and other places)