Exploring London’s secret places.
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 9. French Ordinary Court Where? In an area of the City where unlikely street names are two-a-penny (Seething Lane, Mincing Lane, Savage Gardens), French Ordinary Court is perhaps the wackiest of all. It links Fenchurch Street …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 8. Wild Court, WC2 Where? Relatively spacious route connecting Kingsway to Wild Street What? A quiet sanctuary behind the Freemasons Hall on Great Queen Street. Frequented by upper-class gents with square briefcases and weird handshakes. It …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 7. Colonnade Where? Turn right out of Russell Square Tube, down a side street, and there it is, leading out to the useless Grenville Street. What? Bit of a cheat this one, given that you can …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 6. Crown Passage, SW1 Where? There can’t be many shortcuts that lead to a Royal Palace, but, by Jove, here’s one. The aptly named Crown Passage spills out onto Pall Mall, close to the redbrick St …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 5. Johnson’s Court, EC4 Where? Part of that baffling network of passages just north of Fleet Street. Well maintained and currently undergoing a refurb of street furniture (check out the inky-black water feature – not pictured). …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 4. Ely Court, EC1 Where? Semi-visible snicket linking the enigmatic Ely Place to Hatton Garden. What? Anyone who claims familiarity with London’s passageways will know that we had to cover this one sooner rather than later. …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 3. Brydges Place Where? Connects St Martin’s Lane (next to the ENO) to Bedfordbury. What? Catherine Brydges of Chandos, wife of the Fourth Earl of Bedford, must have been delighted to have this back passage named …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways 2. Brunswick Square to Mecklenburgh Square Where? Obscure Bloomsbury hinterland, North of Coram’s Fields. What? A leafy, nameless passageway connecting the northern ends of the two squares. The track is unsigned and little known even by …
A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways. 1. Great Eastern Walk Where? Runs alongside Liverpool Street Station, connecting Bishopsgate to Exchange Square. What? An enclosed, dimly lit walkway of daunting length (218 paces). Accessed at one end by furtive, slimline escalators a little …
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