For a few centuries, King Richard III has been largely denigrated as perhaps the monarch without any merit whatsoever, even more so than bad King John… and that is saying something. He was ugly, he was deformed, he murdered his nephews. Even when we go to the toilet, some of us have a Richard III… Continue reading The redemption of King Richard III and a new lead on the ‘Princes in the tower’
Tag: churches
The forlorn church of St Mary Somerset
When I was out in London last week, I went on a walk of discovery. As is often the way in London, I ‘discovered’ several places but also got the chance to visit somewhere I knew perfectly well even though I’d never been there… at least not for 6 or 7 years and never to… Continue reading The forlorn church of St Mary Somerset
My big Coronavirus Opening! – St Johns Church in Stanmore.
Last Monday was the first real big step forward in the restoration of normal life in the U.K. with many of the non-essential opening for the first time in months. Of course I couldn’t imagine anything worse than going in a shop to buy junk but in my own way I had my own big… Continue reading My big Coronavirus Opening! – St Johns Church in Stanmore.
Safety For The Dead
On the 29th December I arrived in London a little early for my tour that day so spent an hour or two exploring and sight-seeing myself , at least what passes for sight-seeing if you are a bit of a history nerd. Whilst deep beneath the beautiful St Bride’s Church, I came across one of… Continue reading Safety For The Dead
Paradise Lost – Better to reign in hell than serve in paradise! – Finding the tomb of Milton.
One of the perks of doing guided tours is coming across unexpected treasures. Many of the places I visit are off the usual tourist-track but no matter how many times I go out on walks, I find new things almost every day. A few weeks ago on one such occasion I was scouting out a… Continue reading Paradise Lost – Better to reign in hell than serve in paradise! – Finding the tomb of Milton.
St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe
It would be remiss of me if during this series of posts on my walk through Rotherhithe if I did not mention in some way or other St Mary’s Church. These days Rotherhithe may well be almost right in the middle of London but it wasn’t always the case. Long before the notorious Victorian slums,… Continue reading St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe
My new tour – Sacred, Secret, Gardens of London
One of the joys of doing walking tours around London is that I often come across new areas, secret oasis almost, in the midst of one the largest and busiest cities in the world. I find that my tourists often prefer the hidden gems even over some of the big tourist sites or indeed big… Continue reading My new tour – Sacred, Secret, Gardens of London
Leavesden Asylum – A Victorian Hospital with a modern twist!
I’ve written once or twice before in passing on Leavesden Hospital and a possible extremely infamous former patient there. Recently I went on a walk with a friend of mine ostensibly to create a book promo video for a novel which I’m in the process of writing. Leavesden Asylum was a vast site that was built… Continue reading Leavesden Asylum – A Victorian Hospital with a modern twist!
A Trip To Norfolk, A Pilgrimage To Walsingham
Not many people have heard of Walsingham in the U.K. and even less people know of it overseas and yet around 900 years ago it would have been one of the most famous pilgrimage points in the known world. Situated only 130 miles from London but even today much more isolated and harder to… Continue reading A Trip To Norfolk, A Pilgrimage To Walsingham
Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon
It had been a long old winter with two potentially serious health scares that thankfully were gradually eliminated over repeated visits to doctors, hospitals and specialists. With good news ringing in my ears and strong encouragement from some friends I vowed to make up for lost time and treat myself to a weekend away. I wanted to… Continue reading Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon