Whenever I walk the streets of London I try to make the effort to look up once in a while. Sometimes you can be too focussed on what’s in front of you. Take a moment to look above the horizon and you might be surprised at what you find. Many interesting and bizarre ornaments and… Continue reading The Beavers Of Oxford Street
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Crane Court…A Little Alley With A Lot Of History
Today, Crane Court sits unobtrusively between two fast food outlets on Fleet Street. Visitors who venture into its interior may be forgiven for thinking that the alley has delusions of grandeur, as after a quite impressive entrance of modern terracotta brick the rest of the alley dotted around with large planters is a little non… Continue reading Crane Court…A Little Alley With A Lot Of History
The Cat And The Skull
So what do you think you know about Dick Whittington, Lord Mayor of London? The story goes that an impoverished Whittington made his way into the City of London to seek his fortune on hearing that the streets were paved with gold. Failing to make enough money to live on as a scullery worker in… Continue reading The Cat And The Skull
Cleary Gardens
Space where you can sit and reflect, away from the noise and commotion of the City can be hard to find. One such little oasis is Cleary Gardens, nestling between the busy Queen Victoria Street an Upper Thames Street. The development of the garden into what we see today dates from the 1980’s when it… Continue reading Cleary Gardens
The Sign Of The Two Headed Swan
I was prompted to take this uninspiring photograph after coming across an old image of the same location. The first picture is Gresham Street in 2020 and the second image is the same street a hundred years earlier in 1920. The most prominent building in the second image is Pickfords the removal company and I… Continue reading The Sign Of The Two Headed Swan
Ambrosia
ambrosia /amˈbrəʊzɪə/ noun 1. GREEK & ROMAN MYTHOLOGY The food of the gods, often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. It was brought to the gods in Olympus by doves and served by either Hebe or Ganymede at the heavenly feast. Not sure about the dove reference, but the rest of… Continue reading Ambrosia
Cock And Pye
To make a Peacock Pye. Pick it, and leave the Feathers on the Neck, cut the Neck off close to the Body, skin the Neck close to the Head, and cut it off; put a Stick tight into the Skin up to the Head, dry it in an Oven; cut off the Legs, and keep… Continue reading Cock And Pye
……..AND THE BONUS BALL IS
The Nation Lottery started in the UK on the 19th November 1994, however, this was not the first nationwide lottery to be run in Britain. “The Lottery” by William Hogarth 1721 showing the two lottery wheels. The first state lottery was the idea of Master of the Royal Mint, Thomas Neale in order to raise… Continue reading ……..AND THE BONUS BALL IS
The Yorkshire Stingo
At the Lisson Grove end of Marylebone Road, you will find Westminster Magistrates Court. What to my mind is a rather drab building has been enlivened by the addition of an art installation by artist and blacksmith Bex Simon. The artwork references Marylebone life and in particular the former building that sat on the site… Continue reading The Yorkshire Stingo
Owen’s Fields
The entrance to this small park was once the entrance to a school playground that separated Dame Alice Owen’s Girls’ School and Owen’s Boys’ School and is now known as Owen’s Fields in Clerkenwell, London EC1. The girl’s school was built in 1890 and was a substantial building with underground cellars. At the outbreak of… Continue reading Owen’s Fields
A LONDON MISCELLANY 