Category: Quirky Page 1 of 26

I couldn’t think of a unifying theme for the blog this week so it’s going to be a collection of items from my various wanderings and travels. I hope you find some of them interesting.

I thought I’d start with the pointy sculpture on the south side of London Bridge …

Created in 1999, apparently its proper name is the Southwark Needle but, strangely, there is no plaque explaining its significance.

This has led to speculation. My favourite theory is based on what you would encounter as you approached London Bridge from the south in earlier, more brutal centuries. This is Claes Von Visscher’s Panorama of London dated around 1600 …

If you look in the bottom right hand corner …

Beheading was a common form of execution at the time and reserved for higher-born individuals since it was swifter and less barbaric than hanging or burning at the stake. Heads also became available when individuals suffered the terrible death of being hanged, drawn and quartered (usually for high treason).

The first head to be displayed in this way was the Scottish patriot and rebel William Wallace in 1305 after he had been hanged, drawn and quartered at Smithfield. Between then and 1678 when the practice was stopped, there was a near-permanent display of decapitated heads grinning down from their spikes that pedestrians would have passed beneath. There was a plentiful supply, a visitor in 1592 counted 34 ‘heads of persons of distinction’.

So one theory was that the spike was a gruesome reference to those times.

In fact, the giant stone splinter is an architectural marker. According to the excellent Look up London blog, it’s actually about following the line of the base of the sculpture. This gestures across the River Thames to St Magnus the Martyr Church which originally marked the North entrance to Old London Bridge …

Nowadays you’re welcomed by a City of London dragon (and maybe a friendly pigeon) …

If you cross the bridge and visit St Magnus, you can stand on the main pedestrian entrance to the old bridge …

As I walked through it I couldn’t help thinking about the thousands and thousands who preceded me. Were they heading into the City to make their fortune perhaps? Or maybe leaving in bitter disappointment.

Back on the bridge, I love the views looking along the Thames, even on a miserable day like this …

Southwark Cathedral with The Strata Building with its three wind turbines in the background.

Some interesting street art …

The Shard reflecting the sky …

Walking north, a building in Moorgate overloaded with symbolism …

Since 1893 this golden lady has been standing at the top of 13-15 Moorgate facing the Bank of England …

Her image is repeated on the side of the building …

This was originally the London headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Assurance Society. The lady comes from its coat of arms (granted in 1885) which show her holding a skull (mortality) in her left hand with a serpent (signifying wisdom) entwined on her right.

The building also incorporates an attractive set of figures representing Prudence, Justice, Truth and Thrift – presumably all Virtues that the Insurer would like to be identified with …

An angel extinguishes a torch …

A common sculpture in Victorian cemeteries. A lit torch normally symbolises life and truth. When an angel turns the torch upside down or puts out the flame, it signifies that the mortal life of the person has come to an end. Could this representation above the door have been intended as an elegant reminder to employees as to why life insurance was important to their customers?

The recent horrendous heat was not nice but there were some nice skies for photography.

This building is on the north side of Finsbury Square …

Formerly Triton Court, it’s now known as the Alphabeta Building. Many years ago I would sometimes travel by train into the now demolished Broad Street Station. As the train approached the terminus I could see from my carriage what looked like a little boy standing on a large ball at the very top of the building. It looked like he was waving at me!

Well, he’s still there …

Now, however, I know the statue standing on top of the globe is Mercury (Hermes) the messenger and God of profitable trade. It’s by James Alexander Stevenson and was completed in the early 1900s. Though it would be impossible to see from the ground it’s apparently – as with all Stevenson’s work – signed with ‘Myrander’ a combination of his wife’s name (Myra) and his middle name (Alexander). Sweet. The renovated building is quite stunning inside as you can see here.

Feeling adventurous, I caught the single decker 214 bus and headed towards Highgate. Here are some of the sights I saw along the way.

Great rogue apostrophe …

On reaching Camden Town, scary tongue symptoms at the Chinese clinic …

Interesting architecture of The Black Cap pub …

The Palladium of Drag! Welcome to all!

Read lots more in this fascinating BBC report here.

As I strolled through Highgate Village …

The cakes look nice too.

The Angel pub with its headless angel …

…and interesting blue plaque …

I love this anecdote from Ray Davies of The Kinks:

“We used to meet up in the Angel. I remember when a woman collapsed outside the pub one night. Graham was a trained doctor and ran out to help. He tore off the woman’s blouse and said don’t worry I’m a doctor, and she said, no you’re not, you’re a comedian!”

Lots of choice at U Dessert …

Card in a shop window that made me laugh …

This also made me smile …

A plaque commemorating a stone step that you can no longer see …

A post box from the reign of King George V (1910-1936) …

I know it’s old but it seems to have taken quite a beating. They must have some fearsome weather up here.

I turned right into Waterlow Park to pay my respects to the wonderful philanthropist Sir Sydney Waterlow …

He is prepared for inclement weather with his umbrella, hat and overcoat. In his left hand he is passing over the keys to the park for everyone’s enjoyment. A ‘garden for the gardenless’ as he put it.

Everyone knows the story of Dick Whittington, the poor lad who against all the odds became Lord Mayor of London. Trudging back home up Highgate Hill, disillusioned after not succeeding in the City, he heard the bells of St Mary-le-Bow ring out with the message “Turn again, Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London!” Gathering up his loyal cat, he headed back the way he had come, and the rest is history. Or not.

Although the story is a total myth, it burned itself into folklore so deeply that the point on Highgate Hill where he supposedly heard the bells is commemorated this charming little memorial …

Carved on the side of the stone facing the road are the dates of Whittington’s Mayoralties, the three Kings he served under and the year he was Sheriff …

It also records that the stone was restored by W Hillier in 1935.

You can read a comprehensive history of the stone and the cat here on the London Remembers website. I recall the cat (made from Irish limestone) being added in 1964 since I walked up the hill almost every day on my way to school. The cat also lives on in the signage of the nearby Whittington Hospital and local pub …

Whilst waiting for the bus home, I encountered this informal tree advertising …

‘Tommy’ will get into trouble if he’s not careful.

Finally, last Sunday, there was a celebration of Carnival at the Barbican …

… and I had the great pleasure of sharing a lift with some of the lovely cast …

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A stroll from Barbican to King’s Cross (and more ducks).

By The City Gent

On 9th July 2026

In Animals, Architecture, Art Deco, Quirky

I’ve put on a ‘bit’ of weight lately and have been told that consistently walking 10,000 steps a day helps weight loss and general health. I don’t know whether that’s true, but it gave me an incentive to get out and explore. I thought walking from the Barbican to King’s Cross should suffice and also give me some blog material, which it duly did.

The first place I paused was Charterhouse Square, home to the lovely Art Deco block of flats called Florin Court, forever destined to be associated with Hercule Poirot’s flat in ‘Whitehaven Mansions’ ..

It has been described as ‘a rare example of a surviving, unaltered Art Deco/Streamline Moderne residential building’ …

Built between 1935 and 1937, the building’s original residents were local businessmen, who often needed to be at Smithfield Market in the early morning. Most of the flats were therefore intended to be bedsits. But for some of the wealthier, permanent residents, there were several attractive amenities including: a restaurant, a cocktail bar, a squash court, and even a parking garage for twenty cars. Flats at the top even had small roof gardens, which are still used today.

The original ground floor lobby had the Charterhouse coat of arms embedded in the marble floor but this area is now carpeted …

The local public space opposite the flats was being prepared for an event …

The classic red phone box nearby has been converted into a ‘Little Free Library’ …

If you know anyone who keeps insisting that London is a ‘very dangerous place’ please refer them to this photograph …

Also on the Square is, of course, The Charterhouse after which it takes its name. The original stone arch and wooden gate, set into the chequered flint and stone wall, are remarkable survivors which have stood here since construction in 1405 …

You can read more about this fascinating institution in my At the Charterhouse blog.

Charterhouse Mews, an atmospheric cobbled alleyway. Notice the stone setts on the ground with solid lines for carriage wheels to run over more comfortably for their occupants. …

I’m pretty sure that the decorations around the alley entrance and the door to the house next door are made of Coade Stone …

You can read more about the entrepreneurial Eleanor Coade in the brilliant Look Up London blog which you will find here.

Smithfield meat market is still operating …

You can read more about the area in three of my blogs – Goodbye Smithfield Market, Smithfield Stories and A more cheerful wander around Smithfield. I have also written more specifically about the pubs in the area in this blog.

My next location was the mysteriously named Greenhill Rents …

You can read more about its name and history in the great Ian Visits blog.

It’s home to our favourite local restaurant, Trattoria Brutto …

Fantastic food with house Negronis for £5. Need I say more?

Cowcross Street was known as ‘Cow Cross’ until the end of the 18th century. You would think that Cow Cross got its name from cows crossing the street on their way to Smithfield market. But that wasn’t it at all. There used to be a large cross, like a big sign, set up where St John Street and Cowcross Street meet. This was the sign for the Smithfield Cow Market, which was a separate market from the main Smithfield Market which also traded in other livestock and horses. The cow market cross gave Cow Cross, and eventually Cowcross Street, their names. The street in 1870 …

Leading off the north side of the street is Peter’s Lane, named after the church which once stood nearby …

The Rookery is a boutique hotel. It was expanded in 1996/7 and a new brick tower was constructed. Artists Mark Merer and Lucy Glendenning cast several bulls’ and cows’ heads in glass-reinforced resin and placed them into the gables of the tower. It’s well worth strolling down the lane and having a look …

Peter’s Lane in 1867 …

Across the road back in Cowcross Street is Bouchon Racine, just voted the UK Restaurant of the Year …

If you manage to get a booking, see if you can get a table in the small terrace overlooking the street.

Farringdon Station moved to its current location on 23 December 1865 when the Metropolitan Railway opened an extension to Moorgate. It was renamed Farringdon & High Holborn on 26 January 1922 when the new building by the architect Charles Walter Clark facing Cowcross Street was opened, and its present name was adopted on 21 April 1936 …

From mid-1914, the Metropolitan Railway introduced its own version of the Underground roundel. This originally appeared as a blue station name plate across a red diamond and the diamond is still there, above the entrance …

The Zeppelin Building is a historic Victorian warehouse-style office space located at 59-61 Farringdon Road …

On September 8, 1915, the site was levelled by a German Zeppelin bombing. It was rebuilt two years later by John Phillips and a commemorative plaque recalls the event …

The building encloses an entrance to ‘The Drill Hall’ dated 1887 …

Designed by architect Alfred J. Hopkins, it was built between 1887 and 1888 for the War Office as the headquarters of the 2nd City of London Rifle Volunteer Corps. In 1908, the volunteer corps became the 6th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment, also known as the City of London Rifles. At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the battalion assembled and mobilised at the drill hall before departing for service on the Western Front. During the war, the building itself suffered damage in the 8 September Zeppelin raid …

During the mid-1930s, the City of London Rifles relocated as part of an anti-aircraft reorganisation, leaving the drill hall vacant. After the Second World War, the building became home to the 167th and 168th City of London Field Ambulance units of the Royal Army Medical Corps. It remained in military use until 1967, when another reorganisation led to its closure.

Today, much of the hall has been carefully restored …

An amusing warning sign that made me smile …

The Betsey Trotwood Pub …

Built in 1865 as The Butchers Arms, it was renamed in 1983 after the Charles Dickens character from David Copperfield. It was one of the first buildings constructed above the new Metropolitan Railway extension, sitting over tunnels for both the Underground and Thameslink lines. Some memorabilia from the pub website, ‘London’s only pub in the middle of the road’!

I reach the point where Farringdon Road seamlessly merges into King’s Cross Road.

Mount Pleasant Post Office has an important place in the history of postal services in the United Kingdom and its Mail Centre is one of Royal Mail’s largest and busiest sorting offices. For many years it has handled millions of letters and parcels, connecting people and businesses across the UK and around the world …

In 2017 Royal Mail sold off much of the site for redevelopment and I passed these new apartments on my walk …

If you need ventilation shafts on a development once linked to Royal Mail, what better than to make them look like pillar boxes …

The Union Tavern which dates from 1878 …

A face appears to emerge from the brickwork …

The sign reads:

THIS IS BAGNIGGE HOUSE NEARE THE PINDER A WAKEFEILDE 1680

The London historian Peter Jackson identified this tablet as the oldest piece of street advertising in the capital …

You can read more in the great London Inheritance blog website.

Having been captivated by the World Cup recently, I can’t help but think that the person represented in the tablet looks a lot like the brilliant Manchester City and Norway international footballer Erling Haaland …

Wacky signs in an optician’s window …

And by the door …

Redundant Police Station …

… and, next door, a redundant Courthouse …

The Victorians routinely built magistrates’ courts physically attached or immediately adjacent to police stations. This combined approach—often referred to as a “lock-up and justice room”—was an administrative strategy to ensure suspects could be held in the police cells overnight and marched directly into court the next morning without logistical complications.

Derby Lodge, in nearby Britannia Street, is a Grade II listed block of Victorian-era social housing. Originally built around 1865 by the Improved Industrial Dwellings Company, these six-storey philanthropic tenement buildings were designed to provide quality housing for working-class railway families …

I really enjoyed looking at these models on display at a local architects’ firm …

London is full of spooky little alleyways …

Finally my destination looms into view …

The St Pancras Station and Hotel. How extraordinary to think that there were once plans to demolish this building …

Looking at its design, it still seems strange that the King’s Cross Station building is actually older than the St Pancras one (1852 versus 1868) …

I was once told that the King’s Cross ‘Lighthouse’ was built by a retired sea captain to remind him of his career …

For its true history, do read this London Inheritance blog.

According to my Smartphone that was a walk of 9,800 steps, so now I’m perfectly justified in taking the Tube home (it must be at least 200 steps from Tube to flat!).

Out for a paddle with mum. The Barbican ducklings are growing up and thriving …

And now a different variety of quackers.

I spent the weekend in the lovely village of Chiseldon and, when going to buy a paper, I looked up and saw a thatched roof with a delightful decoration …

Initially there was a pigeon who looked like he wanted to join in …

And then proceeded to show no respect whatsoever …

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Post-it Man, tube moquettes, amazing murals and more …

By The City Gent

On 9th April 2026

In Quirky

Yes, readers, it’s another quirky blog. As is occasionally the case when I run out of ideas based on the City, I went out wandering just to see what I came across.

Walking towards Moorgate Station from the Barbican highwalk past the offices on the right, I spotted what I have named Post-it Man since he seems to be covered in, err, Post-it notes …

A little further on this office looks posititively cosy with its delightful hanging baskets and pot plants plus some jolly bunting …

Reaching for the sky …

I was heading for West Hampstead to do a bit of exploring which meant getting a Metropolitan Line train to Finchley Road and then changing onto the Jubilee Line for one stop.

I grabbed a picture of the Metropolitan Line seat moquette. You can tell people prefer to sit by the window…

Jubilee Line moquette …

This design actually has a name, it’s called Barman. It incorporates London landmarks including the London Eye, Big Ben, Tower Bridge and St Paul’s. It’s named after Christian Barman, Royal Designer for Industry (1898 – 1980) who was London Transport’s Publicity Offcer and was responsible for many elements of Underground design, including commissioning moquette for the system in 1936. Incidentally, the word moquette comes from the French word for carpet.

Just south of West Hampstead Station is a road I couldn’t remember exploring before so I headed off down it towards Kilburn …

Apparently the Sherriff family owned land around here which they sold off when the arrival of the Metropolitan railway in 1879 opened the opportunity for development.

Note the post box …

Edward VII post boxes, produced between 1901 and 1910, are identified by the Edward VII cypher with “VII” tucked into the lower curl of the “E”. These are much rarer than Victorian examples and this is the first one I can remember seeing.

You can see the name of the maker, ‘Handyside. Derby & London’ …

Andrew Handyside was a Glaswegian who took over the Britannia Foundry in Derby in 1848. The castings manufactured by the firm were renowned all over the world for their strength and quality. Post boxes were only a small part of their output. Civil engineering was a specialty, including bridges, piers and railway station roofs. They also made ornamental ironwork such as fountains and lamp standards. In 1853 they made their first post box securing a contract in 1879 to supply large quantities. They continued to manufacture all varieties of post box into the early 20th Century.

The man himself …

Opposite the post box is a nice piece of street art …

Next door, a typical ‘new’ development linked to the arrival of the railway, probably flats …

Cat and flowers …

I can understand why people got rid of the old sash windows but I still think it’s a shame.

At first I thought this front garden was a bit of a mess then I realised it was a planned work of art …

Sherriff Road leads to Netherwood Street on which can be found the Webheath Estate with its wonderful murals and the first one I encountered was this beautiful, authentic looking lady.

Nobody told June Rose Barber just how big the spot of painting close to her flat in Kilburn was going to be. So the 86-year-old was understandably a little startled to see a giant mural of herself on the wall of Webheath …

As the longest remaining tenant on the estate in Netherwood Street, she had unwittingly volunteered for an art project with her face vividly brought to life by artist Smug 1 of the Global Art Collective.

“Oh my god when I set eyes on it I thought ‘good grief!”, June told the New Journal. “I had got a cryptic note about volunteering for help with ‘painting a wall’. I thought it was going to be a little image in the corner somewhere. I thought I’d be under a twig, but I’d say I was two buses high.”

Here she is in person …

You can read the full interview with her here (highly recommended).

The Estate became one of the key locations for the 2020 London Mural Festival and you can read more about the murals and view a wide range of pictures here.

Here are some of the other images I took …

Painters from Andrew Werdna …

Master lettering from Mr Christa …

On Netherwood Street, another post box, this time a 1970s cylindrical one …

On to Kilburn High Road. The thoroughfare originated as an ancient trackway, part of a Celtic route between the settlements now known as Canterbury and St Albans. Under Roman rule, the route was paved and in Anglo-Saxon times the road became known as Watling Street (from the Old English Wæcelinga Stræt). From the 1130s Kilburn emerged as a popular resting point for pilgrims heading for the shrines at St Albans and Willesden.

Nowadays it is dominated by the building that was once the State Cinema. It was designed by architect George Coles and opened on 20 December 1937, originally commissioned by the Hyams brothers and operated by Gaumont. With seating for over 4,000 people, it was the largest cinema auditorium in England and among the biggest in Europe at the time.

The building’s striking Art Deco design included a 120-foot tower inspired by New York’s Empire State Building …

The opening night was a major event with huge crowds. The programme had the band of the Grenadier Guards and featured major stars of the day: Gracie Fields, George Formby, Henry Hall, Vic Oliver and Larry Adler …

Circa 1938 …

Inside, the cinema was lavishly decorated in an Italian Renaissance style. Images from Stories of London …

The foyer with its grand chandelier …

There was also incororated a large Wurlitzer organ, reflecting the grandeur of interwar picture palaces. The organ console …

Some other famous performers …

The Beatles, sitting on the stairs in the State …

Buddy Holly and the Crickets …

On 25 May 1958 Jerry Lee Lewis played the second night of his UK tour at the State. But that day the press headlines revealed he had married his 13 year old cousin Myra. Some of the audience screamed for his big hit ‘Great Balls of Fire’, others shouted ‘Go home cradle snatcher!’ The noise was so loud Lewis stopped the show and walked off. The tour had to be abandoned and the subsequent media storm ruined Jerry’s career for many years.

Jerry Lee Lewis with his young wife Myra, May 1958 …

With the rising popularity of TV, the number of people going out to films declined. In September 1957, some seats in the State cinema were removed to provide a ballroom, and the Victor Sylvester dance studio. About 1960 the main cinema was reduced further to 2,800 seats and the building divided to form a bingo hall. A second smaller film screen was added in 1975. The main cinema closed in September 1980 and the smaller screen the following year. After a gap of several years, the smaller cinema became the Odeon Kilburn from 1985 to June 1990. After which the State was only used for Top Rank bingo. Later this became the Mecca bingo club which closed in 2007. The building was sold in December 2007 to Ruach Ministries reputedly for £5.5M. They opened it in 2009 and are still there today.

The more modestly proportioned Kiln Theatre …

A relic of times gone by …

Very typical Victorian facades …

Great ‘ghost sign’ for Gillette matches …

The Kingsgate Estate, just off the High Road …

Around the back, give people a little bit of space and security and they will create a garden …

A word about street signs. Victorian ceramic street signs, often referred to as tilework or enamelled porcelain signs, are a characteristic feature of the London Borough of Camden, particularly in areas surrounding NW6 and the nearby NW3 (Hampstead). These signs typically feature individual ceramic tile letters or enamel plates often framed in wood, which were common in the late 19th century. These are some that I came across in my walk …

I love the detail in the pointing hand …

Finally, what is it about the Barbican that makes it so ideal for growing cacti?

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Category: Quirky Page 1 of 26

What’s the point? The spike on London Bridge and other miscellany.

A stroll from Barbican to King’s Cross (and more ducks).

Post-it Man, tube moquettes, amazing murals and more …