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30/10/2026

Most Londoners know Tyburn as the notorious site of public executions near today’s Marble Arch. For centuries, the name was synonymous with the gallows, where crowds gathered to witness hangings at the infamous “Tyburn Tree”.

In the 1820s, the historic Tyburn Estate was transformed through an ambitious masterplan by architect Samuel Pepys Cockerell. The vision was Tyburnia - a prestigious residential district designed to rival Belgravia, complete with elegant stucco terraces, garden squares and broad avenues stretching between Hyde Park and Paddington.

Although the scheme didn’t result in a rival to Belgravia, much of its character survives today in streets such as Sussex Gardens, Connaught Street and Albion Street, along with beautiful squares including Norfolk Square, Talbot Square and Hyde Park Square.

27/10/2026

The Pond, Bishops Park, Fulham. Circa 1920

25/10/2026

Built by the London County Council in the 1950s, the Alton Estate was an ambitious post-war social housing project that attracted visitors from across the world, keen to see its pioneering architecture.

Alton East embraced Scandinavian-inspired design, while Alton West took inspiration from Le Corbusier, with monumental concrete blocks set within landscaped green spaces.

The estate also incorporates historic Georgian buildings, creating a contrast between eighteenth-century heritage and twentieth-century modernism.

24/10/2026

Seven Sisters: named locally after seven elm trees which were planted in a circle, around a walnut tree, on an area of common land then known as Page Green.

Canning Town: thought to be named after the first Viceroy of India, Charles John Canning, in office following the transfer of power from the East India Company to the Crown of Queen Victoria.

Hammersmith: simply “(Place with) a hammer smithy/forge”, first recorded in 1294.

Chalk Farm: recorded as Chaldecotein in 1253, meaning ‘the cold cottage(s)’ from old English, which may refer to inhospitable dwellings, the transformation of the original name of this area is simply due to phonetic changes.

22/10/2026

Tonight I was privileged to attend a live recording of the HistoryExtra podcast, featuring screenplay writer David Haig and Catherine Ross from the Met Office, discussing the extraordinary true story behind the film PRESSURE.

The film tells the story of Group Captain James Stagg, whose weather forecasts helped Allied commanders identify a narrow window for the D-Day landings in June 1944.

The forecasts and intelligence fed into wartime decision-makers in Whitehall, making London a crucial part of the chain that helped determine the date of one of history’s most significant military operations.

Pressure is showing at cinemas across London now.

21/10/2026

With student protests taking place in cities across Europe, it’s worth looking back at a time when London became the centre of a major student movement of its own.

In late 2010 and early 2011, thousands of students took part in demonstrations against the UK government’s plans to increase university tuition fees and cut funding for higher education. The protests followed the announcement of measures that would allow tuition fees in England to rise to as much as £9,000 a year, up from the previous cap of £3,290.

The demonstrations brought central London to a standstill at times, with students marching through the capital to make their opposition heard. The movement became one of the most significant waves of student protest in Britain for a generation, raising wider questions about access to education, public spending and the cost of university.

These are some of my photographs from London in March 2011, capturing the protests and the atmosphere on the streets.

12/10/2026

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09/10/2026

The Horseshoe, Clerkenwell. From 1748 to 007.

In 1955, Italian-born tattoo pioneer Cash Cooper organised the first meeting of the London Tattoo Society here, bringing together leading names in the tattooing world. The pub became an important meeting place for artists and enthusiasts.

Now, after 36 years under landlords Pauline and Richard Tucker, the Horseshoe is entering a new chapter. The couple are retiring, and the pub has been taken over by an all-star team: James Bond actor Daniel Craig, Soho House founder Nick Jones, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and b**r entrepreneur Justin O’Shea.

Plans include a major refurbishment, with the traditional ground-floor pub retained alongside a new upstairs dining room. The aim is to preserve its character while giving this historic boozer a new lease of life.

06/10/2026

This early 20th-century photograph shows the Spencer Arms on Lower Richmond Road, right, overlooking Putney Lower Common.

The pub’s name recalls John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (1835–1910) — the local landowner who owned the manors of Wimbledon and Battersea and claimed the Commons as part of his estate.

In the 1860s, Spencer proposed enclosing much of the Commons, with some land potentially sold for development. Local residents fought back, determined to keep the open space accessible to the public.

The eventual compromise was the 1871 Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act. In simple terms, Spencer gave up his ownership and rights over the Commons, which were transferred to a new body of Conservators charged with keeping them open and undeveloped. In return, Spencer received an annual payment of £1,200.

Spencer Putney Market Taverns Pub Co

04/10/2026

St Mary’s Battersea was built between 1775 and 1777, replacing a much older church on the site. Just a few years later, J. M. W. Turner painted this view of the church and the old wooden Battersea Bridge, with Chelsea beyond.

Turner lived in Chelsea and regularly came to Battersea to paint the Thames. Remarkably, the church says he even worked from the vestry window.

There’s another artistic connection: William Blake married Catherine Boucher at St Mary’s in 1782.

Two great artists, one riverside church, and a view that still survives in fragments today.

Image one: J. M. W. Turner, Battersea Church and Bridge, with Chelsea Beyond, c.1797, Tate

Image two: St. Mary’s Church Battersea today

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