Category: History

Restoration Romp

Number 79 Pall Mall is the only one on the south side of the street that does not belong to the Crown Estate. The freehold was given to Nell Gwynn in 1676 and, in her opinion, not before time; ‘Madam Gwinn complains she has no house yett’, reported Sir Joseph Williamson in 1673.

History Isn’t Always Bunk

History often has something to teach us; it’s a matter of opening it at the right page. The up-coming UK referendum about membership of the EU is dividing the country; husband against wife, father against son, step-father against step-daughter.

A Monsignor

I’ve  been asked by a regular reader to mention a famous 20th century scion of the Gilbey family, Monsignor Alfred Gilbey.  To get him in context, Monsignor Gilbey is the grandson of the Alfred Gilbey who founded the firm with his brother, Walter, in 1856. I met him only once that I can remember, when… Continue reading A Monsignor

Pevsner

I was foolish last week when I was walking in Derbyshire. Because, initially, the plan had been to carry our kit I travelled light and left something indispensable at home, namely Pevsner’s The Buildings of England DERBYSHIRE.

In Memoriam

Walking in London I often come across things that are new to me and you may not know about some of them either. A few days ago I was in Grosvenor Square and noticed this wooden pavilion and pergola on the east side, by the Italian embassy.

The Guards Chapel

On a Sunday morning in June 1944 the Guards Chapel was hit by a flying bomb during Matins. The whole building was destroyed, except the apse, and 121 people died.

St Patrick in Soho

In London in the 18th century there was a concerted effort by rich Catholics and the Catholic Church to alleviate the poverty and misery of their less fortunate countrymen. The Benevolent Society of St Patrick (1783) and the older Irish Charitable Society (1704) are manifestations of this, (There’s a Welcome on the Mat), another is… Continue reading St Patrick in Soho