Open House London has long been my favourite cultural event in London each year, despite the fact I’ve always been busy working and never got to enjoy the fun myself but it is the concept of it that I love so much. One can enjoy free access to buildings which are not usually open to… Continue reading Open House London
Category: Cool Britannia
The Hartley Colliery Disaster of 1862
My blog is full of disasters from beer floods in London to Grace Darling – A Victorian Heroine. burning building self-sacrifices to heroic against the odd tales of survival I Am The Army – The Incredible Story of William Brydon Many of them remain well known or at least just buried beneath the surface of public consciousness but… Continue reading The Hartley Colliery Disaster of 1862
A grisly end for a brave Liddell at St. Botolph’s… Aldgate (Whitechapel).
Whilst doing some research on my new book I got distracted as is so easy to do when you’re into history. Whilst looking up a new garden in the old City of London I came across a dreadful tale with perhaps some family links. In 19th-century London graves were allocated to their occupants only until… Continue reading A grisly end for a brave Liddell at St. Botolph’s… Aldgate (Whitechapel).
I’m going to write a new book!
This is a dangerous thing to say in public but I’m going to write a new book. It’s dangerous because I already have a 60% completed novel and a 20% completed non-fiction book on the go. Sadly due to my extremely busy work-load I can’t see myself having the time to complete either of them… Continue reading I’m going to write a new book!
Why our trains are on the wrong track?
I should be living around 35-40 minutes from the centre of London using public transport. As the years go by it is becoming less reality and more theoretical. In fact it can often take me 2-2.5 hours each way and it only seems to be getting progressively worse. One thing people are always happy to… Continue reading Why our trains are on the wrong track?
American perceptions on Britain from tourists.
Working with tourists every day, I often find out that they have some interesting observations or preconceptions about what it is like both in London and the rest of the U.K. Here are a collection of very common comments that I hear on a regular basis with some slightly snide replies from myself! * Almost… Continue reading American perceptions on Britain from tourists.
Remembering a local disaster – The 75th anniversary of the Sandringham Road V1 attack, Watford.
To commemorate the 75th year anniversary of the 37 people killed in Sandringham Road by a German bomb during World War Two, Watford Borough Council is hosting a service of remembrance at North Watford Cemetery for those who died in worst loss of life in Watford during the Blitz. On Sunday 30 July 1944, a… Continue reading Remembering a local disaster – The 75th anniversary of the Sandringham Road V1 attack, Watford.
London named the first National Park City in the World
When you think of a national park, images of sweeping landscapes and rolling hills likely spring to mind. So it may come as a surprise to learn that London has officially been crowned as the world’s first National Park City. In doing so perhaps finally shunning its its reputation as a pea-soup smog-filled metropolis to become… Continue reading London named the first National Park City in the World
The West Brompton Time Machine in the heart of London
You can find most things in London but it might not be your first guess as to be the location of what is currently thought to be the most likely candidate for a Time-Machine in the world, if such a thing can really be. And I don’t mean the Tardis from Doctor Who which… Continue reading The West Brompton Time Machine in the heart of London
Brompton Cemetery – Part of The Magnificent Seven
I always love visiting Brompton Cemetery which doubles up as a Royal Park. There is so much to see with the architecture, gothic style tombs and just a vast array of wildlife in this huge open space in the middle of West London. If you want to do some wildlife photography then it offers some… Continue reading Brompton Cemetery – Part of The Magnificent Seven
Stephen Liddell 