Tracing London
@tracinglondon.bsky.social
It's all about London. The travel, the history, the.....
Bow Street created authority.
Great Marlborough Street
normalised it.
Vine Street enforced it where the city misbehaved most.
The Monopoly Board in London - Part Three - Bow Street, Great Marlborough Street and Vine Street - Order in a City That Refused to Behave open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Great Marlborough Street
normalised it.
Vine Street enforced it where the city misbehaved most.
The Monopoly Board in London - Part Three - Bow Street, Great Marlborough Street and Vine Street - Order in a City That Refused to Behave open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The Monopoly Board in London - Part Three - Bow Street, Great Marlborough Street and Vine Street - Order in a City That Refused to Behave
After the roads of arrival and movement, Monopoly London turns inward.
open.substack.com
January 1, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Bow Street created authority.
Great Marlborough Street
normalised it.
Vine Street enforced it where the city misbehaved most.
The Monopoly Board in London - Part Three - Bow Street, Great Marlborough Street and Vine Street - Order in a City That Refused to Behave open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Great Marlborough Street
normalised it.
Vine Street enforced it where the city misbehaved most.
The Monopoly Board in London - Part Three - Bow Street, Great Marlborough Street and Vine Street - Order in a City That Refused to Behave open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Bow Street didn’t just host trials. It invented policing.
Great Marlborough Street made justice routine.
Vine Street kept pleasure from tipping into chaos.
Three short streets where London learned how to control itself.
Monopoly London, Part Three.
Great Marlborough Street made justice routine.
Vine Street kept pleasure from tipping into chaos.
Three short streets where London learned how to control itself.
Monopoly London, Part Three.
St Mary-le-Bow: The Bells That Made a Londoner
If you stand in the middle of Cheapside and look up, the grand spire of St Mary-le-Bow rises like a white shard of history among the modern glass towers.
open.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Bow Street didn’t just host trials. It invented policing.
Great Marlborough Street made justice routine.
Vine Street kept pleasure from tipping into chaos.
Three short streets where London learned how to control itself.
Monopoly London, Part Three.
Great Marlborough Street made justice routine.
Vine Street kept pleasure from tipping into chaos.
Three short streets where London learned how to control itself.
Monopoly London, Part Three.
Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road sit at the bottom of the board, but they sit at the foundations of the city. One carried London outward for two thousand years. The other absorbed wave after wave of arrivals and turned them into Londoners.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The Monopoly Board in London - Part Two - Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road: Where London Begins
Stand at the start of the Monopoly board and you are not standing in Mayfair splendour or beside a world-famous monument.
open.substack.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road sit at the bottom of the board, but they sit at the foundations of the city. One carried London outward for two thousand years. The other absorbed wave after wave of arrivals and turned them into Londoners.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
A square built for victory.
A road born on the river’s edge.
A street that taught Britain how to argue in print.
Trafalgar Square, Strand and Fleet Street. Three places, one long conversation called London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
A road born on the river’s edge.
A street that taught Britain how to argue in print.
Trafalgar Square, Strand and Fleet Street. Three places, one long conversation called London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The Monopoly Board in London - Part One - Ink, Power and Public Space: Trafalgar Square, Strand and Fleet Street
Almost everyone has heard of Monopoly, the majority have played it.
open.substack.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:34 PM
A square built for victory.
A road born on the river’s edge.
A street that taught Britain how to argue in print.
Trafalgar Square, Strand and Fleet Street. Three places, one long conversation called London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
A road born on the river’s edge.
A street that taught Britain how to argue in print.
Trafalgar Square, Strand and Fleet Street. Three places, one long conversation called London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Trafalgar Square, 1948. A newly lit Christmas tree stands in the mist, gifted by Norway in gratitude for Britain’s wartime support. For a city still recovering, it was more than festive decoration. It was a quiet symbol of friendship, resilience, and hope.
December 14, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Trafalgar Square, 1948. A newly lit Christmas tree stands in the mist, gifted by Norway in gratitude for Britain’s wartime support. For a city still recovering, it was more than festive decoration. It was a quiet symbol of friendship, resilience, and hope.
Bayswater is home to one of my favourite London oddities: two grand Victorian townhouses that are not real. No rooms, no staircase, not even a letterbox. Just a facade hiding the old cut and cover railway. I have written about it today on Tracing London.
The London House That Is Not a House
London does a brilliant job of pretending to be normal.
open.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Bayswater is home to one of my favourite London oddities: two grand Victorian townhouses that are not real. No rooms, no staircase, not even a letterbox. Just a facade hiding the old cut and cover railway. I have written about it today on Tracing London.
Found a great little detail in Belgravia today. In Orange Square there is a statue of young Mozart, standing on two huge books with his violin. He lived just around the corner in 1764 and wrote his first symphony there at only eight years old. A quiet London gem worth a quick stop.
December 3, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Found a great little detail in Belgravia today. In Orange Square there is a statue of young Mozart, standing on two huge books with his violin. He lived just around the corner in 1764 and wrote his first symphony there at only eight years old. A quiet London gem worth a quick stop.
New today on Tracing London: Part Four of my Royal Palaces series.
This time we explore St James’s Palace — the oldest royal residence still in use and one of the last great Tudor survivors in London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
This time we explore St James’s Palace — the oldest royal residence still in use and one of the last great Tudor survivors in London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The Royal Palaces of London - Part Four - St James’s Palace – The Tudor Survivor
Before Kensington became fashionable and before Buckingham rose to prominence, there was St James’s Palace — a red-brick Tudor statement built for a king who wanted a home that was close to Westminste...
open.substack.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:24 PM
New today on Tracing London: Part Four of my Royal Palaces series.
This time we explore St James’s Palace — the oldest royal residence still in use and one of the last great Tudor survivors in London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
This time we explore St James’s Palace — the oldest royal residence still in use and one of the last great Tudor survivors in London.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Black Friday, 1910 — the day suffragettes marched on Parliament and met shocking violence in Westminster.
A pivotal moment in London’s history and a reminder of the fight for democratic rights.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
A pivotal moment in London’s history and a reminder of the fight for democratic rights.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Black Friday: The Darkest Day in the Fight for the Vote
We think of Black Friday as a day to shop for bargains and exclusive offers.
open.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Black Friday, 1910 — the day suffragettes marched on Parliament and met shocking violence in Westminster.
A pivotal moment in London’s history and a reminder of the fight for democratic rights.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
A pivotal moment in London’s history and a reminder of the fight for democratic rights.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
This small stone structure in Trafalgar Square is an old police calling post, one of the last in London.
Added in the early 1900s, it served as a tiny base for officers on patrol. Inside was a direct phone to the local station, used long before police radios.
Added in the early 1900s, it served as a tiny base for officers on patrol. Inside was a direct phone to the local station, used long before police radios.
November 21, 2025 at 1:42 PM
This small stone structure in Trafalgar Square is an old police calling post, one of the last in London.
Added in the early 1900s, it served as a tiny base for officers on patrol. Inside was a direct phone to the local station, used long before police radios.
Added in the early 1900s, it served as a tiny base for officers on patrol. Inside was a direct phone to the local station, used long before police radios.
New from Tracing London:
Part Two — The Palace of Westminster
Before Big Ben and politics, this was a royal home filled with ceremony, power struggles, and the roots of Parliament itself.
Catch up on the full story in the latest post.
Part Two — The Palace of Westminster
Before Big Ben and politics, this was a royal home filled with ceremony, power struggles, and the roots of Parliament itself.
Catch up on the full story in the latest post.
The Royal Palaces of London - Part Two - The Palace of Westminster
Where Power and Parliament Met
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:39 AM
New from Tracing London:
Part Two — The Palace of Westminster
Before Big Ben and politics, this was a royal home filled with ceremony, power struggles, and the roots of Parliament itself.
Catch up on the full story in the latest post.
Part Two — The Palace of Westminster
Before Big Ben and politics, this was a royal home filled with ceremony, power struggles, and the roots of Parliament itself.
Catch up on the full story in the latest post.
A little Victorian survivor in the City: the 1895 Turkish Bath House on Bishopsgate. Moorish Revival brickwork, a domed roof, and stunning detail — all surrounded by glass towers. One of London’s most unexpected architectural leftovers.
November 14, 2025 at 6:38 AM
A little Victorian survivor in the City: the 1895 Turkish Bath House on Bishopsgate. Moorish Revival brickwork, a domed roof, and stunning detail — all surrounded by glass towers. One of London’s most unexpected architectural leftovers.
New Tracing London series launching: the royal palaces that shaped the city long before Buckingham came along. From the Tower’s Norman walls to the lost sprawl of Whitehall, each residence tells a chapter of how monarchy and London evolved together.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The Royal Palaces of London - Part One - The Tower of London
A royal home, a prison, an armoury, a zoo, a mint… and one of the strangest places power ever lived.
open.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:42 AM
New Tracing London series launching: the royal palaces that shaped the city long before Buckingham came along. From the Tower’s Norman walls to the lost sprawl of Whitehall, each residence tells a chapter of how monarchy and London evolved together.
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder. One city on the edge of destruction.
The night London almost disappeared in fire — and the reason we still light the sky each 5th of November.
#BonfireNight #LondonHistory #TracingLondon
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The night London almost disappeared in fire — and the reason we still light the sky each 5th of November.
#BonfireNight #LondonHistory #TracingLondon
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Gunpowder and Shadows
The Night Guy Fawkes Tried to Change London
open.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder. One city on the edge of destruction.
The night London almost disappeared in fire — and the reason we still light the sky each 5th of November.
#BonfireNight #LondonHistory #TracingLondon
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The night London almost disappeared in fire — and the reason we still light the sky each 5th of November.
#BonfireNight #LondonHistory #TracingLondon
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
I’ve passed through Ealing Broadway countless times and watched it evolve — from a busy Underground stop to a key hub on the Elizabeth line. Down on Platform 9, a 1910-style sign (a 1992 replica) still whispers of another era. I can’t help but wonder who once waited there over a century ago.
October 29, 2025 at 10:31 AM
I’ve passed through Ealing Broadway countless times and watched it evolve — from a busy Underground stop to a key hub on the Elizabeth line. Down on Platform 9, a 1910-style sign (a 1992 replica) still whispers of another era. I can’t help but wonder who once waited there over a century ago.
Once a glittering 1930s cinema, later a forgotten bingo hall, the Troxy in Stepney has lived more lives than most London buildings. From wartime singalongs to drag shows and rock gigs, it’s a story of reinvention, survival, and East End spirit.
The Troxy
East London’s Resilient Giant
open.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Once a glittering 1930s cinema, later a forgotten bingo hall, the Troxy in Stepney has lived more lives than most London buildings. From wartime singalongs to drag shows and rock gigs, it’s a story of reinvention, survival, and East End spirit.
It’s the little details on the Underground that often go unnoticed. At Waterloo, artist Christopher Tipping’s 1987 designs brought monochrome terrazzo floors and screen-printed tiles to the Bakerloo and Northern line platforms.
Do you have a favourite Underground station?
Do you have a favourite Underground station?
October 20, 2025 at 9:35 PM
It’s the little details on the Underground that often go unnoticed. At Waterloo, artist Christopher Tipping’s 1987 designs brought monochrome terrazzo floors and screen-printed tiles to the Bakerloo and Northern line platforms.
Do you have a favourite Underground station?
Do you have a favourite Underground station?
In 1767, midwife Elizabeth Brownrigg lived here. She seemed respectable… until parish officers discovered a tortured apprentice chained in her cellar!
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The Cruel Mistress of Fetter Lane
It’s just another quiet side street off Holborn.
open.substack.com
October 17, 2025 at 6:34 AM
In 1767, midwife Elizabeth Brownrigg lived here. She seemed respectable… until parish officers discovered a tortured apprentice chained in her cellar!
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
London’s black cabs aren’t just transport — they’re tradition.
Each driver masters the Knowledge: 25,000 streets, 320 routes, every shortcut in the city.
But cab numbers are falling fast — can this London icon survive?
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Each driver masters the Knowledge: 25,000 streets, 320 routes, every shortcut in the city.
But cab numbers are falling fast — can this London icon survive?
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
The Knowledge: London’s Living Map in the Mind
If you ask someone to picture London, chances are they’ll conjure up a handful of icons: Big Ben, Tower Bridge, a red bus, and of course, the black taxi.
open.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:54 AM
London’s black cabs aren’t just transport — they’re tradition.
Each driver masters the Knowledge: 25,000 streets, 320 routes, every shortcut in the city.
But cab numbers are falling fast — can this London icon survive?
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
Each driver masters the Knowledge: 25,000 streets, 320 routes, every shortcut in the city.
But cab numbers are falling fast — can this London icon survive?
open.substack.com/pub/tracingl...
They call it The Vase: One Blackfriars, the sculpted glass tower rising by the Thames. Finished in 2019, it divides opinion — beauty or excess? Either way, it’s pure modern London: bold, reflective, and impossible to ignore.
October 8, 2025 at 5:41 AM
They call it The Vase: One Blackfriars, the sculpted glass tower rising by the Thames. Finished in 2019, it divides opinion — beauty or excess? Either way, it’s pure modern London: bold, reflective, and impossible to ignore.
The Tower of London Zoo: A Royal Menagerie
The Tower of London Zoo: A Royal Menagerie
The Tower of London, a formidable fortress steeped in history, has played host to a fascinating chapter in the annals of zoology.
open.substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:39 AM
The Tower of London Zoo: A Royal Menagerie
The Aldwych: London’s Crescent of Secrets
The Aldwych: London’s Crescent of Secrets
History in a Half-Moon
open.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:29 PM
The Aldwych: London’s Crescent of Secrets
The Town of Ramsgate Pub
The Town of Ramsgate Pub
Wapping's Echoes of the Past
open.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 5:38 AM
The Town of Ramsgate Pub
Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Last stop London
open.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 5:33 AM
Judy Garland
Who is George Peabody and why does he have a sculpture in London?
Who is George Peabody and why does he have a sculpture in London?
In the annals of philanthropy and finance, few figures stand as tall as George Peabody.
open.substack.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Who is George Peabody and why does he have a sculpture in London?