Beneath what is now the London School of Economics lies the remains of a “molly house” – a gay bar basically – once located in the long demolished warren of streets that made up Clare Market. The White Swan pub was on the corner of Vere Street, which you can no longer find. This drinking…
It’s hard to believe today but if you went back to the 13th century – you would have found something very different at Hampton Court Palace. No magnificent complex of Tudor and Stuart buildings but a medieval manor run by the Knights Hospitaller – under the direction of the Priory at Clerkenwell, which was the…
I’m an avid collector of old – and I mean very old – newspapers. From the year 1766, I own a copy of The London Chronicle with the most extraordinary front page article. It recounts the story of a “female husband” – a woman who donned male apparel and lived openly as the ‘husband’ of…
London is famous for royal palaces like Windsor, Buckingham Palace, and St James’s Palace. But what about those royal palaces long lost to history? Take for example, Kennington Palace. Yes, such a place did exist. The home of the legendary Black Prince. Go there now and you’ll find a post-war office block. Ditto Baynard’s castle…
LGBT life in London during the Bridgerton era was surprisingly open but dangerous as a court case from the time reveals
The death of Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe remains a mystery – was he murdered or was his death faked? Tony McMahon investigates
In the year 1091 a huge tornado hit the city of London tearing down its famous bridge as Tony McMahon discovers
At both ends of the same road in Camberwell, London is stark evidence of mass deaths in the London Blitz as Tony McMahon discovers
It seems like some London statues may be toppled but you might be surprised to know who many statues have been toppled in the past or hidden away
Tony McMahon investigates the disappearance of the head of Oliver Cromwell and the various places it appears to have turned up
