Alan Turing (1912-1954)
A war hero and a victim of prejudice Alan Turing Blue Plaque Alan Mathison Turing was born in 1912 in a nursing home in Maida Vale, west London close to…
The Myth that made Millions
The Story of Belgravia Belgravia was indeed a Myth that made Millions. It was a fabricated name to which various attributes of grandeur were given, through sales-speak and word of…
James Figg by William Hogarth painting sold by Christies
My mate Jimmy at the NPG has done a runner
When Westminster Guide Jonathan Grun popped into the National Portrait Gallery to renew an old acquaintance, he discovered that his old friend had disappeared. Now he is looking for a…
St James's Square, London
St James’s Square: Henry Jermyn’s field of dreams
From the start a desirable area to live, St James's was close to both the royal palace and Westminster and so handy both for courtiers and politicians. But how did Henry Jermyn get his hands on what had been St James's fields?
St James's Underground station, Broadway, London, facing the building that housed the Cipher School in the 1920s and 1039s
Westminster’s code breakers
Mark Lubienski shines a light onto the secret world of the cryptanalysts whose wartime successes in deciphering Nazi communications inspired the film the Imitation Game
Pepys' House, 12 Buckingham Street, on background map of area
Working from home with Samuel Pepys
Take a stroll down Buckingham Street with David Mullany to check out the view from Sam's 17th century home office and learn about the street's many other illustrious residents
Horse Guards Parade from the gates of St James's Park
The gateway to a fairy kingdom?
Dugald Sandeman once worked in an office with a view – one of Horse Guards Parade where, against the backdrop of the elegant and graceful Guard House, the annual ceremony to mark the sovereign’s birthday takes place every June
Milicent Fawcett statue unveiling, 24 April 2018, Parliament Square, London
A woman’s place is in Parliament Square
Women in the UK did not gain universal suffrage until 1928, but the first milestone was reached in 1918, when some women became eligible to vote. On the centenary of this first victory, Parliament Square made way for a statue of a woman to commemorate the many who fought to secure universal suffrage
Party at Sir Joshua Reynolds', NPG
A London peculiarity: men only need apply
The Garrick Club, which has been going for almost two centuries, enabled respectable gentlemen to mix with the acting fraternity, not generally considered reputable members of society in Victorian times
Sepia illustration of old cinema projector
A retro gem in Regent Street
What started out as a pioneering theatre that used optical illusions in its plays became the first cinema in Britain to show films to the paying public in the 1890s. Today, it's a place to enjoy a good film amid its art deco interior and occasionally listen to a tune played on its unique organ