Never read about it, never noticed the street sign on the hundreds of times I’ve walked past it on my way to and from work.
There’s no neighbourhood guide in Time Out, it’s not in any blogs. Google’s results are equally sparse: the first result is an article from 2006.
But I found myself in this quiet street between Angel and Kings Cross on Tuesday evening and immediately got that odd, uniquely London sense of going back in time.
It was in the stone work of the school, the corner window of a deli, the chemist with elaborate lettering on the brown and gold sign. A few doors up, a vintage shop called Pennies had big news tacked to the door: a book swap had finally arrived.
I was looking for a stationery shop called Quill, because a few weeks ago I joined their London Letters Club. It’s this project bringing strangers who like sending actual real handwritten post together – and within 10 minutes of seeing it on Instagram, I’d parted with £30, ticked the box marked “pair me with someone”, and arranged to pick up my member’s pack from the shop.
Even hidden behind scaffolding, Quill is still the sort of shop that makes you not so much want, as need everything in it, immediately, all at once. The assistant hands me my order and introduces herself, then we stand for a few minutes and chat.
I tell her I didn’t expect to find this little writing shop so close to work, on this oddly traditional, village-like street. But then thinking about it later, I think perhaps it fits nicely: vaguely old school and unexpected is pretty much everything that letter writing is.
After I’ve collected my supplies, I pass a sleepy looking pub on the corner and begin the walk home towards Angel, past a gated square and church.
But the feeling of this street – the school, the shops – has intrigued me, so when I get home, I look it up. I find out that the school is 318 years old, and where Charles Dickens did penny readings for the poor. That the sleepy pub used to be pretty famous; poets and writers once brought the house down at a night called Vox ‘n’ Roll.
London is full of these little places, tugs back in time, hidden communities you don’t expect. And streets with pubs where a member of the Pogues once slept upstairs, and Pete Doherty worked behind the bar, serving Irvine Welsh and Johnny Depp.
This post originally appeared in my weekly newsletter, along with links to some really good stuff on the internet, and a list of things to do in London that weekend. Sign up below, if you like.
Open House London is on my extensive list of things I keep meaning to do in London.
On Saturday 16th to Sunday 17th September 2017 you – a mere citizen, the public generale, the riff raff – get free access and tours of 800 of the city’s best buildings, across every London borough, for a whole weekend.
And every year it comes along – an event that is quite literally right up my street in every sense of the phrase – and I think “god, that sounds good. I really should do that”. And then the idea of queues and planning ahead and keeping things reasonably sensible the night before usually conspires against me, and another year passes.
But not this year, bitches. Not this time around. This year I’ve gone to great lengths: I even signed up to be a volunteer. I have no idea what this will require me to do, hopefully nothing too energetic because, you know, Sunday. But I’ve just gone through all 800 to try and pick my slot.
So while I decide, here’s my shortlist of places I would 100% go along to either because I’ve been there before and they’re really cool, or I’ve always fancied having a nose around.
This place is pretty close to where I grew up, in Pinner. I’ve walked our dogs past this seemingly abandoned old, timber framed house thousands of times since I was a kid, and have always wanted to go inside it. Now they’ve restored it and you actually can – so please can someone, anyone, please go inside and tell me what it’s like.
If you know anything about the city’s livery companies, you’ll know these halls are really bloody special. They’re proper fancy. I’ve only been inside Ironmongers Hall, but if Draper’s Hall is anything like that, you’ll bloody love it.
I had to include one of the big mega popular ones on the list (there’s 10 Downing Street, the Gherkin and a few others which get loads of demand) and out of all of them, this would be my choice. To be honest, it’s worth just entering the ballot because mate, you’re not getting up there any other way, and the view’s meant to be banging.
“London’s finest surviving Elizabethan Hall” sounds pretty special, doesn’t it? Nip off round the back of Fleet Street and it’s a bit like going into olden times. Double points if you wear a barrister wig while you’re having a look around.
Looks grotty from the outside, but I seem to remember an ex of mine going to an event there years ago and coming home pissed, telling me how beautiful it was so it’s probably worth a look. Most intrigued by the “rabbit warren of basement rooms”, tbh. Love a good warren.
There’s a really cool mosaic on the ceiling, and if you do a funny handshake, they might let you see it. Just kidding, you don’t need to know the handshake. I bet you a hundred quid that you’ve walked past this massive building round the back of Covent Garden about 90 times and either never noticed it or casually wondered what’s inside before forgetting about it and doing something else.
If you’ve never been to a gig at this quite frankly insanely Instagrammable chapel in Islington, then I’m really not sure what you’ve been doing with your social media feeds because those stain glass windows aren’t going to wait forever, honey. Atmospheric and lovely, this place. Also does a decent cuppa tea.
Want to see one, not two, not three, but TWELVE types of Italian marble and a weirdly hypnotic zodiac style ceiling? Course you do. They found this incredibly ornate temple, hidden behind a fake wall, so imagine what’s hiding behind that plaster wall in your HOUSE. Ok, probably nothing. But this room looks beaut.
*Fun Jo Fact*: when I had my driving lessons, we used to go past Harrow School and see all the boys wearing top hats and tails in the winter. This is another place I’ve just always been a bit curious about since I was little. And apparently this is the best preserved 17th century school room in the country. So yeah, worth a look probably.
11. Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, Southwark
Creepy or not creepy? Creepy or not creepy? Can’t lie, I am so up for looking around this 19th century operating theatre, because it’s in an attic and you know those Victorians were into some weird medical stuff, so imagine what they got up to in this attic. FYI: I have no idea what a Herb Garret is.
Another one that I’ve walked past a zillion times, and would never guess that there’s this amazing gold wooden ornate looking chapel inside. Also you get to see the original foundations of the original Tudor Somerset House, which sounds like it might be fun.
This station is a bonafide nightmare to find your way out of, and smashed full of tourists looking confused, but it’s also got some really nice little features. Like, have you ever noticed the really weird world clock on the wall? No? There you go then, time for a tour.
Ok, visiting sewage stations would not normally be My Bag, but this place will definitely get you into your Victorian decorative ironwork if, indeed you are not already into it. Honestly, looks cool. And almost certainly doesn’t smell of poop, if that swings it.
I’ve never *ducks* been *ducks* to the *ducks* Serpentine Pavilion *ducks*, which is ridiculous because they change it every year and it’s meant to be really posh and great. Design people, your time.
This is just one of those buildings I saw on the list and a) never even knew it existed and b) thought BLIMEY LOOK AT THE INSIDE OF THAT BADBOY. It’s so GOLD.
Today, in Words I Never Thought I’d Say: Ohmygodddd, this church is amazing. The crypt is beautiful, and this place survived the Great Fire of London and WWII. Well, sort of. It got a bit bombed, but seriously. Great church.
This one’s here for my dad, who I’m pretty sure would spend about an hour looking at the chopping blocks or whatever. He’s a butcher, and this is an original Victorian butcher’s shop with lots of original fittings. I’m also putting it here as as test to see if he makes it to the end of one of my blog posts.
Open: Saturday and Sunday, 10am – 7pm
Are you going to Open House? Have you been? Any tips for a newbie?
If you are, let me know and when I know when I’m volunteering you can come and harass me. I hope they give me a tabard and a whistle.
As the rain tips down on London for another day, it’s safe to say: this summer’s almost over.
Bad news for anyone ambitious enough to suggest a picnic any time soon, but good news for the UK’s female population, who have just been granted another month’s free pass to Tightsville. HOLLA!
Anyway, aside from being able to shield the world from my paley legs, the weather also means I’ve been going to the cinema rather a lot lately. Seriously, I’ll pretty much watch anything these days, as long as it doesn’t mean chucking £20 towards a pretty soulless Vue or Odeon. In short, it’s all about the independents.
So in the interests of spreading the film love, here are three bloody good cinemas you should probably go to when the weather’s crap. Or even if it’s not. Also, I’m being a bit fluid with the “independent” tag on some of them, but they’re all excellent. Trust me.
1. The Prince Charles Cinema
Tucked away round the back of everyone’s favourite tourist trap, Leicester Square, this is where film nuts gather to sing along to Team America, attend Labyrinth themed masked balls hosted by David Bowie look-a-likes, and hunker down in the back row to watch an afternoon screening of films that have just left the multiplex round the corner. They do breakfast clubs and bacon sarnies on Sundays, double bills, themed all nighters (I went to a horror marathon once, it was great) and documentary screenings, Q&As, the lot. this place is hands down one of my favourite places to spend an afternoon in London.
I highly recommend becoming a member (£10 for the year, £50 life), also theirs is a brilliant Twitter account to follow.
It’s a little more expensive than my beloved PCC, and it will require you to brave Portobello Road, but any cinema this comfortable is definitely a goer. Seriously, there’s a bar at the back of the room so if the film’s bad, just make use of the wine holder between the seats. It’s all about the little features in this place, like the old skool ticket booth, and forget flip seats – we’re talking armchairs and footrests. Basically, this is one of the comfiest cinemas I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch a crap film in. Also, pro tip: hire one of the sofas at the back and prepare to hit First. Date. Gold. You’re welcome.
Hiding out next to Boots on Baker Street is this little gem, part of the Everyman mini-chain dotted around London and surrounds. I was well impressed with this one. We went to see Moonrise Kingdom – 5 second review: Go see it. Go. Now! Now! – and found comfortable seats complete with little tables to rest your posh-o glass bottles of water on, in a nice small screening room. It all felt so swish that I even bought popcorn (I never buy popcorn). It wasn’t just any popcorn, though. They had some mad Worcester Sauce and sun dried tomato concoction going on, which we devoured an entire box of before the film had even started. Now that’s popcorn.
My local cinema is one of London’s oldest. They’re also currently fundraising for a second screen, so chuck some money their way if you can. It’s a proper historic cinema which has this really nice, old school atmosphere inside. They show a really big selection here: new releases, and live events. Once I saw a screening of Hamlet being live streamed from the Barbican. Plus all the food and drink inside is local and reasonably priced, so they encourage you to buy from there rather than bringing your own in.
I’m not sure I could bang on about this cinema much more. And alright, the Curzon isn’t strictly speaking an independent cinema – it’s a national chain – but within this Bloomsbury branch of the Curzon is the Bertha Dochouse. That’s a small screening room that only shows documentaries. The seats are really comfortable and if you’re a member, you get 15% off food and drink, discounts on tickets, and access to free screenings and previews.
Rich Mix is a community charity that holds events, dance, gigs, and also has a cinema upstairs. Which means whenever you go and see a film there, you’re basically helping to make this bit of east London a more culturally rich place. Which is good, innit? They show a good mix (ha!) of films here: new releases, family specials, and events – including National Theatre screenings. So if you can’t make it to an actual theatre, there’s a chance you can catch it here.
There are two screening rooms at the Institute of Contemporary Art on the Mall. You probably won’t see the Queen there, but you will see a fairly niche selection of art house, indie and retrospectives being shown. One cinema seats just 45 people, so it’s a nice spot if the idea of a huge Odeon makes you a bit nervous.
