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
Category: Uncategorized
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
Doing the tour
Nowadays “Doing a tour” seems to consist of looking and photographing memorable structures or places within the city. You might (if finances allow) actually enter some of these to see inside and exit through the ubiquitous Gift Shop. The Georgians had a slightly different take on the matter and although I’m sure they visited St… Continue reading Doing the tour
John Donne, Heaven or Hell?
I must admit I’m not strong on the Metaphysical poets, but when I came across the statue of John Donne on the south side of St Paul’s Cathedral I thought I’d better take a look at some of his poetry. Not really my cup of tea on examination, however I did take a look at… Continue reading John Donne, Heaven or Hell?
A load of hot air
In a recent post I looked at the ingenious ways that designers used to provide ventilation solutions. A couple of novel designs sit close to each other in the heart of the City. The first sits under a statue of the Victorian Civil Engineer James Greathead which is apt. Greathead was the inventor of the… Continue reading A load of hot air
What were they thinking?
Should you be in the vicinity of St James’s Park take a walk along Horse Guards Road, enter the park opposite King Charles Street and walk along to Duck Island. At the islands entrance you will see the very quaint bucolic Duck Island Cottage. The cottage was built on the island on the site of… Continue reading What were they thinking?
Fancy a dip in the Thames?
Although the river is a lot cleaner today than in previous years, the stretch that flows through the environs of Central London is not immediately the first place you’d think of for swimming. The completion of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s London sewer system in 1870 meant that the quality of water in the River Thames was… Continue reading Fancy a dip in the Thames?
A LONDON MISCELLANY 