A walk through 2000 years of Bloomsbury history

10 periods of Bloomsbury architecture in one short circular tour.

[@FIGHTGAME100]

Great work this, many thanks.

[@julianbarnett4564]

My great pleasure ! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@brittanyburnturner1631]

Wow. Is it possible to book a tour with yourself?

[@liuzhou]

I saw my flat! Just a few yards from Lenin's gaff!

[@rickangelico5612]

❤❤❤👏👏👏👏🙏

[@bronzinobronzino2748]

We lived for many years in Bloomsbury, so it was quite a pleasure to 'walk down memory lane' with you on your video focusing on ten architectural examples/eras in this segment of London. May we add a few more noteworthy items/thoughts to your initial ten? 1. We resided in an 'English basement' flat just west of The Brunswick Centre that you mention in your video -- on Cartwright Gardens, which is one of London's many 'crescents'. It was such a civilised way to live: the curve of the crescent guaranteed that this access road would not be used as a regular thoroughfare, so it was quiet whilst still being right in the middle of a busy metropolis. In fact, if you are a fan of the Poirot murder mystery series starring David Suchet, then you may recognise the facade of this very crescent. You see, the middle of the arc of Cartwright Gardens (originally named 'Burton Crescent') is divided by a cross street, which becomes the entrance to a small hotel named 'Jenkins Hotel'. This self same hotel/cross street was featured in the Poirot episode entitled 'The Adventures of the Italian Nobleman'. Right at the end of episode, the bad guy is hiding out in Jenkins Hotel before Poirot catches up with him. The hotel facade in the TV show is exactly what the building looks like even today (originally built c. 1810)! 2. You mention that The Brunswick has become a popular place to live now. We would suggest that part of that popularity has to do with the excellent food store that occupies the whole of the north end of the centre. This Waitrose is such a joy to encounter! Wide aisles, bright colour scheme (with shop employees dressed in green uniform plus hat), and a HUGE selection. Some say that Waitrose prices are higher than their competitors, but we found the difference in price point to be negligible, if at all. And frankly, for such an enjoyable shopping experience that Waitrose offers, we would be happy to pay a bit more occasionally. For something as basic as weekly food shopping, why not make it as enjoyable as possible?! An alluring asset for both the residents of The Brunswick as well as for the neighbourhood in general. 3. Right at the northern edge of Bloomsbury, abutting Euston Road at Upper Woburn, is St Pancras New Church, built c 1820. Besides being the most costly church architecture in its day after Wren's great St Paul's, it boasts a reconstruction of Athen's famous ancient porch of the Erechtheum. The St Pancras's four caryatids (vs six in the original) are sculpted of terra cotta (vs marble in the original), in horizontal sections, but with their missing arms re-imagined intact. The sculptor of the terra cotta caryatids, a Mr Rossi, based his work on the plaster casts that the church's architect, a Mr Inwood, had made of portions of the Erechtheum whilst visiting the ancient site in 1816. The folklore, however, was that the four finished terra cotta maidens were a bit too TALL to fit the area of the porch constructed at St Pancras. What to do?! These maidens were sliced, right at the waist, all four of them, and a horizontal sliver 'removed' and then their bodies were put back together, so as to fit the space. This is why, according to this tale, the maidens on the recreated Erechtheum porch at St Pancras appear to be 'stumpy' or 'squat'. Is this a true tale, or just a good story perpetuated by tour guides? Well, we leave that up to you to decide. But the extraordinary coincidence is that one of the six original Erechtheum caryatids is on display just a few block away, inside the British Museum. So you can compare the St Pancras caryatids with an original from ancient Greece, all in the space of one walking tour in Bloomsbury! With best wishes for your Bloomsbury sightseeing, A former Cartwright Grdn resident WC1H 9EH

[@diorocks5858]

me to, i used to walk every morning to work from Russel square to warren street, i loved that walk in all weathers

[@butch907]

Excellent stuff.

[@FindsByPirjo]

Enjoyed your video a lot. I'm visiting London, staying near Russel Square and got so much inspiration to walk this route when I'm there. Thank you Julian. You got a new subscriber.

[@mario1q845]

Great great video. Thank you so much.

[@suezhang5782]

very interesting video! Thanks for making it

[@claireleb]

Excellent history tour, thank you!

[@michaelzimbrich17]

I love to both see and hear the sounds of London (which would probably be editted out of most programs). Julian's tours are like the history of London itself - muddled through and not completely planned, but real. Can't believe being near some of these landmarks and only concerned with: where can I pee? He presents with infinitely more class.

[@julianbarnett4564]

Thank you ! There is surely no city on earth as dense with landmarks - great and small - as London.

[@Hairnicks]

Lovely tour, I always like to look up above the shops, that's where the history can be seen.

[@julianbarnett4564]

In complete agreement !

[@carrelin]

Dear Mr. Barnett, I have watched many tour videos in preparation for a family visit in May 2024. Do you give tours? Your videos are a delight. 15:15

[@johnmason7289]

Thank you for this video, an excellent piece of work.

[@julianbarnett4564]

Most kind. Thank you, John.

[@dolorespinto3106]

How have I missed this? Really loved your tour.

[@julianbarnett4564]

How kind. Delighted to read this.

[@rogerpancake6803]

Just discovered Julian and so glad I have ..this guy is cool..thanks Julian

[@rogerpancake6803]

I’m surprised Julian isn’t just a little bit famous …his mini docs are full of quite amazing stuff that Julian imparts with a singular zeal and no little skill ..tremendously entertaining, thank you Julian

[@bonadesign]

Thank you for making this engaging video which I found and enjoyed as I prepare to visit Bloomsbury next week. You are very kind and generous to share your knowledge in this way.

[@claudiacocio6938]

Such an interesting city tour, thank you.

[@tamesidefilming4650]

💙🇬🇧