The newly unearthed Roman Mausoleum in Southwark

Fast on the heals of the remains of some Roman docks being found by Upper Thames Street in London, last weeks another Roman find made the news in the U.K. What the archeologists involved call a “Completely unique” Roman mausoleum. Though the news sites have just mentioned them, it is something that I’ve known about… Continue reading The newly unearthed Roman Mausoleum in Southwark

Exploring the ruins of Old Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishops Palace)

It says a lot about Winchester that even after visiting so many places, we still have so much more to see. In fact we didn’t see everything worthwhile in Winchester so knowing time was against us, we decided to see something all together different. An old castle which was indeed at one time a palace.… Continue reading Exploring the ruins of Old Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishops Palace)

Snooping around a Charnel House (House of the dead) in Spitalfields, London.

Whilst I was out looking for my beigel a few weeks ago in Spitalfields, I decided to do a bit of a detour to look for an old ruin which if not quite in plain sight then is at least walked over by thousands of people every day without their ever really knowing. I’ve written… Continue reading Snooping around a Charnel House (House of the dead) in Spitalfields, London.

Coronavirus Diary 48 – A bit of this, a bit of that.

I’m continuing my self-isolation which is probably a good thing as typically for my luck, the streets and neighbouring villages around where I live have the highest Covid mortality rate in the whole-country per head of population. With the electrician gone I have spent the last few days tidying up which largely involves turning walls… Continue reading Coronavirus Diary 48 – A bit of this, a bit of that.

The ruined church of St John the Evangelist in Stanmore

With the never ending lock-down being met with never ending warm weather, I decided to go and join up the dots of my new Stanmore tour which I actually worked out dreamt up whilst writing my blog posts on the area in the last few weeks. For a spot of quirky history and some good… Continue reading The ruined church of St John the Evangelist in Stanmore

Finding the ruins of Whitefriars beneath the streets of London

Most people have heard of that very busy part of London known as Blackfriars but fewer know of Whitefriars.  It should be said that the colour here is nothing at all relating to the skin of the friars but rather the colours of the accruements that they wore.  The Black Friars were Dominican friars whilst… Continue reading Finding the ruins of Whitefriars beneath the streets of London

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

The Worst Restorations Ever

The U.K. is covered in old buildings and ruins.  Deciding which to fully or partially restore, which to manage to prevent further degradation and which to let disintegrate away is a complicated process depending on the structures uniqueness and importance to history and the arts as well as expense. The rules are very strict and… Continue reading The Worst Restorations Ever

Sights from the moors

During our days out on holiday we spent quite a lot of time just driving around.  The weather was entirely perfect every day and we all enjoyed just being somewhere where there were no people and often no birds or animals either.  There aren’t many places in England where you an drive around for an… Continue reading Sights from the moors

The ruins of Binham Abbey and then on to Holkham Hall

Yesterday we decided to visit the stately home of Holkham Hall and set off late in the morning having taken a leisurely breakfast more cups of tea than I usually would. It was another sunny day and if it were to be the last summers day of the year then there could be no complaints… Continue reading The ruins of Binham Abbey and then on to Holkham Hall