{"chapterKey":"united-kingdom/the-power-of-the-past","title":"The Power of the Past","regionSlug":"united-kingdom","status":"published","photos":[{"sha":"9fa37d53c7a91c0bed77d55b083bd9cb248d19c7d2391ea35114d65654a2eb2d","caption":"Winter morning at Towersey, east of Thame, southeast of Oxford. 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The old buildings the dark one was once a barn are now living quarters, meti"},{"sha":"0cf3c116b07fbbb3247001cf542c06a3b7ffb5fe4886343d5d5e42caee41af54","caption":"The Towersey village church, locked up tight during the week.","width":574,"height":850,"aspect":0.6753,"orientation":"portrait","layoutHint":"narrow","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/c6c79c3ee62a14828c3201565b0159ee","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e2d360fbe132092ee7b6b99972aa6288","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/9001a0cd65f65739c05b137f3374b62a","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/9001a0cd65f65739c05b137f3374b62a","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/9001a0cd65f65739c05b137f3374b62a","altText":"The Towersey village church, locked up tight during the week."},{"sha":"539406ed7aa65546e0309e6b542c984e88999b729f48c25f3a9dad32f52cba6a","caption":"Christmas Eve hymns.","width":850,"height":576,"aspect":1.4757,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e08dbaebcb1da909578a7382c51a06f6","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/837886d7b230641b5a07c63464a57b15","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/baf2879179e2de1d127b0638dc194055","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/c13a455fa0f466603615924a15948682","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/c13a455fa0f466603615924a15948682","altText":"Christmas Eve hymns."},{"sha":"329700f11469784ee8e4f7f8beb19284ca4bff7ba45b30aad5b7e69fa097e092","caption":"In the churchyard, a relic of empire.","width":573,"height":850,"aspect":0.6741,"orientation":"portrait","layoutHint":"narrow","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/5150e2a38e8ff8d1196252a1cade63c0","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/59994beef0788773e23836fd612db555","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/424063a45ae94f62f09eacda5a10bc09","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/424063a45ae94f62f09eacda5a10bc09","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/424063a45ae94f62f09eacda5a10bc09","altText":"In the churchyard, a relic of empire."},{"sha":"1cefadb8335abc37fd757c001d785437b79987c7df0a9e48842756213b0f33e3","caption":"Speaking of Burma, we've come to the grim Hughendon Manor, the country residence of Benjamin Disraeli. As prime minister, he arranged to give Victoria the title Empress of India. Neither of them ever went there.","width":884,"height":590,"aspect":1.4983,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/adde7dccc23dcec1cc45e2624f1cd903","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/bb951567095dd59a2b9c979377c9b255","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/a159548db4f07571c2f149745c139a9b","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/989095dcc2ff0eb3c68af5049691b94d","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/989095dcc2ff0eb3c68af5049691b94d","altText":"Speaking of Burma, we've come to the grim Hughendon Manor, the country residence of Benjamin Disraeli. As prime minister, he arranged to giv"},{"sha":"e367ff69fdc223643743e22eb6ad0f7725cb980de0a12d99a50652044cb6dc16","caption":"The old canals, ruined long ago by the construction of railways, are not filled and forgotten.","width":885,"height":589,"aspect":1.5025,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fc8bc919ffd83f8aa15b63b2422b30dd","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e3574232c48ef65130f31c596f7f2d44","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/02458aed4338cb11a564c8e3826a4ca4","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/4d1abc5dc719f73a9f4c671dd05337fb","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/4d1abc5dc719f73a9f4c671dd05337fb","altText":"The old canals, ruined long ago by the construction of railways, are not filled and forgotten."},{"sha":"65c0b1c8419efd1be54e1d012fe8be816c22a21b11026c9803432271b51e35a7","caption":"Wives lose a few pounds by opening and closing massive lock gates. Husbands do the serious business of steering—and ruminating on Britain's glories.","width":585,"height":878,"aspect":0.6663,"orientation":"portrait","layoutHint":"narrow","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/a6752522dede61d9e6447647c6801926","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e4dbd8cdc15609c5debf5f0101dabeb8","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e85d240298b036e80cf72d41d408ebff","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e85d240298b036e80cf72d41d408ebff","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e85d240298b036e80cf72d41d408ebff","altText":"Wives lose a few pounds by opening and closing massive lock gates. Husbands do the serious business of steering—and ruminating on Britain's"},{"sha":"70a912da544692412c99b4ca6cccc3c122fcde136d6b3ca2c9078ad9cd2db174","caption":"Enough nostalgia! Time for the real England, the England ripping out hedgerows, bringing in combines, and doing its best to escape the stranglehold of tradition.","width":884,"height":591,"aspect":1.4958,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fb7cb0ce0e67135c683f64cc50943d2b","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/506bc3aab9abde2251b2dc0fd1090c1f","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/f742e978a00cbaa9fe3016fe49556c54","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/bd10c91a3d301391d7c502fc596cc452","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/bd10c91a3d301391d7c502fc596cc452","altText":"Enough nostalgia! Time for the real England, the England ripping out hedgerows, bringing in combines, and doing its best to escape the stran"},{"sha":"81ae1e41f002846333a0fbfb55303a479ec4dfecda9b90cbe15f46eea6bbcd08","caption":"Hard to believe: round bales in Ye Merrie Olde England.","width":884,"height":591,"aspect":1.4958,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/9a655497ca9439d61534e4d43a12e3c1","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/e82465d19e990c2bf714e27c17fb6285","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/90385296df798ce8d9fd880a1e3bb923","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0b693b770fbebaee1c15621a7784c46a","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0b693b770fbebaee1c15621a7784c46a","altText":"Hard to believe: round bales in Ye Merrie Olde England."},{"sha":"8b49cdd88efd80546c94c03d1163c1aaab9b245f8058d66fd1bff53c12aa2e10","caption":"But even here, in a country with big rolls of moisture barrier, people still top it up with ephemeral, traditional thatch. The Euro? Not this week.","width":886,"height":594,"aspect":1.4916,"orientation":"landscape","layoutHint":"wide","srcThumb":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/bdaddd124598e239279440abd4b96c5e","srcSmall":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/9f722acb2a7cffabfe0ac0a6addf84b5","srcMedium":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/beb82f9da58f72e0ff564f168d8a4c54","srcLarge":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/9c33d268d8cd09ab2e7387390fe4802c","srcOriginal":"https://wtbl.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/9c33d268d8cd09ab2e7387390fe4802c","altText":"But even here, in a country with big rolls of moisture barrier, people still top it up with ephemeral, traditional thatch. The Euro? Not thi"}],"createdAt":"2022-02-28T01:22:11.000Z","updatedAt":"2022-02-28T01:22:11.000Z","lead":"Why did the Brits refuse to adopt the Euro? You don't have to conduct a poll or commission a battery of social scientists. Just take a look around the country.","visitedDate":"2000","publishedDate":"2000-10-10T04:00:00.000Z","originalUrl":"https://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=143&chapterid=147&picturesize=medium","heroSha":"9fa37d53c7a91c0bed77d55b083bd9cb248d19c7d2391ea35114d65654a2eb2d","authorLabel":"Bryan Wallach","_meta":{"sameAs":[]}}