Browsing Archive: January, 2020

Kult Pizza in Farringdon

Posted by Hazel Baker, Director of London Guided Walks on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, In : Eating 

If you are planning on attending Bleeding Hearts & Body Parts or Heretics and Horrors walk during the week then you may enjoy Kult pizza. It's a small pizzeria on Cowcross Street, perfectly placed a couple of minutes walk away from where these two walks end. 
Finding somewhere that serves quick tasty food during the evenings in the week around Smithfield can be tricky.

The pizzeria is small and funky, clean and bright. They have two choices of pizza sizes, 6" and 10".  I chose the 6” pancett...


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Guided Theatre: February 2020

Posted by Sarah at ThriftyTheatre on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, In : Guided Theatre 

Hello and welcome to your February addition of GUIDED THEATRE, the hub for all thing’s theatre, including news, the hottest shows and where to get your tickets.

February, the month of love, pancakes and millions of school kids enjoying their half term holidays. So, what should you look out for this month: 


Waitress:

Jenna, a pie-making expert working as a waitress in a small diner in America. With her friends Dawn and Becky, she dreams of happiness and escaping her marriage but after...


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Have you been upstaged by a squirrel?

Posted by Hazel Baker, Director of London Guided Walks on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, In : Georgian 
Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day. 

The squirrels you see in London are grey squirrels. They were introduced into the UK in the 1800s which is quite apt since this cheeky fella upstaged me on my Georgian London tour. As cute as these squirrels are, they can be damaging to woodlands and has contributed to the decline of the stunning red squirrel.

Did you know?

Grey squirrels are renowned for their agility, adept climbing and cunning - they can crack open bird feeders and run along tight-rope wa...


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The Best Places To Eat Cheese in London

Posted by Hazel Baker, Director of London Guided Walks on Sunday, January 19, 2020, In : Eating 

It's cheese lover's day!

To celebrate, I’ve rounded up my favourite cheesemongers, street food stalls and cheese boards. 


My Best Cheese Shops in London

Paxton & Whitfield

Having started as a cheese stall in London's Aldwych market in 1742, the now partnership of Paxton & Whitfield is my go-to place for cheese. Jermyn Street’s branch of Paxton & Whitfield is one of London’s most iconic shops. 

It’s beloved of both the royal family and well-heeled Londoners. As well as the usua...


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Smartphone Photo Walks

Posted by Alastair Hilton on Sunday, January 19, 2020, In : Smartphone Photo Walks 

Happy New Year to you all!

Christmas seems a lifetime ago, doesn't it? How are your new year resolutions coming along? Have you been to the gym? Have you refrained from the alcohol? Don't worry, I don't tell anyone if you haven't!

Whatever resolutions you break, the one to keep, is getting out in London with your phone, having a wander and taking some great photos. Luckily, we've got just the walks for you!

From our first Southbank photowalk that we introduced last year, we've now add...


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Have you seen the magic wand in the British Museum?

Posted by Rob Smith, London Guide Walks Tour Guide on Friday, January 10, 2020, In : Museums 

With hundreds of thousands of objects on display at the British Museum, it is easy to miss one of the oldest things in the collection. And it comes, not from Egypt, Greece or Rome but from France. This baton made from reindeer antler is decorated with an image of a horse, and is 13,000 years old. It was made at a time when ice dominated Europe and France would have been dominated by glaciers and had a population of reindeer. But what exactly is the baton for?

 

It was discovered in 18...


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1930s novelty soap

Posted by Hazel Baker, Director of London Guided Walks on Wednesday, January 8, 2020, In : 20th century 

Today is National Bubble Bath Day. Yes, it’s a thing!

Would you like having a bath only once a week, in your kitchen, using only carbolic soap, in a hip tin bath like this? No? We don’t blame you, but this is what many Victorian families. Brrrrr. Washing body parts separately, such as arms, hands and faces were executed regularly but full-body baths were a different beast all together.

History of Soap

Ancient Babylonians are credited for inventing soap. Evidence for this has bee...


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What is the strange contraption in St Magnus the Martyr church?

Posted by Susan Baker, London Guided Walks tour Guide on Saturday, January 4, 2020, In : Great Fire of London 

As you enter the church of St Magnus the Martyr, just to the east of London Bridge, you would be forgiven for missing this strange wooden contraption to the right.  What is it?  Not a mobile pop up food stall.  It’s a very early fire engine.  How appropriate it should be in this church as a reminder of the dangers of fire, particularly in medieval London.

St Magnus was the second church to be destroyed in the Great Fire of London – the Monument being built on the site of the first...


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Leadenhall Market: the Heart of Roman London

Posted by Ian McDiarmid, London Tour Guide on Friday, January 3, 2020, In : Roman London 

Leadenhall Market stands in the very centre of Londinium, for underneath its buildings and avenues lie the remains of the forum.

The Romans began their conquest of Britannia in 43AD, and the settlement of London began sometime after. We do not know exactly when, but perhaps the most important find from a great deal of archaeological digging in the capital points to very rapid development. A timber drain found under No 1 Poultry dates to 47AD, indicating that a road was constructed by ...


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When is Twelfth Night?

Posted by Hazel Baker, Director of London Guided Walks on Wednesday, January 1, 2020, In : Christmas 

It is said that it is bad luck to leave your Christmas decorations up past Twelfth Night. But when is Twelfth Night?

One of the biggest surprises for those on my Victorian Christmas Walk is that at the beginning of the 19th century Christmas was hardly celebrated. It’s hard to imagine that many businesses did not even consider it a holiday and for most it was simply yet another working day. Instead Twelfth Night was the big event in the calendar associated with parties and drinking....


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