Originally known as Sneads Court on John Rocque's map of London in 1746, the area was wider and more of a courtyard than an alley. Over time, it was renamed Hertford Place and later Yarmouth Mews as the neighborhood evolved into larger hotels and grand houses.
The new webpage, entitled 'How have objects come to be in the V&A?', points out that for some objects, their journeys have involved known histories of violence, coercion or injustice, while for others there remains uncertainty over exactly how they came to be here.
Inspired by the symbolism of the Fire Horse, the story explores the horse as a shared emotional language across cultures balancing Western equestrian refinement with Eastern understandings of instinct, strength, and spiritual presence.
She had this very motherly energy, which is weird to say about a horse. I just always felt like she was going to take care of me. The two even had the same birthday, April 1, though Blumer was 8 and the horse - whom she called "Fancy" - was 12.
Three of London's mainline terminus stations have announced more dates for the Railway 200 themed heritage tours that they were running last year. The tours will run once a month from January to March next year at London Bridge, Victoria, and Waterloo stations and will be led by Network Rail and historian-author Rachel Kolksy. They will last around two hours and involve walking around each station and the surrounding areas. The tours will cost £25 per person and dates are below. London Bridge station Tickets
The world's oldest surviving gasholder is to be restored and repurposed as part of a housing development in west London. Hammersmith & Fulham Council has approved plans that will see the Grade II* listed Gasholder No.2 at King's Road Park restored, securing the future of a structure that will soon reach its 200th birthday. Built between 1829 and 1830, Gasholder No.2 is believed to be the oldest surviving gasholder in the world.
The charming Amersham fairground organ museum, which is usually open a few Sundays per year, has now started offering guided tours. The occasional open days are more a chance to sit and listen to the old fair organs playing their pipes, and have a nice lunch at the same time. However, the guided tours, which will take place on Saturdays, will offer a deeper dive into their collection of organs and the music cards that control them.
The money, they said, might not be there to continue operation. Payroll was in question, following months of uncertainty, and to make matters worse, they'd discovered two tax liens filed by the state of California against the restaurant for a total of $530,000, related to loans against the business taken out by the owner and principal investor, Stephen Light. A collections notice had arrived in December.
A string quartet was playing in the hotel's lobby on our arrival, and the music drifted gently through to the Green Parlour as we took our tea. The tea room itself is unmilitary in style, with lots of soft greens and botanical art on the walls. For those who like their afternoon tea with bubbles, there's a choice of English sparkling wines at the Green Parlour.
With pre-Cheltenham purdah fast approaching, the Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase at Kempton on Saturday could well be the most competitive betting heat for the next two-and-a-half weeks and Emmet Mullins's decision to field two runners in the 13-strong field adds a further layer of complexity to the puzzle. Mullins has a well-earned reputation for sliding contenders into handicaps at Cheltenham and Aintree on very competitive marks, but his Kempton record three wins from five runners is not too shabby either.
There's a new way for people to display their Tube loyalties* as the London Transport Museum has started selling a range of moquette doormats. Just two patterns and one roundel at the moment, but if you use the Bakerloo or Elizabeth lines, you can have a bit of seat pattern on your doorstep. For everyone else, there's the Mind the Gap in roundel form.