Today is a very special day, I have my first proper tour since February albeit it at 50% off and possibly the only one of this year. Two people from the Lake District are staying in London for a few days for a special birthday and out of all the things to see in London,… Continue reading Coronavirus Diary 66 – I have an actual tour today!
Category: London
Posts predominantly related to London
The origins of tipping – Paying a TIP at Twinings Tea
Whilst I was out and about in London last week, an area I wanted to visited was closed off so I ended up on a mini-diversion and went past the famous Twinings Tea Shop at #216 on The Strand, the famous old road that links the City of London to the City of Westminster. Twinings… Continue reading The origins of tipping – Paying a TIP at Twinings Tea
The famous London Underground Rush Hour Like Never Before – A Deserted Westminster
On thursday last week I had reason to go into London as I was practicing one of the new tours I have been working on. For the first time since I moved house in January, I got the tube direct to Westminster Station… one of the reasons I actually moved to where I did as… Continue reading The famous London Underground Rush Hour Like Never Before – A Deserted Westminster
The new fourth plinth artwork at Trafalgar Square
Readers with a long memory might remember a post I wrote in 2018 The Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth about a rather interesting temporary art installation what is said to be the most viewed public art annually in the world. Sadly the old work of art has been replaced last week and I must say when i saw… Continue reading The new fourth plinth artwork at Trafalgar Square
It’s got my name on it!
When I was out and about on Monday this week I made a little diversion as I noticed on the map the night before there was a street near to where I would be going that possibly has the best name in London!
The (Deserted) Mews of Mayfair
One of the things I like about London are what are known as Mews. In the 18th and 19th centuries London housing for wealthy people generally consisted of streets of large terraced houses with stables at the back, which opened onto a small service street. The mews had horse stalls and a carriage house on… Continue reading The (Deserted) Mews of Mayfair
Coronavirus Diary 61 – When Social Distancing takes the Pee!
When I was scouting out the new tour Mayfair and Belgravia Walking Tour last week, I visited the The Grenadier Pubwhich I wrote about yesterday, I found something in the toilets which was very much a sign of the times. Of course the social distancing rules mean that we have to stay 2 metres of 6 feet… Continue reading Coronavirus Diary 61 – When Social Distancing takes the Pee!
The Grenadier – The Exclusive pub with a ‘Go-Fund Me’ for a ghost!
It’s one of my favourite London pubs and a little different from some I visit with the difference being the wonderfully secluded and rather exclusive district of London it fits itself in. The Grenadier is a public house in Belgravia, London. It was originally built in 1720 as the officers’ mess for the senior infantry… Continue reading The Grenadier – The Exclusive pub with a ‘Go-Fund Me’ for a ghost!
On a journey of discovery to find the tombs of John Harrison and John Constable.
Do you remember last week I was off exploring in another graveyard and had a Dracula flashback? Well I was actually in the churchyard of St John-at-Hampstead to look for two tombs in particular. I only picked them as they of particular interest to me for there are many such notable persons buried in this… Continue reading On a journey of discovery to find the tombs of John Harrison and John Constable.
Coronavirus Diary 57 – Following in the footsteps of Count Dracula
When one thinks of Count Dracula it is natural to think of Transylvania in Romania with the dark foreboding forests and eerie castle or perhaps the ancient pathways and lonely hills of Whitby. However some of Dracula is actually set in London and Brahm Stoker was clearly influenced by one or two cemeteries here in… Continue reading Coronavirus Diary 57 – Following in the footsteps of Count Dracula