The Mysterious Panyer Boy of St Paul’s
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 […]
statues
George Washington – one of the greatest Englishmen who ever lived
So why does a statue of colonial rebel George Washington lord it over Trafalgar Square? And why is there also a bust of the first […]
Thomas Coram and the Foundling Hospital
On the railings outside the Coram charity’s HQ in Bloomsbury is a white children’s mitten. Or, rather, what appears to be a child’s mitten, because […]
Soho Square, Ancient and Modern(ish)
There is an ancient hut in the centre of Soho Square, a half-timbered affair with beams that sag and bow. It gives the impression of […]
“Carve their names with pride”: the SOE Memorial
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 […]
“Justice and Strength”: the Smithfield Lion
Just across the street from where the new London Museum (nee Museum of London) is emerging in copper-covered glory from the old Poultry Market is […]
Gluttony and grave robbing – Pye Corner in Smithfield
Stroll up Giltspur Street towards Smithfield Market and look up to your left at the building on the corner of Cock Lane. In an arched […]
Prince Albert’s Mega-kitsch Memorial
Of course the damn thing is utterly absurd. Every criticism of high victoriana – over-sentimental, over-decorated, over-elaborate to the point of fussy, over size – […]
The Teenage Queen Victoria
If I say “Queen Victoria” I’m guessing that the picture in your head is of the late-age monarch, ‘we are not amused’-era, dressed in mourning […]
Equestrian Statue of Ferdinand Foch, Grosvenor Gardens
WHAT: Ferdinand Foch WHERE: Lower Grosvenor Gardens (map) BY WHOM: Georges Malissard WHEN: 1930 Within the (slightly grotty) public space of Lower Grosvenor Gardens, facing […]