Raise a glass to the City’s rich history of pubs, taverns and inns September 12, 2024 Samuel Johnson, the great 18th century writer, poet, and lexicographer, spent much of his life on Fleet Street, in the City of London. Dr Johnson’s house in Gough Square still stands a mere drunken stumble from pubs that the great man would have frequented, such as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. In Johnson’s London, Fleet Street [...]
Titanic’s final distress call September 6, 2024 As Titanic disintegrates on the seabed, Pablo O’Hana argues that it’s time to stop exploiting the iconic wreck for profit and let the world’s most famous ship rest beneath the waves On the anniversary of her discovery, Titanic’s iconic bow is no more. The setting of one of the most romantic scenes in cinema history — Jack’s [...]
Step back in time to London of the past with Heritage Open Days this September August 15, 2024 You can experience London as it used to be this September, as Heritage Open Days offer a wealth of experiences that take us back to the past. Running from 6 – 15 September, thousands of volunteers help run the free-to-attend activities across the capital and around the country. This year, the UK’s largest festival of [...]
Surfing the Thames: How Uber boats came to rule the river August 1, 2024 “Looking out at the river, I was struck by how empty it was,” Sean Collins tells me. This was in 1994, when he had just been made redundant from his previous role as an apprentice waterman on the Thames. All that empty water stretching through the middle of London – it was a “waste”. But [...]
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck: Review June 4, 2024 Fate and freedom are at loggerheads in this mesmerising portrayal of an abusive relationship that crumbles alongside the Berlin Wall
History of the City: The Tale of the Monument and the Great Fire of London May 9, 2024 Standing over 200 feet tall, the Monument commemorates one of the worst travesties in London’s history: the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Industrial Revolution: ‘History of Britain needs rewriting’ following new research April 14, 2024 The industrial revolution. Think railways, factories and mills, the rapid intrusion of 'dark Satanic mills' on England's previously 'green and pleasant lands'.