Footprints of London

There are lots of London buildings that I would have love to have seen built, but for one reason were never completed – Sir Edward Watkins tower in Wembley for instance, that would have been taller than the Shard if it had not run out of money during construction in 1894. Or Thomas Wilson’s pyramid…

I like the new look for Mount Pleasant sorting office, the new coat of paint smartens the building up and they have proudly added the names of London postal districts and towns that are/were important to the postal network. Although the Mount Pleasant site is due to undergo drastic redevelopment in the coming years, it’s…

Jenni Bowley writes about why she finds the Bloomsbury Group so interesting: The Bloomsbury Group are often referred to as an artistic and intellectual circle who lived in squares and loved in triangles.  In the early 20th Century, Bloomsbury was a relatively unfashionable district that has become known for this group of writers, artists, intellectuals…

Another look at books that have inspired Literary Footprints. This time Jill talks about Pamela (or Virtue Rewarded) by Samuel Richardson     Another famous literary resident Fleet Street was Samuel Richardson an author who also had a printing establishment here where Oliver Goldsmith (Vicar of Wakefield & She Stoops to Conquer) read proofs.  Richardson’s…

Continuing the series on books that have inspired the walks in our Literary Footprints festival. This time Rob talks about “The Angel of the Revolution: A Tale of the Coming Terror” by George Chetwyn Griffith In the late 19th century a genre that has been described as Invasion Fiction became popular in Britain, stories that…

With our Literary Footprints Festival starting soon we asked our guides about the books that inspired their walks. First Sean talks about “The Children of the Ghetto” by Israel Zangwill. Israel Zangwill by Walter Sickert Israel Zangwill is one of the great chroniclers of London at a particular time. A Jewish writer, scholar and journalist he…

The first tickets for Literary Footprints, our month long celebration of London’s literary heritage, are now on sale. Literary Footprints will have over 40 walks, readings and talks at venues across London, throughout October. Keep checking the website for details but the events you can book now are Keats in Hampstead with Anita Miller – 11am…

Jenni’s colleague, Diane Eccles, has highlighted this tiny gem of a coat of arms – tucked away in one of the City’s delightful alleyways, St Mary at the Hill, and displayed on the front of the only original Georgian Livery Hall in the City. In 1585 Queen Elizabeth granted arms, crest and heraldic supporters to…

As ever the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition has so many exhibits on display that I would defy anyone to go there and not find something they liked. This year there is a big emphasis on crossover between art and architecture and this produced my favourite work, a lightbox by Emily Allchurch called “Grand Tour: In…