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
Tag: History
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
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 Little Bit of The Pharaohs In Piccadilly
Egyptian House 170-173 Piccadilly is one of those functional early 20th century buildings that in the next hundred or so years people will begin to love. It’s a bit of a hybrid, echoes of Georgian and Victorian architecture muddled up with just a glimpse of what was ahead in terms of Art Noveau and Art… Continue reading A Little Bit of The Pharaohs In Piccadilly
The Strange Tale of Mr Fribourg and Mr Treyer …….. and Mr Fribourg and Mr Pontet
Friborg and Treyer were fashionable snuff sellers in the 18th century. Based at 34 Haymarket their clientele included King George IV, the actor David Garrick and all-round dandy Beau Brummell. The Fribourg’s had originally come to England from Switzerland, and the claim is, that the firm was started in 1720 by P. Fribourg, although the… Continue reading The Strange Tale of Mr Fribourg and Mr Treyer …….. and Mr Fribourg and Mr Pontet
It’s Virtually The Same
Not being able to wander London’s streets during Lockdown is a bit of a problem for a tour guide, and obviously the lack of customers is also a disadvantage. So, my time is spent online, researching, writing and generally indulging in all thing London (Geek). When I come to plan A London Miscellany tour, the… Continue reading It’s Virtually The Same
Greek Street, Then and Now
I’ve always found Greek Street in Soho to be a bit of an oasis, if a slightly shabby one, when compared to some of it’s more garish neighbours. With the relative tranquillity at its northern end of Soho Square it’s always struck me as a street that’s a bit more laid back, perhaps not as… Continue reading Greek Street, Then and Now
A LONDON MISCELLANY 