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LATEST ARTICLES ( 790 )

• Ghost Signs (123): Light Capsules

  

  The dilemma of ghost sign restoration is beautifully resolved in Light Capsules, a collaboration between designer and artist Craig Winslow and Sam Roberts of... Read more

  Posted on 19 September 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Electrical Moderne

  

  Tucked behind a residential street in Woking is a small concrete building. It has an Art Deco look, not unattractive but not obviously exciting. However, the... Read more

  Posted on 18 September 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Open House Inspiration

  

  Spoiled for choice by the 750 buildings welcoming visitors on Saturday and Sunday for Open House London? I'm not about to attempt a definitive guide or... Read more

  Posted on 14 September 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Bovril Castle

  

  Conveniently close to central London, with a village ambience and select developments, Dulwich appealed to many nineteenth-century industrialists. Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Uncovered on Middlesex Street

  

  Until recently, 56 Middlesex Street, E1 looked something like this (courtesy of Google Streetview. Covered in bright merchandise, its cheap and cheerful facade... Read more

  Posted on 06 September 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Markfield Beam Engine

  

  In a park in Tottenham is a fine piece of Victorian engineering and an important piece of London's sewerage history. Markfield Beam Engine may not be a... Read more

  Posted on 30 August 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• Ruins in the Woods

  

  An old water mill lies in ruins, almost hidden in woodland. It can only be reached by descending a slightly precarious, steeply downhill route from the... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2016 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS, HISTORY

• 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