Meet me this Sunday on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral and we will spend the afternoon walking eastward together through the square mile to explore the wonders and the wickedness of t… Read More

Tickets are available for my walking tour this Thursday & Saturday  Click here to book for THE GENTLE AUTHOR’S TOUR OF SPITALFIELDS . Courtesy of Mike Henbrey, it is my pleasu… Read More

Whenever I used to visit collector Mike Henbrey, he always showed me something extraordinary from his collection and he certainly did not disappoint when he pulled two volumes of Kirby&rsquo… Read More

This selection from the Mike Henbrey collection of mocking Valentines at Bishopsgate Institute illustrates the range of tradespeople singled out for hate mail in the Victorian era. Nowadays… Read More

I am very grateful to have met collector Mike Henbrey because among the wonders he introduced me to was Kirby’s Eccentric Museum John Biggs was born in 1629 and lived in Denton i… Read More

As Valentine’s Day approaches and readers are preparing their billets-doux, perhaps some might like to contemplate reviving the Victorian culture of Vinegar Valentines? When I met inve… Read More