It started as an attempt at the 'moral elevation' of the people and ended as an amusement palace. The story of the Royal Aquarium is full of curious tales and eccentric people.
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 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.
