Syon House, near Brentford, is home of the Percys, Dukes of Northumberland. It sits in a 200 acre estate on the River Thames in Middlesex. The house we see today was built by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset in 1547, refurbished and enhanced by the Scottish architect Robert Adam in the 1760's and refaced in [...]
This post describes a group of buildings near 'Cheapside' in the City of London; an area well-known as being associated with medieval London. The area is also the site of the world's first national postal service that was established in the early part of the eighteenth century. The Royal Mail was originally established in Tudor [...]
Tucked away in south west London is the home of the Bishops of London since 704 AD. Set in magnificent grounds close to the River Thames it is a secluded environment that manages to combine places for children to explore, historical interest and a great café - all in a country-side setting. Fulham Palace remained the [...]
The district of Chelsea in the south west of London is part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (royal owing to Kensington Palace). One particular street in Chelsea was almost an American enclave for artists and writers in the late Victorian period . These included John Singer Sargent (between 1885 and 1925), James [...]
Following the previous post on Spitalfields, we explore the neighbouring area of Whitechapel – starting with one of its most notorious characters. The Whitechapel Murders These murders, assumed to be the horrific deeds of ‘Jack the Ripper’ shocked London and the world. The murders happened over three months in the autumn of 1888. And today, [...]
Discover the site of London's Roman Forum - and the secrets of the Victorian Leadenhall Market today. Designed and created by Sir Horace Jones in 1881, Leadenhall Market is one of the three markets he built for the City of London. It was built on the site of the Roman Basilica and Forum (some ruins [...]
In Covent Garden, is the world's best museum of public transportation. This is the London Transport Museum. We can be sure of this, because London holds a series of world firsts; the first underwater tunnel for mass-transit purposes in 1840, the earliest underground railway in 1863, the earliest electrified underground line in 1890 and the [...]
We're not going to let the major Royal event of 2018 go without a mention. Referring of course to the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the 19 May at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle. Once married, the couple will live together in the second largest apartment of Kensington Palace - moving out [...]
Here is self-guided tour of 12 key portraits at the National Portrait Gallery for Americans in London. The National Portrait Gallery (NP)G is a haven of peace compared to its next door neighbour; the National Gallery. It also has a rather nice rooftop cocktail bar with views over London. Both galleries are on Trafalgar [...]
Yesterday, the UK celebrated the 100th anniversary of the signing of the 'Representation of the People Act 1918'. This was the Act that gave many women the vote for the first time. The anniversary was reported widely in the media and to mark the occasion an exhibition of life-sized images of the central figures of [...]
