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
Category: Travel
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
Melton Mowbray Pork Pies
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit a quaint little market town in the East-Midlands known as Melton Mowbray. Nestling in rural Leicestership, Melton Mowbray is known as a ‘Rural Capital of Food’ and boasts a culinary heritage that few can match. As well as other produce, visitors can sample Melton Mowbray… Continue reading Melton Mowbray Pork Pies
Paying respects at the grave of Jane Austen
It’s impossible to be a fan of English literature without at least having read the odd work of Jane Austen if only to decide whether you prefer her stories to those of the Bronte sisters. I must admit that until I planned by trip to Winchester, I had pretty much forgotten that this wonderful author… Continue reading Paying respects at the grave of Jane Austen
Jeffery Hudson – Lord Minimus – The shortest man in England
Last week I went to visit a dear friend in the lovely market town of Oakham and had the opportunity to visit the outside of a house that once belonged to another very special person. The smallest man in the smallest county in England, Jeffery Hudson. However though he was physically tiny, he lived a… Continue reading Jeffery Hudson – Lord Minimus – The shortest man in England
Stephen Liddell 