Caroline's Miscellany

The sound of fairground organs, still heard on 'galloper' carousels, is distinctive and evocative - but less known is that much of it comes from an unassuming building in Clerkenwell.

It's hard to believe that this blog is over 17 years old.

Merry Christmas - with a little glimpse of one of Paris's beautiful arcades, the Galerie Vivienne.

The Albert Bridge is perhaps London's prettiest Thames bridge, and certainly its most fragile.

This milestone is in Haworth, Yorkshire, whose most famous residents were the Bronte sisters.

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When he won the Battle of Hastings.

Closed for over three decades, and only attracting 650 passengers a day even when it was open, Aldwych Station seems like an odd relic.

Before reading on, take a moment to think where this fine building entrance might be found, and its likely age.

The underground station at Aldwych was always a bit of an anomaly: a single-stop stub of the Piccadilly Line from Holborn.

Britain is in the midst of Railway 200 celebrations, but it's not alone in its affection for rail travel and infrastructure.

Here's a fun London curiosity: a postbox which has become part of a plane tree.

At the eastern end of Shepherd's Bush Green, near a pedestrian crossing, is a mysterious ventilation pipe.

Between a terrace of houses and a traditional English church in Mortlake, West London is a surprising mausoleum.

If you haven't tried the quiz, have a look here first!

Five picture, five places.

Among and around all the shiny retail at Waterloo Station are endless interesting details.

Happening to be in Chester on 28 May, I was able to watch the unveiling of a new statue right in front of the railway station.

High on an Amsterdam street are these tiny characters, working hard at painting a replacement for a missing street sign.

The paving in this small and charming Paris passageway is unremarkable at first glance.

The Natural History Museum is as remarkable for its architecture as its exhibits.

All but the most seasoned commuters depend on Green Park station's signs to the Piccadilly, Jubilee and Victoria lines; out to the park, Piccadilly or Buckingham Palace; or for lifts, tickets or the cash machine.

After a hiatus, new posts are coming!

Crossness Pumping Station is one of those amazing places that are always worth revisiting.

A quick look at changing styles of street signs, all from a stroll along the main road from Dalston Junction to Stoke Newington stations.