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Rain

One word Sunday Looking out along Cromwell Road on a rather wet autumn evening.

Climbing An Old Stairway To Heaven

Six Word Saturday Milford Lane stands on a very ancient thoroughfare that ran from the Thames up to the Strand near the area of the Temple. When you reach the top you find yourself not in heaven but in Essex Street, turn to look back at the steps and you see one of the grandest… Continue reading Climbing An Old Stairway To Heaven

The Monster Of London

There have been many violent and disturbing crimes committed in the Capital over the centuries, some single incidents, and others of a more serial nature. The latter attract much more attention, sometimes with the culprits achieving cult status. Obviously Jack the Ripper is usually the first to come to mind, along with latter-day perpetrators, John… Continue reading The Monster Of London

Not Avenues, but Alleyways

There’s nothing more exciting for me than discovering a new alleyway or court in London, so much so that I document each one on a Google Map with as much information as I can find on it. It may look like there’s a lot of pins on the map, but the reality is that the… Continue reading Not Avenues, but Alleyways

Thomas Cubitt

Today you have companies like Balfour Beatty and the Kear Group who predominately do most of the construction work in the UK, but back in the early 19th century there were no massive firms that undertook building projects, that was until Thomas Cubitt came along. During the early 19th century parts of London were going… Continue reading Thomas Cubitt

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One word Sunday

The Gods look down from above

Six word Saturday Once the home of the London & Westminster Bank (Temple Bar branch), 222 The Strand was known as London’s most beautiful bank. Latterly it was a branch of Lloyds Bank, but early in 2020 it had been bought by the pub chain Wetherspoons with a view to conversion. It remains closed with… Continue reading The Gods look down from above

Pagani’s

Sometimes when you look at a block of buildings you think to yourself, that doesn’t look right. One block that I noticed was in Great Portland Street. The imposing building on the far left was previously a bank and now a Post Office. The characterless office block far right shouts post war redevelopment, it’s the… Continue reading Pagani’s

The Elvish Folk of Kensington Gardens

London SW7 is not the first place that comes to mind when you think of Elves and Pixies, but while researching a piece on the area I found that I was mistaken. The main link with this mystical world of the little people is the Elfin Oak in Kensington Gardens. The stump of this 900-year-old oak tree… Continue reading The Elvish Folk of Kensington Gardens

Dogstones

Now there’s a word for you, “Dogstones”. Gallstones found in canines perhaps, or some type of artisanal device for holding something in place? If you Google it, it appears there’s a large stone in Oban in Scotland, but that’s not it. Let me cloud the waters even further by linking the Dogstone with a Hen… Continue reading Dogstones