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Kings Observatory

London’s Other Royal Observatory

Posted on June 11, 2019
in London, Quirky Museums, Things to do in London, West London
4 Comments

You've probably heard of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, but there's also the King's Observatory in Richmond. Join me for a look around...

London Clown Museum

London’s Clown Museum | Trinity Church, Dalston

Posted on January 24, 2019
in Hidden Gems, London, Quirky Museums
2 Comments

Dalston is host to one of the strangest – and smallest – collections; The Clown Museum in Trinity Church. If you're a coulrophobe, look away now...

Strand Lane Roman Bath

The Real History of the Strand Lane ‘Roman’ Bath

Posted on May 26, 2018
in City of London, Hidden Gems, London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums
1 Comment

There's a National Trust Sign, but don't be fooled. The Strand Roman Bath isn't quite what it appears to be....

Roman Temple

London Mithraeum: Visit a Roman Temple Under London

Posted on May 4, 2018
in City of London, Hidden Gems, London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums
4 Comments

First discovered in 1954, as part of the new Bloomberg HQ, London's Mithraeum been restored so Londoners can step back 1,800 years, inside a Roman Temple!...

Dorich House: The Home, Studio & Gallery of Dora Gordine

Posted on April 17, 2018
in London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums, West London
2 Comments

Tucked away in leafy Kingston is the home, studio and gallery of Dora Gardine, Estonian sculptor, 1895-1991 . Have a look around Dorich House, a true London gem....

Turner's House

A Tour of Turner’s House in Twickenham

Posted on April 15, 2018
in Interiors, London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums, West London
1 Comment

Newly restored and open to the public, I discovered a fresh view of JMW Turner at his House in Twickenham....

Spirit Collection

Inside the Natural History Museum Spirit Collection

Posted on April 10, 2018
in London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums, Things to do in London, West London
0 Comments

South Kensington's Natural History Museum has far more on offer than dinosaurs, join me for a look inside The Spirit Collection; full of monstrous and surprising specimens not usually on display! ...

Parliamentary Archives

Parliamentary Archives: Inside The Victoria Tower

Posted on March 6, 2018
in London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums, Things to do in London, West London
2 Comments

See what's going on inside Westminster's Victoria Tower; it houses the Parliamentary Archives – millions of records with historical, constitutional and political significance. Join me on a tour inside…...

London's Weirdest Museum

London’s Weirdest Museum: The Last Tuesday Society

Posted on December 12, 2017
in East London, London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums
2 Comments

A bizarre collection in Hackney with everything from shrunken heads to terrifying taxidermy. Proceed with caution...

Best Open House London 2017 Highlights

The Best of Open House London – 2017 Highlights

Posted on September 26, 2017
in architecture, Churches and Graveyards, East London, Interiors, London, Look Up London, Quirky Museums, Things to do in London
0 Comments

Over 800 buildings are open for the public – for free – to snoop around and last weekend I did the usual rushing across the city to try and see as much as possible! These were my favourite Open House discoveries this year....

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• Private London Tours
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Look Up London Walks & Tours
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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