Comments for England's Puzzle

Comment on Does apple pie come from England or the US? by Dru

Dru — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 08:48:28 +0000

I think that this is only partially correct. The filling for american apple pie did originate from Britain. However, the original British crust was hard, flavorless and not meant to be eaten. The flaky buttery crust used on American apple pie came from Germany immigrants (with some French influence). The most well known version of American apple pie is a mix of the two countries methods for preparing apple pie. As well, a less common but still widely available version of American apple pie is made with a strudel topping. The strudel topping came from Dutch immigrants. So that version is a fusion of British and Dutch apple pie recipes. So in summary while the filling in America apple pie came from British immigrants, the particular crust filling combination in American apple pie recipes is a fusion of multiple pie styles that took place in America due to the close proximity of immigrants from several European countries.

Comment on The social history of the toilet by Jude Smith

Jude Smith — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 13:49:55 +0000

I was born in 1949, in Liverpool UK.
All the houses I lived in had indoor plumbing BUT I visited numerous houses which still had the toilet in the back yard.
On holidays, at farms in Wales, we had to walk down the garden path to the outhouse – AKA toilet.
Some of these were two seaters. They were basically a shed with a wooden box inside, set over a hole dug in the ground.

Comment on Terracotta Rooftop Finials by N

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:43:44 +0000

In reply to Jamie Underhill.

Hi Jamie,

Out of interest, what is your company called and is it still around?

Interested to know for a friend.

Comment on Exploring North Devon by Y. Chang

Y. Chang — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:17:49 +0000

Enjoying your quiet commentary on such a quietly beautiful part of the world.

Comment on Britain’s music map in the ’80s by Carmen Hernández Rodríguez

Carmen Hernández Rodríguez — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 21:01:14 +0000

Me encanta y faltaron los Irlandeses ❤️

Comment on The social history of the toilet by Nancy LeBlon

Nancy LeBlon — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:08:13 +0000

I just finished reading a book that took place in the mid 1700’s. Then before that a book from the 1860’s. And I thought the same thing. How on earth when the beautiful lavish clothes are explained did they go to the bathroom. And visiting someone, did you bring your own pot???? I adore the romance of period piece novels but boy it must have smelled just awful.

Comment on The social history of the toilet by Gizella

Gizella — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 19:38:39 +0000

In reply to Ruby. Thank you for the feedback, Ruby. I'm pleased you enjoyed the post.

Comment on The social history of the toilet by Ruby

Ruby — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 22:16:17 +0000

This was such an interesting read, so well researched and written! Who knew I’d be so wrapped up in a blog post about the history of toilets but I couldn’t stop reading and I’m not much of a reader. I’ll definitely be coming back to read more. Thank you

Comment on English Village Pumps by Gizella

Gizella — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 17:29:17 +0000

In reply to Josephine Jeffery.

Hi Josephine, I’m pleased you liked the post. Unfortunately, I don’t have the list of the pumps, but I used this website to pick some: http://www.villagepumps.org.uk/ Hope this helps.

Comment on English Village Pumps by Josephine Jeffery

Josephine Jeffery — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 07:55:30 +0000

I loved this post! I’m currently on my own pilgrimage to find all Holy Wells and springs around my area and now that has expanded to include pumps. I can tell you why they are near churches, they were holy sites once- pagan or pre Christian and once the missionaries came the Church wanted to convert water worship to Christianity that’s why they included’Holy Water’ in their sermons. Do you have a list of all the pumps you’ve visited? I’d love to see them. My Instagram is water_pilgrim