Carolineld

LATEST ARTICLES ( 790 )

• Smoke Machines

  

  With plain packaging, screened-off displays, and age limits, cigarettes are not as visible or easy to buy as they once were. Indeed, it's easy to forget that yo... Read more

  Posted on 02 August 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Hackney's Tin Tabernacle

  

  When a Presbyterian congregation in Shrubland Road, E8 built their chapel in 1858, it is unlikely they thought it would still be standing today - for the... Read more

  Posted on 30 July 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Dreaming of Dinan

  

  One of the loveliest towns in Brittany, Dinan has historic ramparts, half-timbered houses, and a vertiginous descent to the port below. Read more

  Posted on 26 July 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Sutton House: a Queer Place

  

  An atypical National Trust property, Sutton House in Hackney makes an extraordinary launching point for arts and events. It is, like so many of the Trust's... Read more

  Posted on 23 July 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Stations Closed

  

  At Oakwood Station on the Piccadilly Line is a sign full of useful information ... if a little out-of-date. Blake Hall underground station reduced its hours to... Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Caravan Club, 1934

  

  Pride weekend is an appropriate time for a visit to the Caravan Club. Open for just a few months in 1934, this lesbian and gay-friendly basement nightclub bille... Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Target: London

  

  When V2 rockets were fired at London in the final years of the Second World War, the results were tragic. However, the capital was saved from a further... Read more

  Posted on 05 July 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Tulip Stairs

  

  The first geometric, self-supporting spiral staircase in Britain is in the Queen's House, Greenwich. It is 'geometric' because each step supports the stair... Read more

  Posted on 24 June 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Whitgift Almshouses, Croydon

  

  Incongruously ancient amidst the trams and chain stores, Whitgift Almshouses are an intriguing feature of central Croydon. The annual Heritage Festival offers... Read more

  Posted on 07 June 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Croydon Arts and Crafts

  

  Tucked opposite the better-known Fairfield Halls is one of Croydon's most interesting buildings, the Adult School Hall. This functional, and rather lovely, piec... Read more

  Posted on 28 May 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Croydon Heritage: Aviation, Education, Inspiration!

  

  Croydon isn't thought of as a heritage destination, but its annual Festival highlights the amazing history to be found there. As this year's festival approaches... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Above the Scaffolding

  

  The stunning Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College has entered a new phase of conservation work. After the newly-bright West Wall was unveiled, cleaned an... Read more

  Posted on 09 May 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Eiffel's Edwardian Laboratory at Work

  

  Gustave Eiffel was always keen for the Eiffel Tower to be more than simply a tourist attraction. Originally built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, it... Read more

  Posted on 30 April 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Les Ponts Neufs Renewed

  

  I'm quite a fan of Breton architect Louis Auguste Harel de La Noë, leading architect of the (now closed) Cotes du Nord railways. Read more

  Posted on 14 April 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Heavy Motor Cars

  

  While the speed limit had been raised to fourteen miles per hour in 1896, drivers had to wait until the Motor Car Act 1903 for it to reach a dizzying twenty... Read more

  Posted on 08 April 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Surrey Docks Sentinel

  

  The busy working docks of south-east London have been quieted, as industry gave way to housing and leisure. A few reminders are scattered along their banks,... Read more

  Posted on 31 March 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ghost Signs (128): a Breton Profusion!

  

  Once on the main road but now bypassed by a dual carriageway, Vildé-Guingalan still bears its vintage roadside advertising. There are a number of ghost signs... Read more

  Posted on 26 March 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• The Strange After-lives of Clapham South

  

  Clapham South Deep Level Shelter was one of eight underground bomb shelters created in response to the 1940-41 blitz. Unused for several years after its 1942... Read more

  Posted on 19 March 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Victoria Coach Station, Happy 85th Birthday!

  

  Eighty-five years and a day ago, on 10 March 1932, Victoria Coach Station was officially opened. The building was designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, whos... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Deptford in Wesley's Chapel

  

  John Wesley, founder of Methodism, had a home and chapel on the City Road, opposite Bunhill Fields burial ground. The home is now a museum, but the Chapel... Read more

  Posted on 12 February 2017 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY