St Bartholomew’s Hospital has led the provision of healthcare in London for almost 900 years. Founded in 1123 by a man named Rahere to provide care for the poor of the City of London, there is no other hospital in the country which matches its record of continuous service on the same site. We had… Continue reading The Great Hall of St Bartholomew’s Hospital
Category: Architecture
The wonderful staircase of St Bartholomew’s hospital
A hospital staircase might not be the first place that comes into your head when you think about great works of art, least of all in a National Health Service hospital where famously all money goes into patient care rather than particularly beautified buildings and landscapes. What happens though when the hospital is celebrating its… Continue reading The wonderful staircase of St Bartholomew’s hospital
The stained glass windows of 2 Temple Place
Hidden away from the main road along the Embankment in London is the beautiful 2 Temple Place. For many years it was known as Astor House as it was built for William Waldorf Astor, who owned the famous hotel in New York. However William feared for the safety of his family in the violence of… Continue reading The stained glass windows of 2 Temple Place
Wooden Spools of times past outside a beautiful old Spitalfields House
I’ve written countless posts over the years about Spitalfields, Whitechapel and Aldgate and many of them have been on less than savoury subjects but recently when I was out and about walking through the area I decided to revisit one of the more upmarket districts. Of course at one point the whole area was very… Continue reading Wooden Spools of times past outside a beautiful old Spitalfields House
Exploring some of the cute and colourful mews off Brompton Road
A few days ago I found myself at the Victoria & Albert Museum and afterwards with a bit of time to spare and still entirely without any tourists, I decided to take a stroll to properly explore some of the lanes and mews that are just off the busy Brompton Road where Harrods is. Whilst… Continue reading Exploring some of the cute and colourful mews off Brompton Road
The private gardens of Buckingham Palace
Ever since the fire at Windsor Castle in 1992, the state rooms at Buckingham Palace have been open to visitors each summer but due to the continuing Covid epidemic they are understandably shut again this year. As a way to no doubt recoup some revenue, it was decided that this summer the private gardens at… Continue reading The private gardens of Buckingham Palace
The fall and rise of St Pancras Clock
Railways have become synonymous with time keeping as their successful operation is measured through following a timetable. Before the railways time was a much more local matter based on the 24hr rotation of the earth resulting in East Anglia being about 5 minutes ahead of London and Bristol being some 12 minutes behind and places… Continue reading The fall and rise of St Pancras Clock
There’s something about Persian door-knockers!
One of the things I like about travel is encountering different ideas and customs. I really like noticing the differences. Even in the U.K. there are huge variations in buildings, landscapes, foods, accents and even customs. Whilst others delight in the homogenisation of things, especially in Europe, there is nothing that I dislike more. Things… Continue reading There’s something about Persian door-knockers!
My instagrammable blue cottage
I thought I would post some new photos of the front of my new but ancient cottage. it being outside, it is the one of the few things I have managed to get completed during the virus situation. It is still not quite complete but due to everything going on I missed a few planting… Continue reading My instagrammable blue cottage
The forlorn church of St Mary Somerset
When I was out in London last week, I went on a walk of discovery. As is often the way in London, I ‘discovered’ several places but also got the chance to visit somewhere I knew perfectly well even though I’d never been there… at least not for 6 or 7 years and never to… Continue reading The forlorn church of St Mary Somerset
Stephen Liddell 