Exploring with my camera
I felt Mr Bradshaw was a little uncomfortable guiding me around Long Acre, Covent Garden and the warren of streets behind Drury Lane, but we will do our best to share the visit with you.
Mr Bradshaw and I were wandering in the streets around Covent Garden, and in Russell Street is The Fortune Theatre opened in 1924, the first theatre to be built in London after WWI. Mr Bradshaw could not have known the … Continued
Fulham Palace has been the country seat and home of the Bishops of London since about 700. It is surprising sight, perhaps unduly neglected, but now undergoing major renovation. In the grounds is the Bishops’ Tree.
London is filled with trees, shrubs, and flowers. Amazingly the leaves haven’t yet fallen, and occasionally there is a blaze of colour. In my wanderings with Bradshaw’s Hand Book to London, 1862, as my companion, I have found these wonderful sights.
Bradshaw’s Hand Book to London 1862 says of Seven Dials on p.120: ‘..The angular direction of each street renders the spot rather embarrassing to a pedestrian who crosses this maze of buildings unexpectedly, and frequently causes him to diverge from the road … Continued
We return to Oxford Street and just beyond Argyll Street should find the Pantheon, converted in 1834 into a Bazaar. (Pictures here.) However, the building was demolished in 1937 and the site is now M&S.
Mr Bradshaw accompanies me to London each week for an intensive guided tour. I plunge into the London of 1862, trying to understand, comparing his thoughts to my own, and just savouring me-time. I am learning a lot – retaining … Continued
Mr Bradshaw encourages little diversions during his tours, and one’s state of mind is very important: ‘..A person in good humour always sees the sunny side of every cloud, while another is too prone to be prejudiced by unfavourable impressions..’. … Continued
Mr Bradshaw, in his Hand Book to London, has made me keenly aware that London is constantly changing over a ground bass of links to the past, but often with a ‘continuity of purpose’ (read Peter Ackroyd’s London).
The churches in Soho Square all carried memories for me when I visited the Square. The French Protestant Church was founded in 1550 in London and was a refuge for those fleeing persecution in France in 1572, and particularly after … Continued