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Inside Lloyd's of London

Inside Lloyd’s of London

Posted on September 17, 2019
in architecture, City of London, Interiors, London
2 Comments

After years of looking up at its exterior in wonder, I finally managed to get a tour inside Lloyd's of London! Join me for a look inside...

martin lane oven safe

Safe? Oven? A Mystery Object on Martin Lane in the City

Posted on August 27, 2019
in City of London, London, Look Up London
13 Comments

Everyone loves a London mystery right? Especially when the object in question looks so out of place. So what is this thing on Martin Lane?...

Temple Tube Station

The Geeky Hidden Gem at Temple Tube Station

Posted on May 14, 2019
in City of London, London, London Underground
10 Comments

Before you enter Temple Tube Station, pause a second to appreciate this heritage tube map. Times certainly have changed...

Lloyds Register

Lloyd’s Register of Shipping

Posted on April 23, 2019
in City of London, London
4 Comments

A building which gets more exciting the closer you look. From intricate details to the juxtaposition of glass and steel. It even has a small, colourful garden…...

Spitalfields Door Knockers

Spitalfields Door Knockers

Posted on March 10, 2019
in architecture, City of London, London
0 Comments

Have you ever spotted the beautiful array of Spitalfields door knockers? Take a closer look when you walk through the 18th century East London streets....

Chiltern Street History

Fire, Dragons and Gods: Chiltern Street History

Posted on March 1, 2019
in architecture, City of London, Hidden Gems, London
8 Comments

Home to Chiltern Firehouse and super trendy shops and cafés. You've got to look up for the history...

The Garden at 120

The City of London’s Latest Rooftop Spot

Posted on February 16, 2019
in architecture, City of London, London
10 Comments

Soak up the views from the newest rooftop garden in The City of London. No need to prebook and it is free!...

33-35 Eastcheap

33-35 Eastcheap: History Behind The Facade

Posted on January 22, 2019
in architecture, City of London, Hidden Gems, London
4 Comments

Look up at 31-35 Eastcheap to see an array of carvings and pastel tones. Newly restored, the architects have preserved the clues to its history...

History Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows: A Lesson In Statistics

Posted on January 7, 2019
in City of London, Hidden Gems, London
0 Comments

Tucked behind Change Alley in The City is a plaque that most people don't notice...

7 Lothbury

7 Lothbury | A Slice of Italy in The City

Posted on December 20, 2018
in architecture, City of London, London, Look Up London
0 Comments

The main reason to enter a car park is to, y'know, park or retrieve your car. But in this London Car Park, you get the bonus of a piece of Roman wall!...

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• Katie Wignall | Blue Badge Guide🔵
• #lookuplondon | London’s hidden history
• Group Walks | Private Tours
• Book tours & read the blog here!👇🏼

Instagram post 2155434361822836343_1442668623 Look up on City Road and (weather-dependent!) You might think you’re in Miami.Eagle House has recently refurbished as part of the huge towering flats springing up around Old Street, but the 1933 Art Deco building at least gives you an interesting font and decoration to spot.But why an Eagle? The history is from a pub, of course! 
Well, actually it was a Music Hall first, the Eagle Music Hall which from 1825 was haunt for the likes of Dickens and the singer Marie Lloyd. Eventually it got too rowdy for its own good and was bought by the Salvation Army.It became a pub in 1901 and is famous for its inclusion in the nursery rhyme; ‘Up and down the City Road ‘In and out the Eagle ‘That’s the way the money goes ‘Pop! Goes the weasel’Definitions vary but I tend to think the last line refers to the slang term for a tailor’s iron; ‘weasel’ while ‘pop’ was a term for pawning something. So you spent money you didn’t really have down the pub. Sounds about right. . . . I run quirky public walks as well as bespoke, private tours. Tap the link 👉🏼 @look_uplondon to find out more and browse the blog for some historical London inspiration! . . . #lookuplondon #londonpubs #OldStreet #London #visitlondon #londonbylocals #mylondon #londonicons #londonhistory #londonguide #victoriastreet #ArtDeco #thisislondon #prettycitylondon #londonbylondoners #londonprivatetours #discoverlondon #explorelondon #eastlondon #architecture #chasingfacades #pubhistory #inspiremyinstagram #londonstreets #lookup
Instagram post 2153921756188735955_1442668623 Don’t you just want to give this a stroke?! This is a Living Wall, made from over 10,000 plants, on the side of Elephant and Castle tube station.Biotecture chose plants that could withstand the windy conditions and (when it actually does come out) the full sunshine. It’s also packed with greenery that’s the best for trapping polluting air particles and attracting pollinating insects.Have you seen some more of their lovely additions around London? . . . I run quirky public walks as well as bespoke, private tours. Tap the link 👉🏼 @look_uplondon to find out more and browse the blog for some historical London inspiration! . . . #london #thisislondon #greenlondon #londonblogger #thestreettree #londongardencity #londontrees #treesoflondon #londonparks #greenpark #backtonature #mysecretlondon #londonbylondoners #offthebeatentrack #elephantandcastle #underthefloralspell #explorelondon #visitlondon #greenwall #greenspace #hiddenlondon #biotecture @biotecture_
Instagram post 2152455716447597162_1442668623 Welcome! 👋🏼 Thanks to a lovely shoutout from @mad_about_the_house there’s a few more of you that have joined the geeky London history crew!If you’re new, hi 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m Katie, a London tour guide and history blogger and the info below is really what I’m all about, sharing snippets of London’s history and details that often get overlooked! ⤵️ . Around the corner from St Paul’s you can find this stunning sculpture.But all is not as it seems... This artwork by Thomas Heatherwick is known as Angel’s Wings.However, the two massive stainless steel artworks (there’s another directly behind this one) are actually JUST fancy vents for the underground electrical substation beneath your feet! 🚇 🤓 #lookuplondon . . . . . . I run quirky public walks as well as bespoke, private tours. Tap the link 👉🏼 @look_uplondon to find out more and browse the blog for some historical London inspiration! . . . #stpauls #Londonsculpture #londonart #london #visitlondon #londonbylocals #mylondon #londonicons #artinlondon #londonguide #cityoflondon #thecity #thisislondon #prettycitylondon #londonbylondoners #londonprivatetours #discoverlondon #explorelondon #stpaulscathedral #architecture #inspiremyinstagram #londonstreets #oldvnew #thomasheatherwick #heatherwickstudio
Instagram post 2151762194782301156_1442668623 “Clothes Maketh the [Woman]” Along Whitehall is this statue dedicated to the women of WWII. Echoing the Cenotaph, the nation’s major memorial to all war dead, the monument is hung with uniforms.They represent the hundreds of roles women took up during World War Two and include a welding mask, nursing cape, police overalls and uniforms from the Women’s Land Army and Women’s Royal Naval Service.The statue had its critics when unveiled in 2005 and still divides opinion but personally I’m a fan. Do you think it works as a memorial? . . . . . #london #Londonsculpture #londonart #whitehall #visitlondon #londonbylocals #mylondon #londonicons #artinlondon #londonguide #westminster #lookuplondon #thisislondon #londonhistory #londonbylondoners #londonprivatetours #discoverlondon #explorelondon #WWII #architecture #feminism #inspiremyinstagram #londonstreets #sculpture
Instagram post 2151036863037436301_1442668623 Did you know London is a forest? 🌳No, seriously…

London has 20% tree cover and 8.5million trees, almost one per Londoner and that’s enough to count as a forest according to one UN definition!I have to admit I’m usually looking for art, sculpture or architecture in London and don’t often spare a thought for my natural city buddies.Thankfully, @thestreettree was on hand to share his favourite trees with unusual stories behind them.To read the blog post, tap 👉🏼 @look_uplondon for the bio link! #lookuplondon . . . #london #thisislondon #greenlondon #londonblogger #thestreettree #londongardencity #londontrees #treesoflondon #londonparks #greenpark #backtonature #mysecretlondon #londonbylondoners #offthebeatentrack #depthobsessed #underthefloralspell #explorelondon #visitlondon #thestreetree #greenspace #hiddenlondon
Instagram post 2149629611508318963_1442668623 Welcome to the Isle of Dogs, literally.This gigantic chihuahua is by Irony+Boe, two Street Artists who regularly pair up to create large murals.Created in 2014, the meaning - according to the artists - was a play on the gentrification of the area. They compared the 8-storey pampered pooch to a “middle-class Godzilla, unknowingly destroying all in its path”. I like to think it’s also a play on the area’s name, first mentioned as the ‘Isle of Dogs’ in a 1520 collection of letters about shipping. However, nobody really know the true origins but a some theories include;1️⃣ A modern derivation of Isle of ‘Dykes’ or ‘Ducks’. 2️⃣ It was where the King’s kept their hunting dogs kennelled (after all the Royals are only over the River in Greenwich). 3️⃣ A reference to the number of dead dogs that washed up on the river banks. 4️⃣ A corruption of ‘Isle of Doggers’, a name for a Dutch fishing boat. 
What’s your favourite theory? . . . I run quirky public walks as well as private, bespoke tours (including Street Art tours if that’s your thing!) Tap the link 👉🏼 @look_uplondon to find out more and browse the blog for some historical London inspiration! . . . #lookuplondon #isleofdogs #eastlondon #London #visitlondon #londonbylocals #mylondon #streetartlondon #streetart #londonguide #hiddengem #sculpture #thisislondon #dogsofinstagram #londonbylondoners #londonprivatetours #discoverlondon #explorelondon #unusuallondon #londonsculpture #irony+boe #londonart #inspiremyinstagram #londonstreetart #streetartist #poplar @whoamirony
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