I’ve been lucky enough in the last week to have been chasing a bit of winter sunshine. Before departing I was reviewing my notes for a project I have to create a number of tours which take in all the churches within the City of London. Amongst them is one of my favourites, St James… Continue reading If you want the truth ask a local tour guide.
Tag: London
Pavements in the sky (part 4)
This is the last part of a hunt for the remains of the London Pedway system that was proposed by architects and designers in the 1970s. You can find the preceding parts here. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 So, in part 3 I found that remains of what was known as the Bishopsgate system… Continue reading Pavements in the sky (part 4)
Pavements in the sky (Part 3)
The continuing hunt for the remainder of London’s abandoned pedway system. If you’ve made your way here via part one and part two, thanks for sticking with it. In part two I wandered around the Barbican, which is the area with the only properly functioning pedway remaining. At the end of the piece I had… Continue reading Pavements in the sky (Part 3)
Pavements in the sky (Part 2)
So, hopefully you’ve arrived here from the first part of Pavements in the sky and have watched the video? If not, part two isn’t going to make much sense. Make yourself a nice cuppa and sit down for thirty minutes and catch up on the video and then come back here. London is always changing,… Continue reading Pavements in the sky (Part 2)
Pavements in the sky
I’ve been wanting to write on this subject for a long time, but never managed to find the time to do so, however I find that it’s too long for just one post, so will have to break it down into separate parts. Lets start at the end of the Second World War. The City… Continue reading Pavements in the sky
Round and round the Garden
The area of Hatton Garden blends centuries of jewellery craft, hidden vaults, bold heists, and quiet workshops, a London street where glittering wealth and gritty history sit side by side. While researching and writing a new tour about the area I was surprised to discover in a quiet backwater a very strong link to the… Continue reading Round and round the Garden
A Slippery Tale
London’s relationship with eels is one of those wonderfully slippery stories that wriggles through every era of the city’s past, from medieval tax ledgers to East End pie shops. It began innocently enough for me while digging into the history of Billingsgate Fish Market, where I stumbled on a curious quirk of the 1699 Act… Continue reading A Slippery Tale
The Thames Bridge That Went To Africa
Everyone’s heard the story of London Bridge being shipped off to Arizona, but London has another great disappearing‑bridge tale — one that began at Millbank and ended up in Africa. It sounds like urban myth, but it’s entirely true Back in 1940, with the Blitz underway and the Luftwaffe targeting key Thames crossings, the government… Continue reading The Thames Bridge That Went To Africa
Five Years of Wandering: Why Self‑Guided Audio Tours Still Win
It’s a strange thing to realise, but it’s now been five years since I published my very first self‑guided audio tour. Five years of wandering streets, poking around corners, chasing down odd bits of local history, and trying to capture that quiet thrill of discovering something most people walk straight past. When I released that… Continue reading Five Years of Wandering: Why Self‑Guided Audio Tours Still Win
Washing History
Back in 2020 the UK saw a spate of statue removals throughout the UK. Characters no longer deemed to be politically correct were consigned to the storeroom or in one case the dockside of history. I recently came across this empty plinth in Cavendish Square, and wondered who it was that had upset public opinion.… Continue reading Washing History
A LONDON MISCELLANY 