In this post I examine the remarkable survival of St Giles-in-the-Fields almshouses, sited in what was for centuries one of the most deprived neighbourhoods of London.
For more than half a century the few blocks between Blackfriars and Whitefriars in the City's south western corner were dominated by the City of London Gas Light and Coke Company.
The centuries-old Fellowship of Free Porters couldn't survive the seismic changes of the Victorian era. I chart its chaotic and tragic collapse mainly through the eyes of newspaper journalists.
The problem of buildings falling down has existed since time immemorial. I've picked a selection of unusual incidents caused by poor design, subsidence or simple wear & tear.
The Belle Époque produced some extraordinary London hotels. In this post I briefly consider the life and times of two of them - near neighbours in Bloomsbury.
The everyday story of the last surviving Thameside warehouse in the Square Mile, featuring tea, Frankenstein, arson, frost fairs, John the pony and Timothy West.
The heyday of real tennis was in the 16th and 17th centuries. I take a look at its physical history, and what there is of a physical present in London.
