London’s streets- the history of them and the stories behind their names
The tight grid and tangle of streets in Spitalfields are some of the best preserved and atmospheric in the city. The area has an extraordinary amount of surviving eighteenth century architecture; townhouses built largely for the Huguenot silk-weavers who moved to London to after fleeing religious persecution in France. I was lucky enough recently to […]
Through The Keyhole: A Look Inside 13 Princelet Street Read More »
Austin Friars is a street in London, just to the North East of the Bank of England. In terms of its shape it looks a bit like a wonky ‘T’ and has a couple of little alleyways shooting off from it such as Pinner’s Passage and Austin Friars Passage. You enter through an archway on
Thomas Cromwell And The Curious History Of Austin Friars Read More »
A few of the major streets in London are named after people: Downing Street (Sir George Downing), Shaftesbury Avenue (the Earl of Shaftesbury) and Regent Street (the Prince Regent, future King George IV), to name a few. However, I wanted to highlight five streets in the city, named after lesser-known, but inspiring, figures. Let me
Five London Streets Named After Inspirational People Read More »
Walking along the Thames Path in the City of London involves many twists and turns. Each section has its own name evoking the history of the area, such as ‘Oystergate Walk’ and ‘Fishmonger’s Hall Wharf’. One stretch, just before you dive into the shadowy passage underneath Cannon Street Station, known as ‘Steelyard Passage’, is called
The Curious History Of Steelyard Passage And The Hanseatic League Read More »
The Blitz was, of course, one of the great catastrophes in London’s history. The bombing campaign of the Luftwaffe from September 1940- May 1941 intended to destroy infrastructure involved in the war effort but also to demoralise British citizens enough for them to push the government to surrender. If anything, it had the opposite effect.
A Wonderful Blitz Survivor: The Vincent Street Fireplace Read More »