London’s Alleys and Passages - Archive Articles

London’s Alleys: Woburn Walk, WC1

Woburn Walk is a charming pedestrian street that is surprisingly found just opposite Euston Station.

London’s Alleys: Colonnade, WC1

Colonnade (sometimes Mews) is a narrow length of pleasing road that's rather well hidden despite being right next to a central London tube station.

London’s Alleys: Lewisham Street, SW1H

This is a fairly difficult to trace alley that seems to be ancient heritage, but is probably quite modern.

London’s Alleys: Warwick Court, WC1

This alley with a mix of modern and old buildings is a legacy of an impressive house and impressive bombing raids during WW2.

London’s Alleys: St Peter’s Alley, EC3

This seemingly fairly modern looking alley is actually one of the oldest in London, and potentially dates from pre-Saxon London.

London’s Alleys: St Paul’s Alley, EC4

This is London's shortest alley, and also one that you can't actually walk down any more as modern gates replicate a medieval barrier.

London’s Alleys: Swedeland Court, EC2

Swedeland Court is a very narrow passage that is very easy to miss, even as it sits right next to a landmark pub for the area opposite Liverpool Street station.

London’s Alleys: Billy Fury Way, NW6

This is an old path that appeared with the railways but only gained the name of a local celebrity fairly recently.

London’s Alleys: Magdalen Passage, E1

A narrow open passageway that creates a convenient cross passage in the middle of two otherwise long unremitting roads.

London’s Alleys: French Ordinary Court, EC3

An exceptionally atmospheric alley that burrows its way through history and deep under modern London.

London’s Alleys: Bartholomew Place, EC1

This little courtyard set back from the street has an obscure history, but is thought to have a late medieval origin.

London’s Alleys: Fernsbury Street alley, WC1

Officially, this charming little alley has no name, but I am naming it Fernsbury Street Alley, as it was almost an extension of Fernsbury Street itself.

London’s Alleys: St Alfege Passage, SE10

Next to St Alfege's church in Greenwich is a passage, not surprisingly named after the church, but that's a relatively recent name for a much older path.

London’s Alleys: Sugar Loaf Walk, E2

This is a rather bland, if convenient footpath in Bethnal Green, but one that marks ancient boundaries.

London’s Alleys: Blue Boar Alley, E1

This is a relatively new addition to the streets of London, being a result of post-war clearance, and some recent upgrades.

London’s Alleys: White Rose Court, E1

This insignificant little alley nonetheless has on its corner a relic of Spitalfields Jewish past.

London’s Alleys: Artillery Passage, E1

This narrow picturesque alley in Spitalfields looks old and is indeed old, far older than it looks.

London’s Alleys: Bengal Court, EC3

One of the best hidden of the City's alleys can be found through a small gap in a corner laying within a small maze of other alleys.

London’s Alleys: Puma Court, E1

This wide and ancient alley is today a haven of heritage next to the bustling and crowded Commercial Street.

London’s Alleys: Bear Alley, EC4

That rather unpromising looking alley may be today a facilities route for offices, but its heritage is ancient.

London’s Alleys: Nottingham Court, WC2

This semi-convenient bypass for tourist central is rather modest for something named after the owner of Kensington Palace.

London’s (narrowest) Alleys: Emerald Court, WC1

Welcome to London's narrowest alley, and it's not the one that most other people say is the narrowest alley in London.

London’s Alleys: Star Alley, EC3

An ancient alley, on a modern alignment that will soon shift sideways, this is the astronomically named Star Alley.

London’s Alleys: Hayward’s Place, EC1

This is a former road now split into a road and a pedestrianised footpath, linked by a covered walkway to St John's Street, and the site of the former Red Bull Theatre.