History
Consider the Word: Elegant
Consider the word ‘elegant’ and try to conjure up a figure more refined than the 19th century English dandy...
A Brief History of The World’s First Dating Agency
On this day, the 29th September, in 1650, exactly 372 years ago, the world’s first dating agency opened in London...
A Brief History of the Summertime Festival
In 1970, 600,000 people descended upon the island to see Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Doors, to name a few. The party was so wild...
London’s fishy history: A tale of the Thames
Yes, the river was declared biologically dead. Yes, it was riddled with cholera...
Southwark Stories: Forgotten Prostitutes & Outcast Dead
Strapped by its horn to a cast iron gate on Redcross Way, a pink ‘My Little Pony’ peeks out sheepishly from behind a sea of ribbons. Just a couple of metres to the right, hangi
AVENUES & ALLEYWAYS: Me old china
London has racked up quite a number of ‘firsts’ over the years – ice rinks, machine guns, television, to name just three – so few will be shocked to learn that the city lay
The Truth About Keats… Romantic or Cockney?
Were you to stumble across a portrait of John Keats you’d encounter the face of a vibrant, classical 19th Century English gentleman. Further investigation would reveal him as a y
Judy Garland: From London to Stonewall, and Back Again
Despite all her hopes, London wasn’t able to save her. But little spectres of those hopes, as well as her glittering triumphs, still linger over the locations which bore witness
The Life and Times of George Formby, Britain’s First Pop Star
The current popularity of the ukulele with everyone from retired Home Counties housewives to uber-cool East London hipsters makes it surprising that the name George Formby remains
