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!
Author: endean0
Hi, I'm Steve, a London tour guide and owner of A London Miscellany Tours, a guided walking tour company who specialise in small number tours of the greatest city in the world!
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
A bit of a drama
Take a stroll along the Strand and you’ll be confronted by Arundel Great Court, described in some architectural journals as a “Brutalist Behemoth” It was completed in 1976 and to say that critics got themselves worked up would be a bit of an understatement. Arundel Great Court was built on the former site of the… Continue reading A bit of a drama
Top of the world
There are several roof gardens in London. The most stunning is probably in Kensington on the top of what was once the Derry & Toms department store which opened in 1936. I was lucky enough to visit it when it was still free to do so, but in 2018 it closed. According to a real… Continue reading Top of the world
A shining example
Where would you find the only Neon light in the City of London? London nerds will already have tutted and muttered under their breath “Easy”. The answer is a small shop on the junction of Moorgate and London Wall. Today it is a wine bar, but its beautiful Art Deco facade harks back to a… Continue reading A shining example
A LONDON MISCELLANY 