When the social researcher Henry Mayhew reported on Spitalfields in 1849, the living conditions that he discovered in some people’s homes was shocking. In one weavers’ house in the East London neighbourhood he found “spread a bed, on which lay four…. boys, two with their heads in one […]
Where does the City of London end and the rest of the capital begin? The quick answer can of course be determined by tracing the boundary on maps – or in certain places painted bollards. But for Londoners and visitors alike these official demarcations are meaningless for most […]
When the temperatures sore in the summer months, the Kent, Essex and Sussex seaside resorts within an hour or two of the capital are a popular places for Londoners to enjoy a fun-filled day out. Unfortunately the sun doesn’t always shine in Britain however and a day on […]
Trying to get a good photo of the front of 575 Wandsworth Road is somewhat difficult. The Georgian terraced property is pretty much covered with trees and bushes, so you can only really get a close-up shot of the plain-looking white painted front door. Hidden away from the […]
For design students, William Morris is often regarded as the most influential person of all time. Born in Walthamstow in 1834, he is considered by many the father of the Arts and Crafts, a movement which was also influenced by the writer John Ruskin and architect Augustus Pugin. […]
When in 2009 Vogue Italia hailed Dalston the trendiest neighbourhood in London and the Guardian named it the “coolest” place to live in the whole of Britain, not everyone was convinced. The area had been become pretty run down and, in many people’s minds, little had been done […]
Belsize House was, according to historical accounts, a notorious entertainment venue. Just two years after it opened as a pleasure garden in what is now Belsize Park, a 1722 satirical ballad described the “scandalous, Lew’d House” where in amongst rioting and gaming visitors could eat, drink and dance, […]
Take a trip to the World’s End pub on a Saturday night and the place is often packed. It’s a sprawling, barn-like drinking establishment, with a vast island bar in the main room, yet it can still be hard to find a spot to stand as locals and […]
Peckham Rye common is one of southeast London’s most popular expanses of greenery. Some play organised games on the marked out sports pitches, joggers run round the edge of the field and families enjoy picnics on the grass when the weather allows. One of my favourite London cafes […]
With decades of construction and re-construction, Clerkenwell’s Italian influences are fast disappearing. But Little Italy is not completely gone as the continued presence of the magnificent St Peter’s, which hails from 1863, and a number of Italian businesses reminds us. The church on Clerkenwell Road was the first […]
Past In The Present 