The nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling down, with an easily rememberable, singsong tune, holds historical truths that children may not realise, which their parents may not know or have forgotten...

Roman Sunset by Elizabeth May is set in what we now call northern England and southern Scotland in the early fifth century, in the days when Romans were leaving British shores. The book paints a picture of different peoples - from Picts to Romans - fighting for dominance in a changing world.

Another film version of the British in India - but one with an unusual twist, for none of these people are young. They are earching for something they could not find in England, drawn by the promise of a retirement home in the sun. A stellar cast includes Judi Dench, Dev Patel and Maggie Smith.

Hockey's first Olympic appearance was at the 1908 Games in London. Great Britain saw this as a wonderful opportunity to pursue a sport embedded in national consciousness, and put up a team for each of the four constituent nations – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Weightlifting first appeared as an Olympic sport in Athens in 1896. Launceston Elliott won a Gold Medal for the Heayweight One Hand Lift event and Silver for the Heavyweight Two Hand Lift at that first modern Olympic Games.

Rowing has been an Olympic sport for over a century, debuting at the Paris Olympic Games in 1900. Olympic 2012 Rowing events take place on lake at Eton Dorney near Windsor – the site has a huge lake amidst hundreds of acres of parkland.

Olympic Canoeing involves two disciplines – Slalom and Sprint. There are separate events for canoes and kayaks, and for different sized craft. Canoeing has been an Olympic event since 1936 at the Berlin Games.

Olympic Handball is played on an indoor court measuring 40 metres long by 20 metres wide, with goals which look similar to football goals at either end. Handball originated as an outside sport and this was how it first entered the Games, named Field Handball, in 1936.

Olympic Equestrian competition has three disciplines – Dressage, Eventing and Jumping; events are open to men and women. There are Olympic medals for teams and individuals in each discipline.

The Olympics has three disciplines in this sport - Beach Volleyball, Sitting Volleyball and Volleyball all of which demand agaility, speed and strength from competitors. The fast pace of Volleyball - played in teams of six, with teams of two for Beach Volleyball - makes it a great spectator sport.