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.
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 architectural style of a building can be deceptive. In the case of 252 High Holborn I know the truth that lies hidden behind the Portland stone facade because, dear reader, I worked there.
... at least for the observant historian. Oscar Wilde once said 'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.' Sometimes, it pays to look more thoroughly at the gutter.
I am now the proud owner of a reader's pass for the British Library, a truly extraordinary national institution. However, extraordinary national institutions, operate in very strange ways.