Picturesque Pasts is the overarching framework for my cultural-historical interests in Englishness, British Rhine Romanticism, nostalgia and heritage tourism. It encompasses both Midsomer Murders as an expression of an idealised, almost fairytale England, and 19th-century British Rhine travellers who projected their own ideas of landscape, history and romanticism onto the Rhine.
It is not a clearly defined concept, but rather a space of thought in which I see the past not only as a sequence of events, but also as something that is actively remembered, narrated and aestheticized. How does history become a backdrop for desire? How do landscapes shape our notions of identity? Why do certain eras, styles and narratives continue to fascinate us?
Picturesque Pasts is not a social media project or a traditional form of knowledge transfer. It is my personal space in which I ask questions, analyse and reflect – without having to provide immediate answers. It may grow in the form of essays, books or other formats, but it is always committed to the idea that the past is not simply remembered, but staged.
I don’t want to impart knowledge, I want to create meaning.
🕵️♀️ Midsomer Murders & History
“A village, a murder—and a deeply rooted idea of England. Midsomer Murders is more than just a crime series; it is an archive of Englishness, shaped by ancient manor houses, century-old feuds, and the ghosts of a past that never quite lets go. But where do these images come from? And how closely are they tied to real history?”
📌 My work on Midsomer Murders:
📖 MidsomerMurdersHistory.org – The blog exploring the history of Midsomer County
🎙️ Guest appearances on “Midsomer Mayhem” – the official Midsomer Murders podcast –
I took part as a quiz contestant in the episodes 6 (Murder on St Malley’s Day), 13 (The Ballad of Midsomer County), and 15 (The Dark Rider)
📚 My upcoming book on Midsomer Murders – My labour of love about the cosiness of the series – for other fans.
🔎 (More to come—perhaps a lecture, an article, or another project? Stay tuned!)
➡️ Step into the historical underpinnings of Midsomer Murders.
🌊 British Travellers along the Romantic Rhine (1813-1863)
“What did the British see when they travelled the Rhine? Ruins in the mist, the Loreley rock, wine-growing villages—but also a canvas for their own dreams. Before the Germans romanticised their river, the British had already transformed it into a poetic landscape. What do their travelogues reveal? And how did their gaze reshape the Rhine forever?”
📌 My research project:
📝 British Rhine Travellers 1813–1863 – The blog (launching End March 2025)
🎤 Lecture in September: Exploring British travellers and the Binger Loch as a case study.
🕰️ Costumed tour in 2026: Embodying Victorian travel influencer Martha Robinson in 1845 to bring British Rhine Romanticism to life.
📖 For now, I am gathering stories, sources, and fragments—the blog will grow alongside the research.
➡️ Follow in the footsteps of British travellers along the Rhine.
📬 Get in Touch
📜 Thoughts or questions about Picturesque Pasts?
📩 Drop me a message —I’d love to hear from you!