All Manner of Artist
Second "Hidden Walk" in an attempt to reacquaint myself with Central London. This time it is Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury - the land of the Bohemians. I have so much future inspiration from this walk, I can hear my other projects weep. It's not every area of London that is named after a pub. I am rather enjoying reading "The Fitzroy: An autobiography of a London Pub". To the extent that I have a 1950s-themed pub crawl planned for another day.
An overview of the area;
Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury form a historic swathe of central London immediately north of Mayfair and Soho, with a character that is noticeably more literary, bohemian and intellectual. Fitzrovia developed as a mixed residential and commercial district, becoming particularly associated with artists, writers and musicians, including George Orwell, Dylan Thomas and Augustus John, while its pubs, workshops and small streets retain something of that unconventional past. Bloomsbury, by contrast, was largely shaped by the Russell family from the 17th century onwards and is renowned for its garden squares, grand terraces and intellectual associations, particularly with the British Museum, University College London and the Bloomsbury Group. Together, the two neighbourhoods offer a fascinating mixture of Georgian town planning, literary history, medicine, academia, pubs and bohemian London, stretching from Oxford Street north towards Roughly bounded by Great Portland Street to the west and Gray's Inn Road to the east.
A uniform layout of streets and impressive squares, mainly Georgian and early Victorian. The Post Office Tower dominates the skyline.
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| From the Euston Road |
This is a morning walk, so too early for watering holes. The Fitzroy is important to comment upon, responsible for the naming of the area in its bohemian glory years of the 1920s to the 1940s. I am part way through the previously mentioned book, reaching the start of the decline in 1955. A court case for running a house of ill-repute, when homosexual men were observed "fingering sailor's buttocks" by undercover detectives. The people and their other haunts have provided much future reading material and a new pub crawl for me to follow.
The next big source of inspiration is Hawksmoor. St George's, one of his six London churches, is on route. The distinctive tower featuring in the background of Hogarth's Gin Lane.
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| Looking forward to exploring in September |
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| Don't miss the more upbeat "Beer Street". |
Google Maps suggests the church is open daily from 9am. It appears that the church opening times are as inconsistently vague as pub opening hours. Gates are padlocked and access to the Hawksmoor (and suffragette) exhibitions are out of reach. Further research into the potential satanic layout of the six churches, via Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd, will be required – and another walking route will be born.
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| Hawksmoor - St George's |
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| Charles II in Roman Garb, atop Hogarth's Tower |
For the quirky - again, I am too early for the most famous (how many are there?) of London's Umbrella shops - James Smith and Sons. It saved me from myself. I fancied a heavy-topped walking stick to fight off phone thieves.
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| Summer of 2026 - Worst trading conditions ever |
And inside University College - one of the most bizarre sights in London. The corpse of Jeremy Bentham on display in a glass cupboard in the reception area. He died in 1832 and his will requested that his dressed body should be put on display as a "self-statue". Of course, the medical students have been messing around with it over the years. The head now a wax replacement.
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That's plenty for a blog - more photos of pubs, squares, Coram Fields, St George's Gardens and Tracy Emin artworks hidden in plain sight on a railing on the Komoot map below.
Future Inspiration
Book - The Fitzroy: An autobiography of a London Pub, Sally Fiber
Book - The Laughing Torso, Nina Hamnett
Pub Crawl - 1950s Bohemian Fitzrovia
Book - Queens of Bohemia and other Miss-fits, Darren Coffield
Artist - Augustus John
Book - Lud Heat, Iain Sinclair
Book - Hawksmoor, Peter Ackroyd
Walk Details
Previous Hidden London Walks -
Mayfair
Distance - 5.5 miles
Geocaches - c20
Walk Inspiration - London's Hidden Walks - Book 1 - Walk 2
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