London news and event reviews

Tickets Alert: Doctor Who screening – The Curse of Fenric

There will be a special anniversary screening of seventh Doctor’s penultimate story, with Sophie Aldred and script editor Andrew Cartmel.

London’s Alleys: Hare Place, EC4

What looks like a short gap under some shops is an alley that used to be so much longer than it is today.

Things to do OUTSIDE London in October 2019

My regular look ahead to events happening next month that would probably be in my events guide, if only they weren’t happening outside the psychological barrier of the M25 motorway.

London’s weekly railway news

A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…

London Underground tests new design information boards

The digital screens you see in stations with travel alerts are getting a refresh as TfL has started a trial of a new design.

The Regents Canal totem poles at Kingsland Road

If you go past a bridge over the Regents Canal on the Kingsland Road you might have noticed a series of odd-looking totem poles.

Crossrail on target, but warns of risks

In a meeting with Transport for London earlier today, Crossrail confirmed that it remains on track to open the Elizabeth line within the October 2020 to March 2021 window previously identified, but warned that there is still uncertainty about the opening date.

Visit St James’s Church Piccadilly

There’s a church next to busy Piccadilly Circus which most us probably know more from the market in its courtyard than the church behind.

Bexleyheath railway line to close for 9-days in February 2020

If you use Southeastern railway through Bexleyheath in South London, consider this a tip to book a week off work next February.

I went to the Clink Prison Museum so you don’t have to

The headline is what you expect me to say about this notorious tourist trap, but actually, DO go to the Clink Prison Museum, for its reputation is ill-deserved.

Plans to reopen the Brentford to Southall railway

A plan to convert a little used freight railway in West London for passengers has taken a step forward.

Find Mendelssohn’s tree stump in the Barbican

In the Barbican is a most curious relic, a stump of a tree which is it claimed, may have regularly shaded the composer Felix Mendelssohn during his frequent visits to where the tree stood.

Take a look at the Crossrail station under Bond Street

Of all the Crossrail stations, the most controversial has to be Bond Street – as it’s so behind schedule that it might not open when the Elizabeth line’s own delayed opening takes place.