For the everyday passerby, there’s not much reason to venture into Strand Lane. It’s not a convenient cut through to the Strand however it has two quite amazing bits of history to discover! View of Strand Lane from Temple Lane I’ve previously covered one of them on...
I was recently invited to a preview of Sambourne House, the family home of Linley Sambourne. You can find it at 18 Stafford Terrace and by stepping inside you enter a Victorian Time Capsule. Morning Room, Sambourne House Meet Linley Sambourne Edward Linley Sambourne (1844-1910) was an illustrator...
Thanks to the tip off from Londonist for a new free rooftop in Holborn. I popped in to visit yesterday and not only is it spectacular but there's some fun geeky history to find too! The rooftop can be found on top of the Post Building...
I’ve written quite a few blogs about the history hiding above shop level on Oxford Street. From grim reminders to a theatrical hotspot, there’s plenty to spot if you cast your eyes up along this famous thoroughfare. But our focus today is 219 Oxford Street. It’s a...
While planning my recommendations for the 2022 Open House Festival, one listing quite literally made me hop on the next train to Mortlake. It's a surviving Air Raid shelter in St Leonard's Court. St Leonard's Court was built 1934-38 by Mr FG Fox, a local builder...
I've come to expect that there's nearly always an historic reason behind things you spot in London. From street names to sculptures, there's always a story! Such is the case with this curious brickwork on the Peabody St John's Hill Estate. On the face of it,...
In celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, I’m working with Art of London to put together a special ‘Royal Warrants’ tour of historic businesses with Royal connections in the West End. Art of London brings together the UK’s biggest cultural institutions and showcases art in...
Oxford Street has a bad rep from Londoners, but there’s a surprising among of fabulous history if you know where to look. From a hidden little oasis to the more gruesome reminders at Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch, often you have to look up...
I’m constantly surprised by the wonderful doors that have opened since starting this blog back in 2015. A case in point was that a few weeks ago I wrote about the extraordinary history of Crosby Hall; the Medieval Mansion that was moved 5 miles across...
If you look up along Ranelagh Gardens, atop the railway viaduct for Putney Bridge Tube Station, you can spy a curious WWII Relic; a Pillbox. The view from Ranelagh Gardens, looking up This concrete pillbox was erected in 1940 across Britain, a final line of defence should...