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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 14, 20255 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 1, 20257 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 26, 20255 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 17, 20255 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 12, 20255 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 4, 20256 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 19, 20255 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 12, 20254 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 22, 20255 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 15, 20255 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 2, 20255 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 8, 20254 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 25, 20256 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 18, 20258 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 12, 20256 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
Smithfield Market to turn lights out on a millennium of history
An 850 year old document describes a livestock market for swine, cows, oxen and woolly flocks at Smithfield. Smithfield meat market, the...
London On The Ground
Dec 2, 20245 min read
The Royal Agricultural Hall and Christmas past
Islington's Business Design Centre has a history of festive family fairs in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Business Design...
London On The Ground
Nov 23, 20245 min read
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