Carolineld

LATEST ARTICLES ( 803 )

• Lost Window

  

  It's famous as the place our umbrellas end up - not to mention dentures, pushchairs and parcels - so no wonder TfL's Lost Property Office on Baker Street has... Read more

  Posted on 13 September 2012 CULTURE, HISTORY

• The Case of the Larcenous Lodger

  Having lodgers was the norm in previous centuries, and having lodgers steal from their landlords was by no means rare. Here's a case from Deptford, heard at... Read more

  Posted on 11 September 2012 HISTORY

• Somerset Stik

  

  The work of street artist Stik can mostly be seen around London - especially in Hackney and Shoreditch, although the picture below is at the Phoenix Garden, St... Read more

  Posted on 09 September 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Forewarned?

  

  If you walk through the Aldgate underpass, you'll see an informative, if stained, sign. However, the information may not be of much value unless your last... Read more

  Posted on 06 September 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Signs (78): Merchants Established

  

  On Chalk Farm Road, overlooking the Regent's Canal, is a ghost sign overpainted in rather patriotic colours. The message is pure business, at least as far as... Read more

  Posted on 04 September 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Stories in Stones

  

  Guenroc, a village in Brittany, is defined by stone. First, there's the white quartz which probably gave it its name (gwen is Breton for white, roc'h for rock). Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Signs (77): a Pale Spectre

  

  I've passed this building opposite Waterloo Station many times, but it was something about the light one afternoon which drew my eye to the faint writing on... Read more

  Posted on 29 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Seaside Sunday: Three Centuries of Light

  

  Sébastien Le Prestre, marquis de Vauban, was France's great military architect of the seventeenth century. He spent much of his time protecting the Breton... Read more

  Posted on 26 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• British Byzantine: Westminster Cathedral

  

  The nineteenth century was a time of expansion for London cathedrals. The Anglican church of St Saviour's was upgraded to Southwark Cathedral; Catholic... Read more

  Posted on 24 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Signs (76): Paraffin Oil Lamps in Rochester Row

  

  Forgetting to renew my passport turned out to have its advantages! While I was wandering around Victoria in the gap between applying for a new one and collectin... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• London's Ugliest Facadism?

  

  There's an ongoing debate about the practice of facadism, which considers the value of leaving an historic facade in place while the building behind is torn... Read more

  Posted on 20 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Heritage and a Horlicks Repeat

  

  Heritage Open Days on 6-9 September will allow us to get into buildings all over England (except London, whose Open House event is two weeks later). Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2012 DESTINATIONS

• Carved in Stone

  

  Poor Ralph of Shrewsbury. As Bishop of Bath and Wells in the fourteenth century, he did some good work. In particular, he built Vicars' Close to house the men o... Read more

  Posted on 15 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Visit Rio 2016 Now!

  

  If you're in London, and feeling slightly let down in the gap between Olympics and Paralympics, don't forget that Brazil's Olympic House is still open. Read more

  Posted on 13 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• White City Stadium

  

  As the Olympics draws to a close and London catches its breath before the Paralympics, here's a little look at the 1908 Olympic stadium. Read more

  Posted on 12 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Signs (75): Whitby

  

  Famous for its Dracula connections, Whitby carries many other traces of the past. Its retailers have left not only ceramic tiles, but also ghost signs. Read more

  Posted on 09 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• London's Tiniest Olympic Art Exhibition?

  

  On Millennium Bridge, Ben Wilson has transformed chewing gum into the canvas for his miniature artworks. Among the ugly spots of discarded gum, some have been... Read more

  Posted on 07 August 2012 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Seaside Sunday: Whitby Tiles

  

  Scattered around Whitby are tiled signs which bear stylish witness to shops now long gone but still commemorated through text and pictures. Read more

  Posted on 05 August 2012 DESTINATIONS

• GWR Traces

  

  Just outside Templemeads Station, at the entrance to the former coalyard, this sign is still visible on the gateway. It reads Bishop Co's Coal Office. There... Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2012 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Deptford X -citement

  

  It's the annual Deptford X art festival again, and as ever there is a full programme of events and exhibitions. Dodging the showers and thunderstorms, I... Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2012 CULTURE