Pedestrianisation Project on the Strand Aldwych
As part of our series on the Pedestrianisation of the Strand Aldwych we Q +A with Cannon Ivers (@realm) , ahead of the project as the Landscape Architect and Director of LDA Design (@ldadesign.) based in London. Please comment below with your ideas about the project and keep in touch, as more pedestrianisation voices are…
Read MoreSipping in London
I left the train station and walked past the Savoy theatre, recalling memories of watching ‘Dreamboats and Petticoats’ with Mum and Dad, pre-London lockdown. I remembered, the crowd went wild for the appearance of Hank Marvin in the audience, although I was too young to know who he was; Dad educated me. Crossing the road,…
Read MoreVoices from the Strand: Ben Riley @ Primal Media TV
As part of our ongoing series ‘Voices from the Strand’, where Strandlines visits and talks to businesses, institutions and people in the Strand, we present a conversation between Ben Riley, Head of Development @ Primal Media TV, and Tristan Tetteroo editor at Strandlines . Ben Riley was so kind as to share his time with us…
Read MoreTourists on the Strand in the 1860s: A whirlwind tour from New York to the Temple Bar
Introduction: On July 1st 1867, American journalists published their reports of traveling through London back in the United States. A Brooklyn-based newspaper called the Circular (1851-1870) was printing the series named, “Journal of European Travel.” Where we can view London, as if a tourist, from over 150 years ago! What might surprise you is how…
Read MoreGeorge E. Street’s Royal Courts of Justice: architectural visions of the Strand
In 1873, George E. Street began building his most visible architectural project: the Royal Courts of Justice. The project, which required eleven years of construction, became one of his last, as Street did not live to see the Courts completed in 1882. According to Street’s son, the New Law Courts project, as it was called…
Read MoreThe Island Churches of the Strand
Many King’s students have likely passed the ‘Island Churches’ of the Strand as they make the pilgrimage from Somerset House to the Maughan Library. Likewise, many Strand dwellers may recognise their spires from afar, perhaps unaware of their history. Just a few minutes walk separate St Mary le Strand, located between Bush House and the…
Read MoreSculptor John Flaxman and his wife Nancy move to 420 Strand
In the autumn of 1794, the sculptor John Flaxman and his wife Nancy returned from their seven-year stay in Rome. They lodged, temporarily, with Flaxman’s father in his house at 420 Strand, between Bedford Street and where the Adelphi Theatre would be built a little more than a decade later. His father, who moulded and sold…
Read MoreGeorge Gissing’s London: A walk from Battersea park to Trafalgar Square
Introduction George Gissing was an English novelist in the 19th century, part of the Naturalism literary movement. His books The Nether World, New Grub Street, and The Odd Women were all set in London. The latter of these is from where we draw inspiration today. The Odd Women (1893) focuses on the role of women in…
Read MoreStranded Series: Sophia Barone, Temple Brew House
In December last year I shared a short account of Sotiris Polyzopoulos’s experience of pandemic working life. He reflected on how the rhythms of life have changed, from the busy office at the Strand to seeing miniatures of his colleagues on Zoom. Despite important developments such as vaccines being now administered, many of us have…
Read MoreTo the Friendship of English Speaking Peoples
February is LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK! Strandlines invites contributions from past and present Strand-dwellers, visitors, and dreamers all year round, however, we launched a call this year for contributions to mark the History Month. The story below was contributed by Tam Lin. Thank you for sharing your own ‘strand’ with us! We are…
Read More