The Story of South London’s Cradle of Punk “Johnny’s upstairs in his bedroom sitting in the dark, annoying the neighbours with his punk rock electric guitar”. Sound of the Suburbs The Members (1978). Way on down south of London Town, there is a little-known suburb that can stake a claim to being the birthplace ofContinue reading “Sound of a Suburb”
Category Archives: London Places
Croydon’s Communist Roots
Like many pubs in the UK, The Waddon in south London closed during lockdown and never reopened. Its future is uncertain, which is a great shame considering its fascinating but unlikely role in social-political history. Waddon is a western district of the London borough of Croydon heading out towards the neighbouring borough of Sutton. WaddonContinue reading “Croydon’s Communist Roots”
Dr Livingstone, I Presume?
Like every schoolchild in my era, I had heard of the great Victorian explorer, David Livingstone. But he was a figure I always felt I didn’t know enough about. Then, a couple of years ago, I visited the David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire. The centre, which includes his birthplace and a museum, isContinue reading “Dr Livingstone, I Presume?”
Halloween Special: Pendle Witch Trials
Pendle Hill in Lancashire casts a dark shadow on England’s history. Around 400 years ago, it was at the centre of one of the most sensational tales of witchcraft in history. Intro: Brief History of Witch-Hunting in EnglandWitch-hunting has a long history in England and across Europe. A Papal decree of 1258 announced that witchesContinue reading “Halloween Special: Pendle Witch Trials”
Point 12
Kenwood House Eden I rode the line of misery, against an inner voice, ’Twixt Balaam and the Angel, with little other choice. Just a little further on – knee-deep in freebie news And smoking-cough late risers – emerged from blackened hues. You cannot flash yer Hampsteads without a bluish plaque Of pioneering vagueness, an armyContinue reading “Point 12”
Point 11
St Pancras Gardens Here Lies … Here lies Adam’s glory which ‘shall never pass away’! Here, though, come the martyr’s icy fingers every May. Here lies King Death’s last hurrah with his subcommittees. Here the dispossessed inherit the new rail of two cities. Here lies an architect, in one of only two. Here’s the thing:Continue reading “Point 11”
Point 10
Wood Street Plane Tree Last of the Mohicans (Mio Platano Amato) “Because it is a non-native hybrid, there is no mythology and folklore associated with the London plane.” The Woodland Trust A tree. A visible, living tree. Intertwining the occident and orient by accident. Rootless cosmopolitan shackled by its locks. Soaring eighty feet, yet it’sContinue reading “Point 10”
Point 09
St Foster’s Church Foster Father ‘Bloody ’ell! It’s so quiet. It’s bloody quiet in ’ere.’ ‘Yes, son, it’s very quiet. You really shouldn’t swear. ‘After all, this is a place Where people come to pray: A c-h-blank-blank-c-h. What’s missing, by the way? ‘What are you doing? Put that back! That’s Our Lord’s thorny crown. What’sContinue reading “Point 09”
Point 08
Postman’s Park The Truth Is Somewhat More Prosaic Sarah Smith, in pantomime, at the Prince’s Theatre, Died of the terrible injuries received Attempting to extinguish the flames on her companion, Twenty-fourth of January, 1863. This tribute, dedicated to heroic selfless sacrifice, Lends itself to poignant poetry. However, as the actual truth is somewhat more prosaic,Continue reading “Point 08”
Point 07
St Bartholomew’s Hospital The Italian Boy On a moonless winter island, we lurk among the tombstones, Honeycombing graveyards and hawking to the sawbones. Plunging down to dig my earth, beneath the watching tower. Use a noose to yank it loose within the quarter-hour. Jack will log the evening’s haul: four large, one small, a foetus.Continue reading “Point 07”
Point 06
Smithfield Seat of the Beast From Haunch-of-Venison Yard to Shoulder-of-Mutton Alley, Praise the lord of the loin and the leg. See Hogarth’s beef with the burghers of Calais, In the place where he hobnobs with Bacon and Egg. Carve your way round the City of Lud, Past Poultry and in from the east. Dripping withContinue reading “Point 06”
Point 05
City Thameslink Station, Newgate Street It Tolls for Thee “’Tis Saint Sepulchre’s bell. It tolls alas for human guilt.” Sunday: tavern, solo drunken, More’s the reason, more’s the pity. Evening: cavern, so low sunken, Pondering slices of the City: What a strange place for a station, West, the hidden Styx of Wen; Between, the fallContinue reading “Point 05”
Point 04
Redcross Way Big Daves Gusset ‘Where are we now? What place is this? Are we just passing through?’ ‘I’m not quite sure; all I know is we’re well past Waterloo.’ Near the ancient market where the train stopped overhead Sat a strip of wasteland and stood a burnt-out shed. Through the window darkly, beneath aContinue reading “Point 04”
Point 03
Hungerford Bridge What I Did (Obsessive Killing Disorder) London, spend the night with me. Craving over water, Lure with bondage and escape The gaze of luminary artists. London, spend the night with me. Craving over water, Dredge up the worst types: Psychotic, degraded, people on the edge. London, spend the night with me. Craving overContinue reading “Point 03”
Point 02
Westminster Abbey A Vast Unfinished Universe “All human things are subject to decay, and, when Fate summons, monarchs must obey.” What can ye boast of this illustrious sepulchre? A vast unfinished poem of marble, stone and glass? The ultimate majestic scene with all its crowning grandeur? Or an improper indulgence of Elgar and Bach? RecoverContinue reading “Point 02”
Point 01
Piccadilly Circus Children of the Revolution (The Urchins’ Parade) “Love sending forth indiscriminately, yet with purpose, his missile of kindness.” In eighteen hundred and thirty-three, A great procession we shall see, of poverty. And there’s the Earl of Shaftesbury. The champion of philanthropy and charity. He did so much to help the poor. He triedContinue reading “Point 01”
Bob Dylan in London – Troubadour Tales
Reviewed by Soul City Wandering author Frank Molloy. This fascinating book serves as an insight on both London’s impact on Bob Dylan’s career, and Bob Dylan’s impact on London’s musical legacy. Co-authors and Dylan aficionados Jackie Lees and K. G. Miles plot a 50-year musical pilgrimage which follows a roughly chronological route mirroring Dylan’s connectionsContinue reading “Bob Dylan in London – Troubadour Tales”
Soul City Wandering – A London Pilgrimage
AMAZON TRAVEL BOOKS TOP-TEN BESTSELLER – 5-STAR RATED “A great book… a great guide. Poems… music… history… and fantastic ways to… go for walks” Robert Elms, BBC Radio London Frank Molloy‘s Soul City Wandering was released in 2020. The aim of the book is to inspire travellers to engage as individuals with their journeys. ItContinue reading “Soul City Wandering – A London Pilgrimage”
Sherlock’s Psychogeographic Adventure
While I was working a self-guided tour of Sherlock Holmes’s London haunts, it dawned on me that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had, amongst the other talents he had given him, equipped his fictional detective with a natural sense of psychogeography, before the word even existed. In the second Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of Four,Continue reading “Sherlock’s Psychogeographic Adventure”
The Museum Exhibit That Never Was
In 2010, the British Museum and BBC co-presented A History of the World in 100 Objects. However, the key exhibit never saw the light of day. Soul City Wanderer briefs. Soul City Wanderer’s own book Soul City Wandering was released in 2020. Available in paperback or on Kindle, it encourages readers to rediscover their urbanContinue reading “The Museum Exhibit That Never Was”
London’s Hidden Genius
200 years ago, one of Britain’s most talented designers was born. Today, his greatest legacy lies hidden in the heart of London. Each year The Open House event affords a rare opportunity to salute this somewhat forgotten genius, and to view his seldom-seen masterpiece. Soul City Wanderer briefs. Soul City Wanderer’s own book Soul CityContinue reading “London’s Hidden Genius”
The Lurkin’ Gherkin
20 years ago, planning permission was granted for the ‘Gherkin’. Today, this architectural masterpiece looms on the London skyline like something out of a Terry Gilliam animation. Soul City Wanderer briefs (with his own images). Soul City Wanderer’s own book Soul City Wandering was released in 2020. Available in paperback or on Kindle, it encouragesContinue reading “The Lurkin’ Gherkin”
The Bishop’s Boozy Bender: a Christmas Tale
During the run-up to Christmas 2006, the Bishop of Southwark reported to police that he had been the victim of a shocking street mugging, in which he had been seriously injured and robbed of several personal possessions including his ceremonial crucifix. A few days later, a very different story emerged of what had happened, andContinue reading “The Bishop’s Boozy Bender: a Christmas Tale”
Sherlock’s Grand Day Out
Sherlock’s Grand Day Out is a self-guided tour of the famous fictional detective’s London haunts. But how can we claim it to be the most ‘elementary’ of Sherlock tours? Well, first of all, not only is the Soul City Wanderer an old Holmes aficionado, he is also a top qualified London tour guide. Secondly, whileContinue reading “Sherlock’s Grand Day Out”
‘Sherlock’s’ ‘Annus Horribilis’
One hundred years ago, the reputation of the legendary creator of Sherlock Holmes began to take a tumble. Soul City Wanderer investigates. Perhaps it was inevitable. There had always been an alternate side to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which would lead him towards controversy in his later life. After he became an established detective fictionContinue reading “‘Sherlock’s’ ‘Annus Horribilis’”
Sherlock’s Musical London
The television documentary Sherlock Holmes against Arthur Conan Doyle (Gedeon Programmes 2017) was broadcast on the Sky Arts channel on Wednesday June 17, 2020. It was about the author’s strained relationship with his own literary creation. One of the contributors was Anthony Horowitz, an English writer who specialises in the detective mystery genre. In 2011,Continue reading “Sherlock’s Musical London”
‘Sherlock’s’ Homes
Soul City Wanderer’s briefs on the residences of the Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Scotland on May 22nd, 1859 to Irish parents. As a young boy, he lived with his family at 11 Picardy Place, Edinburgh. As a schoolboy, he temporarily lodged at Liberton Bank House onContinue reading “‘Sherlock’s’ Homes”
Top 10 Lockdown History Books: 2/10: Shakespeare’s Local by Pete Brown
During the 2020 lockdown, Soul City Wanderer took the opportunity to catch up on his history book reading: These are his top ten recommendations from the pile he ploughed through (in no particular order). 2/10: Shakespeare’s Local by Pete Brown. Soul City Wanderer’s own book Soul City Wandering was released in 2020. Available in paperbackContinue reading “Top 10 Lockdown History Books: 2/10: Shakespeare’s Local by Pete Brown”
London Places: The Blitz Before The Blitz – Part 3
As part of the 80th anniversary of The Battle of Britain, Soul City Wanderer tells the incredible story of the first WWII bombing raid on Croydon, August 15th 1940.Here in part three, he notes the controversial nature of the attack, and challenges the received historic interpretation of events. As such a calamitous event, for bothContinue reading “London Places: The Blitz Before The Blitz – Part 3”
London Places: The Blitz Before The Blitz – Part 2
As part of the 80th anniversary of The Battle of Britain, Soul City Wanderer tells the incredible story of the first WWII bombing raid on Croydon, August 15th 1940.This is part two, where he explains how and where the attack took place. At about 6:30pm, on August 15th 1940, a huge formation of German bombersContinue reading “London Places: The Blitz Before The Blitz – Part 2”
London Places: The Blitz Before The Blitz – Part 1
As part of the 80th anniversary of The Battle of Britain, Soul City Wanderer tells the incredible story of the first WWII bombing raid on Croydon, August 15th 1940. In part 1, he reveals the elite German bombing squadron that were behind the attack. In part 2, the story of the raid itself. In partContinue reading “London Places: The Blitz Before The Blitz – Part 1”
London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 5
Carlton House Terrace, in the heart of London, has had a major impact on the city’s environment and on world history. Soul City Wanderer invites you to read more of its fascinating story in the final instalment of a five-part article running this week. When the German ambassador Ribbentrop moved into the existing embassy atContinue reading “London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 5”
London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 4
Carlton House Terrace, in the heart of London, has had a major impact on the city’s environment and on world history. Soul City Wanderer invites you to read more of its fascinating story in the fourth instalment of a five-part article running this week. In February 1938, Joachim von Ribbentrop was officially recalled to GermanyContinue reading “London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 4”
London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 3
Carlton House Terrace, in the heart of London, has had a major impact on the city’s environment and on world history. Soul City Wanderer invites you to read more of its fascinating story in the third instalment of a five-part article running this week. In 1937, after all hopes of a pro-German king & queenContinue reading “London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 3”
London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 2
Carlton House Terrace, in the heart of London, has had a major impact on the city’s environment and on world history. Soul City Wanderer invites you to read more of its fascinating story in the second instalment of a five-part article running this week. When the incumbent German ambassador to the UK died at theContinue reading “London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 2”
London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 1
Carlton House Terrace, in the heart of London, has had a major impact on the city’s environment and on world history. Soul City Wanderer invites you to read more of its fascinating story in the first of a five-part article running this week. Just off the Mall in Westminster, next to the statue of ‘theContinue reading “London Places: The Carlton Conspiracy Part 1”
WANDERING TOUR GUIDE 