Monthly Archives: April 2016

Charterhouse, Monastery of

Posted on 29 April 2016 by

Above: Ancient gateway in Charterhouse Square that was the original entrance to the Monastery of Charterhouse. Before the religious houses of England were suppressed (in 1536) by Henry VIII, London acted are quite a magnate for the English mother houses … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare at Silver Street

Posted on 27 April 2016 by

Above: City Plaque on the low retaining wall of the churchyard of St Olave, Silver Street. You may already be aware that the evidence for William Shakespeare’s life is remarkably small. For someone so famous you would think that every … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Plays

Posted on 25 April 2016 by

Above: Front page of the First Folio. William Shakespeare (born 23 April 1564) died on his birthday in 1616. This year, therefore, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of his death. As far as we know, Shakespeare’s life was a busy … Continue reading →

Posted in /City-Cripplegate | 2 Comments

St George, Perry Hill

Posted on 22 April 2016 by

Above: Close-up of the highly original weathervane on the tall spire of the  church. “St George and the Dragon” The 23rd April is St George’s Day. It is not hard to find visual representations of St George in London. Several … Continue reading →

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Gresley, Sir Nigel

Posted on 20 April 2016 by

On 5 April 2016 a statue to Sir Nigel Gresley was unveiled on the new concourse of King’s Cross Station. Nigel Gresley (1876-1941) was born in Derbyshire. He became Chief Mechanical Engineer for the Great Northern Railway from 1911 to … Continue reading →

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Smithfield Medieval

Posted on 18 April 2016 by

Above: Outline map of the area around Smithfield representing a date of around 1500. The remarkable thing about London’s street plan is how far back it goes. Much of the street layout has remained the same for over a thousand … Continue reading →

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Angel, Islington

Posted on 15 April 2016 by

Above: Photo of Islington High Street around 1900. The Angel is the large building on the left. Apart from the traffic and people’s dress being different in 1900, the buildings are still the same today. A more suitable title for … Continue reading →

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Tooley Street (Derivation)

Posted on 13 April 2016 by

Above: A small part of the so-called Agas map, c1561, showing the church of St Olave in Tooley Street. The name ’Tooley’ sounds a really odd name for a street – or anything else for that matter. In essence the name … Continue reading →

Posted in /Sou-Bermondsey, /Tooley Street (c6) | 7 Comments

Boar’s Head, St John Street

Posted on 11 April 2016 by

Above: Looking north from Smithfield Market at Cowcross Street (far left) and St John Street (towards the right). If you walk away from the City of London through the great arch of Smithfield Market you will find an odd junction … Continue reading →

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St John Street

Posted on 8 April 2016 by

Above: St John Street looking south towards the City. Notice how the street ‘bulges out’, a feature that is still to be see today. It would a useful exercise to produce a map where the streets were shown in various … Continue reading →

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