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The Art of Getting Lost (On Purpose)

Because in London, being “off course” is often the point. There’s a particular pleasure in walking through London without a plan. Not aimlessly, that’s different, but with a kind of gentle, deliberate looseness. A willingness to drift. A readiness to be surprised. It’s a skill, really, and one the city rewards more generously than most.… Continue reading The Art of Getting Lost (On Purpose)

The smell of Brown Leather……..

Possibly some readers might be able to complete the song lyric, it is obviously ” it blended in with the weather” as found on the Jam’s fantastic 1978 “Down in the tube station at midnight“. Not the greatest lyrical passage of all time, but one of my favourite songs. So where am I heading with… Continue reading The smell of Brown Leather……..

Stairway to Heaven

A few weeks ago I went on a bit of a “Jolly Boys outing” taking in both the London Transport Museum depot at Acton and later a tour of Dover Street underground station. Never heard of it? Well, the reason is that it’s an abandoned station that sits within the structure of todays modern Green… Continue reading Stairway to Heaven

If you want the truth ask a local tour guide.

I’ve been lucky enough in the last week to have been chasing a bit of winter sunshine. Before departing I was reviewing my notes for a project I have to create a number of tours which take in all the churches within the City of London. Amongst them is one of my favourites, St James… Continue reading If you want the truth ask a local tour guide.

Pavements in the sky (part 4)

This is the last part of a hunt for the remains of the London Pedway system that was proposed by architects and designers in the 1970s. You can find the preceding parts here. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 So, in part 3 I found that remains of what was known as the Bishopsgate system… Continue reading Pavements in the sky (part 4)

Pavements in the sky (Part 3)

The continuing hunt for the remainder of London’s abandoned pedway system. If you’ve made your way here via part one and part two, thanks for sticking with it. In part two I wandered around the Barbican, which is the area with the only properly functioning pedway remaining. At the end of the piece I had… Continue reading Pavements in the sky (Part 3)

Pavements in the sky (Part 2)

So, hopefully you’ve arrived here from the first part of Pavements in the sky and have watched the video? If not, part two isn’t going to make much sense. Make yourself a nice cuppa and sit down for thirty minutes and catch up on the video and then come back here. London is always changing,… Continue reading Pavements in the sky (Part 2)

Pavements in the sky

I’ve been wanting to write on this subject for a long time, but never managed to find the time to do so, however I find that it’s too long for just one post, so will have to break it down into separate parts. Lets start at the end of the Second World War. The City… Continue reading Pavements in the sky

Round and round the Garden

The area of Hatton Garden blends centuries of jewellery craft, hidden vaults, bold heists, and quiet workshops, a London street where glittering wealth and gritty history sit side by side. While researching and writing a new tour about the area I was surprised to discover in a quiet backwater a very strong link to the… Continue reading Round and round the Garden

A Slippery Tale

London’s relationship with eels is one of those wonderfully slippery stories that wriggles through every era of the city’s past, from medieval tax ledgers to East End pie shops. It began innocently enough for me while digging into the history of Billingsgate Fish Market, where I stumbled on a curious quirk of the 1699 Act… Continue reading A Slippery Tale