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

I took a lovely family group on a Christmas walk around the City of London at the weekend, ending up at Leadenhall Marke...
23/12/2024

I took a lovely family group on a Christmas walk around the City of London at the weekend, ending up at Leadenhall Market.

My next public walking tour, on 27 December at 2pm, is sold out! Please let me know if you would like to be added to the reserve list for this, in case of cancellations: A Christmas Carol in the City of London. A Yule walk.

The 1903 picture of the Houses of Parliament at sunset is one of a series painted by Claude Monet currently on display a...
21/12/2024

The 1903 picture of the Houses of Parliament at sunset is one of a series painted by Claude Monet currently on display at the The Courtauld in Somerset House.

The French impressionist painter captured the view in different weather conditions and at different times of day. He was particularly fascinated by the variations in light caused by the London fog.

"I so love London! but I only love London in the winter... Without the fog London wouldn't be a beautiful city. It's the fog that gives it its magnificent breadth."

However, the fog, or smog, was mainly pollution caused by soot from smoke fires to heat homes and London's many factories and power stations, particularly on the south of the river. The Clean Air Act of 1956 started the process that rid London of smog.

Monet probably wouldn't bother painting in London today.

Tower Bridge, photographed in 1986 and in 2024.The 1986 photo was taken by Jon May in what was the William Curtis Ecolog...
20/12/2024

Tower Bridge, photographed in 1986 and in 2024.

The 1986 photo was taken by Jon May in what was the William Curtis Ecological Park. City Hall was later built on the formerly derelict site, which also now includes Potters Fields.

Jon May's photo is part of the Lost Gardens of London exhibition at Garden Museum, which is on until 2 March 2025.

See more from this excellent exhibition on my blog:
https://www.londonontheground.com/post/lost-gardens-of-london-at-the-garden-museum

The Gherkin, St Helen's Bishopsgate and a Christmas tree.The skyscraper, designed by Norman Foster and opened in 2004, h...
18/12/2024

The Gherkin, St Helen's Bishopsgate and a Christmas tree.

The skyscraper, designed by Norman Foster and opened in 2004, has something of a Christmas decoration look to it, I think. So does the Christmas tree. Both adorn the church (origins in the 12th and 13th centuries) rather well at this time of year.

Visit the City of London

The Kings Arms - Borough has a surviving fragment of Old London Bridge over its door.This Royal Coat of Arms was origina...
17/12/2024

The Kings Arms - Borough has a surviving fragment of Old London Bridge over its door.

This Royal Coat of Arms was originally on the Great Stone Gate at the southern entrance to Old London Bridge. It now displays the date 1760 (partly obscured by a pigeon in my photo) and the initials of George III, but the Coat of Arms is that of George II, dating from 1728 when the gate was rebuilt.

For a picture of the Great Stone Gate after its rebuilding at that time, please look at the first comment below.

In 1760 the Stone Gate and all of the houses on the bridge were demolished to widen the roadway. An enterprising publican bought the Coat of Arms for his pub on King Street, now Newcomen Street, off Borough High. The date and initials were amended to honour the newly crowned King George III. When the pub was rebuilt in 1890, the royal crest was retained.

This heraldic sculpture has history and heritage, but not, it would seem, the respect of the pigeons.

Passing Alley in Clerkenwell appeared on John Rocque's 1746 map of London as 'Pi***ng Alley'. By the 1790s its name had ...
16/12/2024

Passing Alley in Clerkenwell appeared on John Rocque's 1746 map of London as 'Pi***ng Alley'.

By the 1790s its name had changed to the more polite name it still bears today.

However, its narrowness and the aromas in this passageway suggest that the older name was more appropriate.

Sir Charles Barry's celebrated designs for the Houses of Parliament sealed his reputation as a leading 19th century Goth...
15/12/2024

Sir Charles Barry's celebrated designs for the Houses of Parliament sealed his reputation as a leading 19th century Gothic Revival architect. He honed his Gothic design skills on four lesser known churches in Islington.

Find out more on my blog via this link:
https://www.londonontheground.com/post/charles-barry-in-islington

Pictured below (clockwise from top left) are St Paul’s on St Paul’s Road, St John’s Upper Holloway, St Peter’s on St Peter Street and Holy Trinity Cloudesley Square.

The view from the top of the O2 arena on the Greenwich Peninsula, looking west towards the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf. ...
14/12/2024

The view from the top of the O2 arena on the Greenwich Peninsula, looking west towards the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf.

The arena was designed by Richard Rogers and opened on 31 December 1999 as the Millennium Dome to house an exhibition to celebrate the new millennium. It is now one of London's major venues for concerts and shows.

Apparently it's National Horse Day, so I thought I'd share my photo of this magnificent equine trio, sculpted in 1989 by...
13/12/2024

Apparently it's National Horse Day, so I thought I'd share my photo of this magnificent equine trio, sculpted in 1989 by Althea Wynne, outside Minster Court in Mincing Lane in the City of London.

The horses have been nicknamed Sterling, Dollar and Yen. Well, they are in the heart of London's financial services neigh-bourhood.

Visit the City of London

Angels
12/12/2024

Angels

This is Winston Churchill's Freedom of the City of London presentation box. The wartime Prime Minister was awarded an Ho...
10/12/2024

This is Winston Churchill's Freedom of the City of London presentation box.

The wartime Prime Minister was awarded an Honorary Freedom of the City of London in Guildhall's Great Hall on 30 June 1943.

Rather than using the customary gold or silver box, his scroll was contained in a much plainer wooden one. The wood was salvaged from Guildhall's roof, destroyed in a bombing raid on 29 December 1940. The presentation ceremony took place in the Great Hall, attended by the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Comon Coucilmen and dignitaries including the Archbishop of Canterbury, under a temporary tin roof that was eventually replaced by a permanent structure in the 1950s.

I like the wooden inlay in the centre of the top of the box, which combines the letters of 'London' into a neat logo.

09/12/2024

Christmas tree outside St Giles’ Cripplegate in the Barbican.

London at Christmas by London On The Ground

Barbican Centre

The view of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, looking south from the River Thames has hardly changed since the 18t...
08/12/2024

The view of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, looking south from the River Thames has hardly changed since the 18th century. Looking north from Greenwich Park, however, the landscape on the other side of the river has changed dramatically, thanks to the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf.

The Old Royal Naval College was originally the Royal Hospital for Seamen, a retirement home for men who'd served in the Royal Navy. Its main architect was Sir Christopher Wren, assisted by Nicholas Hawksmoor, who began work on it in 1696. However, it was not completed until 1751, long after Wren's death in 1723.

It was commissioned by Queen Mary II, who required that the new project should not block the river view of Queen's House (the smaller white building at the centre of both photos below, completed in 1635 to designs by Inigo Jones). At that time, the view across to the other side of the Thames was very rural.

I'm not sure what she, or Wren, would have made of the view beyond the river today!

London on the river from London On The Ground

Here are some of the hardy group who braved 45mph winds, heavy rain and very chilly temperatures to join my sold out Ang...
07/12/2024

Here are some of the hardy group who braved 45mph winds, heavy rain and very chilly temperatures to join my sold out Angel at Christmas walk this morning and were still smiling two hours later when we ended the tour outside St Mary Islington.

I was then lucky enough to lead this afternoon's tour of the church, including a climb up its tower, on behalf of St Mary's and Islington Guided Walks.

A great day's guiding, in spite of the weather, thanks to the incredible history and heritage of Islington and the engaged and engaging people who joined the tours.

My next public tour is A Christmas Carol in the City of London. A Yule walk. This is on 27 December at 2pm, although it is currently sold out. Please let me know if you are interested to join the waiting list in case of cancellations.

See Eventbrite for the schedule of St Mary's tours.

Reflections on Whitecross Street, EC1. 10.07pm, 5 December 2024.
07/12/2024

Reflections on Whitecross Street, EC1. 10.07pm, 5 December 2024.

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Christmas tree outside St Giles’ Cripplegate in the Barbican. London at Christmas by London On The Ground #Barbican #christmastree #stgilescripplegate #Christmas #londonatchristmas Barbican Centre

Fantastic London panorama from the Garden Museum's tower (former church of St Mary-at-Lambeth). #londonpanorama #gardenmuseum #Lambeth #Westminster Garden Museum

London in the Autumn 4: walking in the leaves at... #LondonintheAutumn #autumnleaves #Islington #regentscanal #londonwalking

London in the Autumn 3: walking in the leaves at... #LondonintheAutumn #autumnleaves #Clerkenwell #londonwalking

London in the Autumn 2: St Paul's #LondonintheAutumn #autumnleaves #stpaulscathedral #londonwalking

Tower Bridge's grisly secret: Dead Man's Hole #towerbridge #deadmanshole #London Tower Bridge

The Regent's Canal at Islington, the colours of Wharf Road Bridge at night. #regentscanal #Islington #wharfroad #wharfroadbridge #reflections #londonatnight #dusk #londonphotography #smartphonephotography

Pudding and Pie: was The Great Fire of London a Punishment for Gluttony? #GreatFireOfLondon #PuddingLane #PyeCorner #cityoflondon

London in the Autumn 1. #LondonintheAutumn #autumnleaves #Westminster #riverthames #londonwalking

The Royal Academy's original K2 telephone box, hiding behind a gate! The prototype K2, the iconic red box designed by architect George Gilbert Scott, is at the entrance to Burlington House on Piccadilly. #telephonebox #royalacademy #BurlingtonHouse #Piccadilly #architect #GeorgeGilbertScott #london

Dr Who's Cybermen at St Paul's Cathedral, 1968 and 2024. Beware the manhole cover at the corner of Queen Victoria Street and Peter's Hill... #stpaulscathedral #cybermen #london #drwho #cityoflondon #manhole #manholecover

Farringdon's Hidden River Fleet Revealed! The two best places to hear and glimpse the river near Farringdon Road. #London #lostriver #hiddenriver #FarringdonRoad #RiverFleet #LostLondon

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