Carolineld

LATEST ARTICLES ( 790 )

• Cryptic Clue

  

  Having been built in 1367, the spire of St Mary's, Bridgwater has required repairs from time to time in the centuries since. Those of 1694 are commemorated in... Read more

  Posted on 29 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• On Toast Sandwiches

  The Royal Society of Chemistry has got a lot of publicity for its 'toast sandwich' recipe, inspired by Mrs Beeton and apparently costing 7.5 pence (which... Read more

  Posted on 27 November 2011 CULTURE

• Dr Salter's Daydream Stolen

  

  Last year, I blogged about a statue commemorating Dr Salter, who provided healthcare to Bermondsey's poor as well as working for them as the local MP. Read more

  Posted on 24 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Mystery Object - for the Birds

  

  The mystery object on the front of Hogarth's House is a bird pot or 'sparrow pot'. These ceramic, bottle-shaped objects were designed for birds to nest in and... Read more

  Posted on 22 November 2011 CULTURE

• Swine and Other Profanation

  

  Still in Chiswick, the wall of St Nicholas's churchyard carries an interesting inscription. It's rather worn and difficult to read now, so I'm grateful for the... Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Hogarth in Chiswick

  

  How better to explore the life of eighteenth-century artist William Hogarth than on a sunny autumn day in Chiswick, in the company of London Historians? Read more

  Posted on 20 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Doll's House

  

  The Hotel Russell in Bloomsbury is an elaborate late-Victorian structure, full of carved details and decorative flourishes. No excuse is missed for a bit of... Read more

  Posted on 18 November 2011 DESTINATIONS, TRAVEL

• London Remembers Relaunched

  Last night was the official relaunch of the new, improved London Remembers. This amazing website maps an enormous number of London memorials of all kinds, and i... Read more

  Posted on 17 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Random Statue 12: Robert Milligan

  

  Looking out at West India Docks, Robert Milligan's statue has seen a lot of changes since 1813. However, they are no more extreme than the changes Milligan had... Read more

  Posted on 15 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Servants' Bells

  

  Having servants may have been a luxury, but part of the cost was loss of privacy. Until well into the eighteenth century, there was no easy way to summon them... Read more

  Posted on 10 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Grotto Passage

  

  There is a whole lost world of London entertainment: its pleasure grounds, panoramas and private museums. One eighteenth-century attraction which now survives... Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2011 CULTURE

• From the Archives: London to Brighton Run

  

  Sadly, I missed the display of vehicles from this year's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. However, here's a look back at my visit to this fabulous event in... Read more

  Posted on 07 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Herons, Pelicans and Pigeons

  

  The stars of St James's Park are the pelicans: a feature since 1664 when some were presented to Charles II by the Russian Ambassador. Read more

  Posted on 06 November 2011 TRAVEL

• Alternative Visions

  

  If you are near Deptford this evening or tomorrow morning, there is an opportunity to see alternative visions for Convoy's Wharf - the former naval dockyard,... Read more

  Posted on 04 November 2011 CULTURE

• Pudding from the Past

  

  The Guardian has the lovely story of a Christmas pudding found at the back of a kitchen cupboard - 111 years after it was sent to a sailor fighting in the Boer... Read more

  Posted on 03 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Deptford Murals (3): Douglas Square

  

  Replacing the earlier Deptford Railway Yard, this mural was painted during Deptford X. Peter Anderson scaled up his photographs (taken in Deptford and, er, New... Read more

  Posted on 01 November 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• From the Archives: London Advice to Sightseers

  

  If you ever feel nostalgia for simpler times, when there were fewer distractions and less crime, then this century-old advice to tourists will sweep it away. Read more

  Posted on 30 October 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• Jouets Du Temple

  

  This rusted, faded metal sign on the rue du Temple declares that number 101 was once les fabriques jouets du Temple (the toymakers of the Temple). Read more

  Posted on 26 October 2011 TRAVEL

• Deptford Ubiquarians

  A chance listing on Abebooks alerted me to the existence of an intriguingly-named group who met in eighteenth-century Deptford. Read more

  Posted on 25 October 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY

• S is for Shelter

  

  I don't often walk along Comet Street, off Deptford High Street, but did today and was rewarded with this sign.It's one of several air raid shelter signs in... Read more

  Posted on 23 October 2011 CULTURE, HISTORY