There aren’t many things in life that one can rely on in life and over the last few days hundreds of thousands of London commuters have had to deal with something that even puts Brexit in the shade. Namely the loss of possibly the most seen graffiti in London if not all of the U.K.… Continue reading Give Peas A Chance – London loses its most seen graffiti
Category: London
Posts predominantly related to London
Up Close and Personal with the Greenwich Painted Hall Ceiling
Two weeks ago you may have seen my post on the Painted Hall in Greenwich which is often referred to as the Sistine Chapel of England. The artwork is 300 years old however and due to age, wear and tear and earlier attempts at preservation, the imagery had become very dark and rather indistinguishable from… Continue reading Up Close and Personal with the Greenwich Painted Hall Ceiling
The Painted Hall of Greenwich – Englands Sistine Chapel
Said by many to be the English equivalent of the Sistine Chapel, The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich is one of the most spectacular and important baroque interiors in Europe. You might get some idea what awaits when you first arrive at the Cutty Sark station or as I prefer to… Continue reading The Painted Hall of Greenwich – Englands Sistine Chapel
The Tale of the Cursed Amethyst at the Natural History Museum in London
Whilst preparing for a tour tomorrow to the Natural History Museum in London, I thought I should do a reconnaisance sortie as well as a bit of research. The museum is a work of art and shows what value Victorians placed on education. Amethysts were used as charms by the ancient Greeks to… Continue reading The Tale of the Cursed Amethyst at the Natural History Museum in London
The Divine Right of Kings and the Execution of King Charles I
Ever since I wrote the post Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful! who was hung drawn and quartered, I have been thinking about the tulmultuous events leading up to the execution of King Charles I. Regicide as it is known, is very rare in British history and usually when it was comitted, it was done so 1500… Continue reading The Divine Right of Kings and the Execution of King Charles I
William Lenthall -The man who risked his life to uphold democracy and defy the King.
Not many people are familiar with William Lenthall but if history were fair then we all would be. For William Lenthall was once the Speaker of the House of Commons and by his actions changed the course of the world forever. On 4 January 1642, King Charles I entered the House of Commons to arrest… Continue reading William Lenthall -The man who risked his life to uphold democracy and defy the King.
The Gumball 3000 London to Tokyo 2018
Yesterday when I was giving one of my tours round London, I stumbled across an unexpected sight. A collection of over 100 souped up cars all ready to take place in the Gumball 3000. It wasn’t a total surprise as I seem to come across this event every summer in London, even though the startingn… Continue reading The Gumball 3000 London to Tokyo 2018
Alice Ayres – A Victorian Heroine
A few weeks ago I wrote on Postmans Park – The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice and I’d taken it upon myself to look some of the names whose valour has been memorialised her. At random I picked the unassuming sounding Alice Ayres. I picked Alice in particular because I’m familiar with Union Street in Borough, it… Continue reading Alice Ayres – A Victorian Heroine
Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!
Whilst walking around the City of London earlier this week, I came across a sign that I had seen several times before. It had always made me smile, perhaps a little perversely given the circumstances but also as I admired the steadfastness of Major General Harrison… whoever he might have been. I’d always vowed to… Continue reading Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!
The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice At Postman’s Park
One of the places I really enjoy visiting on my Secret Churches, Gardens and Ruins walk in the City of London is Postman’s Park. The small park was converted in the 19th century from being a cemetery for the adjoining church and is largely unvisited by the swathes of tourists to London. Apart from the… Continue reading The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice At Postman’s Park
Stephen Liddell 