What Makes Us Love Ghost Stories?
That was my only ghost or, at least, my only ghost story. Like all narrators of stories like this, I’ll start by saying that I don’t believe in gh
Dead Rats in Hats: Talking to a Taxidermist
Would-be taxidermists in London now have the opportunity to prepare their very own specimen. As I discover, this involves a room of people prodding...
Feculence & Gully-holes: London’s Lost Rivers
Alongside tube lines, plague pits, and Roman Walls, the remains of London’s rivers still flow beneath the capital. These rivers are everywhere, unde
London’s Love Affair with Fermented Foods
Almost as long as people have been eating food, they’ve been fermenting it. Pre-refrigeration, fermentation was a practical way of extending the...
Chained Libraries in Chelsea
Opening libraries to the public meant exposing valuable books to theft. A chained library was a logical response to the problem posed by light-fingere
Secret London: Tyburn Crypt
From the outside, the Tyburn looks like any other Church. It’s a modest brown building with a simple cross. Inside there’s a small chapel that the
Watkins Books: A Spell of Black Magic
Tucked away on a side street near Leicester Square, Watkins Books’ strange history is disguised by the same respectable green-fronted exterior as...
Dead Wives and Dentistry: Martin Van Butchell
Today Martin Van Butchell is remembered for his decision to embalm his wife Mary and display her corpse in his waiting room to entice potential client