London On The Ground

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London On The Ground Wandering London's wonders. Guided walks: City, Clerkenwell, Islington, Southwark. London blog. Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LondonOnGround

The former Ridley's floorcloth manufactory on Essex Road, Islington, opened in 1819. Floorcloth was a painted canvas flo...
08/04/2025

The former Ridley's floorcloth manufactory on Essex Road, Islington, opened in 1819. Floorcloth was a painted canvas floor covering popular from the mid 18th to the mid 19th century, when linoleum started to replace it.

By the late 19th century, the manufactory had been taken over by the Probyn beer bottling company. Probyn was eventually acquired by Young's Brewers and moved to the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth in 1972.

The same year, Islington Council moved its Housing Department into the Essex Road building and added the windows above the ground floor. It has since been converted into residential accommodation.

Together with the terrace of houses just visible on the right, this part of Essex Road still provides a glimpse of Islington in the Regency.

Tower Bridge, 1969, by Uzo Egonu, Guildhall Art Gallery. Uzo Egonu (1931-1996) was born in Nigeria and settled in Britai...
07/04/2025

Tower Bridge, 1969, by Uzo Egonu, Guildhall Art Gallery.

Uzo Egonu (1931-1996) was born in Nigeria and settled in Britain after the Second World War. He is regarded as one of Africa's most important modern painters.

John Stow, historian and antiquarian, died 6 April 1605 (although some sources say 5 April).In 1598, he published his ...
06/04/2025

John Stow, historian and antiquarian, died 6 April 1605 (although some sources say 5 April).

In 1598, he published his celebrated 'Survey of London', which documented the City in great detail and is still an important reference for students of London history. I consider him to be the spiritual grandfather of City of London Guides.

He was buried in St Andrew Undershaft, a church on St Mary Axe that predates the Great Fire of London. The Merchant Taylors' Company, of which he was a member, erected a memorial to him in the church.

It features a sculpture of Stow writing, holding a real feather quill. The quill is replaced every three years - by the Lord Mayor, an Alderman or the Master of the Company - in the kind of ceremony at which the City of London excels.

The Mansfield Road estate in Gospel Oak, NW3, is an example of the many modernist housing projects built by Camden Counc...
05/04/2025

The Mansfield Road estate in Gospel Oak, NW3, is an example of the many modernist housing projects built by Camden Council's architects department under Sydney Cook.

The Mansfield Road project was designed by Gordon Benson and Alan Forsyth and built between 1974 and 1980 as part of the Gospel Oak Redevelopment Area.

I walk past it several times a year and can confirm that its whitewashed walls really benefit from sunshine and a blue sky.

Little Green Street, NW5, is a very short cobbled resudential street in Kentish Town off Highgate Road. The north side h...
03/04/2025

Little Green Street, NW5, is a very short cobbled resudential street in Kentish Town off Highgate Road. The north side has a row of 18th century houses, with bow windows indicating that they were once shops, and former 19th century workshops on the south side.

In 1966 The Kinks filmed a video for their song 'Dead End Street' here. It featured the band dressed as undertakers carrying a coffin from under a railway bridge and into a house on Little Green Street.


A beautiful spring day to show off some of the highlights of the City of London, ending up with a fabulous blue sky over...
02/04/2025

A beautiful spring day to show off some of the highlights of the City of London, ending up with a fabulous blue sky over the Thames.

My next scheduled walking tour is All Around the Houses, an Islington walk from Essex Road to the Regent's Canal, on Sunday 6 April at 3pm. Details and tickets are available from LondonOnTheGround.com

Waterloo sunset. The view up the River Thames from Blackfriars Bridge towards Waterloo Bridge.
02/04/2025

Waterloo sunset. The view up the River Thames from Blackfriars Bridge towards Waterloo Bridge.

Happy 60th to Greater London, from London on the Ground! Greater London, which comprises the 32 London Boroughs and the ...
01/04/2025

Happy 60th to Greater London, from London on the Ground!

Greater London, which comprises the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London, was officially established on 1 April 1965. It replaced the London County Council, which had covered inner London, and absorbed parts of the surrounding counties.

(The wiggly line across my London on the Ground logo represents the Thames within Greater London.)

The Clothworkers Almshouses for poor women, built 1852-53 in Islington, in a watercolour of 1857 (source: the Clothworke...
31/03/2025

The Clothworkers Almshouses for poor women, built 1852-53 in Islington, in a watercolour of 1857 (source: the Clothworkers Company) and in my photo showing the same view today.

In 1875, the Company demolished four of the houses to build St James' Church Islington, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

Discover more of the fascinating history of this hidden corner of Islington - which includes the Regent's Canal, the early Victorian Arlington Square and the 21st century Packington Estate - on my walk All Around the Houses (Essex Road to the Regent's Canal) on Sunday 6 April at 3pm.

Details and tickets: https://www.londonontheground.com/service-page/essex-road-to-the-regent-s-canal?referral=service_list_widget

Part of the proceeds from this walk will support the Arlington Association's fund-raising for local charities and to maintain Arlington Square’s garden.

The Isokon Flats at night. Britain's first modernist block of flats was home to intellectuals, spies and Agatha Christie...
31/03/2025

The Isokon Flats at night. Britain's first modernist block of flats was home to intellectuals, spies and Agatha Christie.

The Isokon building was the brainchild of furniture entrepreneur Jack Pritchard and his wife Molly, a psychiatrist. It was designed by Canadian architect Wells Coates and opened in 1934.

If you would like to know more, please read about the history of this iconic building in my blog post from 2022 via this link:

https://www.londonontheground.com/post/a-london-modernist-icon-isokon-flats

Isokon Gallery

The Views from the Bridge, just after 7pm, Friday night
30/03/2025

The Views from the Bridge, just after 7pm, Friday night

Architect Sir Edwin Lutyens was born 29 March 1869 in Kensington. He died in Marylebone on 1 January 1944, regarded as...
29/03/2025

Architect Sir Edwin Lutyens was born 29 March 1869 in Kensington. He died in Marylebone on 1 January 1944, regarded as one of the greatest English architects since Wren.

He designed country houses, public buildings, offices and war memorials (including the Cenotaph in Whitehall) across the UK and Ireland and was a central figure in the building of New Delhi.

My photo montage shows his portrait by Meredith Frampton, which hangs in the Art Workers' Guild (of which he was Master in 1933); the former Reuters building on Fleet Street (designed by Lutyens and completed in 1938); and the entrance plaque at The Ned, a club/hotel on Poultry (located in the former Midland Bank headquarters, designed by Lutyens in 1924 and now named after his nickname 'Ned').

29/03/2025

Sunday 30 March, 11am. Monasteries, Martyrs, Murder & Meat

A walk from St Paul's via Greyfriars & Old Bailey to Smithfield, St Bartholomew's & Charterhouse.

"Fascinating and fabulous. Recommend for both London locals and visitors. Do it, you’ll love it."

Tickets from LondonOnTheGround.com

The Charterhouse received its founding charter as a monastery on 28 March 1371, 654 years ago.The foundation stone of ...
28/03/2025

The Charterhouse received its founding charter as a monastery on 28 March 1371, 654 years ago.

The foundation stone of its older near neighbour, St Bartholomew's Priory and Hospital, was laid 902 years ago this week, on 25 March 1123.

Discover the history of these ancient London institutions and the Smithfield area on my walk Monasteries, Martyrs, Murder & Meat this Sunday, 30 March at 11am.

Details and tickets via LondonOnTheGround.com

80 years ago, the last World War II bomb fell on London. In fact it was a V2 rocket, which landed on Hughes Mansions, ...
27/03/2025

80 years ago, the last World War II bomb fell on London. In fact it was a V2 rocket, which landed on Hughes Mansions, Vallance Road, Bethnal Green on 27 March 1945.

This photo, from the Imperial War Museum collection, shows the damage caused.

I am delighted to announce an exciting new walk on 2 April, to be offered in a brand new partnership between London On T...
26/03/2025

I am delighted to announce an exciting new walk on 2 April, to be offered in a brand new partnership between London On The Ground and Airbnb Experiences!

On my 'City History Mystery Tour, a guest-curated walk' in the City of London, not even I will know the route in advance!

At the start, I will offer a range of topics - including Roman London, Shakespeare, the Great Fire, Wren churches, the history of banking and finance, modern architecture, the Blitz, hidden gardens and more – and invite you to choose the themes to be covered.

I will then devise the route to take in the chosen topics in a daring act of walking tour improv!

The 'City History Mystery Tour' is available to book via Airbnb Experiences on the Airbnb app and website. This link should also take you to the booking page:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/experiences/5969649?adults=1&checkin=2025-04-02&checkout=2025-04-02&guests=1&location=London,%20United%20Kingdom¤tTab=experience_tab&federatedSearchId=35c465a1-60d1-4652-9266-99d77f998dad&searchId=f8b46256-8841-44f4-b4b1-a

I plan to offer the walk once a month, for six months initially, at 11am on 2 April, 1 May, 4 June, 2 July, 1 August and 3 September.

(If the link above fails, search Airbnb Experiences in London on the relevant date and you should find it).

Photos by alexingramphoto.com

Not in a village in the Home Counties, this row of cottages is in the inner London Borough of Southwark. The Red Cross C...
26/03/2025

Not in a village in the Home Counties, this row of cottages is in the inner London Borough of Southwark.

The Red Cross Cottages were established in 1887 by reformer and social housing pioneer Octavia Hill to help London's poor with decent and affordable housing.

A great believer in open spaces, she also established the garden here. More broadly she campaigned against development on existing suburban woodlands, and helped to save Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill Fields.

In addition to managing a number of housing schemes across London, Octavia Hill was involved in the founding of the National Trust, the Army Cadet Force and the Charity Organisation Society (now the charity Family Action) which organised charitable grants and pioneered a home-visiting service that formed the basis for modern social work.

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'Cheapside' by Eleanor Farjeon, from 'Nursery Rhymes of London Town', a collection of her verses that were first published in 1916 and 1917, with illustrations by Mcdonald Gill. Farjeon Friday number 3. More to come! #londonnurseryrhymes #eleanorfarjeon #cityoflondon #cheapside #macdonaldgill #NurseryRhymesofLondonTown #FarjeonFriday @cheapsideba #stmarylebow

Sunday 30 March, 11am. Monasteries, Martyrs, Murder & Meat A walk from St Paul's via Greyfriars & Old Bailey to Smithfield, St Bartholomew's & Charterhouse. "Fascinating and fabulous. Recommend for both London locals and visitors. Do it, you’ll love it." Tickets from LondonOnTheGround.com #walkingtour #Smithfield #StBartholomewTheGreat #Charterhouse #oldbailey

'The Angel' by Eleanor Farjeon, from 'Nursery Rhymes of London Town', a collection of her verses that were first published in 1916 and 1917, with illustrations by Mcdonald Gill. This is my second Farjeon Friday reading of one of these surreal, silly and charming verses in the places that inspired them. More to come! #londonnurseryrhymes #eleanorfarjeon #angelislington #angel #macdonaldgill #Islington #NurseryRhymesofLondonTown #FarjeonFriday

Sunday 30 March at 2.30pm. Eclectic Clerkenwell, a walkingtour. Monks, nuns, courthouses, rookeries, radicals, distillers, pubs, crafts, trades and architecture! Tickets via LondonOnTheGround.com #walkingtour #clerkenwell #Islington #stjohnsgate #Clerkenwellgreen Islington Guided Walks

Sunday 30 March, 11am. Monasteries, Martyrs, Murder & Meat A walk from St Paul's via Greyfriars & Old Bailey to Smithfield, St Bartholomew's & Charterhouse. "Fascinating and fabulous. Recommend for both London locals and visitors. Do it, you’ll love it." Tickets from londonontheground.com #walkingtour #Smithfield #StBartholomewTheGreat #Charterhouse #oldbailey

'Threadneedle Street' by Eleanor Farjeon, from 'Nursery Rhymes of London Town', a collection of her verses that were first published in 1916 and 1917, with illustrations by Mcdonald Gill. I thought it would be fun to read some of these surreal, silly and charming verses in the streets after which they are named. Watch this space for more Farjeon Fridays! #londonnurseryrhymes #eleanorfarjeon #threadneedlestreet #macdonaldgill #cityoflondon #NurseryRhymesofLondonTown #FarjeonFriday

Join me on Saturday 1 March at 11am on a walking tour to discover Groundbreaking Women in the City. Hear tales of pioneers and leaders from queens to thieves, including publishers and poets, artists and rebels, business leaders and socialites. Tickets via LondonOnTheGround.com These women's stories span the history of the City of London, from the first century to the 21st. "We really enjoyed the walk." "Really fun afternoon (and I learnt stuff!)" This will be the first of two walks I am leading for Women's History Month in March. The second, Groundbreaking Women of Islington, will be on Saturday 8 March at 2.30pm. #walkingtour #cityoflondon #groundbreakingwomen #womenshistory #womenshistorymonth

23 February is the anniversary of Samuel Pepys' birthday in 1633, so here's my video about the song he wrote, 'Beauty Retire'. #otd #SamuelPepys #BeautyRetire

My Spring 2025 Schedule of tours is available! The schedule offers a wide range of fascinating tours off the beaten track in the City of London and Islington, covering history, architecture, literature, gardens, hidden spaces and some wonderful views. Please go to LondonOnTheGround.com for full details of all the walks and tours. London On The Ground, wandering London's wonders. A member of London City Guides and Islington Guided Walks "Fantastic walking tour... brilliant... if you possibly can, go to the website and book a place on his next tour!" #walkingtour #cityoflondon #Islington #Clerkenwell #spring2025 #london #londonhistory

Russia and Trump together on London's streets! #cityoflondon #streetnames #RussiaRow #TrumpStreet

On 20 January 1265, the first Parliament to include commoners was held in Westminster Hall. The Parliament was called by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who had defeated the forces of King Henry III in battle and was the effective ruler of England (but nominally in the King's name). It could not be regarded as democratic by today's standards and was an expedient move by de Montfort to strengthen his grip on power. However, it was an evolution of the council of barons that advised English kings to include representatives of cities, boroughs and counties. Simon de Montfort was soon defeated and killed in battle by armies led by the King's son, the future Edward I, at the battle of Evesham on 4 August 1265. Another historic event that began in Westminster Hall on 20 January, this time in 1649, was the trial of King Charles I (which led to his execution on 30 January 1649). Westminster Hall was built in 1097, while its hammerbeam roof was constructed later, in 1393. The Hall still stands and is the oldest part of the Parliamentary estate in the Palace of Westminster. #westminsterhall #Westminster #Parliament #simondemontfort #henryiii #otd

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