Category: Architecture

Just Another Abandoned Pub

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.

Statues of Henry VIII: A Pedant’s Broadside

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

A Peep at the Spoils of Ambition

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.

Fine Dining, Weird Flicks, Homesick GIs: The Piccadilly Lights

I take a look behind the Piccadilly Lights: What buildings once stood on the block they're attached to? What tales can they tell from bygone times?

The Lives and Times of the Pall Mall Restaurant

Just how many high-class restaurants in the West End called the Pall Mall were there? And what became of them?

Westminster Riverside: Arias never sung, bells never heard, a murder never solved

A 19th century riverside development opportunity close to Parliament would see a political club, unfinished opera house & the iconic New Scotland Yard.

The City of London’s ‘Abbey Road’ Moment

The Square Mile is not the sort of place one associates with recording studios, yet Decca once had their main studios in the heart of the City, close to London Bridge.

The Bath Club: Royalty, Murder & Shunned Pastries

For my second look at unusual gentlemen's clubs in London, I examine the Bath, a club so exalted that kings and their children swam and played squash there, yet forward-thinking enough to admit women from the outset.

‘That Absurd Excrescence’: The life & death of Middle Row

A hazard to traffic for at least 700 years, this block of tenements had a remarkable ability to survive the disapproval of generations of Londoners.

To a London blogger, no street is dull

Can I find anything interesting about a 70-yard road which on the face of it has severely limited blog post potential? Read on to find out ...
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