Articles by donbrown

cover of vic keegan's lost london 2 book

Book Review | Vic Keegan’s Lost London 2

08/06/2024 donbrown 0

A coffee in the Onion Garden with the inestimable Vic Keegan – journalist, oenologist, poet and historian of London. His ‘Lost London’ column ran weekly […]

composite - victoria cross and george cross

The Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum

08/06/2024 donbrown 0

One of the lesser-visited galleries in the IWM is on Level 5 (the top floor), the Lord Ashcroft collection of Victoria Crosses and George Crosses […]

The Charing Cross: Victorian Medievalism

18/05/2024 donbrown 0

According to etymologists, the word ‘charing’ seems to come from the old English – “cerring”- meaning a bend, hence ‘charing’ appearing on many old maps, […]

Feeling Sorry for Marble Arch

10/05/2024 donbrown 0

If it’s possible to feel sorry for a pile of stones, the Marble Arch is probably deserving of sympathy. Like a Hollywood megastar now scratching […]

bomber command memorial green park

The Bomber Command Memorial, Green Park

04/05/2024 donbrown 0

Over 55,000 Bomber Command crew lost their lives during the second world war – a death rate of over 44% from those who served. Thousands […]

bali bombing memorial london

The Bali bombing memorial, Horseguards Avenue

04/05/2024 donbrown 0

On 12 October 2002, Islamist suicide bombers detonated a large car bomb and a device in a backpack in nightclubs in the popular tourist location […]

mi6 headquarters vauxhall

Spook Central – the MI6 Building at Vauxhall

23/04/2024 donbrown 0

Trains from Clapham Junction to Waterloo generally stop at Vauxhall, and whenever on the service I look at the passengers getting on or off at […]

violet szabo bust london

“Carve their names with pride”: the SOE Memorial

29/02/2024 donbrown 0

Many of the stories of those who served in WW2 are capable of inducing in those of us who have never had to face such […]

inside sir john soane's museum

Glorious Chaos: Sir John Soane’s Museum

17/02/2024 donbrown 0

Sir John Soane (1753-1837), most famously the architect of the Bank of England and Dulwich Picture Gallery, was the son of a bricklayer who rose […]

st paul's cathedral on the nla city model

The New London Model: Towering over the City

16/02/2024 donbrown 0

Should you want to feel godlike, the entire capital spread out beneath your glorious presence, then the place to go is The London Centre, in […]