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Bethnal Green Tube Disaster Memorial

The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster Memorial

Posted on August 4, 2019
in East London, London, London Underground, Look Up London
2 Comments

The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster was the UK's single largest loss of civilian life during WWII, yet the memorial was only finished in 2017....

History Under Liverpool Street

The Secret History Under Liverpool Street Station

Posted on June 18, 2019
in London, London Underground, Look Up London
8 Comments

Walking through the modern station today, it's hard to believe the history hiding underneath Liverpool Street. That is until you know where to look...

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...

Behind the Scenes at Charing Cross Station

Posted on April 29, 2019
in London, London Underground, Things to do in London
2 Comments

In 1999 a section of Charing Cross Station closed to the public, but there's still a way to get behind the scenes and explore the disused tunnels...

St Pancras International

Secrets of St Pancras International

Posted on March 28, 2019
in architecture, London, London Underground, North London
0 Comments

Jaw-dropping views, inspiring charcters and unusual sculptures. It's worth visiting even if you're not catching a train!...

Aldwych Ghost Station

Aldwych Ghost Station

Posted on November 13, 2018
in London, London Underground, Look Up London, Things to do in London
2 Comments

Ever noticed the flash of oxblood tiles along the Strand? What's hiding there is Aldwych Ghost Station, join me to have a look inside!...

Clapham South Station

Tour of Clapham South Station: The Hidden Shelter For 10,000 Londoners

Posted on June 19, 2018
in Churches and Graveyards, London, London Underground, Look Up London, Things to do in London
2 Comments

There's more to Clapham South Station than meets the eye and I joined a Hidden London tour to uncover its fascinating secret history...

Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin at St Pancras International

Posted on April 11, 2018
in installations, London, London Underground, Look Up London, North London
0 Comments

"I Want My Time With You" by Tracey Emin now graces the Terrace Wires at St Pancras International. Using her trademarks neon handwriting, what's the story behind it?...

55 Broadway

7 Things You Didn’t Know About 55 Broadway

Posted on February 26, 2018
in London, London Underground, Look Up London
1 Comment

The hulking stone mass above St James’s Park tube holds the beating heart of Transport for London, I went on a Hidden London tour to discover its secrets!...

London Necropolis Railway

London Necropolis Railway: Trains For The Dead

Posted on November 6, 2017
in Hidden Gems, London, London Underground, Look Up London
5 Comments

Pay special attention to this building in Waterloo, it hides a surprising secret. All terminate here....

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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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