The Blog

Rabbit holes, hangings and John Rocque’s Map of London

13/02/2024 donbrown 0

As usual, it started with a bit of googling to research something completely different, but when an interesting rabbit hole appears it seems remiss not […]

hms belfast in the thames

The Last of the WW2 Big Ships – HMS Belfast

30/01/2024 donbrown 0

A visit to HMS Belfast on a chilly, late January Tuesday gave me the ship almost to myself, the first time I’d visited this floating […]

Days Out – Bletchley Park, Home of the WW2 Codebreakers

26/01/2024 donbrown 0

Less than 40 minutes on the fast service from Euston gets you to Bletchley (now part of Milton Keynes). It is a journey that would […]

The Nereid Monument in the British Museum

22/01/2024 donbrown 0

On one’s way to the Parthenon Gallery one walks through Room 17 of the British Museum and there, on the right, is what appears to […]

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 […]

London Pubs: The George Inn in Southwark

17/01/2024 donbrown 0

Pubs! Pubs are great (as I’ve mentioned before). If you truly want to experience London then you need to spend a few hours in a […]

StuffAboutLondon: 2023 in review

03/01/2024 donbrown 0

And a happy new year to one and all. Thank you for following the blog, and for making 2023 the most successful year (in terms […]

blue plaque to emperor napoleon iii

Vive l’Empereur! London’s oldest blue plaque

14/12/2023 donbrown 0

One of the underappreciated glories of London is the Blue Plaque scheme, the commemoration with 19” (48cm) ceramic discs of the places associated with history’s […]

herbert and sons lion sculpture in west smithfield london

“Justice and Strength”: the Smithfield Lion

13/12/2023 donbrown 0

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 […]

battersea park peace pagoda

The London Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park

06/12/2023 donbrown 0

In 1829 the Duke of Wellington, the then Prime Minister, fought a duel with the Earl of Winchelsea on Battersea Fields, an area of common […]