The oldest door in Britain

I was fortunate to be in Westminster Abbey a few days. Much of the main building is perpetually overcrowded and particularly so in midsummer. There is so much to see in terms of memorials and architecture, royal thrones and the like and yet there is one place which always seems to be empty and yet… Continue reading The oldest door in Britain

The RAF Flypast at the 2023 Trooping of the Colour

Saturday saw the annual Trooping of the Colour ceremony at Horseguards, an event that has taken place for centuries but which was notable for it being the first one wit King Charles III in attendance. Normally it is a bit of a pain to do tours in Whitehall when Trooping of the Colour is on… Continue reading The RAF Flypast at the 2023 Trooping of the Colour

A special Charles Dickens Tour. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.

Recently I did a most special tour for two blind tourists from Iran. It was hard work and tiring but thoroughly rewarding and ultimately a huge success. My guests were Bita and Parham and were lovely. Very clever and witty and charming, it really was their dream to visit London and follow in the footsteps… Continue reading A special Charles Dickens Tour. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.

The Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle

In a rather unassuming building close to the central station is a place I’ve wanted to visit for many years but have always been too busy. The Lit & Phil is Newcastle’s exquisite independent library, open to all and free to explore and browse.  Founded in 1793, its purpose-built  library  opened  in 1825 on Westgate… Continue reading The Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle

A London street transformed to look like WW2 in The Blitz

A few weeks ago I was giving a Churchill Walking Tour to a family of 8 in London. It was a cold wintery Sunday morning and the streets were largely quiet until towards the end of the tour we came across a filming unit down a side-street near Parliament. There were a few doorways surrounded… Continue reading A London street transformed to look like WW2 in The Blitz

A new look for Aldwych

On Saturday whilst giving a James Bond Walking Tour, I had a brief opportunity to see the changes at Aldwych in Central London. Aldwych has always been funny kind of place. Neither here nor there really. A gateway to Covent Garden, except it’s not. Roads leading down to the river, Fleet Street and the City… Continue reading A new look for Aldwych

A valentine to St Paul’s Cathedral

I love St Pauls Cathedral. I remember when the first Covid lockdown ended and having no-one else, went to hug one of the great columns on the front of the building in gratitude for making it through the pandemic to that stage. Like Big Ben and various other church bells, St Pauls seems to be… Continue reading A valentine to St Paul’s Cathedral

 Queen Elizabeth Walking Tour of London

I only created one brand new tour in 2022, City of London Walking Tour which by chance I received my very first booking for this morning. I really enjoy researching new tours and locations and am always amazed how no-one had come up with anything similar and yet when various tours take off, they are often… Continue reading  Queen Elizabeth Walking Tour of London

An Olympic achievement at the Olympic rings

I had reached the end point of my long journey both for the day and a much longer journey too. For a little more than a year I had been travelling around London to visit spots in my next book, Angels of Postmans Park. A week earlier I had travelled over 100 miles around London… Continue reading An Olympic achievement at the Olympic rings

Photos from a walk around the East End

A week or so ago I went on one last photo shooting mission to visit locations for my new book, Angels of Postmans Park. It is all about Victorian heroes who died saving or attempting to save others, often complete strangers. The last month I have been visiting all the places that are hardest to… Continue reading Photos from a walk around the East End