Seven Cities: A TLIAD

[Ed Costello]

THE SEVEN CITIES OF ENGLAND

A Timeline In A Day
by Edward W Feery

​

The following document is a tourist pamphlet published by the Co-operative Press, then effectively an arm of the English Government, in the early 1960s. Intended as a means of informing visitors to the nation of the ancient and more modern history of the nation's major settlements, it also provides a valuable insight into the Kingdom's relationship with the other UKGBNI successor states of the Civil War in the period between the Peace of Hereford and the Summer of '71. As an approved Historic Cultural Resource (HRC), this document has been comprehensively annotated; non-annotated copies can be loaned from Archives upon receipt and validation of form N7-QZA.

RM Wilkinson
Records Manager, NSSHQ St Johns
13 June 1990​

Visit England!

Peace has returned once more to our cities, historic and industrial; from smiling valley to verdant pasture, our country is once again tranquil! The vigour of the populace, so famed in recent years in the face of tyranny, has not dulled their famed hospitality; a warm welcome awaits the intrepid traveller.[1] The landmarks of history have been appended in the most tragic terms; yet the democratic tradition of the centuries which they embody remains as strong in this land as it ever was. From the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey[2] to the Great Cenotaph of Manchester's George Square, the traditions of England remain for all to see.

Historic England. Liberal England. Free England.[3]


[1] Although the hospitality of the English was renowned at this time, evidence suggests that it could evaporate in the presence of certain people – most usually British nationals, although instances are noted of Indians and other New Commonwealth citizens suffering similar treatment. Interestingly, there is no sign of such attitudes extending to German or Italian visitors when the bar on those nations was lifted in 1964.

[2] This is one of several notable incidences trying to present the English Reformation as part of the grand sweep of 'English Democracy'. This attitude would remain prevalent in the Kingdom of England long after being discredited in the rest of the wider Anglosphere.

[3] The tone of this frontispiece is notably different from the rest of the document, and was likely added prior to publication by either the Co-op's own censors or the Department of External Information.

 

[Ed Costello]

I say, this seems jolly interesting.

Why thank you. It's a TLIAD about a Kingdom of England in the aftermath of a British Civil War. The setting is, I have to admit, inspired by Solway Crafts' wargame setting 1938: A Very British Civil War.

I'm not familiar with that – where can I find more information?

Why, simply by following this very helpful link.

I see. So how much of your TLIAD is 'inspired' by this setting?

Wait and see.

And so I shall.

I have to say, you're being very polite for a TLIAD Internal Monologue.

I owe it to New Age music, calming baths, and horse tranquillizers.

Heh, yeah, those things are all- wait, horse tranquillizers?!

Are you doubting my veracity?

Well, yes, since you're my internal monologue and I don't recall taking any
drrrrL|{'[0q7zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Ed Costello]

CARLISLE

Citadel of England[1]

Image: Ben Brooksbank​

It is oft-remarked that the quiet county town of Cumberland is an unlikely seat of government for a nation of such vibrant urbanity. The argument can be heard in many a public house across the land, its points reiterated every lunchtime over a half of bitter: surely, in these times of peace, the capital would be better placed in one of the other cities visited in this booklet? Whilst a testament to the open and innovative mindset of the Englishman (not to mention his love of debate), the question overlooks the unique qualities of Carlisle, and its long history.

Founded by William Rufus in 1092, Carlisle is at the very edge of England; indeed, being built on the site of the ancient capital of Rheged, it was the very point at which this Brythonic corner of our islands became English. In the centuries that followed, the citadel stood strong against the Border Reivers which plagued both the English and Scottish peoples of the region, before withstanding two separate forces of tyranny in the Roundheads of the English Civil War and the Jacobites of the Forty-Five. It was not until the Industrial Revolution that Carlisle would know sustained peace, a peace only disrupted by the British Civil War.[2]

Following the Abdication Crisis and the precipitation of hostilities, Carlisle became a hotbed of Albertine sentiment, and would later be the centre of the Neo-Elizabethans following the death of Prince Albert aboard HMS Hood off Rockall. It was at Tullie House that the Loyalist Members first assembled, and where the English government convened in the aftermath of the York Firestorm. The Carlisle Declaration, in which the Scottish Commonwealth committed to the defence of the city and its government for the duration of hostilities, was a turning point in the war and firmly established the friendly relations of these two reborn nations.[3] Carlisle's excellent transport links and nascent governmental apparatus made it a natural choice for the seat of government when peace broke out.

While Carlisle today retains a somewhat provincial feel, it is also a city growing into its unexpected international role. Arriving at Citadel station, whether via an inter-civic service or on the shuttle from Kingstown Airport, is to experience one of the finest remaining Victorian termini in the country. Stepping out into the heart of the city, one is only a short walk from Tullie House – today a museum dedicated to the Civil War, the Loyalist Members and the English Government. Also nearby is Carlisle Castle, still a working garrison and home to the Border Regiment, one of the oldest regiments in the Royal Army and unfailingly loyal to Queen Elizabeth.[4] As a military installation, the castle is off-limits except for selected open days throughout the year, although a visitors' centre and tea-room has been established in the keep (the view from the roof is many a Carlislian's favourite spot, and a popular courting location for the city's younger denizens).

The Assembly Hall sits north of the Castle, an elegant building in the same red stone as its neighbour. Situated on an island the the confluence of the rivers Eden and Caldew, its neo-Norman lines have drawn warm approval from across the architectural world.[5] Visitors may observe legislative sessions from the Gallery, and guided tours of the Hemicycle and selected other areas may be undertaken when the chamber is not in session.

Carlisle Cathedral may seem an unimposing building for the seat of an Archbishop[6], but is widely regarded for the barrel roof of the choir and the ornate design of the East Window. Anglican services are held daily, and Mass is celebrated at 10 am every Sunday, after which tea is served in the Refectory. Visitors of other denominations need not worry about intruding; the clergy of Carlisle Cathedral are famously welcoming, and happy to sit and talk with fellows of any caste![7]


[1] Each of the cities covered in this booklet has been given a slogan-cum-motto by its author. The chosen phrase for Carlisle is a regrettably representative example.

[2] The history on display here, as in the rest of this booklet, is rather woeful – although that is to be somewhat expected given the brevity and purpose of these segments, they do nevertheless display examples of English prejudices of the time. In this case, the ignorance of Carlisle's Roman history can be attributed to Italian Fascist support for the British State prior to 1947, whilst the passing mention of the anglicisation of Brythonic Rheged reflects the tensions with Cymru over the Welsh Marches. On the other hand, the condensation of centuries of Anglo-Scottish border conflicts into the Reivers' raiding activities is a clear indication of the importance of good relations with the Scottish Commonwealth to the English government at this time.

[3] In fact, Scottish support for the Carlisle government was initially intended as a way of dividing English support further, in the hope of gaining control or at least suzerainty over the northern marches (it is worth bearing in mind that the Commonwealth had occupied Newcastle since the start of the conflict). It was only in the aftermath of the York Firestorm and Mosley's transformation of the Edwardian Kingdom into the British State that public outcry forced Edinburgh to commit to the establishment of a unified English state north of the Humber – and even then, the intent was to gain a buffer as much as an ally.

[4] Although the English could hardly be expected to admit as much, given the volatility of domestic politics, the Border Regiment – as with all military organisations throughout the former UKGBNI – shared little but a name with its pre-war counterpart. This was certainly a more consensual effort than in the British State, but instances of 'purging' individuals considered likely revolutionaries or fifth-columnists are still distressingly common.

[5] An odd example of cultural propaganda, doubtless intended to invoke (and, by association, contrast with) the derision and condemnation heaped upon the hideous Modernist-Gothic aesthetic of New Whitehall, built by the Mosley regime atop the ruins of the Houses of Parliament.

[6] With the Archbishop of York among the many victims of the York Firestorm, the Bishop of Carlisle was judged to be the most senior clergyman in the Anglican Church – and, more to the point, the then-incumbent was one of the Fascists' most vocal opponents in the Church. As a result, the Bishopric was elevated and became the seat of the leader of the Church of England in the new Kingdom (the Archbishop of Canterbury was, naturally, his counterpart in the British State).

[7] Although this last sentence is likely nothing more than a lame attempt at jocularity, the Sheppard Commission did find that the Diocese of Carlisle was the centre of a covert evangelistic movement responsible for a spate of forced conversions of Catholics, Non-Conformists and Jews during the 1960s and 1970s. The Commission's findings led to the resignation of the Bishop of Appleby, George Carey, in 1988.

 

[Van555]

Interesting...