Priss Fotheringham, ‘the second best whore in the city’
The above blue plaque in Whitecross Street, Finsbury, has recently been obscured by a new artwork. Whilst sad that we can no longer see it, the plaque itself was part … Read more
london_history
Canonbury Tower Tour
Canonbury Tower near Canonbury Square is a survivor of Islington’s Tudor and even earlier history. It was built in the late 16th century as an addition to an earlier manor house, … Read more
A Hawksmoor Masterpiece
Set in a tight site on a busy road in Bloomsbury, St. George’s towers over the street below. It is Grade I listed, so in the top 2.5% of protected … Read more
‘All dolled up’
This cute green cab shelter at the north west corner of Russell Square is one of 13 (out of an original 61) that still survive in London. They were instigated … Read more
The French Hospital
This discreet wall plate on a school in Bath Street, Finsbury commemorates the ‘French Hospital’, founded in 1718 close to the old City Pest House which housed sufferers from the … Read more
Walking the Hackney/Islington border from the Rosemary Branch to Old St
This boundary walk between Hackney and Islington boroughs weaves around the areas either side of Regent’s Canal, City Rd basin and City Rd ‘Beating the Bounds’ to mark and confirm … Read more
Clerkenwell’s Mediaeval Monasteries
In medieval times Clerkenwell was an area of fields on the outskirts of the City of London, dominated by monastic institutions. The monasteries were all closed in the 1530s when … Read more
Clerkenwell Crime and Punishment
Turbulent centuries of monasteries, vengeance, courthouses, prisons, murder, social reformers, a bomb plot and more…. Clerkenwell lies just outside the old City, originally the location of the monastic houses from … Read more
Clerkenwell Crime and Punishment
Turbulent centuries of monasteries, vengeance, courthouses, prisons, murder, social reformers, a bomb plot and more…. Clerkenwell lies just outside the old City, originally the location of the monastic houses from … Read more
A watery wander around the Angel Islington
A circular walk from Angel tube, exploring the influences of water sources. Islington and Clerkenwell developed around a hilly area with an abundance of water from natural springs, wells and … Read more