In and Around London... West Of The Bars

Monday is mute on the London Walks Blog (well, almost mute) – because Monday is the day when we post five images captured in and around London by London Walks Guides, London Walkers and Facebook friends. Collated on a theme or an area, if you've got some great shots of our capital and want to join in send your pictures to the usual address.




This week’s shot were captured near the start of the West Of the Bars walk on Saturday 20th January. They are the work of London Walker Tony Makepeace who has a number of albums captured on London Walks at his Flickr page. You can view his pics HERE.

Thanks for shooting – and thanks letting us post them here on our blog Tony!

London Spy 290112

Five Headlines.

Five Stories.

Five Minutes.


The Daily Constitutional's Round Up Of London In The News.


SHOWBIZ: Diamonds Are For Never Say Spice Girls? Daily Mirror

ROYALS: Baby On Hold Until After Olympics, Jubilee? Daily Mail

FASHION: Stella McCartney at Selfridges – Vogue

FOOD: Save Gabi’s Deli! – Daily Telegraph

LANDMARKS: Bollards of London Reaches 200! – www.bollardsoflondon.co.uk

Thanks To All London Walkers...

...who joined us on the Free Walks this weekend in association with Walk London.

This cheery bunch (above) are pictured at the end of this morning's Subterranean London walk.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tenter Ground: The Saturday Street

The Saturday Street is our weekly series in which we unlock the stories behind the names of London's famous thoroughfares. It's compiled by London Walks guide Karen – listed by Travel + Leisure magazine as The World's Greatest Tour Guide. You can find Karen on Saturdays guiding her Old Westminster and British Museum walks. If you've got a London street query or suggestion, email Karen at the usual address


Tenter Ground E1
Location: Spitalfields


The name is derived from an area once used for drying newly manufactured cloth. The wet fabric was hooked on to frames called tenters and stretched tight so that it would dry flat. It is from this process that the phrase “to be on tenterhooks”, i.e. the feeling of being suspended in a sense of great tension, is derived.

Tenter Ground is in Spitalfields an area famed for its weaving and cloth making heritage.

London Spy 270112

Five Headlines.

Five Stories.

Five Minutes.


The Daily Constitutional's Round Up Of London In The News.



DESIGN: Classic Underground Poster – Going Underground Blog

TRAVEL: Air Fares – Beware The Tax – USA Today

PHILOSOPHY: Atheist Temple For London – The Guardian

MUSEUMS: Commonwealth Institute Revived as New Design Museum – World Architecture News

LONDON LANDMARKS: Rio De Janeiro In North London? – The Daily Mirror

Something For The Weekend…

Bombing with Banksy and Co. – Graffiti & Street Art in Shoreditch takes place at 10.45 am on Sunday, January 29th. Meet Pepe outside the Bishopsgate exit of Liverpool StreetTube.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE at www.walks.com

Plaque of the Week No.104: Bentley

You've seen them all over the city: discs, tablets, cameos and plaques commemorating the great and the good of London Town. Friday is our new day for tracking down London plaques (Blue or otherwise) and putting them centre stage on the Daily Constitutional. This week…




No. 104. The Bentley

Where: Chagford Steet, NW1 (Baker Street Underground)

It’s not often that we celebrate cars on The Daily Constitutional – traffic being the mortal enemy of the London Walks guide.

But we make an exception for a British classic.

Walter Owen Bentley made his name in the world of engines during the First World War when he powered such famous aeroplanes as the Sopwith Camel. In 1919 he came down to earth with the launch of the first Bentley motor car, built right here in London.

London-made Bentleys went on to win the Le Mans 24 from 1927 – 1930.

Our Favourite Shops No.4

Every Thursday we bring you The Daily Constitutional guide to the best of London shopping – independent, one man- and one-woman bands, unique boutiques, singular emporia and London institutions.

These are our favourite shops. To nominate your favourite shop for inclusion send us an email with a short description and a brief reason why you think it is the best shop in London.


The Button Queen

What: Buttons, buttons and more buttons

Where: 76 Marylebone Lane W1

Why: What links the following: Domed; Half ball; High ball; Double flats; Madeleine?

Architectural terms? Sports jargon? Cocktails?

None of the above, thanks for asking. They’re all button coverings.

London has one shop specializing in antique and modern buttons – The Button Queen in Marylebone. Establishments such as The Button Queen remind us why Johnson’s oft-abused dictum – “for in London there is all that life can afford” – gets trotted out after every meal and twice before bedtime.

A shop dedicated entirely to buttons. What a delight.

A London institution, the business moved to Marlborough Court just off Carnaby Street in the late 60’s under the auspices of Toni Frith, the original Button Queen. Moves to St Christopher’s Place and latterly Marylebone Lane followed, as did celebrity clientele such as Shirley Bassey and Bob Hope.

Still going strong, you can find The Button Queen at 76 Marylebone Lane W1U 2PR. Call them on 0207 935 1505 or visit their website www.thebuttonqueen.co.uk.

Keep it in mind. And next time the conversation turns to matters of haberdashery, you can say, “I know just the place” with a great deal of satisfaction.

Five Headlines.

Five Stories.

Five Minutes.


The Daily Constitutional's Round Up Of London In The News.


SHOPPING: Special Offers At the V&A Shop – V&A E-Newsletter

RESTAURANT REVIEW: East At 34 – The Guardian

EXHIBITIONS: Animal art At The Grant Museum – Culture 24

BEER: Help Find A Home For Truman’s Beer! – Truman’s Beer Website

SPORT: Synthetic Pitch For Saracens Rugby? – Daily Telegraph

Après Walk

Here's an example of a new feature that's going to be worked into the weave of the "mothership" - www.walks.com - and that should prove more than a little useful for London Walkers. Called Après Walk - or in Tom's case here Après le tour - it's a quick, guide-written "guide" to a few of the local possibilities (refreshment, cultural, etc.) in the neighbourhood where any given London Walk finishes. This is the one Tom's banged out for Après his Tuesday morning Behind Closed Doors walk (which goes at 10.30 am from Covent Garden Tube).


Après le tour
 
Behind Closed Doors
Nearby Fleet Street is littered with lunch opportunities, including three famous pubs. Ye Old Bank of England, now a pub, was once a branch of the Bank, located close to the law courts allegedly so they could get the Government its money when it won caes. It's close to the fabled site of Sweeney Todd's barber shop and naturally has a good range of pies. Further along is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese where Charles Dickens raised a glass or two and Le Coq tavern. El Vino wine bar looks as if it could have come out of Rumpole of the Old Bailey whilst off the beaten track in Carey Street, behind the Courts, is the little Seven Stars which is a 'gastro-pub', 410 years old this year.

For additional cultural experiences, a short distance away is Somerset House, home to the Courtauld Institute, one of the best small galleries in Europe. Its renowned collection includes famous worked by Manet, van Gogh, Gaugin, Monet and Degas.  Close by why not also visit the spectacularly restored 19th century Kings College, Chapel?