London On The Ground
Albert Memorial: a rare look at the undercroft
Simple brick arches support one of Victorian London's most elaborate monuments. I recently joined the first ever public tour of the...
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London On The Ground
- Sep 23
- 4 min
The Islington pub with a carved fireplace more than 400 years old
The Old Queen's Head, Victorian on the outside and Tudor inside. The popular North London watering hole on Essex Road appears to be like...
93 views2 comments
London On The Ground
- Sep 14
- 4 min
Red Sands Maunsell Fort: eerie relic of World War II
Thames Estuary defences likened to War of the Worlds and Star Wars. The Maunsell Forts were off-shore anti-aircraft defences constructed...
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London On The Ground
- Sep 6
- 1 min
Then and now: John Thomas Smith's London
Ancient London buildings depicted in the 18th century and today. In June, I posted some of John Thomas Smith's engravings of London,...
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London On The Ground
- Aug 26
- 7 min
Eltham Palace: Medieval meets Art Deco
From ruined royal residence to magnificent modern mansion. A 15th century gothic great hall, a stunning 20th century Art Deco...
78 views2 comments
London On The Ground
- Aug 18
- 5 min
How the 'Cheesegrater' got its wedge shape
The City of London office block, Richard Rogers and Sir Christopher Wren. Officially 122 Leadenhall Street, or the Leadenhall Building,...
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London On The Ground
- Aug 10
- 6 min
St Bartholomew's Hospital: see conservators at work in the 18th century North Wing
See paintings by William Hogarth and climb the scaffolding to admire the Great Hall's stucco ceiling. The 18th century North Wing of St...
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London On The Ground
- Aug 5
- 4 min
Queenhithe: one of London's oldest landmarks
A mosaic at the ancient harbour illustrates London's history since Roman times. Queenhithe is the only remaining inlet of the Thames in...
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London On The Ground
- Jul 28
- 5 min
Serenity in the City: Karin Jonzen's sculptures
Four works by the 20th century sculptor in the City of London. One of the pleasures of walking around the Square Mile is the wide variety...
70 views2 comments
London On The Ground
- Jul 21
- 6 min
Islington Cattle Market: lost secret of Essex Road
The challenger to Smithfield closed in 1837 after less than a year. A couple of years ago, at one of the excellent exhibitions at the...
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London On The Ground
- Jun 29
- 1 min
Ancient buildings of John Thomas Smith's London
Late 18th century engravings of London buildings that were already old then (spot the few that remain today!). John Thomas Smith captured...
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London On The Ground
- Jun 3
- 3 min
Walking in Geoffrey Fletcher's London: Islington and the City
See some of the London that the artist and writer feared was disappearing in the 1960s and 1970s. Best known for his 1962 book The London...
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London On The Ground
- May 27
- 3 min
Fire, Air, Water and Earth: stone relief for Lloyd's
Fire, Air, Water and Earth: stone relief for Lloyd's. The carving, in a hidden City of London alleyway, represents the Four Elements.
118 views1 comment
London On The Ground
- May 12
- 4 min
Art on a plate: Temple Bar's hidden treasures
Unique, architect-designed plates recognise support for the Architects Benevolent Society. City of London livery companies are known for...
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London On The Ground
- Apr 29
- 3 min
The Brunswick Centre, a pioneer in 20th century architecture
The Bloomsbury structure has proved highly influential, but is it modernism, brutalism or something else? The Brunswick Centre is a...
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London On The Ground
- Apr 20
- 8 min
Arsenal's Art Deco Highbury, Herbert Chapman and me
The North London stadium was unique in football architecture, motivated by an innovative manager and inspiring generations of Arsenal...
259 views1 comment
London On The Ground
- Apr 13
- 7 min
'Work' by Ford Madox Brown, a painting to rival a Dickens novel
The artist tackles Victorian social attitudes, the class divide and urbanisation in this Hampstead scene. On a visit to Manchester last...
58 views0 comments
London On The Ground
- Apr 8
- 5 min
Poster art and design on the London Underground
A personal selection from the London Transport Museum. The London Transport Museum's Global Poster Gallery, which only opened in October...
259 views0 comments
London On The Ground
- Mar 25
- 2 min
Old houses of John Thomas Smith's London
Engravings of London of more than 200 years ago. John Thomas Smith was an artist, engraver and writer who captured London in the late...
241 views0 comments
London On The Ground
- Mar 16
- 5 min
Senate House: Stalinist or Art Deco?
The University of London's 1937 landmark by Charles Holden: views differ. Senate House in Bloomsbury is the administrative centre of the...
205 views3 comments
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