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Hubert Pragnell’s bombed City of London after World War II
Unpublished drawings of St Paul’s and Blitz-damaged Wren churches in the 1950s and 1960s. St Paul's Cathedral and St Nicholas Cole Abbey,...
London On The Ground
1 hour ago6 min read
Oranges and lemons: bells and churches, with a moral to the story
Which are the six London churches mentioned in the nursery rhyme and what is its message? Oranges and Lemons makes references to the...
London On The Ground
Jul 56 min read
St Mary Aldermanbury: Wren church, Churchill (and me)
A small City of London park with a rich history surprised me with a link to my past. St Mary Aldermanbury Garden St Mary Aldermanbury...
London On The Ground
Jun 145 min read
City of London Street names: a dozen that don’t mean what you think
More peculiar and varied street names in the Square Mile. The City of London is the oldest part of the metropolis. Because of its...
London On The Ground
Jun 17 min read
London’s stone column monuments in height order
Nelson’s Column is London’s best known free-standing stone column, but is it the tallest? Duke of York Column - Nelson’s Column -...
London On The Ground
May 265 min read
The Gentleman at the Gate: the world’s first magazine
'The Gentleman's Magazine' , launched in 1731 at St John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, changed the meaning of the word 'Magazine'. Its proprietor,...
London On The Ground
May 175 min read
Charles Holden, London's architect
London's most prolific 20th century architect was born 150 years ago. Charles Holden and his Senate House design Charles Holden was...
London On The Ground
May 125 min read
Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway together in London - new research
The Bard, his wife and a new London address in Trinity Lane? Shakespeare's image on the Queenhithe mosaic, close to where he and Anne...
London On The Ground
May 46 min read
The Cornhill Carvings: doors into history
On Cornhill in the City of London, carvings on a pair of mahogany doors tell the long history of the area. The doors are at 32 Cornhill,...
London On The Ground
Apr 195 min read
Dorothy Annan’s “striking and highly distinctive” murals
The 20th century ceramic murals in the Barbican Estate celebrate technological advancement. The Dorothy Annan murals on Cromwell Highwalk...
London On The Ground
Apr 124 min read
A zebra bolted from London Zoo to Camden Town during an air raid
The World War II story was painted by artist Carel Weight. On a recent trip to Manchester, I came across a four-panel oil painting...
London On The Ground
Mar 225 min read
Secrets of the gatehouse of St Bartholomew the Great
A medieval arch, a Tudor house and moving memorials to fallen sons The entrance to the churchyard of St Bartholomew the Great from...
London On The Ground
Mar 155 min read
Cleary Garden: Peonies, Romans, the Tube and hogs
A former City of London bombsite with pretty plants. And hidden secrets. The lower tier of Cleary Garden Cleary Garden is a small park on...
London On The Ground
Mar 25 min read
Elizabeth Mallet, the first daily newspaper editor
The woman responsible for The Daily Courant, Britain's first daily newspaper in 1702. The launch issue of The Daily Courant was...
London On The Ground
Feb 84 min read
What the Dickens? In Islington? Not on your Nelly!
When Ellen ‘Nelly’ Ternan first met Charles Dickens, she lived in Islington. What was his interest in her? Dickens’ 13 year relationship...
London On The Ground
Jan 256 min read
Vagabondiana: street beggars of John Thomas Smith’s London
Scraping a living in the early 19th century: contemporary drawings. John Thomas Smith's artistic eye recorded buildings, streets and a...
London On The Ground
Jan 188 min read
A cow, an arrow and a Dame: Alice Owen’s 400 year legacy
Her legacy in Islington, the City of London and Hertfordshire has lasted more than four centuries and includes one of the country’s...
London On The Ground
Jan 126 min read
More songs with 'London' in the title
10 songs suggested by London On The Ground blog readers. Three years ago I posted my personal top 10 songs with 'London' in the title ....
London On The Ground
Dec 31, 20244 min read
The first ice skating report: London 850 years ago
William FitzStephen wrote the world’s earliest description of ice skating in around 1174. Londoners and visitors enjoying outdoor ice...
London On The Ground
Dec 21, 20245 min read
Charles Barry in Islington
The Parliament architect honed his Gothic Revival design skills on four Islington churches. Architect Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860) is...
London On The Ground
Dec 14, 20246 min read
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