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A Room With A View

Who lives in the tallest house in the City of London? The answer to that is I don’t know, but it matters little who lives there, the more interesting part is where is it and why.Let’s just rewind. We’re looking for the tallest house, not loft apartment, penthouse or block of flats but a house… Continue reading A Room With A View

A Bedouin and his three camels

looking slightly incongruous on the old City of London thoroughfare, Eastcheap, a Bedouin and his camel train head eastward presumably towards Dover on his way back to the desert. The building was once the home of Peek & Co who were tea importers during the Victorian era. This quartet was the brand logo of the… Continue reading A Bedouin and his three camels

Eastcheap, the road to the pyramids

I was standing on the corner of Eastcheap and Lovat Lane the other day, when I happened to see a Bedouin tribesman and his three camels heading in the direction of Dover, presumably enroute for Cairo. Obviously I’m being economical with the truth, but I have seen stranger things in the area. Is a man… Continue reading Eastcheap, the road to the pyramids

Watch your step!

I recently wrote a piece titled Left High & Dry on how the River Thames has been restricted over the years by the widening of its banks. Here is another reminder of the days when the river was a lot wider than it is today.Whitehall Palace was begun by Henry VIII and by the end… Continue reading Watch your step!

Being for the benefit of Mr Kite

One of the most visited performance venues of the late eighteenth century was Astley’s Amphitheatre. It was situated close to Westminster bridge on the south side of the River Thames. Today its site is buried under the gardens of St Thomas’ Hospital. The Amphitheatre was opened by Philip & Patty Astley in 1768 and had… Continue reading Being for the benefit of Mr Kite

The Giant Grasshopper Of Lombard Street

Thought I’d have a go at Six Word Saturday Lombard Street was known for its signs as well as its financial institutions. There were 138 signs hanging in the street in 1800. This is the sign of Merchant and Financier Thomas Gresham and appears on his coat of arms.

“The Corrector”

Sounds a bit like a 70s TV crime drama, starring Edward Woodward, but this is no self styled vigilante. I had never heard of the person who went by this sobriquet and it was only one of those chance happenings that took me into his world. I had alighted at Angel underground station and before… Continue reading “The Corrector”

When truth becomes stranger than fiction

A rainy evening in 1960s London, the pavement glistens with the reflection of the lights on Park Lane as Harry Palmer skirts round the back of the Dorchester Hotel. Quickly checking he’s not been followed he crosses into Tilney Street, pausing at its corner he waits, collar pulled up against the rain and keeps watch… Continue reading When truth becomes stranger than fiction

Hiding in plain sight

Things of interest don’t always come with a label or a sign saying “Look at me”. I’m not sure how many times I’ve walked past this building on the Strand and never given it a moments thought. The building in question was erected in 1625, so was middle aged by the time of the Great… Continue reading Hiding in plain sight

Under the Greenwood Tree

I’ve always liked the novels of Thomas Hardy, simple tales of simple country folk. Dig deeper however and you’ll see that Hardy’s writing is highly critical of Victorian society, especially the declining status of the people who made up Britain’s rural communities, such as those of his native Dorset. I find that there is a… Continue reading Under the Greenwood Tree