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LATEST ARTICLES ( 803 )

• A Little Lambeth Mystery

  

  At the end of Hooks Newsagent on Kennington Road, a short walk from Lambeth North tube station, is a puzzling plaque. Fixed above a window, it reads 'St JMs'.... Read more

  Posted on 09 August 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Last Relief

  

  Rusty, poster-covered, on an unlovely section of Parisian road outside La Santé prison, this construction isn't much competition for Notre Dame or the Eiffel... Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Platforms

  

  On the long list of reminders that you're getting older, realising that your former commute has become a site of historical interest must rank quite highly! Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Signs (122): Hertford's Green Dragon Hotel

  

  This fabulous sign was created at the very beginning of the twentieth century, and captures a moment in time when a motor pit and stabling deserved equal... Read more

  Posted on 17 July 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Signs (121): Under Cover

  

  Ghost signs are relatively thin on the ground in Paris, but some of those which do survive are treated with real affection. When one for Cadum soap was lost,... Read more

  Posted on 13 July 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• A Walk up St Mary At Hill

  

  In the City of London, heading uphill from Old Billingsgate Market, is St Mary At Hill. It's not the best-known City street, and if you look at the east side,... Read more

  Posted on 10 July 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Chelsea Buns

  

  Some famous London food inventions are shy about their origins: Scotch eggs come not from Scotland but from Fortnum Mason, and more controversially, the... Read more

  Posted on 07 July 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Knightsbridge Mineral Water

  

  Just across the road from Harrods, a sign advertises a delicacy you won't find in its food halls: Montpelier Mineral Water. The sign seems to be almost the... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• London's Roman Baths

  

  Not to be confused with the 'Roman' baths off Strand, Billingsgate Roman baths are very much the real thing, and come attached to a house. Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Old Chapel, New Context

  

  The Middlesex Hospital chapel survived alone when the surrounding hospital was demolished. After some time in sad isolation, the chapel was recently restored an... Read more

  Posted on 08 June 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Stuck on 1962

  

  Two lost Underground stations, connected by tunnels now empty of passengers: Euston is full of secrets. When the old station and its famous Doric arch were... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Back in Acton

  

  The London Transport Museum throws open the doors of its Acton Depot twice a year. On those weekends, you can explore the bits that haven't made it to Covent... Read more

  Posted on 24 May 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ideal House, London Art Deco

  

  This dark, stern Art Deco building with its colourful touches of enamel decoration is a real contrast to the Arts and Crafts half-timbering of Liberty across th... Read more

  Posted on 19 May 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Future History

  

  What traces of our lives will the mudlarkers and archaeologists of the future find on the Thames foreshore? There are some clues here. Less predictable is what... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Quantocks Light and Dark

  

  The Quantock Hills in Somerset are both beautiful and accessible: a few short walks were enough for these pictures. The changeable British weather ensured we... Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ironmongers' Mythical Menagerie

  

  Ironmongers' Hall is perhaps the most incongruous of City livery halls, tucked among the brutalism of the Barbican. After it survived the bombing which destroye... Read more

  Posted on 03 May 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Postman's Park (46): Celebrating the Memorial

  

  It may be distinctly Victorian, but the Watts Memorial is no mere relic: it remains a valued part of London life. From events to books, here's a quick look at... Read more

  Posted on 24 April 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Theatre and Fire

  

  Sometimes it's not the obvious things that draw you in and lead to new stories. On a London Historians tour of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, there were plenty o... Read more

  Posted on 22 April 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Barton Passage, Manchester

  

  The nineteenth century saw a profusion of shopping passages, offering welcome respite from the dirt, traffic and chaos of the city. Read more

  Posted on 09 April 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Postman's Park (45): What Have We Learned?

  

  Watts intended his memorial to serve an exemplary purpose: those who saw it should be inspired by its stories of bravery and selflessness. Read more

  Posted on 03 April 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY