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The view from the Terrace Gardens on Richmond Hill. Surely one of the most pleasant views in London.

#London #England #Thames

A view mostly of green fields and trees stretching to the horizon, with a river meandering through the middle.

A walk along the River Lea

#London #England

A view of the river. There are house boats moored on the far side.

A view from a bridge over the river. There are residential buildings to the left, with house boats moored opposite.

"The love that dare not speak its name": 140 years ago today, Oscar Wilde's trial for "gross indecency" - homosexual acts - began. He was imprisoned in Reading Jail, and I took this photo of his cell door while it was on loan to the fantastic Queer Britain museum in 2023.

Homosexuality remains illegal in many jurisdictions.

#QueerHistory #LGBTQ #OTD

The Tulip Festival at Hampton Court Palace

#plants #flowers #england #london

A formal garden with flower beds filled with plants of various bright colours. The grass is cut short and there's a stone path running through the garden, with a pond in the middle. In the background stands a brick building of several different eras, with both Tudor and Stuart sections of Hampton Court Palace visible.

A vast formal garden with flower beds filled with plants of various bright colours. The grass is cut short and there are several well-kept topiaried bushes.

A well-kept lawn with two flower beds, one filled with red tulips in the foreground, and further back one with yellow tulips. Visible at the edge of the lawn are three large topiaried bushes, behind which is a gravel path. Futher back is an old brick wall, and in the background behind this is the vast Stuart facade of Hampton Court Palace, an imposing brick and stone structure. Also visible in the background are some chimneys from the older Tudor part of the palace.

In the foreground is a large human-made pond, in the centre of which is a fountain with several jets. Surrounding this and evenly-spaced in the water are eight planters filled with flowers, alternating between pink and greenish. In the background are lawns bordered by large trees. Many people are walking around or sitting on benches.

The Walled Garden and dovecote at Eastcote House

#London #England #plants

A view of a walled garden on a sunny day; several short-cut lawns with flowerbeds around the edges, and hedges and topiaries. It's all surrounded by an old-looking red brick wall. Behind the wall are trees and a blue sky with thin clouds. Forming part of the wall is a square brick-walled structure with pitched roof.

St James's Park #London

A grey heron sits on a tree branch over a lake

Views from the Hill Garden and pergola at Hampstead Heath, one of my favourite places to walk.

#London

A view overlooking mostly leafless trees, with hills in the distant background and a cloudy sky. At the bottom of the photo is a path with some stone steps.

An old-looking pergola. Most of the pillars are bare.

This building in Notting Hill, London, now houses the (very interesting) Museum of Brands, but when it opened in 1988 this was London Lighthouse, a centre for people living with HIV and AIDS - at the time, the largest of its kind in the world. For many years it provided residential and hospice care, as well as providing a drop-in centre.

The centre was particularly known for its association with Diana, Princess of Wales, whose frequent public visits to places like London Lighthouse and the Middlesex Hospital, shaking hands with HIV+ people and treating them as equals, made a big difference in reducing the social stigma associated with the virus.

Although the Lighthouse closed in 2013, its small garden is still maintained by its original gardener and a small team of volunteers, and can be visited for free whenever the museum is open. It's a beautifully serene place, full of memorials to past clients and volunteers at the centre.

#London #QueerHistory #LGBTQ

A 1980s building with curved facade and entrance. Painted on the exterior walls are examples of iconic packaging with the trademarks spelt wrong, for example Coolman's Mustard and Waklers crisps. Over the entrance door it says Museum of Brands.

A pleasant stroll through Rochester, Kent, on a surprisingly sunny day. The Norman castle here was held by rebel barons during the First Barons' War, and was in King John's way as he travelled from Dover to London, so he besieged the castle and destroyed one corner of the keep. After John's death the castle was repaired using the more advanced methods of the time, leaving the keep with three square towers and one round tower (the round design being stronger than the square tower it replaced).

Next to the castle is Rochester Cathedral.

#history #England

A view of Rochester Castle, with part of the outer wall in the foreground with the tall keep behind it. The keep isn't ruined, but it's very weathered and appears hollow. Three of the corners have square towers, while the fourth is round.

A view of Rochester Castle from Rochester High Street. It's a large, ornate stone building with stained glass windows.

Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia. In 1889 a messenger boy was found with money far exceeding his usual wages, and accused of stealing it; the investigation led police to discover a gay brothel at 19 Cleveland Street, frequented by several wealthy and important men (allegedly including Price Albert Victor, son of the Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne). The news became a national scandal, even leading to the building being renumbered to disguise its infamous past, before it was ultimately demolished.

Charles Dickens also lived on this street, and the Cleveland Street Workhouse influenced some of his stories.

Also pictured is the BT Tower, tallest building in London when constructed.

#London #QueerHistory #LGBTQ #Dickens

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