I finally make it to Chislehurst Caves, and find an intriguing mix of pseudo-archaeology, WWII forebearance, and music history. Introducing Chislehurst Caves Let’s start by getting one thing straight. Despite the name, Chislehurst Caves aren’t caves. They area instead man-made tunnels and caverns, excavated as chalk and flint mines. The first mention of the mines, […]
A decade after living nearby and never visiting, I finally made it to the Wimbledon Windmill Museum, thanks to a well-timed running event and its medal design. Sometimes You Just Need a Reason to Visit About a decade ago, I lived a short walk from Wimbledon Common. In retrospect, I didn’t make the most of […]
On today’s walk we trace the Fleet from one of its sources on Hampstead Heath, through centuries and city streets all the way to Blackfriars. London’s Lost Rivers: It’s Been a While! It sure has. “The years start comin’ and they don’t stop comin’,” to quote a key touchstone of millennial culture. And so the […]
I took a slightly more reasonable approach to exploring Open House London 2025 than I did last year, but nonetheless managed to see historic treasures, contemporary living, and some real oddities as well. Sea cadets in a tin tabernacle, anyone? What Did Open House London 2025 Have in Store? If you’re new here, welcome! If […]
A serendipitous visit to Petersham’s Open Gardens revealed the grand houses and hidden lanes of a village rich in layered history. Visiting Petersham with a Purpose I recently (AKA a couple of months ago) visited Petersham for the first time, drawn by two separate Open Garden events happening on the same Sunday. Not that this […]
As well as being a valuable green space in South East London, Crystal Palace Park contains several reminders of the great industrial wonder that once stood here. The Wonder of the Age The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, commonly known as the Great Exhibition, took place from 1 May to […]
A first-time visit to Kenwood House turns into an unexpectedly rich day out, combining historic architecture, a world-class art collection, and Hampstead’s landscape history A Day Out at Kenwood House A recent bank holiday brought the perfect excuse for a day out, and Kenwood House did not disappoint. In fact, it turned into such a […]
Something a little different today as I share an upcoming event rather than review one I’ve been to: don’t miss a landmark celebration of performance in Covent Garden this Sunday 11 May! Image credit: David Bennett. Covent Garden’s Street Performers Celebrate 50 Years – Will There Be 50 More? Covent Garden’s never been perfect. A […]
A rare surviving Restoration-era house in the City of London, Dr Johnson’s House tells the story of a man whose influence on the English language continues to the present day. Samuel Johnson, an Introduction Today’s post is about Dr Johnson’s House, a small museum in the City of London. But who, first of all, is […]
Just a stone’s throw from Tate Modern, Kirkaldy’s Testing Works speaks to Southwark’s industrial past and the ingenuity and single-mindedness of one man, David Kirkaldy. Another ‘New Museum’ in London One thing I love about London is how much of it I still have to see. I’ve lived here about 15 years now. And yet […]
