“It has been for years, the cherished wish of the writer of these pages to make the Tower of London the groundwork of a Romance,” wrote William Harrison Ainsworth in 1840, introducing his novel, “The ...

When I discovered “The Tower of London” by William Harrison Ainsworth I was captivated by George Cruikshank’s illustrations, realising that not only had this favourite of mine amongst nineteenth ...

‘My route into the Blues Dances began in the mid-seventies when I ventured into a newly opened reggae record shop by Plumstead station. The shop was tiny, an end-of-row one-storey triangle barely six ...

Benjamin Pollock’s Toy Shop at 73 Hoxton Market was destroyed by bombing in 1944 but this autumn its magical interior is reimagined at Dennis Severs’ House from 4th October until 10th November.

Thirty years ago, eighteen wooden plates and bowls were recovered from a silted-up well in Spitalfields. One of the largest discoveries of medieval wooden vessels ever made in this country, they are ...

The facts of the life of Harry T. Harmer (1927-2013) are scarce yet his distinctive paintings speak eloquently of his personal vision. Born in Kennington, Harry was afflicted with epilepsy and married ...

As September draws to a close and autumn closes in, I get the urge to go to ground, hiding myself away in some remote cabin and not straying from the fireside until spring shows again. With this in ...

There is currently a posthumous exhibition of work by former Contributing Photographer Colin O’Brien at Chats Palace, 42-44 Brooksby’s Walk, E9 6DF. Colin had an affinity with young people and this ...