The world’s first long distance railway

The world’s first long distance railway

Euston Station in London is the terminus of the world’s first long distance inter-city railway. Completed in 1837, the station was the most southern point of the London and Birmingham Railway line. The line was the brainchild of railway pioneers George and Robert Stephenson and the station was designed by the renowned Philip Hardwick. The [...]

Cast Court, V&A Museum

Cast Court, V&A Museum

Fascinating to visit the refurbished Cast Court at the Victoria & Albert Museum in Kensington. Reopened in 2019 after six years of renovation, but then interrupted by Covid, the Cast Court has displayed plaster copies of renowned sculpture since the 1880s. Owing to being indoors, Trajan’s Column is better preserved than the original in Rome [...]

Bermondsey to Rotherhithe

Bermondsey to Rotherhithe

Bermondsey is a thriving business and social area on the south side of the River Thames.  It found prominence as the location of Bermondsey Abbey in the middle ages.   The abbey was dissolved during Tudor times and the area developed into the centre of London's leather processing industry - many of the street names bear [...]

The shopfronts of Brick Lane, Spitalfields

The shopfronts of Brick Lane, Spitalfields

Brick Lane, in London's East End, is an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, market stalls and street art installations. Here are a few shots taken in late 2021. (Nearest tube station: Aldgate East).

London’s best districts – Clapham (part 2)

London’s best districts – Clapham (part 2)

Part 2: Monuments, places of worship, Clapham at war - and essential pubs and cafes! Monuments, statues and markers Boundary markers, dotted throughout Clapham, are parish boundary markers delineating Clapham from Wandsworth and Battersea. The history of Clapham’s local government is beyond the scope of this short book, but here are the basics from the [...]