All blog posts on site
One of things I love about exploring the City of London is its abundance of hidden pocket parks and courtyards. Not only are they calm, little oases of green but they also have fascinating and layered histories. Discovering Cleary Garden, off Queen Victoria Street, on a peaceful Sunday afternoon put it firmly towards the top […]
Cleary Garden: A Hidden Oasis With Roman Roots Read More »
London is blessed with so many bizarre but brilliant street names. Street names are also often a great window into the history of the area. Here are 10 of my favourites… 1. Bleeding Heart Yard Bleeding Heart Yard in Holborn has two stories behind the name. One of which is likely to be the truth
10 Bizarre But Brilliant London Street Names Read More »
The Charterhouse is one of London’s best historical hidden gems. The site has an astonishingly rich story, going back to the area’s usage as a plague pit, then monastery, Tudor mansion, school and finally the almshouse that still occupies part of the site today. All of this fascinating, layered and also living history can be
8 Secrets Of The Charterhouse Read More »
Hidden away in Lambeth, just over the river from Westminster, is a 465 year old fig tree. For context, the year it was planted in 1556, Mary I, daughter of King Henry VIII was on the throne, the population of London was roughly 100,000 and Lambeth was predominantly marshland and fields. So where is this
The 465 Year Old Fig Tree Hidden In Lambeth Read More »
London has many ‘lost’ rivers, that have played a huge role in defining the landscape of the city: the hills, the valleys, the shapes of roads. They are now predominantly buried in pipes under the streets of modern London. The city’s most famous lost river is the River Fleet. The name Fleet comes from the
The Lost River Fleet: A Self-Guided Walk And Map Read More »