Areas of London

Where’s London’s oldest…bagel bakery?

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Founded in 1855, the Beigel Shop on Brick Lane in the East End claims to be the oldest bagel bakery in the UK.

PICTURE: Ollie Singleton/Unsplash

The shop, located at 155 Brick Lane, is sometimes known as the ‘yellow shop’, thanks to its bright yellow sign, to distinguish it from the ‘white one’, another bagel bakery a few doors down, Beigel Bake.

Two brothers named David Barel and Aron Zelman took over the business, then known as the Evering Bakery, in 1987, and were, according to the shop’s website, joined by their sister Mazal White soon after.

The shop, which changed the spelling of bagel to beigel in its name in 2002 in reflection of its Yiddish roots, introduced a bagel-shaping machine in 1994 but many products are still hand-made. According to the website, the bakery these days makes more than 7,000 bagels a day.

The shop, which is famously open 24 hours a day, did briefly close for several months last year, explaining on social media when it reopened in June that the closure had been for a range of reasons including a long-standing family dispute over the building’s ownership and rents and the health struggles of Aron.

They announced that the next generation – including Aron’s 22-year-old quadruplets and Mazal’s three children – would be taking over the business and launched a funding raising effort to help with some of financial burdens the shop was facing.

For more, see www.thebeigelshop.com.

Treasures of London – Shackleton’s Crow’s Nest…

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This barrel-shaped object, which can be found in the church of All Hallows by the Tower in the City of London, was used the crow’s nest on the ship Quest during Sir Ernest Shackleton’s third – and last – Antarctic voyage in the early 1920s.

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This Week in London – Millet at The National Gallery; exploring Great Ormond Street Hospital’s new children’s cancer centre; and, a Banksy at the London Transport Museum…

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• The first UK exhibition in almost 50 years dedicated to the works of 19th century French artist Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) opens at The National Gallery today. Millet: Life on the Land, which coincides with the 150th anniversary of his death, features around 13 drawings and paintings from British public collections including The National Gallery’s The Winnower (about 1847‒8) as well as L’Angelus (1857‒9) from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. The exhibition can be seen in Room 1 until 19th October. Admission is free. For more, see www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/millet-life-on-the-land.

The Big Build Adventure at Outernet London.

• An immersive digital experience which brings to life the Great Ormond Street Hospital’s new Children’s Cancer Centre opened at Outernet London off Tottenham Court Road this week. The Big Build Adventure, a partnership between the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and Outernet London, features a giant virtual paint wall, building themed games, a construction site selfie station and the chance to symbolically buy a brick to help build the centre. The free experience can be experienced until 31st August. Admission is free. For more, see www.outernet.com/news/great-ormond-street-hospital-charity-and-outernet-studios-launch-the-big-build-adventure.

• An artwork by Banksy – depicting a rat hanging from the arm of a clock – has gone on show at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. The artwork first appeared on the door of a Transport for London signal controller cabinet in Croydon in October, 2019, which was located in front of the artist’s pop-up showroom installation, Gross Domestic Product. The work, which was preserved by the museum, has been mounted onto an identical cabinet body to provide context for its original appearance. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.ltmuseum.co.uk.

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LondonLife – Kensington Gardens birdlife…

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PICTURE: Aleks/Unsplash

London pub signs – The Shakespeare’s Head, Soho…

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PICTURE: Courtesy of Google Maps

Located at the northern end of Carnaby Street, this Soho pub features a life-sized bust of the Bard looking out of a first floor window at the people passing by in the street below.

The pub in 2015. PICTURE: David (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

According to the pub’s signage, it was first constructed in 1735 and owned by Thomas and John Shakespeare, who were said to be distant relatives of William (and, if indeed they were the owners, no doubt keen to capitalise on his fame).

The current, rather ornate, building, designed in a faux-Tudor style, reportedly dates from the late 19th century.

As well as the bust, which features a missing hand due to damage from a bomb in World War II, the pub sign features an image of Shakespeare with his quill poised.

The pub, now part of the Greene King chain, is located on the corner of Fouberts Place and Carnaby Street (although its address is 29 Great Marlborough Street – it has a street sign for this on its facade – we’ll try and find out some more about why this is so). For more, see www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/shakespeares-head.

This Week in London – Jousting at Eltham; Thamesmead Festival returns; and, ‘Robot Zoo’ at the Horniman…

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A knight prepares to joust at an earlier event at Hampton Court Palace. PICTURE: David Adams

• Eltham Palace returns to the medieval age this weekend with a jousting tournament in which knights will compete for glory. The ‘Legendary Joust’ will feature four knights, each representing a character from myth or legend including The Wyvern, The Wildman, Sir Lancelot and Jason of the Argonauts. The event runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/eltham-palace-legendary-joust-2-3-aug-2025/.

• The Thamesmead Festival returns to Southmere Park in south-east London over the next two weekends. The free, family-friendly festival boasts four big stages with headline guest Omar and musical performances across genres including Afrobeat, R&B, rock and pop as well as spoken word, comedy, and street dance. There will also be a market featuring local artists and food from around the world. Runs from 12pm to 7:30pm on Saturday and on 8th August. For more, head to https://www.thamesmeadnow.org.uk/whats-on/arts-culture/thamesmead-festival-2025/.

• On Now: Robot Zoo. This exhibition at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill features a range of larger-than-life animals recreated using machine parts and gadgets in a bid to reveal how their real life counterparts see, eat, hunt and hide. The display also features interactive exhibits giving visitors the chance to try jet-propelled squid racing and shoot a chameleon’s ‘tongue-gun’. There’s also two specially commissioned interactive murals by artist Giulia Casarotto. Runs until 2nd November. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.horniman.ac.uk/event/robot-zoo/.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners – 10. Blitz Memorial (Memorial to the Civilians of East London)…

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This evocative memorial, which stands on the north bank of the River Thames at Wapping, is designed to show the figure (or rather the absence of the figure) of a dove.

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LondonLife – Kew Gardens’ new Carbon Garden…

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The Carbon Garden at Kew Gardens. PICTURES: Ines Stuart-Davidson © RBG Kew

A cutting edge ‘Carbon Garden’ opened at Kew Gardens on 25th July with the aim of revealing the critical role carbon plays in sustaining life on Earth, the scale of the climate crisis, and the “extraordinary potential of the natural world to combat it”. The permanent new garden features a selection of herbaceous perennials which illustrate the dramatic rise in global average temperatures over time, a dry garden which showcases how we can work with plants to adapt to a changing climate, more than 20 new trees selected for their resilience to projected future climate conditions, a rain garden and bioswale which, among other things, illustrate the ways we can manage waterflow, prevent soil erosion, and reduce flooding, and carbon storage. and grasslands, wildflower meadows and native hedgerows which aim to boost biodiversity. At the centre of the garden is a pavilion designed by Mizzi Studio which is inspired by the symbiotic relationship between the plant and fungal kingdoms, and is created using low-carbon, natural materials. Admission charges apply. For more, see www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-in-the-gardens/carbon-garden

This Week in London – Showtime! at the Charles Dickens Museum; the ‘Future of Food’; and, Peter Rabbit hops to Hampton Court…

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PICTURE: VV Shots/iStockphoto

• The enduring appeal of Charles Dickens’ works and how they have been adapted for the stage, screen and radio is the focus of a new exhibition at the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury. Showtime! looks at productions starting from as far back as 1837 and including such classics as The Muppets Christmas Carol and Oliver! the musical with objects on show including original playbills, posters, programmes, photographs and props. There’s also the opportunity to hear from actors and writers about what makes Dickens so adaptable and see Dickens’ own works which he annotated with stage directions. The display can be seen until 26th January. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.dickensmuseum.com.

• A major new exhibition on the future of food – how science is creating more sustainable ways of producing and consuming food – opens at the Science Museum today. Future of Food reveals how the way we grow food and eat impacts the climate, nature, and society. Among the more than 100 objects on show are cricket burgers and cell-grown salmon as well as 3,500-year-old fermented sourdough bread, the first Quorn burger dating from 1981 and the first beef steak grown outside a cow. There is also the chance to join a multiplayer interactive game and create your own “future for food”. Runs until 4th January. Admission is free. For more, see https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/future-of-food.

The Peter Rabbit Adventure at Hampton Court Palace. PICTURE: Courtesy of Historic Royal Palaces.

• Peter Rabbit is hopping over to Hampton Court Palace to take part in a new family trail that brings Beatrix Potter’s beloved characters to life in the palace gardens from tomorrow. The Peter Rabbit Adventure, included as part of the palace admission, is spread over the Kitchen Garden, Tiltyard, and Wilderness and the activities on the trail will introduce little ones to the plants, vegetables and wildlife that inhabit the gardens. These include the chance to use Mrs Tiggy-winkle’s washing equipment to make music among the trees, to join in a search for Peter Rabbit under wheelbarrows and flowerpots in the Tiltyard, and to try to hop, skip and jump as high as Peter and his friends. A larger-than-life Peter Rabbit will be greeting families in the Kitchen Gardens. Runs until 7th September. For more, see https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/the-peter-rabbit-adventure/.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners – 9. Wedding party memorial, Camberwell Green…

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This rather poignant monument stands in a park above where an air raid shelter once stood in which a wedding party, 13 people in total, lost their lives in late 1940.

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What’s in a name?….Giltspur Street

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This City of London street runs north-south from the junction of Newgate Street, Holborn Viaduct and Old Bailey to West Smithfield. Its name comes from those who once travelled along it.

Looking south down Giltspur Street, with the dome of the Old Bailey visible, in 2018. PICTURE: Courtesy of Google Maps

An alternative name for the street during earlier ages was Knightrider Street which kind of gives the game away – yes, the name comes from the armoured knights who would ride along the street in their way to compete in tournaments held at Smithfield. It’s suggested that gilt spurs may have later been made here to capitalise on the passing trade.

The street is said to have been the location where King Richard II met with the leaders of the Peasant’s Revolt who had camped at Smithfield. And where, when the meeting deteriorated, the then-Lord Mayor of London William Walworth, ending up stabbing the peasant leader Wat Tyler who he later captured and had beheaded.

St Bartholomew’s Hospital can be found on the east side of the street. On the west side, at the junction with Cock Lane is located Pye Corner with its famous statue of a golden boy (said to be the place where the Great Fire of London was finally stopped).

There’s also a former watch house on the west side which features a monument to the essayist late 18th century and 19th century Charles Lamb – the monument says he attended a Bluecoat school here for seven years. The church of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate stands at the southern end with the Viaduct Tavern on the opposite side of the road.

The street did formerly give its name to the small prison known as the Giltspur Street Compter which stood here from 1791 to 1853. A prison for debtors, it stood at the street’s south end (the location is now marked with a City of London blue plaque).

This Week in London – Red Lion Playhouse excavation explored; a restored Victoria Embankment Gardens fountain; and, a blue plaque for the first female civil servant…

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• An exhibition of items unearthed at the site of the former Red Lion Playhouse and the subsequent inn – the White Raven Tavern – built on the site in Whitechapel has opened at UCL East Culture Lab. Patterns Beneath Our Feet tells the story of a 2015-19 excavation on the site and features some of the discoveries made there – everything from clay pipe fragments to Bellarmine jugs and sugar moulds. The White Raven has particular associations with the history of Black Londoners and was one of the taverns from where members of London’s Black community began coerced journeys of resettlement to West Africa in 1786. The free exhibition is open Wednesdays and Saturdays by appointment. Members of the excavation team will be at the Culture Lab (UCL East Marshgate, 7 Sidings Street, Stratford) this Monday (21st July) to guide people through the exhibition as well as answer questions as part of the Festival of Archaeology. There will be a parallel event at the excavation site. For more, see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology-south-east/research-projects/2025/jul/whitechapel.

• A 1950s fountain in Victoria Embankment Gardens is once again flowing after more than 20 years of silence. The fountain, located at the end of Villiers Street, is octagonal in design and was inspired by a pumping station erected nearby in 1675-76. Standing at more than 70 feet tall, the water tower used to be a major landmark on the London skyline and had provided water pressure for houses along the Strand by using a heavy weight on the top of the tower. The bandstand which surrounds the fountain dates from the 1870s, when it was used to host midday concerts for workers from the neighbouring printing works. The £85,000 restoration project preserved the fountain’s original teak finish and involved replacing the sprinkler system and water treatment as well as adding LED lighting to each tier of the fountain.

• Britain’s first female civil servant has been honoured with a blue plaque at the site of her former home in Battersea. Jeanie Senior became the first female civil servant in 1873 when she was appointed as the first female inspector for girls being educated in pauper schools and workhouses (and later went to work with soldiers returning from the Franco-Prussian War, which contributed to the foundation of the National Society for Aid to Sick and Wounded in War, a predecessor to the British Red Cross, as well as being a co-founder of the Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants). The plaque, funded by The Battersea Society and the FDA union, is located on the Battersea Arts Centre where the property named Elm House was once located.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…8. First V2 rocket to strike London…

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The first V2 rocket to strike London hit Chiswick in west London in September, 1944.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…7. First V1 rocket to strike London…

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The first V1 rocket attack on London took place in June, 1944, and resulted in six deaths and 30 injuries.

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London Explained – The Changing of the Guard…

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It’s one of the most iconic London traditions – the ceremonial changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace.

Elite guards have served the monarch since the reign of King Henry VII – he made the Royal Body Guard a permanent institution – and Guards Regiments, among the oldest units in the British Army, were first raised in 1656 to protect King Charles II who was then living in exile in Bruges in modern Belgium.

PICTURE: DianaVolchik/Wikimedia Commons (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Changing of the Guard ceremony originally took place at the (now long-gone) Palace of Whitehall. But when the court moved to St James’s Palace in 1698, the ceremony went with them. And then, when Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace in 1837, a detachment of guards was sent to guard the palace (with the Queen’s Guard also still guarding St James’s, a situation which continues today).

The main ceremonial Changing of the Guard today takes place at Buckingham Palace. It involves the Old Guard (those currently on duty, including the detachment from St James’s Palace) forming up in front of the palace and being relieved by the New Guard which has marched from Wellington Barracks, off Birdcage Walk, with a band which plays New Guard’s Regimental Slow March as it advances towards the Old Guard.

Both the Old and New Guard carry regimental flags, known as “Colours”. The guard duties are traditionally served by one of the five regiments of foot guards (part of the Household Division) which include the Welsh Guards, Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards.

But regiments from Commonwealth nations and those from the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force also perform the duty from time to time.

The Changing of the Guard currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11am. The ceremony lasts about 45 minutes.

On days when the ceremony isn’t performed, the guard is still inspected by the Captain at 3pm except on Sunday when the flag (Colour) is incorporated into the ceremony, then known as the Sunday Parade, which takes place at 11am.

For more, see www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-overview.

This Week in London – London’s transport history captured; Sir Quentin Blake’s foundling portraits; and, the history of prison healthcare…

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Some of London’s iconic red buses (not one of the images in the exhibition). PICTURE: Dele Oke/Unsplash

• A new photographic display featuring a mix of historical and newly commissioned images has gone on show at the London Transport Museum. The exhibition – Then and now: London’s transport in photographs – marks the 25th anniversary of Transport for London and more than 160 years of transport history within the capital and features 40 photographs exploring how public transport in London has evolved amid social change. As well as historical images drawn from the collection, the display features images taken by photographer and train driver, Anne Maningas. Runs until spring, 2026. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.ltmuseum.co.uk/visit/museum-guide/then-and-now-londons-transport-photographs.

• A display of portraits by acclaimed artist Sir Quentin Blake has gone on show at the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury. The Foundling Portraits: Quentin Blake features a series of 10 Stabilo watercolour pencil on paper artworks which depict imaginary children created by Blake during a period of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The images are among a collection of 45 which were gifted to the museum by Sir Quentin. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/event/the-foundling-portraits-quentin-blake/.

• On Now: Prison Nursing Unlocked – A History of Care and Justice. This exhibition at the Royal College of Nursing Library and Museum in Cavendish Square looks at the role of health care in prisons, from the work of early reformers like Elizabeth Fry to the role nurses play today. Co-created with Royal College of Nursing members, it tells the story of the suffragettes who were force-fed in Holloway Prison, the formation of secure hospitals like Broadmoor, and features artwork created by prisoners and nurses at HM Prison Eastwood Park and HM Prison Warren Hill. Runs until 19th December. For more (and a link to the exhibition online), see www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/news/prison-nursing-unlocked-exhibition.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…6. Stainer Street Arch bombing…

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This simple blue plaque memorial in Southwark commemorates a bombing on the night of 17th February, 1941, in which some 68 people were killed.

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Where’s London’s oldest…football stadium?

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Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC on the bank of the River Thames in west London, is the city’s oldest football stadium.

Craven Cottage (with the Grade II-listed Johnny Haynes Stand on the left in 2021. PICTURE: Nick/Flickr (licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)/Image cropped

The site has been home to the club since 1896, having previously been based at a range of grounds. It took two years to prepare the ground for play including constructing a changing room building.

The first match was played at the ground on 10th October, 1896 (Fulham beat Minerva 4-0 in the Middlesex Senior Cup).

Initially the ground was surrounded with terracing only – this changed in 1903 when the first stand was built on the north side of the ground. Providing seating for 1,200 spectators, it was affectionately known as the ‘Rabbit Hutch’.

The stand didn’t last long. Just 18 months later, it was condemned as dangerous by municipal officials and had to be pulled down.

In January, 1905, it was reported that the club had gained a 99-year lease on the ground. Work on a new stand, 5,000-seat, started just four months later to be designed by Archibald Leitch with steelwork provided by Clyde Structural Iron Company. Known as the Stevenage Road Stand (with a brick facade on the road), it opened on 2nd September that year.

The Cottage Pavilion in 2018. PICTURE: Nick/Flickr (licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)/Image cropped

Leitch also designed the Cottage Pavillion, located at the south-east corner of the ground, which was used for change rooms and by the club’s administration.

In 1907, the club hosted the first full international match when, in March, 1907, England and Wales drew 1-1.

While the club regularly saw crowds of up to 40,000 in the lead-up to World War II, a record was set in 1938 at a game between Fulham and Millwall when the crowd numbered just shy of 50,000.

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These days there are four stands: the Grade II-listed Johnny Haynes Stand on the east side of the ground (it was renamed in 2005 in honour of the club legend who also has a statue at the ground); the Riverside Stand on the west side (redeveloped in recent years); the Hammersmith End stand (located to the north of the ground, traditionally its home end); and, the Putney End stand (located at the south end).

The Cottage Pavilion, the balcony of which is from where player’s families have traditionally watched games, remains in the south-east corner.

10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…5. The Stairway to Heaven Memorial, Bethnal Green…

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This unique memorial commemorates the worst civilian tragedy of World War II in the UK – the disaster at Bethnal Tube station in east London.

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This Week in London – “Our Story with Sir David Attenborough”; the Royal Academy’s 257th Summer Exhibition; and, an appeal for restoring three Underground carriages…

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Our Story with David Attenborough. PICTURE: © Trustees of the Natural History Museum

• Our Story with David Attenborough – the first ever immersive experience at the Natural History Museum – opens its doors today. Created by Open Planet Studios, the 50 minute experience in the Jerwood Gallery features animations, projections, real-world footage and full 360 degree immersion as Sir David draws on his life of exploration to tell the story of humanity and the planet on which we live. The experience is taking bookings until 18th January, 2026. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/our-story-with-david-attenborough.

• The Royal Academy’s 257th Summer Exhibition opened this week. Co-ordinated by internationally acclaimed architect and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi in conjunction with the Summer Exhibition Committee, this year’s display of art and architecture explores the theme of ‘Dialogues’. Among the works on show is a six metre high installation of ostrich feathers and steel chain by British artist Alice Channer, a 4.5 metre high and seven metre wide wall made from deconstructed matchboxes by Brazilian artist Antonio Tarsis, and installation of textile carcasses by Argentine-American artist Tamara Kostianovsky. Meanwhile, the Annenberg Courtyard hosts a large scale installation by Royal Academician Ryan Gander which features five three metre diameter inflatable balls inscribed with absurd questions developed with children in a representation of the “inquisitiveness of children who ask what grown-up minds often dismiss as nonsensical or illogical”. Runs until 17th August. Admission charge applies. For more, see royalacademy.org.uk.

• The London Transport Museum has launched an appeal for £30,000 to help complete the restoration of three 1930s Q stock Underground carriages. The funds will be used to re-upholster the seats of two of the Underground cars in moquette – the durable, woollen seating material used in upholstery on public transport all over the world. Q stock trains first entered service on the District line in November, 1938, and were retired from service in 1971. The restoration of the three carriages – which aims to restore them to operational condition – has mainly been carried out at the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton, west London. Donations can be made on London Transport Museum’s website: www.ltmuseum.co.uk/make-donation?campaign=qstock

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