Janeslondon

LATEST ARTICLES ( 773 )

• Chelsea Distractions - Welcome to My World

  

  Here is a glimpse into my head which might help to explain why I am often asking for multiple parallel universes. One to walk and wander, one to write and... Read more

  Posted on 08 February 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• A Private Tour Inside Lambeth Fire Station, London Fire Brigade's Art Deco HQ

  

  A few years back I was lucky to be invited inside the former London Fire Brigade HQ on Albert Embankment designed by EP Wheeler, embellished with works by... Read more

  Posted on 07 February 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Dr Johnson's Apostrophes Or Apost'rophes

  

  Dr Johnson's House in Gough Square sits within one of a handful of old Georgian courtyards north of Fleet Street. It saddens me that many of the old alleys I... Read more

  Posted on 05 February 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Two Queens, Two Phoenixes and a Couple of Castles

  

  Earlier this week I alluded to the re-naming of streets, something that became necessary as London expanded, such that a rendezvous arranged in Church Street... Read more

  Posted on 04 February 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• A Scratched Doorway in Rugby Street

  

  Have you ever noticed that the brickwork either side of the entrance to 20 Rugby Street, WC1N 3QZ* is slathered in gouges and grooves at approx elbow height? Read more

  Posted on 03 February 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Patchwork Platforms and Utter Filth on the London Underground

  

  From delightfully intriguing glazed tiles in my last post to shoddy in less than a mile... Holborn station is the next station along the Piccadilly line from... Read more

  Posted on 01 February 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• On the Tiles at Russell Square Tube Station

  

  In yesterday's post I mentioned that I have spotted maker's marks on tiled walls. For instance, above street level, Doulton of Lambeth employed various... Read more

  Posted on 30 January 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• The Subterranean Passage Below Albertopolis

  

  Heading to The Royal College of Music last week, it was a bit wet and windy* above ground so I made use of the pedestrian tunnel that links South Kensington... Read more

  Posted on 29 January 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• The Names Behind the Letters on 161-167 Euston Road

  

  I have lost count how many times I have looked at the building at the corner of on Euston Road and Upper Woburn Place, today occupied by Prezzo and Barry's... Read more

  Posted on 27 January 2026 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Finding Elements of the Nativity in London's Streets

  

  Wandering around Mayfair on Monday looking at Christmas decs, I noticed there is a gated cul-de-sac on the western side of Davies Street called Three Kings Yard... Read more

  Posted on 24 December 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Cecil Beaton's Fashionable World at NPG – It's All in the Details

  

  I finally found time to see the excellent Cecil Beaton show at The National Portrait Gallery. Ooh it's lovely. We often think of him merely for his 1950's... Read more

  Posted on 18 December 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Two Tottenham Ghostsigns

  

  Heading to Bruce Castle from the High Rd on Saturday I checked up on a few things at the western end of Bruce Grove – the repurposed toilets, the old cinema,... Read more

  Posted on 04 December 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• I'm Truly Appalled – the Willen House Transformation is Worse Than I'd Imagined.

  

  This is the latest update about the 'renovation' of Willen House, a spectacular and rare example of of 1940's architecture that was opened by the then Mayor of... Read more

  Posted on 03 December 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Art Deco: the Golden Age of Poster Design at The London Transport Museum

  

  A colourful new exhibition opens today at The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden displaying over 100 posters from the 1920s and 1930s interspersed with... Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Lots to See at ING Discerning Eye 2025 Art Exhibition at The Mall Galleries –...

  

  One week / c750 artworks – Free admission, no booking requiredDiscerning Eye at The Mall Galleries – Enter via the first door nearest Admiralty ArchThu/Fri/Sat... Read more

  Posted on 20 November 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• It's World Toilet Day – Carnaby Street in Inconvenienced

  

  Today is World Toilet Day, an unofficial United Nations day designed to raise awareness for the need for publicly accessible toilet facilities. Surely this... Read more

  Posted on 19 November 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• J. Troake, Straw Chip & Leghorn Presser – is This London's Oldest Ghostsign?

  

  Ah Spitalfields... it's ever-changing and there's always more to discover... Heading towards the market from Shoreditch High Street last Sunday, I turned into... Read more

  Posted on 16 November 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Kensington Gardens – Strange Chestnuts and up Close at the Albert Memorial

  

  Saturday 8th November was a glorious day weather-wise – a perfect day for the Lordy Lady Mayor's Show, but this year I had something else to do – I had an... Read more

  Posted on 15 November 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• A Deco-tastic Wander Around Claridges at Christmas – Sensational and Slapdash

  

  A couple of weeks ago I attended an Art Deco-themed event at Claridges when the stylish and ever-young Virginia Bates showed us a selection of some of her Jazz... Read more

  Posted on 14 November 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS

• Religion and Rembrandt and Black Black BLACK at Dulwich Picture Gallery

  

  After visiting the wonderful Anna Ancher show last week I skimmed the artworks in the other rooms. There are some corkers to be found – every rime I visit I spo... Read more

  Posted on 10 November 2025 CULTURE, DESTINATIONS