City of London

The ‘Southwark Needle’ and the Grisly History of London Bridge

12/01/2026 donbrown 0

Why the great long stone spike at the Southwark end of London Bridge might not mean what you think it does.

snip from the agas map of london with the london stone marked

Myths and Legends of the London Stone

07/12/2025 donbrown 0

Embedded into the wall of 111 Cannon Street, just over the road from the railway station, is a portland stone receptacle around a metre and […]

The Great Fire of London – Online Talk

27/08/2025 donbrown 0

Earlier this year I revived the idea of the online talk that we all grew to love/hate during lockdown. Much to my surprise there still […]

elysyng spital tower in the city of london

Elsyng Chapel Tower on London Wall

28/05/2025 donbrown 0

Elsyng Spital tower, once the church for, in turn, a nunnery, a hospital, an Augustinian priory, a grand house, a college and the parish church of St Alphage’s.

The Egregious Error of the Tower Hill Sundial

26/05/2025 donbrown 0

All about the huge architectural sundial on Tower Hill, and the big mistake it makes about London’s history.

The Barbican Conservatory: The Hanging Gardens of EC1*

10/03/2025 donbrown 0

To the Barbican on a glorious early spring day when the sky was blue and the sun was warm. Chamberlin, Powell and Bon’s brutalist City […]

Palely loitering in Moorgate: the new John Keats memorial

05/12/2024 donbrown 0

Let’s face it, John Keats pretty much set the template for what we expect from Romantic poets – curly hair, brown eyes, a couple of […]

The Mysterious Panyer Boy of St Paul’s

17/09/2024 donbrown 0

When yu have sought the Citty Round, Yet still this is the highest Ground. August the 27 1688 Step out of the tube at St Paul’s […]

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 […]

the view from Horizon 22 - the viewing gallery at 22 Bishopsgate

Up on the roof (again): the ‘Beast’

18/01/2024 donbrown 0

At 278m (912’) and 63 storeys, the new(ish) office block at 22 Bishopsgate is the tallest building in the City of London, and second only […]

Stuff About London

A blog on London history - and other stuff

The ‘Southwark Needle’ and the Grisly History of London Bridge

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Myths and Legends of the London Stone

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The Great Fire of London – Online Talk

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Elsyng Chapel Tower on London Wall

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The Egregious Error of the Tower Hill Sundial

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The Barbican Conservatory: The Hanging Gardens of EC1*

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Palely loitering in Moorgate: the new John Keats memorial

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The Mysterious Panyer Boy of St Paul’s

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The New London Model: Towering over the City

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Up on the roof (again): the ‘Beast’

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