Exploring one of the world's greatest cities
Exploring London’s pubs is one of my favourite pastimes, which is why I’ve decided to make a video series devoted to it! Volume Two is now available and can be viewed below. In it, you’ll discover the history of the Prospect of Whitby, The Mayflower, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Dirty Dicks and the Carlton Tavern….
Photography was banned in UK courts in 1925, so this image, taken on the 28th February 1907, is very rare indeed… It shows Mr Justice Ridley- seen wearing the grim black cap- passing the death sentence on John Edward Wyatt, who’d been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Florence Walker, in Brixton in January 1907. …
The Glasgow Subway, which opened in December 1896, is one of the oldest metro systems in the world. I recently visited Glasgow to explore this intriguing system, and have made a 3-part video series all about the Subway’s history. In it, you’ll discover how the Subway was planned and built, what happened on its…
London Euston opened way back in 1837, having been built by the London & Birmingham Railway. London Euston, 1837 It would take several years before the line between London Euston and Birmingham’s Curzon Street was finally complete however… and for a brief period, trains from Euston terminated at a station known as ‘Denbigh Hall’ which…
Holborn Circus is pictured here in December 1962, shrouded in a thick London fog (image: The Sphere Magazine)… The statue at the centre is of Prince Albert and dates from 1874. Below is a street-view image, showing the area as it appears today.
London Waterloo is Britain’s biggest and busiest station. This huge railway terminal, which dates back to the 1840s, is perched upon a network of arches, forming a vast, secret labyrinth. Although completely closed off to the public, I was lucky enough to be granted access to this mysterious area beneath Waterloo in the autumn of…
My latest video is an exploration of 10 London pubs, all of which have a tale to tell- including the tavern frequented by the villainous Bill Sikes, a secretive bare-knuckle boxing venue and the pub that lends its name to an unfinished tube station…. Click below to watch! ***
https://youtu.be/Um0ZsRNpPLc The Great Exhibition, which was held in Hyde Park in the huge, purpose built Crystal Palace between May and October 1851, was a defining moment in London’s history. The brainchild of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert and the inventor and civil servant, Henry Cole, this five month long event was essentially the world’s first…
London has seen some very strange trains over the years; a good example- which I explored in my last article– being the two Necropolis railways which once operated from King’s Cross and Waterloo. Although the idea of funerals being conducted by rail is a fascinating one it is also, let’s be honest, pretty morbid too! To lighten…
The history of the London Necropolis Railway and the Great Northern Cemetery Company is also available as a video documentary, which can be viewed by clicking below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQDcWg5EaXQ It sounds strange- morbid even- but in the mid-19th century, two railway terminals opened in London which were specifically designed for transporting the dead. The first of…
