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Walking Tours of London

Weird London Street Names With A Story Behind Them (Part 2)

Posted on June 25, 2019
in etymology, London, Look Up London
3 Comments

Curious about 'Pardon Street'? or want to know the story behind 'Of Alley' Here's a second helping of weird London street names...

Weird London Pub Names

10 Weird London Pub Names With A Story Behind Them

Posted on November 14, 2017
in etymology, London, Pubs
4 Comments

Along with Street Names, I always find that pubs have a canny way of hinting at London's past. Here's a selection of my favourite weird London pub names, each with an intriguing story behind them....

Whitechapel Road Bullock Running

What Whitechapel Road and Pamplona Have in Common

Posted on October 6, 2017
in East London, etymology, Hidden Gems, London, Look Up London, Pubs
0 Comments

Pamplona isn't the only city with a history of bull running. Ok, you might not get much Whitechapel Road Bullock Running nowadays. But the history is there to be found!...

Weird London Street Names

Weird London Street Names With A Story Behind Them (Part 1)

Posted on July 2, 2017
in etymology, installations, London, Look Up London
12 Comments

Concerned by Hanging Sword Alley in EC4? Intrigued by Knightrider Street? Or tempted by Wardrobe Place? There are the best street names in the city and they each have a story to tell....

The Eleanor Cross of Charing Cross

The Eleanor Cross of Charing Cross

Posted on May 18, 2017
in architecture, etymology, Hidden Gems, London, Look Up London
4 Comments

You’ve probably noticed the massive decorative monument outside Charing Cross Station, but do you know why it’s there? Digging into its history gives you a story of romance and the reason this area has its name....

Tyburn Tree Marble Arch

Tyburn Tree: Hidden History at Marble Arch

Posted on April 24, 2017
in Churches and Graveyards, etymology, London, Look Up London, West London
2 Comments

In the middle of a traffic island in Marble Arch lies a grisly bit of London's history. Have you heard about Tyburn Tree?...

Church Called St Andrew Undershaft

Why Is This City Church Called St Andrew Undershaft?

Posted on February 14, 2017
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, etymology, London
0 Comments

Ever paid attention to the names of London’s City Churches? Some of them seem a little odd to us now, but these names give us clues to their history...

St James Park Grammar

St James’s Park Tube: Nightmare For A Grammar Lover

Posted on January 24, 2017
in etymology, London, London Underground
0 Comments

Let's get technical. Is it St James’s Park or St James’ Park? Or both? This may make your head spin...

kings stone kingston

The King’s Stone of Kingston

Posted on December 12, 2016
in etymology, London, Look Up London
1 Comment

Little did I know, when I recently ventured to the distant realms of Kingston, that I was in store for an ancient quest. Sure, it wasn't quite Arthur pulling out Excalibur, but I did encounter the King's Stone of Kingston...

Trump Street London

What’s the Story Behind Trump Street?

Posted on November 15, 2016
in City of London, etymology, London, Look Up London
0 Comments

There's a reason behind every name in the City of London, even the strange ones. But what's the story behind Trump Street? ...

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

Nothing says #FridayFeeling like a good ol’ Lond Nothing says #FridayFeeling like a good ol’ London pub! The Cockpit is around the corner from St Paul’s Cathedral and dates back to the 18th century. A fuzzier historic claim is that it stands on the site of William Shakespeare’s house! While we can’t be sure of the exact location, it’s certainly true that on 10 March 1615 Shakespeare purchased a house within the Blackfriars Gatehouse nearby. In fact there’s a neighbouring street called Church Entry, where you can still see a fragment of St Ann Blackfriars, demolished in 1550. #lookuplondon . . . I run quirky public walks as well as bespoke, private tours. Tap 👉🏼 @look_uplondon for the bio link to find out more and browse the blog for some historical London inspiration! . . . #shakespeare #londonpubs #London #visitlondon #londonhistory #londonbylocals #mylondon #londonicons #pubsofinstagram #londonguide #Blackfriars #Georgian #thisislondon #prettycitylondon #londonbylondoners #londonprivatetours #discoverlondon #explorelondon #mysecretlondon #architecture #chasingfacades #pubhistory #inspiremyinstagram #londonstreets #oldvnew #fridayfeeling #weekendvibes
Imagine the scene. On this day, 19th February in 1 Imagine the scene. On this day, 19th February in 1516 the Henry VII chapel in Westminster Abbey was consecrated. It took 13 years for the masons to carve this stone ceiling - by hand 😮. And what a place to look up! Every inch of this English Perpendicular Gothic ceiling is bubbling with decoration, like delicate icing on a cake. No surprise then that it was described by contemporaries as ‘miraculum orbits’ - the wonder of the world. Even though I grew up in London, I only visited Westminster Abbey when I started training to be a guide! 🤭 Have you been? #lookuplondon . . . I run bespoke private tours and as a Blue Badge Guide can take you on a private tour inside Westminster Abbey. Tap the bio link for more info and to book! @look_uplondon 👈🏼 . . . #london #visitlondon #lookup #westminsterabbey #londonicons #thisislondon #londonhistory #explorelondon #discoverlondon #londonguide #mysecretlondon #archilovers #churches #timeoutlondon #londonarchitecture #historygirls #history #londonchurch #gothic #londontours #onthisday #otd #interiors #postcardplaces #beautifuldestinations #wonderoftheworld #travel @westminsterabbeylondon
Ignore the Pizza Express signs and look up! Around Ignore the Pizza Express signs and look up! Around the corner from the British Musueum is the former Dairy Supply Company Limited. It was the brainwave of George Barnam, who in 1858 decided to utilise the railways to bring fresh, good quality milk into central London. Before, milk was topped up with water or tainted by diseased cows, nice. So within 20 years Barnam owned nearly the whole block of Museum Street and this building dates from 1888. With his extensive network of Derbyshire farmers, incredibly this dairy supplied 50% of London’s fresh milk! The premises was bought by Pizza Express in 1965 and typical of the chain, they (and their designer Enzo Apicella) were really sympathetic to the details inside and out! Have you spotted it before? #lookuplondon . . . I run quirky public walks and bespoke private tours. Tap the bio link for more info and to book! @look_uplondon 👈🏼 . . . #london #BritishMuseum #lookup #londonhistory #londontours #historiclondon #londonrestaurants #londonguide #prettycitylondon #thisislondon #lookup #seemore #londondetails #explorelondon #discoverlondon
When #asundaycarpic perfectly matches the plaque! When #asundaycarpic perfectly matches the plaque! The blue plaque reads “Oscar Wilde 1854-1900 Wit and dramatist lived here” and can be found at 34 Tite Street. It was here that he reached the height of his fame, writing ‘The Picture of Dorian Grey’ and ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’ here. Oscar was in good company too, with the painters James McNeil Whistler and John Singer Sargent sharing the street too. Wilde would sit at the bay window and enjoy the star-studded passersby that were heading to sit for their portrait with Sargent, most famously the actress Ellen Terry who left the studio still wearing her Lady Macbeth outfit! P.S. If you were feeling nosy about the price, a similar house on the Street on the market for £8.75million in 2018. #lookuplondon . . . I run quirky public walks and bespoke private tours. Tap the bio link for more info and to book! @look_uplondon 👈🏼 . . . #london #chelsea #chasingfacades #OscarWilde #blueplaques #londonhistory #lookup #sundaystrolls #historiclondon #famoushomes #londonguide #visitchelsea #thisislondon #reflections #seemore #londondetails #explorelondon #discoverlondon
📯BRAND NEW WALKS!📯 For International Women’s Day Look Up London is running a series of one-off walks to celebrate London’s Rebels, Heroines, Queen, Mistresses, Saints, Goddesses and everything in between! From Tuesday 3 - Sunday 8 March join tours including Kickass Chelsea Women, Females Rebels of the Tate Modern, Women of Whitechapel and Ladies of Marylebone. Tap @look_uplondon 👈🏼 for the bio link to find our more, or DM me to send you the direct link! To give you a taste, the photo above is Pall Mall in St James’s. The blue plaque tells you it was home of Nell Gwynn, King Charles II’s mistress. Described as “pretty, witty Nell” she was certainly shrewd enough to look after herself because in 1671 she moved in she was angry to learn that she didn’t have the freehold - ie own it outright.

However come April 1676 Nell got the deeds transferred to her for life and then they passed them onto her son! #lookuplondon . . . The “Mistresses, Saints & Sinners of St James’s” walk is running Tuesday 3 March, 11am & Friday 6 March, 11am run by @americanlondonguide 👈🏼 . . . #londonhistory #londonwalks #history #london #strideby #explorelondon #discoverlondon #travel #pallmall #nellgwynne #westminster #chasingfacades #visitlondon #thisislondon #thingstodoinglondon #IWD2020 #IWD #HistoryGirls #feminism #visitwestminster #lookup #prettycitylondon #prettylittlelondon #discoverlondon #walk
If you’re planning Valentine’s flowers you cou If you’re planning Valentine’s flowers you could do a lot worse than this gorgeous pop-up @pollen.nation.flowers at 42 Brushfield Street, here until 16th Feb. The shop has recently changed hands and so if you look up you can see that the signage of “A. Gold. French Milliner” has been newly revealed! It’s a reminder of the Jewish immigrant Annie who set up a hat shop here between 1889-1892, living with her husband Jacob above the shop. Do you have plans for tomorrow or do you avoid the whole thing?! #lookuplondon . . . I run quirky public walks and bespoke private tours. Tap the bio link for more info and to book! @look_uplondon 👈🏼 . . . #london #spitalfields #chasingfacades #underthefloralspell #Londonhistory #flowers #valentines #lookup #historiclondon #londonguide #thisislondon #eastlondon #seemore #londondetails #explorelondon #discoverlondon #prettylittlelondon #prettycitylondon #historygirls
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