Elizabeth Barton became a celebrated visionary, but when she defied the monarch, she met a grisly end. Was she a charlatan or a heroine of the Tudor world?

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[An AI-generated image of Leslie James, comprised from grainy photos, contemporary sketches, and eye-witness accounts of her appearance. In black and white, she is wearing a dark hat of the period atop curly hair tied back in a ponytail]

The story of the last woman to be hanged in Wales

Leslie James was executed for murder, but her looks were talked about as much as her crime. A new book documents the case.

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[A composite of Hannah Neeleman, Caro Claire Burke and Anne Hathaway, with the cover of Yesteryear repeated in the background (Credit: Getty Images/ Harper Collins)]

Why smash-hit tradwife satire Yesteryear is 2026's most divisive book

Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear is the book of the season and quite likely the year, too. Here's why the satirical novel about tradwives and womanhood has everybody talking.

Arts in Motion

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[Rolex and the Arts]

Rolex and the Arts

Through its Perpetual Arts Initiative, Rolex supports world-leading cultural institutions and exceptional artists, in the spirit of celebrating excellence and promoting the transmission of knowledge to new generations.

Art history

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[Composite of Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (left) and Henry Taylor's From Congo to the Capital and Black Again (Credit: The Museum of Modern Art, New York/ Auru00e9lien Mole/ Henry Taylor Courtesy the artist)]

'Hideous': The controversy over Picasso's most shocking painting

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon was met with horror, then revered. A century later, the piece was reinterpreted by US artist Henry Taylor, and Picasso's masterwork remains contentious why?

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[Detail of mountain and blue sky in Franklin Carmichael's Lone Lake (1929) (Credit: Alamy)]

The 1920s paintings that changed how the world saw Canada

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[Crop of The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street, Boston on March 5,1770 by a party of the 29th Regiment (Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York/ Gift of Mrs Russell Sage)]

The image that fuelled the American Revolution

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[A cropped version of Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo (Credit: Nickolas Muray/ Collection of Mexican Art)]

What this Frida Kahlo painting tells us about her most intimate vulnerabilities

Around the world

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[The amazing art museum under the sea]

The spectacular art museum under the sea

Can art and conservation work hand in hand to save our oceans?

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[Lucinda Chambers' home (Credit: Robyn Lea)]

Inside eight of the best fashion designers' homes

Each of these remarkable interiors reflects its creative owner's unique vision from a British bohemian-lady-of-the-manor style to a 14th-Century Florentine palazzo.

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[Close-up portrait of a young child with long, curly red hair flowing outward as if caught by a breeze. The child is turned slightly to one side and looking toward the camera, wearing a dark top against a dark, softly blurred background. Warm lighting highlights the texture and movement of the hair.]

Ginger hair portraits show unexpected 'golden thread' connecting Americans

For Scotsman Kieran Dodds, photographing people with red hair has become something of an obsession for a decade.

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[A black and white image shows a couple in the corner of a booth in a small Paris cafe with their faces close together as if they are about to kiss(Credit: Estate Brassai/ Succession Philippe Ribeyrolles)]

10 intimate images of a lost, decadent 1930s Paris

Moving "from the slums to the exclusive salons", Brassa captured the brothels, gay bars and backstreets of Paris's hazy night-time in its radical inter-war years.

Watch

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[Teng CHEN Still 1 Maximalism vs minimalism]

The extreme homes of maximalists and minimalists

In a world obsessed with decluttering, some people find beauty in an overstuffed apartment.

Classical music

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[Margot the dog listens attentively as a TV behind her can be seen playing a classical piece (Credit: Serenity Strull)]

The music that keeps animals calm

You can find many different playlists for dogs and cats online. However, not all styles of music are effective.

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[Janet Leigh screaming in the shower in Psycho (Credit: Alamy)]

How the Psycho music score changed film forever

Alfred Hitchcock's grisly horror might not have become a classic without composer Bernard Herrmann's disturbing score.

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[A view of the inside of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris with people seated inside the nave during a mass (Credit: Getty Images)]

Does Notre-Dame still sound the same?

Performers and visitors to the famous gothic cathedral in the midst of the River Seine may find some subtle differences to the way sound bounces around its walls.

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[Anita Lasker-Wallfisch holding a photograph of herself when she was younger playing the cello (Credit: Getty Images)]

How music saved a cellist's life in Auschwitz

After being sent to the Nazi death camp in 1943, Anita Lasker survived by playing in its women's orchestra. In 1996, she spoke to the BBC about her ordeal.

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[Tom Hulce and cast in a scene of Amadeus (Credit: Alamy)]

The most misunderstood Oscar winner ever

Milo Forman's best picture-winning Amadeus is often accused of historical inaccuracies but the film's critics could be missing the point.

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[Callas at 100: 'This is the stuff legends are made of']

A look back at operatic legend Maria Callas' life

Greek-American soprano Maria Callas, hailed as one of the greatest singers in operatic history, remains an icon for young performers today.

'Welcome home, bab,' Call the Midwife star back in Brum

Helen George said the Alexandra Theatre was one of the first she visited as a child.

15 hrs ago

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[An impressionistic pink and blue painting of a pub]

Artist to paint every pub in city to create 'legacy'

Award-winning artist Gary North embarks on a mission to paint every pub in Liverpool.

15 hrs ago

1 day ago

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[Law posing for pictures alongside her daughters Sophie (left) and Emma (right) after having been made an OBE in 2014]

Actress Phyllida Law, mother of Emma and Sophie Thompson, dies at 94

Law appeared in films alongside both of her daughters, Dame Emma and Sophie, including 1996's Emma.

1 day ago

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[Cube entrance of Pompidou Centre, Malaga (Credit: Pompidou Centre, Malaga/ Getty Images)]

Eight of the world's most colourful buildings

Imaginative architects have long used colour to elevate their work. From a dazzling ancient temple to a vibrant library, here are eight buildings where colour is integral.

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