top of page
To receive blog posts and walking tour schedules by email, please subscribe (for free) at the bottom of the page
Search


A zebra bolted from London Zoo to Camden Town during an air raid
The World War II story was painted by artist Carel Weight. On a recent trip to Manchester, I came across a four-panel oil painting...
London On The Ground
6 days ago5 min read
49 views
2 comments


Lost Gardens of London at the Garden Museum
Excellent new exhibition of vanished parks, squares and gardens at the museum in Lambeth. Curated by landscape architect and historian Dr...
London On The Ground
Oct 27, 20245 min read
910 views
1 comment


The Monument, the relief and its meaning
The sculpture on the Monument to the Great Fire of London is rich with symbolism . It illustrates the catastrophe that destroyed...
London On The Ground
Oct 20, 20247 min read
165 views
0 comments


Albert Memorial: a rare look at the undercroft
Simple brick arches support one of Victorian London's most elaborate monuments. I recently joined the first ever public tour of the...
London On The Ground
Sep 29, 20246 min read
213 views
2 comments


Eltham Palace: Medieval meets Art Deco
From ruined royal residence to magnificent modern mansion. A 15th century gothic great hall, a stunning 20th century Art Deco...
London On The Ground
Aug 26, 20247 min read
111 views
2 comments


Serenity in the City: Karin Jonzen's sculptures
Four works by the 20th century sculptor in the City of London. One of the pleasures of walking around the Square Mile is the wide variety...
London On The Ground
Jul 28, 20245 min read
145 views
3 comments


Walking in Geoffrey Fletcher's London: Islington and the City
See some of the London that the artist and writer feared was disappearing in the 1960s and 1970s. Best known for his 1962 book The London...
London On The Ground
Jun 3, 20243 min read
111 views
0 comments


Fire, Air, Water and Earth: stone relief for Lloyd's
Fire, Air, Water and Earth: stone relief for Lloyd's. The carving, in a hidden City of London alleyway, represents the Four Elements.
London On The Ground
May 27, 20243 min read
180 views
1 comment


Art on a plate: Temple Bar's hidden treasures
Unique, architect-designed plates recognise support for the Architects Benevolent Society. City of London livery companies are known for...
London On The Ground
May 12, 20244 min read
134 views
0 comments


'Work' by Ford Madox Brown, a painting to rival a Dickens novel
The artist tackles Victorian social attitudes, the class divide and urbanisation in this Hampstead scene. On a visit to Manchester last...
London On The Ground
Apr 13, 20247 min read
90 views
0 comments


Poster art and design on the London Underground
A personal selection from the London Transport Museum. The London Transport Museum's Global Poster Gallery, which only opened in October...
London On The Ground
Apr 8, 20245 min read
328 views
0 comments


The Royal Exchange frieze: a freeze frame of history
Sculptures on the Victorian building tell of the City of London's past It is easy to miss the sculpted details on the the Royal Exchange,...
London On The Ground
Feb 24, 20246 min read
147 views
0 comments


Frederic Leighton's art at Leighton House
An excellent collection of 19th century paintings and sculpture by Frederic Leighton. The painter, draughtsman and sculptor was one of...
London On The Ground
Jan 14, 20244 min read
86 views
0 comments


Angel Wings sculpture: not just for Christmas
Angel Wings is a year-round 'Christmas decoration' on an epic scale, a play on the Angel Islington's name and link to the Nativity story.
London On The Ground
Nov 24, 20233 min read
99 views
0 comments


The Hitchcock mosaics of Leytonstone station
Vibrant tiled images celebrate the life and work of film director Alfred Hitchcock. The passageway into and out of the Central line...
London On The Ground
Nov 11, 20232 min read
150 views
2 comments


Shakespeare in Shoreditch: a statue and The Stage
A statue and visitor centre for The Theatre and The Curtain playhouse sites. The Theatre and The Curtain, both in Shoreditch, were...
London On The Ground
Nov 5, 20237 min read
256 views
0 comments


A quartet of carved clergy: the Bishops' Tree at Fulham Palace
Four wooden Bishops await visitors to the gardens of Fulham Palace.
Environmental sculptor Andrew Frost carved them from a dead cedar tree
London On The Ground
Sep 15, 20233 min read
55 views
0 comments


Islington's New River mosaic: little known, but of high artistic quality
An Islington school has a Grade II listed 1964 public artwork by William Mitchell. Outside the City of London Academy Islington, a...
London On The Ground
Aug 25, 20233 min read
120 views
0 comments


Sanctuary, Naomi Blake's sculpture for victims of oppression
A moving sculpted art work sits alone outside St Botolph Aldgate in the City of London. Walks and tours available for booking The London...
London On The Ground
Jun 10, 20234 min read
86 views
0 comments


Emily Young's serene stone angels near St Paul's need to be seen
See the angel heads by Britain's "greatest living stone sculptor" on public display next to St Paul's. Five angel heads by Emily Young,...
London On The Ground
Apr 7, 20235 min read
166 views
2 comments
bottom of page