The church of St Bride’s Fleet Street is famous for a few reasons. It’s elegant steeple supposedly inspired the classic wedding cake design (more on that later) and it’s renowned as the journalist’s church for its location at the heart of London’s historic printing industry. However many who walk past each day might not be aware that there’s a treasure trove of history in the crypt. History of St Bride’s, Fleet Street There may have been a site of Christian worship here as early as the 6th century although there isn’t much archeological evidence. The dedication to the Irish Saint Bri ..read more

I’m a big fan of London’s small, niche museums and I recently made a long overdue trip to the London Canal Museum. It’s full of interesting objects but I was particularly struck by one element, the historic ice well and the story of how one man brought ice cream to the masses. History of the London Canal Museum The building which now houses the London Canal Museum was first constructed in the 1860s, built as an ice warehouse for Carlo Gatti. In the early 1900s it was then used as a horse and cart depot and the horse ramp can still be admired inside today. Surviving horse ramp in the Lon ..read more

A short walk away from the rumble of Bow Road, between cluster of modern housing, stands Drapers’ Almshouses, built 1706. Once much larger and making up three sides of a square, today only the central block survives. I couldn’t be sure but I believe you can see this ‘U’ shaped block on the John Rocque map of 1746 (circled in yellow below). Image Credit: www.layersoflondon.org History of Drapers’ Almshouses A crest on the pediment declaring that Mr John Edmunson, a sailmaker with charitable intentions paid for 12 almshouses and a chapel for the local poor in 1706. In John Strype’s s ..read more

The atmospheric streets around Christ Church Spitalfields are hard to resist. I’m often leading walking tours in the area and every single time I stroll along Fournier or Princelet Street I feel transported through time. So I was delighted when a recent tour coincided with an open day and I had the chance to have a closer look at the gardens of one of the most impressive houses on Fournier Street, the Christ Church Rectory.  History of Christ Church Rectory Fournier Street was originally called Church Street and was the last road laid out on the Wood-Michell estate. It was intended ..read more

Where can you find London’s smallest listed building? It seems a simple enough question but the trouble with finite statements about London’s historic buildings is that they always come with a caveat (and healthy room for debate!) It’s with this in mind that I present you with London’s smallest listed building (maybe…) Ostler’s House, Lincoln’s Inn London’s Smallest Listed Building can be found within the fairytale surrounding of Lincoln’s Inn, a legal institution with at least 600 years of recorded history. For an historic overview of the Inn and its beautiful chapel (built in 1623 ..read more

St Katharine Cree survived the Great Fire of London and the Blitz. Today it’s a unique example of ecclesiastical Jacobean architecture in the City. Although it has 13th century origins, it was rebuilt 1628-31 so to step inside is to be transported into the 17th century. History of St Katharine Cree The first record of a parish church comes in 1280, originally part of the Augustinian Holy Trinity Priory. The unusual name Creechurch is a corruption of Christ Church, a name used for the Priory. Over the centuries it was shortened further to St Katherine Cree though it still stands on Creech ..read more

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One of the best things about the City of London is the jarring clash between old and new. Personally I love finding a Medieval relic amidst glass towers of offices. However, I do appreciate these juxtapositions often cause alarm. One such clash is the lone tower of All Hallows Staining. I took this photograph back in 2020 when writing this blog about the City’s lone church towers. Currently there’s a huge development underway around it (it’s set to get a rather striking new neighbour in the form of a 50 Fenchurch Street by Eric Parry, more on that later). So while it’s looking very lone ..read more

A short walk from Putney Bridge Station is a surviving Tudor Palace that you can visit for free! Here’s the story of Fulham Palace. History of Fulham Palace In 704 the Bishop of London, Waldhere purchased the Manor of Fulham. I wonder if it ever crossed his mind that it would continue to be a residence for Bishops of London until 1973. Back then the Manor of Fulham encompassed a much larger site than today, with the estate including Hammersmith, Acton, Ealing and Finchley. It was known as a Palace, despite not being officially royal, because the Bishops were thought of as “Princes of the ..read more

One of the most famous hotels in the world, the Lanesborough on Hyde Park Corner was previously St George’s Hospital between 1733-1980. Hyde Park Corner was mostly fields right up un the late 18th century.  On the John Rocque map of 1746 you can see how this area surrounded by green space would make an attraction location for a hospital. Image Credit: www.layersoflondon.org John Rocque, 1746 However it started life as a grand house. Lanesborough House  In 1719 James Lane, 2nd Viscount Lanesborough had a house built facing onto Knightsbridge. Sadly he died in 1724 without heir ..read more