It was “the handsomest pleasure room in the district” noted the Daily News in 1864. Wilton’s Music Hall, nestled down an unassuming alley way behind Cable Street in London’s East End, was in Victorian times a popular variety venue enjoyed by Whitechapel locals and international sailors visiting the […]
Entrepreneurs will tell you that to succeed in business the political environment needs to be right. For William Hesketh Lever, the son of a wholesale grocer from Bolton, the removal of tax on soap and the government’s desire to promote a clean living agenda amongst working classes created […]
When campaigners were fighting for the Yorkshire Dales to become a National Park 60 years’ ago, not all were supportive. “National Parks are not greatly desired,” blasted a clerk in the North Riding. “It is a scheme of fantasies, idealists and those out of touch with life in […]
Rochdale appears at first glance like many other former mill towns in the north west of England. Rows of terraced houses greet drivers as they leave the open plains of the Lancashire countryside and enter the suburbs. Then there’s the ring roads which get clogged up in rush […]
Hidden away at the foot of the splendid Avon Gorge in Bristol, there are a few streets of houses that thousands wiz past everyday on their journey into the city. Most probably don’t stop to blink at the heritage they are missing. With little more than pubs, average […]
Even when temperatures plummet the Thames does not completely freeze over these days, as it did in the past during the so-called “little ice age”. Demolishing the old London Bridge in 1831 improved the flow of the river and following the construction of its replacement structure, with wider […]
Tucked away in Vauxhall down a poky alley behind the Zeitgeist at the Jolly Gardeners – London’s German pub – there are two small cottages that have stood the test of time. While much of Georgian heritage in the area has been swept away during the rapid urbanisation […]
The Crystal Palace was “the most remarkable work of its kind the world has ever witnessed, appealing to appreciation of the wonderful with a force unknown in this country, and unrivalled in any other,” noted Bradshaw’s guide to London. Officially opened by Queen Victoria in Penge Park, next […]
Islington on Arsenal match days becomes a chaotic place. Tube stations are closed, or at the very least passengers are shepherded by police out through specific exits. Supporters spill out of pubs onto the pavements and traditional cafés roll-out record numbers of full English breakfasts. Sadly, as recent […]
The stage was set, a swing band was playing and bar staff were ready to serve drinks. And with the much-predicted rain holding off, the setting by the wild reeds of the River Lea couldn’t be better. But one thing missing from the By the River festival this […]
Past In The Present 