Features
Guy Fawkes may be the most famous traitor in history, but here we look at some lesser known offenders. Read up about the "penny for the guy" tradition and then drop in with us to Lewes for a truly unique bonfire party...
A Penny for the Guy
Until recently, a common sight in English streets, in the weeks leading up to November 5, was of youngsters standing beside home-made effigies of Guy Fawkes, demanding, "A penny for the Guy!" Bonfire night was a children's festival, when boys and girls built their own bonfires and set off fireworks.
Traitors in History
The foiling of the Gunpowder Plot and the arrest and execution of the plotters mark probably the most well-known of all examples of treason in England’s history. But who else has stood accused of betraying the State, what were their motives and how were they ultimately punished?
The Guildford Guy Riots
Guildford in Surrey is a typical English county town, with a pretty cobbled High Street lined with Georgian buildings. Visiting the town today, it is difficult to imagine that this was once the scene of ferocious Bonfire Night riots, when the notorious Guildford Guys took to the streets...
Lewes Bonfire Night: An Explosive Event
Lewes is a little old town in East Sussex. Most days of the year it is lovely and tranquil, and largely disregarded by the national press. But on November 5 every year it becomes briefly the most notorious place in England - in 2006 a crowd of 50,000 descended…
