The Victorians, perhaps more than any Britons before them, were diggers and sifters of the past.
To a large degree, they created the perc.
The Victorians paved the way for our modern disciplines, discovered the primeval monsters we now call the dinosaurs, and built many of Britain\'s most important national museums and galleries.
Though they were not the first to be fascinated by history, the intensity and range of their preoccupations with the past were unprecedented and of lasting importance.
The Victorians, perhaps more than any Britons before them, were diggers and sifters of the past