Londoners riot at the building of Somerset House
Edward Seymour built the original Tudor palace of Somerset House and caused riots in London by tearing down other people’s houses as Tony McMahon discovers
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The gory history of Temple Bar
Temple Bar used to be the entry from Westminster to the City of London and on the top of it were severed heads of those executed for treason
Trafalgar Square – the history you didn’t know!
Trafalgar Square is a relatively recent addition to the centre of London dating back 150 years and it has a strange and turbulent history
London Chinese restaurant honours two great Victorian artists!
If you’ve ever been to Wong kei in London’s Chinatown, you may have experienced the joy of being shouted at by the waiters – it had the reputation for years of being the rudest restaurant in London. I understand that as of last year, they’ve refurbished the place and decided to tone down the bad…
A slum district in London’s west end
Stand at Tottenham Court Road station and let your eyes drift from the Dominion Theatre past New Oxford Street and down Charing Cross Road. Now imagine that this whole stretch of London extending down to St Martin’s Lane and back to Drury Lane was one huge enormous slum. A warren of impenetrable alleyways, wooden houses,…
Before the London Eye – there was the Earls Court Wheel !!
Behold the Earls Court wheel – forerunner to the London Eye. For just over ten years – 1895 to 1906 – this dominated the skyline at Earls Court in west London. It was a hit with visitors to exhibitions at the nearby large events venue. In one book of photos I have from the turn…
A touch of Moorish Spain in Leicester Square
Leicester Square is at the heart of London’s theatres and clubs. It’s not my favourite London square by any stretch and seems to have permanent building work going on. At present, there are plans to demolish the art deco Odeon cinema. So it seems a good moment to point out what was there before the…
Hotel Cecil – a hotel built on scandal
Where flappers went to dance in 1920s London – the Cecil Hotel on the Strand