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St Brides - American History London

American History in the City of London

Posted on August 3, 2020
in Churches and Graveyards, City of London, London
2 Comments

There's quite a lot of surprising US connections in the City of London. Here are my favourites to look out for...

Hidden History Barbican

Hidden History of the Barbican

Posted on April 28, 2020
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, City of London, London, Look Up London
11 Comments

Love it or hate it, most people know the Barbican simply as a post-war housing estate. But there's actually a lot of hidden history waiting to be found...

City Church Towers

Lone City Church Towers: The Churches With No Bodies

Posted on February 11, 2020
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, City of London, London, Look Up London
0 Comments

What these lone towers lack in stonework they make up for in history...

London Unusual Stained Glass

London’s Unusual Stained Glass Windows

Posted on December 9, 2019
in Churches and Graveyards, London, Look Up London
6 Comments

From contemporary artistic creations to characters you wouldn't expect to find!...

London’s 9 Strangest Church Steeples

Posted on May 7, 2019
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, London, Look Up London
10 Comments

Today they might be dwarfed by skyscrapers, but that doesn't mean they're less impressive (or eye-catching!)...

Neasden Temple

Neasden Temple: A Tour of Baps Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Posted on February 8, 2019
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, London, North London
3 Comments

Be transported to India with a visit to one of London's most astonishing creations....

Southwark Cathedral Tower

Climbing Southwark Cathedral’s Tower

Posted on January 25, 2019
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, London, South London
1 Comment

On a special tour of Southwark Cathedral I got to ascend the tower. The views - you'll be happy to know - did not disappoint! Join me on the climb...

Fitzrovia Chapel

Fitzrovia Chapel | London’s Prettiest Interior?

Posted on December 30, 2018
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, London, Look Up London, Things to do in London, West London
0 Comments

Designed as a small hospital chapel. The Fitzrovia Chapel is an absolute jewel of a church, only a 5 minute walk from Oxford Street....

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Exploring Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Posted on August 16, 2018
in Churches and Graveyards, East London, London, Look Up London, Things to do in London
0 Comments

Perhaps not famous or studded with celebrity graves, Tower Hamlets is so worth a visit, here are the fascinating human stories I found...

5 Unmissable Objects at the Imperial War Museum

Posted on July 31, 2018
in Churches and Graveyards, London, Look Up London, Things to do in London
1 Comment

It's tough curating a museum of death and destruction. Here are my highlights from an introductory tour...

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• Katie | Blue Badge Tourist Guide 🔵
• Private London Tours
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You can find this wonderful street 5 minutes from You can find this wonderful street 5 minutes from Kings Cross Station… This is Keystone Crescent, laid out in the 1840s to provide good quality housing for local residents. Originally it was called Caledonia Crescent, a nod to the large numbers of Scottish immigrants who settled in the area to work on the railways and nearby Regent’s Canal. Today the crescent opens onto the much better known Caledonian Road. Having survived threats of demolition when the area was run down, happily we can rest easy knowing the street received Grade II listing in 1988. #lookuplondon . . . Hi I’m Katie 🙋🏻‍♀️ Blue Badge Tourist Guide and London history blogger. Book fun and immersive virtual tours in my bio @look_uplondon 👈🏼 I also offer private, bespoke tours (real and virtual!) get in touch for details. . . . #KingsCross #keystonescrescent #hiddengems #postcardplaces #mysecretlondon #london #discoverlondon #londonguide #londonwalks @kingscrossn1c
I might sound like a broken record. But honestly, I might sound like a broken record. But honestly, if you’re not looking up in London you’re missing out on so much history! This is the porch of the Royal Exchange in the City of London. Originally a hub of trade where merchants of all kinds could buy and sell, the current building is now a luxury shopping mall and opened in 1844. But its earlier history is in the detail! Look up (swipe right!) and you’ll spy a Royal Coat of Arms and then a small shield above it. Can you spot the tiny T and G? That stands for Thomas Gresham, city merchant who founded the original Royal Exchange in 1571. 
The eagle-eyed among you might also have seen that on top of this building there’s a golden weathervane of a grasshopper. The reason it’s there? It was Gresham’s family symbol. 
There’s nearly always an interesting explanation behind London’s details! #lookuplondon . . . Hi I’m Katie 🙋🏻‍♀️ Blue Badge Tourist Guide and London history blogger. Book fun and immersive virtual tours in my bio @look_uplondon 👈🏼 I also offer private, bespoke tours (real and virtual!) get in touch for details. . . . #RoyalExchange #londonhistory #cityoflondon #thisislondon #londonarchitecture #londondetails #hiddengems #london #discoverlondon #londonguide #londonwalks @theroyalexchange
Most people don’t realise there’s a church in Most people don’t realise there’s a church in the middle of Soho... Wednesday night is the final tour (“Soho’s Soul”) in the second series of my Virtual London Tours. I’m not sure if/when I’ll run another series so this is your last chance to join the fun for now! If you book Membership - available to book until Wednesday 6pm (BST) you can watch all the tours from this series; “East End; Suburb Squalor to Street Art”, “Kings Cross: Wrong Side of the Tracks”, “Docklands: Pirates Old and New” and “Soho’s Soul” for £28, available to catch up on until 12 August. Book in my bio link! Tap @look_uplondon 👈🏼 Here’s what people have said about the tours; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “One of the best things about lockdown.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “The most enjoyable hour I've had since March.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “We felt as if we were right there.” If you’re curious about the church. It’s a bit like Soho in general really; unique and a mix of all sorts!

St Anne’s was built 1677-1686, supposedly to the designs of Christopher Wren but it was gutted by bombs during WWII. The 19thC tower survives and the building now contains a small chapel, rectory, offices for the Soho Society and 20 flats run by the Soho Housing Association. #lookuplondon #londonhistory #londonguide #virtualtours #londonwalks #soho
This housing block in Spitalfields was the start o This housing block in Spitalfields was the start of something huge. In 1864, 57 apartments were made available on Conmercial Street for East London’s “most deserving of the working poor”. Over 100 people applied to be the first tenants in a Peabody Estate. Peabody was founded by George Peabody, an American banker whose business morphed into what is today JP Morgan. He didn’t have a wife or any heirs and so he gave most of his money to try and solve the great social crisis of the day for London; housing. The money he gave is estimated to be around £45million in today’s terms. The Peabody Housing Association is still going, with 55,000 homes across Greater London, but it all started here. #lookuplondon . . . Hi I’m Katie 🙋🏻‍♀️ Blue Badge Tourist Guide and London history blogger. Book fun and immersive virtual tours in my bio @look_uplondon 👈🏼 I also offer private, bespoke tours (real and virtual!) get in touch for details. . . . #spitalfields #london #philanthropy #peabody #eastlondon #londonstreets #londonhistory #historiclondon #explorelondon #londonguide #londonwalks #londontours @peabodyldn
Hard to believe, but this is actually London! Kno Hard to believe, but this is actually London! Known as the Old Molecatcher’s Cottage in Richmond Park, it might sound silly but catching moles was serious work. After all it was important to get rid of molehills so royals could enjoy riding through the park and hunting the deer. In fact, in February 1702 King William III’s horse stumbled over a molehill. He broke his collarbone, got pneumonia and later died. You’d definitely try to avoid the blame for that one! Back to this gorgeous spot though, it’s part of Pembroke Lodge (now a tearoom) built on the site of a small cottage in the 18th century for Elizabeth, Countess of Pembroke. You can’t go inside but there’s a beautiful rose garden to stroll through, swipe right for the video! 
Have you ever been? #lookuplondon . . . Hi I’m Katie 🙋🏻‍♀️ Blue Badge Tourist Guide and London history blogger. Book fun and immersive virtual tours in my bio @look_uplondon 👈🏼 I also offer private, bespoke tours (real and virtual!) get in touch for details. . . . #London #VisitLondon #BecauseImALondoner #LondonGuide #Londonwalks #RichmondPark #londonhistory #MySecretLondon #timeoutlondon
Have you ever seen a better looking car park?! Ri Have you ever seen a better looking car park?! Right by Russell Square Station in Bloomsbury is this Art Deco gem. Have you walked by before? Built in 1931, the strange circular shape of the right side of the building is because it’s a ramp, designed as part of The Daimler Car Hire Garage. There was a car park below and cars were on display on the upper floors. The building is Grade II listed (one of the first ever garages to get the honour!) and Historic England say there used to be pressure washing stations on each floor, handy! Up until recently it was used as offices for the ad agency McCann but they’ve since moved to Bishopsgate. I wonder who the lucky people are who get to move in? #lookuplondon . . . Hi I’m Katie 🙋🏻‍♀️ Blue Badge Tourist Guide and London history blogger. Book fun and immersive virtual tours in my bio @look_uplondon 👈🏼 I also offer private, bespoke tours (real and virtual!) get in touch for details. . . . #ArtDeco #LondonGuide #londonhistory #carparks #inspiremyinstagram #visitlondon #london #thisislondon #artdecolondon
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