City Minutes: Britain and Ireland

By far, the biggest MVPs of the British Empire were their Architects. So let's take a look at four cities from Britain and Ireland to see how the empire redefined its cities and subsequently set the model for modern urbanism! Look, what I'm trying to say is that they did cool stuff and now they look real nice.
FUN TIMES WITH PROBLEMATIC HISTORICAL NOMENCLATURE: The term "British Isles" is strongly contested by Academics in particular and most Irish in general, as it suggests (rather imperially) that Ireland belongs to Britain. I myself am guilty of this usage in the past, I own that mistake, and I'll avoid it in the future. Accordingly, this video is titled "Britain and Ireland" and the video thumbnail bears the simple moniker of "The Isles"... with the added benefit that the single-line formatting makes it fit neatly on top of the horizontal line in St George's cross and it looks beautifully sharp, but that's just my undying commitment to aesthetics in action.
SOURCES & Further Reading: "The Great Cities in History" entries on Dublin Edinburgh & London by John Julius Norwich, Rick Steves Europe "Dublin and Mystical Side Trips", "Edinburgh", "London: Historic & Dynamic", Britannica entries on Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, London.
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
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[@janmelantu7490]

“This precious rock made the trains go choo-choo” Henry only used the Finest Welsh Coal for a reason

[@JennyBlaze253]

Welsh Coal: the only coal for the job.

[@chaywardtheLad]

*Laughs in Awdry*

[@sirrliv]

Toby: No, James. They fixed that ages ago. (About the time Henry was rebuilt into a Black 5 after the whole Flying Kipper wreck thing)

[@janmelantu7490]

@@sirrliv yeah the Miller era was weird

[@Vespuchian]

​@@sirrliv Henry becomes a fun 'ship of Theseus' problem when you wonder how much of the original build (A1 prototype? I forget) was used in the B5 Henry.

[@dt5994]

Belfast: Shipbuilding heart of the world's largest empire ever Blue: No castle, no dome, no service

[@gordonmcneill1659]

I'd argue for Glasgow and the Clyde getting that title, and we do have a niceish Cathedral, but no castle.

[@8sins236]

It does have a castle. It's literally called Belfast Castle. And there is a Dome in Victoria Square.

[@TifaTakeuchi]

@@8sins236 Victoria Square's a shopping centre though, nowhere near as interesting.

[@8sins236]

@@TifaTakeuchi Still technically a dome though.

[@TheNotoriousLARGE]

City hall has a dome

[@drilltotheheavens1695]

*The Scottish:* Stereotypes: Cheap, Drunk, Lumberjacks. Reality: Normal people, Poets, Philosopher, Scientists, Lumberjacks.

[@maxdavis7722]

I don’t think those are Scottish stereotypes lol. It’s more like: loud, kilt, bagpipes wielding freedom shouter.

[@thebronzedragon1]

As a Scotsman I can confirm we are all of these and more

[@euansmith3699]

@@thebronzedragon1 Even [shudders]... Lumberjacks?! 😱😱😱

[@eshbena]

Most Americans hear 'Scottish" and think of an Aussie actor in a kilt screaming. I hear Scottish and think "Where did all your vowels go? Are you holding them hostage somewhere?" XD

[@coreytaylor447]

the drunkard stereotype only came about and existed during the great depression and at that point everyone kind of had it bad, once the depression ended in scottland no one really followed that stereotype and is mostly used in shows and textbooks to either make fun of the silly stereotype or highlight how different the reputation was back then. at least in the US, I have no idea what Europe did to them

[@Dribbleondo]

This has a surprisingly meme-filled script.

[@AxxLAfriku]

Don't talk to me! I am famous! Don't dislike my good good GOOD videos! Don't talk to me, dear dri

[@quartzintherough]

"Suprisingly meme-filled" is OSP's official title in front of the court

[@tach-uq5tw]

OSP is 50% memes

[@Sean-ne3gx]

If that's a positive, watch their backlog, Blue is great at making history relatable through memes and silly jokes

[@GalileoAV]

It's the UK, only to be expected mate

[@Danikoshii]

I am now officially calling coal "Compressed Choo Choo Carbon Rocks" from now on

[@gutsmasterson2488]

Why not Diamond Fetuses?

[@Danikoshii]

@@gutsmasterson2488 Not as fun or unhinged sounding Yours is just creative and we don't do that here

[@gutsmasterson2488]

@@Danikoshii Okay then. You have proven your point.

[@NotsureIV]

Lamo

[@MsMacintosh]

Choo choo rocks!

[@Awsome2345andco]

As a Scot, that pronunciation of Edinburgh gives me the fear. That’s beyond any pronunciation I’ve ever heard

[@thacc8216]

EdinBRUH

[@ElijsDima]

Deep fried Edinbrugh

[@amyfinlayson2762]

He sounds like he’s heard that Americans pronounce it wrong and has massively overcorrected himself trying to get it right

[@vanguardbreaker8826]

@@amyfinlayson2762 He's a little confused, but he's got the spirit.

[@Punaparta]

It might be because English is not my first language, but I swear it sounds like he's saying Edinborough.

[@junoormonde2744]

i love when old ass buildings keep the injuries they maintained in historic events. The V&A in London still has dents and cracks from the blitz and it's so cool. When history is just something written in a book or behind a glass case it can feel really disassociated with your life and the modern day so it's great to be reminded that history is tangible and literally leaves a lasting impact. Also a building having battle scars is just cool.

[@henrypaleveda7760]

The physical reminders are often the strongest, just ask a tree.

[@jasonreed7522]

This is why i am opposed to people tearing down statues for almost any reason. (Symbols of dictators like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, ect deserve to be relocated to the horror section of the museum) History is the common heritage of everyone, and that includes visiting statues built to honor local heroes and putting you fingers in the bullet holes of the capital building. Nobody has a right to erase it for any reason, it deserves to be known and learned from. PS: my favorite architectural style is "Great Camps" which is originated when rich people from NYC built camps in the Adirondack Mountains using only locally available materials (transport was expensive in the late 1800's) and it is beautiful to be around yet feels livable.

[@MorganMalfoy13]

I saw that in Berlin and frankly it just felt haunted and creepy to me. But Berlin didn't ask for my opinion, just my euros. lol

[@marsultor6131]

The Pillars of the Pergamum museum in Berlin still have bullet holes from the Battle of Berlin.

[@tnk4me4]

Then you must love Bosnia.

[@rogue5229]

When The GPO is mentioned, Yup... those bullet holes are still there. Kinda surreal thinking about it :D

[@stevenconfident5883]

Yeah go to Berlin they intentionally left scars from the battle to remind people that yeah war is bad

[@blacksage2375]

Reminds me of when I visited Jerusalem. Modern bullet holes in medieval walls. Fun times.

[@henrypaleveda7760]

never having a hard boarder where the two can unite at any time" - Eternal Brexit intensifies.

[@mysticdragoon5789]

As someone who has been to Dublin several times, yes. There is also some on the nearby O'Connell statue. Actually seeing it is in incredible how stuff like that over a 100 years ago still remain and echo throughout.

[@rogue5229]

@@henrypaleveda7760 United Ireland in how many years based on Economics alone? Who knows. More history to live through (hopefully live through it at least)

[@TheBigBadBeowulf]

"List of Irish Uprisings: This list seems to be incomplete. *YOU CAN HELP BY EXPANDING IT* "

[@c4explosivesinyourcartrunk817]

*Loads Armalite AR-15*

[@janmelantu7490]

Oh the Irish are rising up? Must be a day that ends in y

[@stephenwright8824]

@@c4explosivesinyourcartrunk817 Fun fact: the AR-15s used by the Provisional IRA were manufactured in the UK under licence by the Stirling Armaments Company. (Source? Tim Pat Coogan's THE IRA.)

[@abigailsaoirsefinnegan]

Tiocfaidh ar lá

[@sionsmedia8249]

The amount of people which support terrorism (either as joke or real) is a very concerning amount on this channel.

[@probablythedm1669]

As a Swedish speaker I found the "gud döm" (literally translates to: god judge) over St. Paul Cathedral quite amusing. 😄

[@tinahawley320]

OSP's accidental genius in action lol

[@MalinBUng]

Looking through comments just to see if anyone else noticed this!

[@rbck8826]

Judge in this case not being a legal judge, but a judgement of tex length, size, colour, taste.

[@dimbrightman]

No one asked

[@pjlusk7774]

Fun fact about Dublin: Leinster House (the former ducal palace for the Duke of Leinster and the current seat of the Oirechtas) is the building the White House is modeled on.

[@ericseventeen17]

Yup, there’s a few buildings in the U.S modelled on it, including the Charleston court house I believe, which won James Hoban the contract to design the White House

[@malahammer]

Also : there are two sides/faces to Leinster House. And it has been left so as the occupants also have two faces. An alleged quote that goes back nearly 100 years

[@chrishart5265]

So my family are from South Wales. My grandfather went to go see a movie when he was 18 and knew it was wrong because the sea was blue for some reason. Barry Island a costal town, had so much coal polluting the coast from the mines that the entire thing was black, the water the sand, everything. He didn't realise the beach was any different till he enlisted and got to Normandy

[@shinysnivy5903]

Remember when City minutes used shorts? I’m glad that’s over

[@mrmacguff1n]

This dood is Big Brain

[@hobbiefox-pastrycat4568]

I think smoother transitions (as in literally just going "Meanwhile..." in the beginning of a new city) could really help the video feel more cohesive. Otherwise this is great as ever

[@landerbennewith6169]

"Credit to the brits, they make some damn fine cities." A line spoken by someone who has never had to navigate their way through an old city at rush hour for the first time. Driving through London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Birmingham have put the fear of God in my more than once for each city.

[@mattbowden4996]

You see, your first mistake was driving...

[@kjj26k]

Those cities weren't built for cars... literally. And good thing too, car bad.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

Yep. These cities are nice on foot. In any moving vehicle they're hell on Earth

[@rabnerd28]

"That's a big dome." Mark it on your Blue bingo cards folks.

[@lirazel6414]

"Güd dome."

[@kyekimler]

You can mark off the attempted pronunciation of a foreign word as well :)

[@BacchaeOphanim]

Well, Cardiff Castle at least currently has a robust life as a sound stage - it was every set in the first season of Galivant and I can't even count the different number of uses Doctor Who has gotten out of it. And speaking of DW and Cardiff, them coal quarries also make a good double life as any number of alien planets. And we can't forget Ianto's shrine. I believe Cardiff made a landmark out of that.

[@joshuamorgan1256]

As someone that’s welsh and loves doctor who I always stop by ianto’s shrine whenever I’m in caerdydd, there’s just something so cool about it that I can’t really put into words

[@lazulenoc6863]

I do love the use of old quarries as alien planets, it worked so well I was genuinely shocked to find out that so much was filmed in them.

[@galaxybrain_658]

It’s also kind of amazing how many live events are based in Cardiff. Of all cities you would expect it to be Manchester, the birthplace of Britpop, but Cardiff seems to have taken a seat as one of the UKs largest musical venues for reasons I still can’t quite figure out.

[@glenagalt]

Every picture tells a story...or could, time permitting. That grab-shot of "Victorian Steam Train" at 4:40 was the very last train on Brunel's 7'0.25" Broad Gauge (see the three rails in the foreground?)...the final chapter in an epic tale of ability, enterprise and courage leading to (railroad) Empire-building, hubris (see Very Big Ships) and eventual downfall. How many metaphors for the whole deal would you like with that?

[@qwertyTRiG]

Here's a fun story: Irish gauge splits the difference between standard and broad gauge.

[@nimrodgirl1]

The way Blue tried a Scots rolled “r” in “Edinburgh” is endearing to me. It doesn’t sound natural in an American speaker but I really appreciated the effort. 🥰 Also, if gothic architecture is anyone’s thing, may I recommend visiting Glasgow university.

[@Shadowstrom]

I winced every time

[@Book_Golem]

I noticed that too! Couldn't place what was going on at first, but it's the same thing loads of people do when pronouncing place names in other countries. A nice touch, even if it threw me for a moment!

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

Oh yeah? You go ahead and say 'purple burglar alarm' then!

[@flibberfrogman5508]

I'm just glad to not hear another "edam burger".

[@MatthewBaxter88]

Glasgow uni is a stunning looking place

[@Cilor101]

As an Irish viewer, I really appreciate the distinction between Ireland and Britian due to colonial tension!

[@TheHetzer-xy9lb]

I still love how possibly the most important building in Irish history is a big post office that is full of bullet holes.

[@abirch3301]

The way Blue says 'Edinburgh' oof. That is ... something

[@abirch3301]

I like it though

[@TheOldBlackShuckyDog]

Lmao yeah I noticed that. Was fuckn awful 😂

[@eshbena]

Look, unless you were raised to be able to roll your 'r' and swallow half your vowels, there's no way to be able to do it justice. After age five, you have a neurological die off that makes learning new sounds really difficult. Unless you're Autistic, then you don't have that happen. XD

[@minishadowstorms]

the fact that the last one is almost on point is just a final kick in the teeth

[@chaoticcanine]

@@eshbena Yeah but you you don’t even need to roll your Rs to say it to be honest. I literally can’t roll my Rs but I can say Edinburgh just fine...

[@megabyte01]

I'm glad we got to learn more about the cities that made Britain and Ireland what they are after learning about Ireland and the British Empire in summary. I also like this format! Each minute summary is so engaging it's hard to believe it's over in a minute!

[@koboldparty4708]

It’s worth noting that Welsh coal, beyond being plentiful, was also very high quality, which gave the British navy a major advantage over everyone else.

[@dominictemple]

Of course, the City of London and London itself are two separate things, not to mention that the fact that London is not so much a singular city but rather an ever expanding agglomeration that subsumes nearby towns and villages into its own boroughs.

[@BonaparteBardithion]

Not inaccurate, but that pretty much defines every major metropolitan area.

[@cxfxcdude]

*queue clip from that God awful movie about cities eating eachother*

[@sheokh]

Also the rebuild after the Great fire of London was going to be grid planned but residents objected so all the streets were built on the old medieval plan which is why the streets are not straight.

[@loganrenfrow2544]

@@sheokh Why did people object?

[@PolyChromium]

@@loganrenfrow2544 Likely because grid systems feel heartless and inorganic. Either that, or they somehow knew about wind tunnels way back then, which is unlikely

[@lazarusmekhane439]

British Isles: Is in archaic tatters Christopher Wren: *sigh* I can make this work...

[@rashkavar]

"This is literally just a for a rail station" reminds me of the first time I took the bus home from university in Vancouver. The Greyhound bus station in Vancouver is the terminus of the CPR - the grand rail line that spans the country, whereas I'm used to the one in my hometown which was little more than a dingy 2 story shack the last time I had seen it. So I got to this fucking gargantuan cathedral looking thing, looked around in utter confusion, and asked a person on the street where the bus station was. They pointed at the giant building and I said "Oh, it's behind that? OK!" (It's called Pacific Central Station, and it's nowhere near as pretty as the neoclassical and neogothic stuff you see in England, but by Canadian architecture standards, it beats out pretty much everything except various parliament buildings and such.)

[@frostyguy1989]

Not as grand in scale, but the Railway Station in Dunedin, NZ is a gorgeous piece of architecture that's branded as "The Gingerbread House" because of all the basalt and limestone put into its construction. By the way, Dunedin is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, and unsurprisingly, Dunedin was very much a Scottish city.

[@spookyghostwriter3110]

Laughs sadly in Union Station- still under consruction like all of Toronto

[@goroakechi6126]

Series: city minutes This episode: *two countries*

[@nilebutnot1514]

It’s 4. Britain is England, Wales and Scotland

[@goroakechi6126]

@@nilebutnot1514 Politically, two, as the UK is treated as one country by literally everyone. Edit: except the countries inside it, sorry Somebody Cool

[@somebodycooliguess1597]

@@goroakechi6126 please note that your "literally everyone" does not include the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish

[@nilebutnot1514]

@@goroakechi6126 Britain and the UK are different, the UK includes Northern Ireland. Tho u are right

[@carlosroo5460]

I saw 4 countries.

[@SolarGranulation]

"They kept the castles!" Well, some of them. In fact the castles of England and Wales survive at a much lower rate than those of various other nations. The reason for this is that after the English civil war it was felt that they were better demolished than used again as they had been during that period. So most castles here now are mere ruins. Some were blown apart by canon, others by direct explosives. Some were laboriously dismantled and a lot of the masonry was eventually put to other uses. So yeah, we kept some but, really, not many.

[@Wolfbane192]

Which, considering how many of the things we STILL have, just shows how riddled with them we were.

[@SolarGranulation]

@@Wolfbane192 too true! Especially in Wales, built on almost every hill to subjugate the Welsh.

[@jasonreed7522]

Thats still more than the USA has, were realistically forts had already evolved beyond castles when they were being built (star forts and stuff). So the only "castles" we have are built by ecentric rich people in what are basically just castle like mansions with little to no defensive value. For reference look up Boldt and Singer castles, they are on Heart and Dark islands respectively in the St. Lawrence River in NY. I don't count the disney castles as castles those are just theme park attractions.

[@the0thersyde725]

Yeah. I come from Sheffield whose castle was one of those unfortunate casualties more that most in the fact that it was almost completely demolished and until recently the ruins (which basically amounts to just its foundations) had the city market built on top of them. There is some good news now though in that the city seems to actually want to excavate the ruins and use them to help tourism but it's a long slow process. Until it actually happens all we have to remember Sheffield Castle is a road named Castlegate. Although on the whole the UK does still have a lot of castles even if most are ruins.

[@jasonoconnor2064]

@@jasonreed7522 the Irish were building megastarforts before the birth of Christ sunshine... you'll also find that it was British-Americans that designed and built your star forts by the way, as of course a high percentage of your population was British until at least 1860 I'd say

[@julianwohlers7250]

Blue, in the podcast: “Between South Africa, Poland and Britain nothing scares me anymore” *Holy Roman Empire joins the chat Blue: Why do I hear boss music?

[@AtarahDerek]

The British Empire was the largest empire in history. And as Britain was founded by Rome after they conquered the native Celtic nations, Britain is obviously Rome's successor. I think Great Britain also has the most names of any sovereign nation. And which one you use depends entirely on how much of it you're referring to: England - seat of power for Great Britain Britain - the island England, Scotland and Wales are located on United Kingdom - collective name for the countries on Britain Great Britain - UK + Northern Ireland British Isles - the entire archipelago, including Ireland

[@profeseurchemical]

@@AtarahDerek get out of here with this 'we was romans' shit. its embarassing

[@profeseurchemical]

also, its only the largest because the way empire size is counted isnt consistent, if you count siberia (which you should if youre counting places like the interior of Australia for britain), the mongol empire was bigger great britain refers to just the main island, its to distinguish it from little/lesser/minor britain ie brittany, france.

[@AtarahDerek]

@@profeseurchemical Am I wrong? London was founded by Rome. And even as England became more and more mixed, it still held onto aspects of Roman identity. The British Empire promoted Greco-Roman architecture and ideals around the world. Their penchant for exploration and conquest comes not just from the Celts and Norse, but in particular from Rome. Greco-Roman mythology is only as popular as it is because of Britain.

[@Newbmann]

@@AtarahDerek by that logic then the Japanese empire was Chinese If anything the brits are farther from the Roman's than the Japanese to the Chinese For The celts were seen as worse than the Carthagainians to the Roman's because at least the Carthagainians were not barbarian nomads Sum it up short the brits are just flattered by Roman architecture but so were the russians and the turks so much so they called a empire of there's the sultanate of Rum a poor translation of Rome.

[@thegreytentabat60]

Loved the highlight of all the different capitals around the isles would have liked to see your take on Belfast as well

[@kian7942]

Poor Northern Ireland

[@ApeX-pj4mq]

Sad :(

[@ichimaru96]

He could have taken on Belfast but then he wouldn't have been able to drive home jk jk, I'm sorry for picking at the low hanging fruit 😂

[@WolfGamingProductions]

Would've been nice tho to be honest going around Belfast most of its kinda meh.. Then like other modern cities the ridiculous "modern art" is trash imo looks like someone drew random lines then said "make me a statue from this!" Tho there a few good buildings & interesting history albeit a large amount filled with massive tensions & conflict... The old style buildings look full of life & had some actual effort put in while the rest is just like every other city.. Being built for efficiency & cost saving without taking into account putting some culture or life into the style of buildings. The only more modern building that looks half good/stands out would be at the titanic quarter.

[@pecadodeorgullo5963]

@@WolfGamingProductions well, Belfast was a warzone 20 years ago so it's still recovering.

[@michaelyoung7261]

This is the best style of history I’ve seen yet; the “big players” still take center stage, but we actual get to see the supporting cast in action to!!! I think it was Blue that said that cities don’t exist in a void, and the city minutes show it. Thank you Blue, for helping to make history cohesively understandable

[@Fisher-zt7gq]

I’m so sorry blue but the way you say Edinburgh activates my fight or flight

[@thomassaxon8254]

The pronunciation of Edinburgh was... interesting.

[@Robb3636]

Technically he was using the correct 'tapped r' as used in parts of Scotland (as opposed to the 'rolled r' or the 'voiceless r'). It's a lot less common in Edinburgh nowadays because of the Anglicisation of the lowland Scottish accent, but it's still a correct pronunciation

[@theMoporter]

@@Robb3636 "Correct" is subjective. He...sounds like a tourist.

[@seawatt8664]

To be fair, I have heard worse pronunciations

[@dorkatarmsetcetera9468]

If i learn nothing else from this video, its to appreciate the simple things: domes, bullet holes, castles with domes, and of course the generational distance of being able to mock the knobs who led English Imperialism.

[@timjones2329]

English imperialism yes, British Imperialism too. Plenty of Scots and Welshmen profited from empire.

[@joepenrose1]

I swear it sounds like blue says the “Roman conquest of 1169” when talking about Dublin lol , the normans will be pissed when they find out Rome is taking the credit for all there hard work 😂😁

[@acecat2798]

If they didn't want to get the names confused they should've chosen a name that's not literally one letter away from "Roman". It's time for a rebrand, boys.

[@jlokison]

@@acecat2798 Norman was a rebranding. They were Vikings that decided to just stay in Normandy, and then kick both the English and the Francs asses.

[@lucie4185]

Europeans when visiting other countries: "What would the Romans do?"

[@Osric24]

Nice

[@ansionnachbeagrioga5260]

That's what I heard. I was actually scrolling through the comments looking for someone to validate me, lol. I knew I couldn't have been the only one to hear "Romans", instead of Normans.

[@Iradium228]

Good to see that Northern Ireland flies under the radar of not just the rest of Britain but even people talking about Britain and Ireland in general.

[@c4explosivesinyourcartrunk817]

Yep

[@pecadodeorgullo5963]

I don't whether that's a good or bad thing. On one hand no one cares about us so we're left in peace but on the other you'll get the arguments. Although, arguments about it are natural so it's a good thing.

[@AsiyahBabyGirlxxx]

An inclusion about Belfast being the Capitol of Northern Island would have really rounded this off I feel, that way history is more inclusive ☺️

[@darrenflynn8937]

No point sure he didn't cover other city's in Wales Scotland or England. Wouldn't be fair to include two Irish city's. I joke of course surprised it nor derry got a shout

[@colors6692]

"Northern Island"...???

[@Whitesaber211]

@@colors6692 Northern Ireland is part of Britain and so like England, Wales and Scotland has it's own Capitol and local government building

[@HovisOats]

@@darrenflynn8937 Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland; a completely separate country from the Irish Republic.

[@TheFlamingGamerYT]

Aye, the notification from your upload just makes today really nice. Never thought your guy’s history telling is more interesting than school to be honest

[@K9TheFirst1]

I realize this is about the capitals, but I am very sad Belfast didn't get mentioned. From tiny port to THE shipbuilding capital of the world to post-modern cosmopolitan city. Also, very sad that the Avowed dome lover has still not given love to the Hagia Sofia, the FIRST round dome to be put on a square building.

[@ConradLarsonGaming]

Belfast should've been included as the capital of NI though. ROI and NI are not the same country.

[@liggithaddok4814]

@@ConradLarsonGaming not yet at least

[@Zahandi]

@@ConradLarsonGaming Yet

[@ConradLarsonGaming]

@@Zahandi not presently at the time of the video being made.

[@patchcasey6687]

He's *definitely* talked about the Hagia Sofia.

[@calebdouglas2512]

It's nice to see the fine city of Cardiff getting a mention once in a while. It's come a long way since the industrial revolution and really is a lovely place now

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I see that burning everything down to start from a blank canvas is something Anakin and London have in common!

[@jasminedragon9717]

Love it when Blue reflexively says ‘nice’ anytime 69 shows up

[@megancarson8524]

This episode was a great summary and overview! My only criticism is that I would have liked to have seen Belfast included - while it's not part of either Ireland (meaning the Republic of) or Britain, it would have been good to have put it under the UK label maybe. We get forgotten about a lot but we have some really interesting history and architecture that would have been great to see!

[@samhedges9588]

I mean this can literally be like a 30 part series if Blue wanted, there is too many good cities for him to choose from! I hope he goes north to places like Belfast, Manchester and York if there is ever a sequel

[@lazulenoc6863]

Why not Chester as well?

[@samhedges9588]

@@lazulenoc6863 Lol that is by no means a finished list, there are just so many. Livapool, Chester, Glasgow, Durham,...

[@lazulenoc6863]

@@samhedges9588 Fair enough, Glasgow could easily deserve it's own video.

[@deathbower]

@@samhedges9588 As a Dunelmian, Durham is a beautiful little city and its cathedral is the best in the country (all the famous ones in the south are just worse)...it wasn't actually that relevant for very long. Sure we had the Prince Bishops, the most powerful non-royals in the country, but their influence dwindled quite quickly and then the industrial revolution passed us by. Now I'm not saying I wouldn't like a city minute from Blue on Durham, and I am absolutely certain he would love the place, but there are far more consequential places for him to get to first.

[@keepperspective]

Bangs on table: MORE! Also, some more architect names would not go amiss as I love to look them up in more detail when you point them out.

[@emilybarclay8831]

As someone from a Scottish family, born in England with a Welsh mother, a sister born in Antrim, I identify more as ‘British’ than with any specific country in the U.K., so I love seeing videos on the Isles as a whole

[@Demicleas]

So wait what will you do if britian breaks apart because of pro EU sentiments or something? That's ganna be very complicated.

[@lizardlegend42]

@@Demicleas Unless those pro-EU sentiments cause Scotland to sail away to the sea, 'Britain' won't be breaking apart lol. That's like when people were saying Britain was "Leaving Europe" Britain is the geographical term for the island, the UK is the political entity that currently controls it. Similar to how Europe is the name for the continent, while the EU is the political entity. The UK may break apart, but Britain shall very much remain intact and there'll be no problem calling himself British first

[@pecadodeorgullo5963]

I'm the same but I also have family from the ROI so it's weird.

[@emilybarclay8831]

@@pecadodeorgullo5963 the ROI is the only part of the British isles (excluding the smaller islands) that I don’t have ties to afaik but I still find it a fascinating and beautiful country. Ignoring sociopolitical lines in the sand, I still have a lot of Celtic blood in me on both sides and an anthropology degree so I tend to see the shared cultural history over the political infighting. Not that that doesn’t matter, but it just serves to divide what was whole

[@washerdryer3466]

@@emilybarclay8831 Ireland is not a British Isle. W...t...f. 🤣

[@archimedesshrew2826]

Glad Cardiff was included. Love living here. Plus we do have the best castles

[@Wraithfighter]

I’d love to see you look at the city fo Los Angeles, aka “the city that kinda isn’t”, particularly as it comes to, well, why there’s a city here, why it got so large, and all that. I know it’s a bit, you know, newer than you’re used to (only had 1,600 people when it was incorporated as a city in 1850!), but might be a change of pace that could be interesting.

[@lankyGigantic]

US history is boring tho because it was basically the same no matter what part of the country it was.

[@Wraithfighter]

@@lankyGigantic .........I mean, except for the fact that that's completely wrong and hideously reductive, and frankly just completely insulting to humanity in general.

[@andrewhopkins886]

@@lankyGigantic yeaaaaaaah, no. It may not be as long-winded as European or "Asian" (Which is a bit broad since that includes Indonesia to Korea to Russia to Turkey and Israel) history but it still has stories. Usually a dark (not-quite) secret history but still.

[@mvalthegamer2450]

@@lankyGigantic That is because the US actively tore down its cities in the 1950s. Look at 1920s pics of Houston, LA, Chicago and DC. And to an extent, modern day New York, Boston and San Francisco. They were beautiful

[@anthonybird546]

@@mvalthegamer2450 it's like what the bombs did in the rest of the world for WWII, the U.S. did in the 50s and 60s under "urban renewal".

[@oliviamackenzie9725]

as an edinburgh native i just want to thank you for pronouncing the third "ruh". it's just so satisfying.

[@BeepBoop173]

Hey bestie I’ve been watching you for 5 years and your videos are phenomenal

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

England is my city

[@dseray9494]

Fecker You beat me to it

[@thelostspaceman1783]

Thank you for shining a light on my home town Cardiff's history!

[@ameyakelkar8314]

"I already have SO SO Many ideas where to go next" Florence and Venice: *heavy breathing*

[@erinhager8262]

“A beautiful city, kicking and screaming” That is the best, can I have a T-shirt with that plz 😂

[@_TVWins]

There's plenty of history about Belfast within the last century alone, if you're looking to cover another British city

[@ToastieBRRRN]

Yeah, such a missed opportunity.

[@justanotherchannelonyoutub126]

My favorite Isle is the Isle of you

[@anastasmaskimov3504]

Still waiting for blue to find an excuse to do a city minute about Venice.

[@megabyte01]

I'm sure that Blue is saving that for a special occasion!

[@gutsmasterson2488]

He's talked about The Renaissance, Venice, Rome history, and so much other stuff. What's left for him to say?

[@bumblingbureaucrat6110]

Impossible, a city minute is not nearly long enough.

[@carlosroo5460]

What more excuse does he needs besides "City Minute about Venice"?

[@bbh6212]

Best video yet. The cuts between sections are a lot smoother, so even without transitions the change of subject feels natural

[@leahcarson1822]

I’ll never get tired of hearing blues thoughts on domes

[@97Multiphantom]

Notification squad!

[@netahamiel4304]

hell yeah

[@BeepBoop173]

Heyyy

[@MishaNem]

Wassup

[@mr.dogman8051]

Yeah

[@Crazael]

About the castles: CGP Grey has a neat video about why British castles are so much more popular than, say, French ones. And he posits that it's because of the Crown. That the fact that Crown is "real" and that the royal crests on everything aren't just pretty decorations, they are real and actually mean something makes the castles feel less fake to visitors.

[@ApeX-pj4mq]

Someone *tried* to debunk that by claiming the palace in Versailles is more popular than Buckingham, they failed

[@maxqmandrums2525]

An upload from OSP will always make my day ♥

[@arsenictyphoon]

I grew up in Cardiff during the time of its Modern day glow up and it was such a change to see the small things I knew as a child change every year as I grew. Its make up in terms of its suburbs and what not as also very driven by the port. Basically if you were a poorer dock worker your house would be smaller and nearer the center and the higher paid your position the further out you would be with a bigger house. Also its home to two cathedrals! (Kinda) there is the more popular and well known Llandaf Cathedral which actually belonged to the 'village/city' of Llandaf (there is an ancient rule that a dwelling is only a city if there is a cathedral) which has been encompassed by Cardiff's suburbs pretty much. And then there is the actual Cardiff cathedral which is much smaller and easily mistaken for a basic church and not a cathedral.

[@TheMasonK]

I’d love to see this kinda video for Germany. Including cities like Dresden, Hamburg, Berlin, Etc. Great video as always Blue!

[@Sootielove]

The UK did well on the castles thing. I love living in Wales and having a Norman castle at the end of my road

[@euansmith3699]

Even better that it isn't still occupied by Norman overlords?

[@DragonKnight90001]

Same Wales is beautiful especially living in the valleys the sights you can see are magnificent

[@euansmith3699]

@@DragonKnight90001 Even though my claim to Welshness is about as solid as the average Bostonians claim to being Irish; I do love Wales (the bucolic, the romantic and the post industial bits) and I delight to her Welsh spoken, though there is no way I'll ever manage to speak it myself.

[@DragonKnight90001]

@@euansmith3699 i only know a few phrases like good morning, thank you and your welcome in welsh i didn’t really do well in english either XD

[@euansmith3699]

@@DragonKnight90001 I follow a KZbinr called the Welsh Viking, and he used to do a Welsh Word of the Week; with a pronunciation guide 😍😍😍

[@abirch3301]

Paris and Haussmannization could be a really cool thing in this series - I really like the idea of City Minutes! Keep up the awesome work :)

[@matthewmann8969]

I could appreciate the cheers, clinks, toasts, and salutes that go on.

[@TheAtlasReview]

It's a shame Wales doesn't publicise its heritage and culture as much as it should. The Welsh were the original Britons, the people of King Arthur, the legacy of the druids and the second most-baffling language in Europe (after Finnish).

[@Jason-re4dw]

Not just the Welsh. But they've done the best at preserving their heritage.

[@lirazel6414]

But then the world would want to go to Wales, and the creeping plague of sameness would spread even faster.

[@ichimaru96]

We try to publicize our heritage but the English keep complaining about it

[@PlatinumAltaria]

@@ichimaru96 This has literally never happened.

[@lordcharles9786]

@@ichimaru96 why the fuck would anyone in England care

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

"Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it" - George Bernard Shaw

[@jackmyers8687]

Not to start an argument but I disagree with that quote. Many people can and are patriotic about a country the immigrated to in later life.

[@lordcharles9786]

@@jackmyers8687 yeah, its called immigrant patriotism

[@lizardlegend42]

Personally I see patriotism, at least how it should be, as celebrating the community and culture that formed who we are as people. Admiring our culture's uniqueness and place in the world. Now obviously you don't have to like your upbringing or where you were brought up, but I personally absolutely love my country. That doesn't mean I defend it when it doesn't deserve it now either. In fact the opposite, because I love it I want entirely for it to improve and become the best version of what it can be. That's what I think patriotism should be, but unfortunately not everyone shares that belief.

[@jackmyers8687]

@@lizardlegend42 A fair point, well made

[@mylittledashie7419]

@@jackmyers8687 I mean, more relevant than that, I'll cry at bagpipes, but that doesn't mean I think Scotland is "the best country in the world". It's the one I like best, but that's different from being *the* best.

[@igirisucosplay3084]

I imagine blue and red would both love the castle I volunteer at, it's a Stuart era castle that looks like a mock Norman keep, it hosted Charles I and his wife, was besieged by Cromwell and has the damage to prove it. Inside there's mostly Greek paganism with only the grandest room, which was to entertain guests like the king, has any Christian influence of saints, Moses and his brother, and king David and king Solomon. Herakles is even holding up the balcony above the main entrance so when the king was there not only did he and his wife finish the pairs of virtues upstairs in the withdrawing room that's pure Italian marble but he was also being held up by a god. Gotta love the symbolism

[@eoingannon9936]

LOVE that you mentioned the bullet holes in the GPO was always a cool feature to notice growing up

[@ToastieBRRRN]

How come you missed Belfast for Northern Ireland's capital? Such an missed opportunity.

[@c4explosivesinyourcartrunk817]

"Such a missed opportunity" That's what the IRA said

[@ericseventeen17]

This is probably why: *opens laptop “Now let’s do some research on BelfaaaaaaAAAAAAANND F@ck that!!!”

[@JennyBlaze253]

Y'know, looking at all the coal in Wales, no wonder Wales has so many preservation railways in it, like the Talyllyn and Snowdon Mountain railways. They literally MADE the age of steam.

[@DragonKnight90001]

There’s even some tracks that are abandoned all together I believe I vaguely remember seeing some in the woods when I was younger like I said though I vaguely remember so I could be wrong, take that with a pinch of salt.

[@hannahjudd8873]

I love these city minutes and I'd love to hear more in depth about the architecture!!

[@ACatherineDuthie]

Your pronunciation of Edinburgh warms my heart. I love your work, thanks for making these!

[@galleryg998]

I feel like the Sri Lankan city of Kandy is an extremely underrated city with some of the coolest history and culture - maybe it’s worth adding to the list ;)

[@andrewdeleon559]

Last time I was this early Britain was still Celtic

[@TheGoldenDuckie111]

This was great! Also, looking at your references, I'd just like to thank you for including Cardiff, even though it seems to have been missed out of the various 'great cities' texts you looked at. As you said, Wales hasn't ever gone as crazy with large urban centres as the other nations featured, but Cardiff's history is still really fascinating and says a lot about our history despite that. Also, we have some lovely buildings! So huge thanks for still including us + for mentioning our modern Senedd. I'd wager way over half of Britain and Ireland, including many people in Wales, wouldn't know to include it... but things are changing for the better with regards to that, I think. But anyway - diolch yn fawr!

[@nuclearmask8991]

This was more fun than I thought. Great Work! Thanks for the effort.

[@TomLuTon]

3:59 Hey guys, that's not Ireland, that's the battle of Ridgeway in Ontario, Canada. American Irish Civil war vets tried to seize Canada and ransom it back in exchange for Irish independence

[@evilwelshman]

Aww.... poor Belfast. The second fiddle of the second fiddle cities. Even _CARDIFF_ got a shout-out in this video!! 😂😂

[@malahammer]

Imagine how they feel in Cork :) The real capital....they say!

[@Stettafire]

Cardiff is an actual capital though

[@ladyofthemasque]

That text comment at 4:33 of "this is just a railway station" reminds me of King Street Station in Seattle, which was definitely influenced by that building. (King Street Station is VERY simple on the outside by comparison, but the restored plasterwork ceiling inside is *chef's kiss* !)

[@georginachard8604]

I loved this! You'll find wonderfully rich history in all of the UK city's :D. I'd love to see you discuss some northern English city's in the future, the North has a different flavor to the capitol or other Southern areas and London always gets the spotlight. Maybe Newcastle, York, Liverpool, Carlisle?

[@brianholmes1812]

As a lifelong Dubliner... this is accurate. Also good to see the old parliament/Bank get some love

[@Robb3636]

I'm confused, why is everyone complaining in the comments about Blue's pronunciation of Edinburgh? It's normal to pronounce it that way in much of Scotland. His tapped r is a little elongated, but that's not incorrect, just uncommon in England, America or other places.

[@TheOldBlackShuckyDog]

That was in no way normal 😂

[@Angenga]

Never in my life heard it pronounced that way by a scot, or anyone else.

[@PlatinumAltaria]

The problem is the rhotacised vowel. He's clearly trying to avoid saying "Edinburrow" but he should be saying "Edinbruh". He's adding an extra syllable too, it's 3 syllables with a tap, not four.

[@kyekimler]

I think complaining is a strong word, it's just sort of funny :)

[@Robb3636]

@@PlatinumAltaria Where I'm from I hear "Edinburruh" more often. But fair enough

[@reece4791]

Hi there OSP. I'd honestly love to see you guys cover the rise of Aberdeen as a city in Scotland. It had a very similar start to London, with it burning to the ground, only to be rebuilt from the plentiful amount of Granite around it. Architecturally, it sports some of the most magnificent granite buildings, and its journey from small fishing hamlet to the 'oil capital' of Europe makes for a fascinating story. We also have a rich educational history. (Yes I am maybe a little biased haha)

[@WhispersDaes]

Doing great Blue! Keep it up!

[@ioannismittas3900]

nice one. as a suggestion for next cities: do obscure cities, unlike Edinburgh or London, a good example is Thessaloniki, my home city; loads of history and interesting facts along a place most don't recognize

[@c4explosivesinyourcartrunk817]

Thessaloniki is an obscure city?

[@Stettafire]

If you want obscure, try St Asaph

[@ADEADSKELETON]

Great video, Pronunciation is hard and I struggle with it with other countries. For Edinburgh how we say it in north west Scotland is "Eh din bruh" but I know Americans pronunciation is very different.

[@OneRingToRuleThemAll]

I would say most people in England say it like this too. At least in the north.

[@Stettafire]

In Wales we say it like this also. Or in Welsh we call it Yr Alba (Yr = the, and all countries start with "the" in Welsh)

[@scarredchild]

I love that you chose a culture, then expanded on what made the most iconic parts shine. I look forward to whenever you get around to Germany. It's where my mother's family is from and some of my dad's. Bonus points if you talk about Hambourg, not just because of personal history, but its impact on all of Europe.

[@catboyxavier]

I'm Welsh and was actually born in Cardiff and to see you talk about it makes me so happy! We usually get forgotten by everyone which upsets me because WE ARE NOT THE ENGLISH!! WE ARE JUST AS MUCH OUR OWN THING AS SCOTLAND AND IRELAND!! It makes me sad that people forget that fact so I'm glad you included us in this!

[@xii-e-04-chengmichaelgaret72]

the last time i was this early, Queen elizabeth II wasn't born yet

[@andrewdeleon559]

Damn… -100000000000000 was a good year

[@Sunflower-lk2xo]

For some reason no matter where you go in Scotland people insist they are from a shithole, for instance "Best thing about paisley is the way out." "It's a bit of a hole in the ground."

[@explosivefiend9008]

I mean have you ever been to Paisley ?

[@carlosroo5460]

Oh, boy. England bullying them so hard that the actually need therapy.

[@Sunflower-lk2xo]

@@explosivefiend9008 Yes I barely made it out alive

[@theMoporter]

Oh sure, where I'm living is shit, but you should see the town over.

[@explosivefiend9008]

@@Sunflower-lk2xo then I think we can both agree that the best thing about Paisley is leaving it

[@stephensmith3111]

Hey Blue (good spectral choice, btw). This was suitably of the wall as well as informative for four cities crammed into 5:23 (5 = 2 + 3, hmmmm). Keep up the good work.

[@JessWLStuart]

Nice! You forgot that Edinburgh has the first known sewer pipe in Europe, and that the royal mile up to Edinburgh Castle was built on top of the previous limestone buildings after they lopped off the top of said buildings, built the new surface, then build new limestone buildings as tall above the new surface as the original buildings were above the ground.

[@Flugzeugdreger]

You forgot that one time they put London on wheels for that terrible Peter Jackson movie... Which is propaly a good thing.

[@zeenoash.8805]

Ah yes, the forbidden shows....but you MUST mean the *Peter Johnson Movies* Am I correct??

[@Tylwth]

yay, cardiff, nice to see wales pop in momentarily in relevence :P

[@deathbower]

*sad northern England noises*

[@natnuss98]

I'm going for my semester abroad in Cardiff this month's! This is perfect timing

[@alisaurus4224]

3:50 “this caused some tension” Heckin’ chonker of an understatement there, Blue