In memoriam.
Remote
ianVisits
@ianvisits@mastodonapp.uk
mastodon 4.6.8A popular London website focused on a range of topics, but mainly architecture, transport, history and things to do around the city.
338 Followers
0 Following
50 Posts
Joined November 06, 2022
If Southend-on-Sea is wiped out by a tidal wave in September, this is why.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/safe-removal-of-masts-from-historic-wwii-shipwreck-carrying-wartime-explosives-begins
Frankly, I am disappointed.
It's just not the behaviour you would expect from a holder of the FIFA Peace Prize.
Sainsbury's has sold Argos.
The buyer was asked to go to collection point B to collect.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw9yrl4p2qo
BBC News this afternoon has probably devoted more time to preparations for drinking in pubs overnight than to the reason why people will be drinking in pubs overnight.
Makes you proud to be English.
Congratulations to Andy Burnham on becoming Britain's first Prime Minister to have been named after an Elizabeth line station.
A colourful exhibition of Afghanistan’s disappearing textile traditions
Around 100 embroidered textiles at SOAS Gallery reveal the craftsmanship and cultural traditions of an Afghanistan beyond the headlines.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/a-colourful-exhibition-of-afghanistans-disappearing-textile-traditions-91201/
Congrats to the AI firm for naming its product after a mainstream consumer product, thus forcing it to spend a fortune with ad agencies on telling everyone that in fact it’s not a cereal bar.
(and sell the domain name to a cereal bar firm when the VC funding runs out)
Replying to
Starts the countdown timer to the first reply mentioning the Simpsons.
Can we reintroduce the death penalty for motorists who do this?
English Heritage opens rarely seen Elizabethan frescos at Hill Hall
Hill Hall near Epping contains some of England’s best-preserved Tudor wall paintings, normally hidden inside a private gated estate.
London is getting a new museum showing off Roman and medieval fortifications
A section of the Roman Wall and a medieval bastion, hidden beneath an office building for decades, will open to the public this December in a new free museum.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/london-is-getting-a-new-museum-showing-off-roman-and-medieval-fortifications-91252/
Replying to
@keefeglise@mastodonapp.uk OK, "it's just filmed in a way that makes it look slow compared to the cars."
It could be possible.
I'd have a better day if the main point of contact on a property developer website wasn't a digital "fuck off".
The Mayor of London has approved just over £6 million in additional funding to plan for the proposed pedestrianisation of Oxford Street.
National Gallery’s virtual tour grows from eight rooms to the entire museum
Great British Railways takes shape as East of England rail operators merge management
The East of England becomes the latest region to bring train companies and Network Rail under a single leadership team ahead of GBR reforms.
Chelsea pub responds to rising living costs with £5 after-work drinks deal
At a time when central London pubs recently broke the £10 for a pint barrier, a new pub on Chelsea’s King’s Road is offering a range of drinks priced at £5.
The weather today is really making up for the lack of April Showers.
Plague warnings, miracle cures and political panic on display in free London exhibition
The Guildhall Library exhibition traces the rise of broadsides, the single-sheet publications that dominated public life before the newspaper age.
Iran war blamed as Camden Highline railway project stalls
The proposed walking route along a disused Camden railway has been paused, with organisers blaming rising costs, shrinking funding and the wider economic fallout from the Iran war.
One Leadenhall: London’s new free roof terrace overlooking Leadenhall Market
One Leadenhall’s fourth-floor viewing terrace offers benches, towers, churches and pleasingly intimate views over the Square Mile.
Tickets Alert: National Theatre to host a sale of stage props
Next month, the National Theatre will be hosting a rare sale of props from its previous theatrical productions.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tickets-alert-national-theatre-to-host-a-sale-of-stage-props-91401/
HS2 installs a plaque 40 metres below London to celebrate the Brunels’ engineering legacy
HS2 has installed an unusual underground memorial where its Euston Tunnel passes directly beneath the Brunel family tomb at Kensal Green Cemetery.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/hs2-installs-a-plaque-40-metres-below-london-to-celebrate-the-brunels-engineering-legacy-91738/
Great British Railways to rethink how new trains are paid for
Great British Railways will weigh public ownership against leasing for future orders, although existing contracts will continue.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/great-british-railways-to-rethink-how-new-trains-are-paid-for-92888/
I've been to see Elizabethan frescos.
For an article next week.
Temple Nigo: Design Museum show feels more like brand showcase than exhibition
A replica of Tomoaki Nagao’s teenage bedroom – minus the bed – opens an exhibition about the Japanese fashion designer and musician, better known as Nigö.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/temple-nigo-design-museum-show-feels-more-like-brand-showcase-than-exhibition-89437/
My inbox so far is basically "we hope you had a great long weekend, here are the three emails we would have sent you yesterday and the two we were planning to send you today."
Been told about an immersive Titanic exhibition opening later this year.
I presume by immersive, they mean it's in a large swimming pool?
Charing Cross station to shut for three weeks this summer in £20m rail upgrade
Passengers are being warned to plan ahead as Charing Cross and Waterloo East close for 22 days while engineers replace track, repair bridges and rebuild platforms.
Far from me to suggest there might be an overlap in interests -- but if you're interested in Military history and Railways, then there's an ROC bunker for sale overlooking the Eurotunnel entrance in Folkstone.
https://www.milesandbarr.co.uk/auction-for-sale/land-for-sale-in-crete-road-west-folkestone-kent-ct18-57648/
London–Midlands rail services cut as EMR battles trains reliability crisis
Three years late entering service, the new Hitachi-built trains are now at the centre of timetable cuts while engineers work to improve reliability.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/london-midlands-rail-services-cut-as-emr-battles-trains-reliability-crisis-91277/
First steels installed for Leyton tube station’s step-free upgrade
Work on upgrading Leyton tube station to provide step-free access and a new station entrance is progressing, with steelwork now being installed.
Waiting for a train.
Tickets Alert: Chatley Heath semaphore tower open weekend
Peeking just above the trees by the M25 on the edge of southwest London is a tall octagonal building built as part of Britain's defence, which will be open to the public on 6th and 7th June 2026.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tickets-alert-chatley-heath-semaphore-tower-open-weekend-72999/
Four days of London Underground disruption expected due to RMT strike
Transport for London (TfL) is warning of severe disruption across the London Underground as the RMT union members walk out on strike next week.
Tickets Alert: Watch Star Wars with live music at the Royal Albert Hall
There will be a chance to see the first of the Star Wars trilogy movies on a very big screen next year – with live music accompaniment.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tickets-alert-watch-star-wars-with-live-music-at-the-royal-albert-hall-89509/
Berrylands station closing next week for several months of repair work
Network Rail is reminding people that Berrylands station will close next week for several months of upgrade works to replace the old wooden platforms.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/berrylands-station-closing-next-week-for-several-months-of-repair-work-89452/
From the archive: The story of Embankment tube station’s platform design
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/a-modernist-river-runs-through-it-the-story-of-embankment-tube-stations-platform-design-80562/
London’s Pocket Parks: Queen’s Park Canalside, W10
This is a recently refurbished and renamed strip of pocket park that runs between the Grand Union Canal and Harrow Road in West Kilburn.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/londons-pocket-parks-queens-park-canalside-w10-90913/
Tickets Alert: Walk through the Postal Museum railway tunnels
The Postal Museum has announced October dates for its after-hours Tunnel Walk events, including two tours on Halloween
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tickets-alert-walk-through-the-postal-museum-railway-tunnels-92631/
Royal Mint releases Star Trek branded 50 pence coins
The Royal Mint has released a limited edition series of 50p coins to mark Star Trek’s 60th anniversary, and it comes with royal approval.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/royal-mint-releases-star-trek-branded-50-pence-coins-92272/
Always read the small print.
An advert for AI in 1935
The wonderfully nerdy guide to London’s Thames bridges has been updated
Intended for boat skippers but fascinating for curious Londoners, the Port of London Authority's latest guide is full of bridge facts, technical drawings and unusual river traditions.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the-wonderfully-nerdy-guide-to-londons-thames-bridges-has-been-updated-91388/
How to watch the August 2026 partial solar eclipse from London
There will be a significant partial solar eclipse visible from London in August, and several local astronomical societies are organising viewings with astronomers on hand to help.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/how-to-watch-the-august-2026-partial-solar-eclipse-from-london-91361/
Clucking good volunteers wanted for rescued hen scheme near Redbridge
Ex-commercial hens are looking for retirement homes after a new British Hen Welfare Trust branch opened near Redbridge.
Plans unveiled for 2.5-metre-wide tunnels to carry waste heat beneath south London
Two long tunnels could be dug beneath south London to carry surplus heat across the capital, creating a low-carbon heating network that could eventually warm around 300,000 homes.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/plans-unveiled-for-2-5-metre-wide-tunnels-to-carry-waste-heat-beneath-south-london-91233/