London’s Alleys and Passages - Archive Articles

London’s Alleys: Medici Courtyard, W1

A polished and modern space, this alley links Bond Street with Hanover Square, and was built as part of the Crossrail project.

London’s Alleys: Reston Place, SW7

Walking up Palace Gate road in Kensington, just short of the main Kensington Road you might spy a sign for a Pedestrian Right of Way leading to Kensington Road, and be intrigued.

London’s Alleys: Portsea Mews, W2

This delightfully unmodernised mews, owned by the Church of England is just to the north of Hyde Park and is one of the last such mews left in London.

London’s Alleys: Haunch of Venison Yard, W1

A side alley off posh Bond Street that is a back entrance to an auction house but is more notable for the distinctive name of the yard.

London’s Alleys: Shafto Mews, SW1

This is a row of former stables that backed onto expensive houses in Chelsea, and are now themselves expensive mews homes.

London’s Alleys: Mills Court, EC3

This is one of those industrial alleys that Shoreditch is cleaning up into decorative residential areas, but still has plenty of character left to it.

London’s Alleys: Bridle Lane, W1

A long narrow passageway in Soho that owes its origins to the era of horse-drawn carriage and the grand houses on the other side of the lane.

London’s Alleys: Percy Passage, W1

This alley just to the north of Oxford Street in the heart of Fitzrovia is a convenient shortcut through a block of shops and offices and is original from when the area was first laid out.

London’s Alleys: Dean’s Mews, W1

This is a cobbled mews that sits between two grand linked buildings with a very impressive sculpture of the Madonna and Child hanging above the entrance.

London’s Alleys: Van Gogh Walk, SW9

This verdant walkway near Kennington was until a few years ago a rather non-descript residential road, but in 2013 it was pedestrianised and renamed.

London’s Alleys: St George’s Lane, EC3

This narrow alley sits next to Pudding Lane, famed for the Great Fire of London, and can trace its origins to the very first buildings erected here in Tudor London.

London’s Alleys: Voss Street, E2

This is an alley in all but name squashed behind shops in Bethnal Green, but in recent years some exceptional architecture has appeared down here.

London’s Alleys: Trinity Walk, NW3

This is a very steep alley up the slopes that face Finchley Road in South Hampstead.

London’s Alleys: Model Cottages, SW14

This is an alleyway in East Sheen that runs down an avenue of delightful 19th-century cottages, the model cottages.

London’s Alleys: Heathcock Court, WC2

This is a short narrow passage on Strand that used to be somewhere else.

London’s Alleys: Down Street Mews, W1

This is a secluded mews that can be found around the back of a disused tube station near Hyde Park.

London’s Alleys: Canning Passage, W8

This narrow back lane in Kensington looks like a back passage for the houses that back onto it, but in fact, it predates the main roads around it.

London’s Alleys: Newport Place, WC2

A large plaza in the heart of London's Chinatown that has undergone many changes in its long life.

London’s Alleys: Man in Moon Passage, W1

Probably one of the better-named alleys in London, this short pedestrian passage can be found on Regent Street and is named after a stoned man.

London’s Alleys: Dereham Place, EC2

This is a passage that winds its way around the backs of Shoreditch with a mix of 1950s factory buildings and modern flats.

London’s Alleys: Silver Place, W1

A short wide alley in Soho lined with Georgian and Victorian buildings, but also a link to one of the 19th-centuries worst terrorist attacks.

London’s Alleys: Princes Place, SW1

This is a short shabby alley that leads off from some of the most expensive properties in central London.

London’s Alleys: Lancashire Court, W1

This is a cluster of alleys just off Bond Street that all share the same name, but were once totally separate alleys entirely.

London’s Alleys: Charterhouse Mews, EC1

This is a short covered passage that can be found next to The Charterhouse, a relatively hidden cluster of Tudor buildings that only recently opened to the public with a new museum.