The evocative gardens of Arundel Castle

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the wonderful little Sussex town of Arundel whose centrepiece is one of the most imposing castles in southern Britain. The castle is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Norfolk and is set in 40 acres, with fine views across the South Downs. There is… Continue reading The evocative gardens of Arundel Castle

The ticking timebomb shipwreck that could damage half of London

Every now and then a newly made discovery of a long-lost shipwreck makes the news with everything from RMS Titanic to the lost ship of Captain Cook and everything in between. There are a few shipwrecks however that are well known, even visible to us today.  Out of them all, there can’t be any more… Continue reading The ticking timebomb shipwreck that could damage half of London

Ratcliffe Cross Stairs – Where fires raged, explorers set sail and pirates hung

Last week whilst scouting out a new walking tour of just a small part of East London, one of the places I most wanted to visit is the slipway which was once known as Ratcliffe Cross Stairs. The village of Ratcliffe itself is all but forgotten and subsumed by Limehouse which is itself unknown by… Continue reading Ratcliffe Cross Stairs – Where fires raged, explorers set sail and pirates hung

The Kazakhstan art exhibition in a disused London power station

Whilst out and about scouting a new walking tour in the East End of London, I had the good fortune to come across one of those hidden treasures which I still do so regularly even after all my exploration. Going along old Wapping High Street, one of the most unexpected sights you might see is… Continue reading The Kazakhstan art exhibition in a disused London power station

There but not there

Last week whilst in the Sussex town of Arundel, I unexpectedly came across a very moving art installation.  It is something I had heard about a few years ago and fleetingly throughout 2018 but for some reason had not expected to come across it just as I did.  It is known as THERE BUT NOT… Continue reading There but not there

London – The first National Park City in the World

One way or the other, London is famous for many things. Whether it be History, finance, empire, culture or just the weather. One of the things that might not spring to mind when you think of London, however, is just how green it is even though by area, it has by far more green and… Continue reading London – The first National Park City in the World

Give Peas A Chance – London loses its most seen graffiti

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

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 day we rioted as the government stole 11 days of our lives!

If you think moving the clock an hour in October is a tedious, weird thing to do that only cheats you of an hour of precious useful daylight in the evening then do spare a thought for our forebears who centuries ago were trying to come to terms with the government stealing 11 days of… Continue reading The day we rioted as the government stole 11 days of our lives!

A holiday from hell for two Russian murderers!

I’ve been on my fair share of nightmare holidays.  Sank on the Nile, cars blown up, marooned in a live mine-field… that sort of thing but even I haven’t had quite as rough a time as Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, Russia’s answer to Michael Palin or Levison Wood. Just two every day men, absolutely not… Continue reading A holiday from hell for two Russian murderers!