When the Press Isn’t on Fire... Your Cat Might Be on the Cover!
New machines, old gossip, and a very modern shop for history lovers.
Dear Readers,
First and foremost, thank you—as always—for your time, support, and continued interest in our little corner of historical delight.
TLDR: We have some exciting new items in our Ko-fi shop, and I’d love for you to take a peek. While Substack is our home for newsletters and essays, Ko-fi allows us to host a shop (and more!), making it the perfect place to support our work directly. Feel free to let us know what else you’d like to see in the shop!
SSSS…SSS
“What do you mean it’s broken again?”
“Well, you know how these new machines are…”
Sigh.
“Looks like we need the blacksmith.”
“I’ll go and fetch him.”
In the meantime, why don’t you go and re-edit your next column?
“Sure thing.”
So off I went. Wandering through the estate, I ended up on the East Lawn—my mother’s side of the house. I know she’s up there, glaring down. I can feel it, that unmistakable burn on the back of my neck. She's deployed her usual battalion of gossip spies, no doubt.
I sought refuge in the outhouse—a quaint structure with two rooms: a small parlour and a bathroom, with a bedroom tucked in the back. It was built as a day retreat, traditionally used by the men of the family to think, plot, or just avoid the noise of the main house. Today, it was my creative sanctuary.
I sat, pondered, then sketched out a rough draft of something I’ve long wanted to build: a proper community newsletter and magazine—a real blend of history, storytelling, and (of course) society gossip.
The Stanhope Press Arrives!
Good news—I’ve recently acquired a new Stanhope Press (oh yes, she’s a beauty). It’ll make printing the newsletter a lot faster and far easier than the clunky old model. Once everything is set, we’ll be rolling out two editions a week:
One from me, full of historical tales, notes, and musings.
One from my mother, full of gossip, scandal, and probably something humiliating about yours truly.
As a fun twist, you can even sponsor the front cover with your beloved pet—dog, cat, hedgehog, parrot—whatever creature warms your heart. Just message me and head over to the Ko-fi shop to arrange it!
Why both Substack and Ko-fi?
I know some of you are wondering why I’m branching out to two different platforms. It’s quite simple, really:
Substack is where the weekly newsletters and essays live—a home for deep dives, stories, and community posts.
Ko-fi is more shop-focused. It allows us to sell merchandise and offer fun ways to support the channel (like the pet cover!).
Oh, and Ko-fi also has monthly support tiers, which we’re slowly building up into something quite special.
Don’t worry—I’m designing things so you don’t need to pay twice. In fact, I’m thinking of cross-posting essays from Substack onto Ko-fi as well (once the press isn’t on fire and your cat is hot off it).
So until next time, dear readers...
Visit the shop →
Follow along on Substack → (you’re already here!)
And as always, thank you for being part of the Heritage Family.
With a gloved hand on the quill and an arched brow toward the Duke,
Her Grace, The Royal Duchess