Between the wars, the West End experienced a mini-boom of theatre openings, peaking in 1930. Four opening that year are still with us. The fifth turned into a cine-variety disaster. I’ll discuss that one.
In 1906-1907 two theatres opened, at either end of an island site on Shaftesbury Avenue. Built as near-identical twins, in 2026 one remains in all its Edwardian glory while the other .... well, oh dear.
In the late nineteenth century, Italian waiters in London suffered low wages and poor working conditions, but help was at hand in the form of a Soho-based society created explicitly for their benefit.
A decrepit corner building bearing the name Plumage House stands on a quiet Hoxton street. Investigation reveals tales of riots, balloons, court cases, bankruptcy and murder.
In this modest post, I demolish some erroneous statements made on the internet regarding a small statue of King Henry VIII on the gatehouse of Bart's Hospital
The Egyptian Hall stood on Piccadilly from 1812 to 1905, an extraordinary piece of architecture of the 'sticks-out-like-a-sore-thumb' type. However, that was nothing compared to those involved in the displays and shows.
