Going underground
London’s famous underground railway system, colloquially known as ‘The Tube’, is the oldest and probably best known in the world, having opened in 1863. The ‘London Metropolitan Railway’ ran from Paddington in the West to Farringdon in the City of London, beneath the increasingly congested streets of the UK capital.
The growth of London and its burgeoning population led to various innovative tunnels, bridges and relief roads in the years that followed. A major bottleneck in central London has always been around Holborn which is effectively a crossroads of North/South, East/West routes.
Public transport above ground in the form of buses and trams became clogged around this junction and so an innovative solution was sought. The Kingsway Tram Tunnelprovided just such an answer. Trams at the time were both single and double decker and this marvel of Edwardian engineering could cope with both. It opened on February 24, 1906, and, for decades, trams could avoid the busy junction, plunging underground near the British Museum and emerging close to Covent Garden.
Sadly, with perceived changes in travel needs, the tunnel closed mid-20th century. It is still there though, of course, and the entrance and exit can be seen. It is sealed off for security reasons, but a section of the same tunnel network, nearer Waterloo Bridge, remains open to vehicular traffic at times.
Banksy’s back!
Banksy is very much in the London news right now. The famously elusive artist hit the headlines in September when one of his provocative pieces of art appeared on a very well-known, historic building.
Once again, apparently unseen by anyone, a painting appeared, this time on an external wall of the Grade 1 listed Queen’s Building in the Royal Courts of Justice.
The painting showed a judge in a wig looming over a protester on the ground with a placard. The judge is wielding a giant gavel in an attacking stance.
The painting was quickly covered up and then removed from the historic building, but not before making headlines around a world where general unrest and discontent seem to be universal.
Almost on cue, ‘Banksy Limitless’has opened in South Kensington for a short time and offers an exciting opportunity to explore the world of one of the most famous and controversial street artists.
Certainly worth a visit and, as they claim, “In the heart of London’s cultural district, ‘Banksy Limitless’ brings the edge of street art into an immersive gallery experience created especially for the city.”
No ordinary shopping
Jermyn Street, running parallel to Piccadilly in central London, offers one of the best shopping experiences on the planet. Famous for men’s tailoring, there is so much more with fantastically historic restaurants including Franco’s and Wiltons at the Western end, famous cigar dealers including Davidoff of London and James J Fox and Royal wine merchants Berry Bros. & Rudd, just around the corner in St James’s Street. Then, of course, there is the back entrance to the simply sublime Fortnum & Mason – the perfect place for Christmas shopping and, in fact, all year round.
Paxton & Whitfield, one of the oldest cheesemongers in the world, are located at number 93, Jermyn Street. London roots of this esteemed establishment began in Aldwych, in the City of London, in 1742 before moving to the West End and Jermyn Street in 1792. Originally at number 19, they moved into the current premises in 1894, a mere 130 or so years ago!
There is a long history of supplying cheese to the Royal family (Buckingham Palace is just around the corner) and Queen Victoria was the first to issue the company with a Royal warrant. Her Late Majesty’s great-great-great Grandson, Charles III, has kept up this tradition and retains his prestigious Royal warrant with the retailer.
The family business continues traditions established over the centuries but has adapted to meet the challenges of 21st-century life, with commitments on environmental responsibility, and towards the community, their customers and suppliers.
The variety and complexity of cheese from the UK and all over the world on offer are indescribable. There are various collections and, of course, hampers and related products on sale. It is even possible to arrange a ‘cheese subscription’!
As Sir Winston Churchill once said, “A gentleman buys his cheese at Paxton & Whitfield”. And he knew his cheese!
Reach for the sky!
The City of London continues to face the future with confidence and determination in an uncertain world. In the last 30 years, the business district of the UK capital has been transformed into a world-leading architectural showplace for innovation and positivity.
The Covid pandemic led to a change in working practices for so many and predictions that the demand for commercial office working space would drop significantly.
London has certainly changed in the subsequent years with so-called ‘hybrid working’ becoming more and more popular and, for instance, Friday night in city bars being notably less frenetic. However, commercial developers clearly retain huge confidence in future demand, and their plans seem to know no bounds.
One of the more pleasing things about the development of the City has been the demolition of more ugly and badly built buildings and their replacement by quite simply stunning edifices of challenging architectural splendour.
Next for the ‘chopping block’ is Fountain House, a rather unlovely 1950s office block in Fenchurch Street due to be demolished in 2026.
A glamorous new two tower edifice will take its place, one with 31 storeys, the other with 34. WilkinsonEyre are the architects and nicknames already being touted are ‘The Jewel’ and ‘The Crown’. The development will include an external garden terrace on the 17th floor and some 58,000 square metres of office space.
This month, the City of London Corporation has approved the development with the Planning and Transportation Committee Chairman saying that this new building would deliver on “jobs, public space and best-in-class offices”. Ben Littman, head of development at Aviva Investors, one of the developers behind the tower, said it was a “bold and thoughtful scheme that will bring a long-vacant site back into positive use. It reflects the best of what the City can offer; ambition, culture, sustainability and inclusivity.”
