<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" href="/css/rss.css" ?>
<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
         xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/"
         xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
         xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss"><docs>This is a RSS file. Copy the URL into your aggregator of choice. If you don't know what this means and want to learn more, please see: <span>http://platial.typepad.com/news/2006/04/really_simple_t.html</span> for more info.</docs>
<channel rdf:about="http://platial.comhttp://platial.com/map/Londonist-s-Back-Passage/13044">
<link>http://platial.comhttp://platial.com/map/Londonist-s-Back-Passage/13044</link>
<title>Londonist's Back Passage</title>
<description>All the alleyways and passages from Londonist's popular column (http://www.londonist.com/archives/back_passages/)mapped.</description>
<items>
<rdf:Seq>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/1110810"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/1178351"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/1178361"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874632"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874833"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874630"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874635"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874637"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874639"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874821"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874823"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874825"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874827"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874829"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874835"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874837"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874870"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874874"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/890061"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/897143"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/930186"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/967187"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/967193"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/967195"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/967198"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/1069358"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/1069360"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/1110812"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/1178359"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874641"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874831"/>
<rdf:li resource="http://platial.com/post/874854"/>
</rdf:Seq>
</items>
</channel>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/1110810">
<link>http://platial.com/post/1110810</link>
<title>27. Cobb's Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Northern strand in a City cavalcade of passages. This one's located in the snickety heaven south-west of St Paul's.

What? Cobb's Court was a new, if modest, addition to the City after the Great Fire, built on ground formerly occupied by St Anne, Blackfriars. Passage-master Ivor Hoole suggests the name may come from Paul Cobb, Mayor of Bedford, who had documented liason's with the best-named builder in London's history - Nicholas If-Jesus-Had-Not-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned Barbon. (No, really.) Hilariously, the southern section was formerly called Postboy Passage. The now familiar trickle of dubious liquid was, we're happy to report, just a leaky drain.

Why use? Hmm, well, if you want to pass unnoticed from the overgenerously named Ludgate Broadway to Carter Lane, then this is for you. Otherwise, one of the less worthy entries in our series. Nice, but BOR-ING.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/1110810">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-03-25 12:20:26.26434+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/1178351">
<link>http://platial.com/post/1178351</link>
<title>29. Angel Place</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? SE1, close to Borough Tube and St George’s church.

What? ‘Dickensian’ is an adjective so steeped in cliché that we have a rule at Londonist: whenever the word slips into a post, we get the writer to pay a sovereign towards upkeep of the local orphanage. Here, however, we can wield the description with justified impunity. This alley (formerly Angel Court) really is Dickensian. Look, it appears in Little Dorrit:

    Whosoever goes into Marshalsea Place, turning out of Angel Court, leading to Bermondsey, will find his feet on the very paving-stones of the extinct Marshalsea Goal; will see its narrow yard to the right and to the left, very little altered if at all, except that the walls were lowered when the place got free; will look upon the rooms in which the debtors lived; will stand among the crowded ghosts of many miserable years.

He’s right. That high wall you see on the right is the boundary of Marshalsea Prison – a debtor’s gaol which housed Dickens’ father in 1824. The prison was closed later in the century, but a few remains can be seen.

This one really, really does smell of piss.

Why use? The passage has an opening into St George’s Gardens – one of the few local areas of green. The park occupies the site of the Marshalsea, and attracts an apt community of down-and-outers. Be careful not to get locked in by the council workers who turn up with Marley-like chains at closing time.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/1178351">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-04-11 05:53:08.192013+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/1178361">
<link>http://platial.com/post/1178361</link>
<title>31. Platform 1, King's Cross</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Erm, King's Cross. But it's more than just a platform. It's a sneaky back passage.

What? Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4 isn't the only secret portal on the station. Platform 1 runs along the east side of the main building - it's the one with the pirate-themed pasty stall and the AMT coffee kiosk. The powers that be allow pedestrians to wander the length as a rainproof alternative to York Way. A cobbled slip road at yon end leads up to the junction with Wharfdale Road.

The route is an endangered species. As part of a redevelopment of the station, Metronet plans to close off platform access to all but ticket holders. Local residents and workers have lobbied the authorities, and the decision now rests with Camden Council.

Why use? York Way is grim, so if you ever need to head that way, consider Platform 1 as an alternative (although the diesel fumes at the 'country end' of the station are also off-putting). A Wotsit of trainspotters can usually be found basking in the fumes.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/1178361">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-04-11 05:57:43.274926+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874632">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874632</link>
<title>2. Brunswick Square to Mecklenburgh Square</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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 locals. It runs through land once owned by the Foundling Hospital, a charitable children’s institution whose patrons included Hogarth and Handel. The passage separates the so-called Coram Community Campus from an acre or so of Astroturf to the south.

Why use? The little-known Foundling Museum is sited at the Brunswick end. This is definitely worth a visit if you’re a fan of Twistian tales of woebegone orphans. They’ve got an impressive art collection too. Also nearby is the art-house Renoir Cinema and the soon-to-be reborn Brunswick Centre (‘a high-street for Bloomsbury’ say the posters). Unless you’re lucky enough to live in or around Mecklenburgh Square, however, there are quicker routes to all of these.

Also good for? The only way to see any of the Coram estate without having a small child in tow. (Regulations famously state that adults must be accompanied by a child.)<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874632">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 12:22:03.805656+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874833">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874833</link>
<title>13. Pilgrim Street</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? That set of steps you see leads up from New Bridge Street into a small lane known as Pilgrim Street. The view from the other end is equally impressive, with the wedding-cake tower of St Brides framed by office buildings.

What? Because much of its course is open to vehicles, this narrow route behind the CityThameslink building only partly qualifies for our column on account of the pedestrianised western end. It leads into an extended network of ancient alleyways to the south west of the cathedral.

Why use? Certainly, it's a good spot to impress visitors to the city, with the dome of St Paul's rising above the steps. All very Oliver Twist, but without the filth and petty theft. It's also a crafty means of getting into the Thameslink station without having to fight through the hordes on Ludgate Hill.

Also good for? Budding archaeologists. The Roman city wall is presumed to have crossed Pilgrim Street on its way down to the Thames. However, no remains have ever been found along this stretch, so perhaps there's a major archaeological find just waiting to happen. In Medieval times, the wall was rebuilt and actually ran the length of Pilgrim Street.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874833">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:13:36.905946+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874630">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874630</link>
<title>1. Great Eastern Walk</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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 beyond Café Nero, and at the other by stairs close to the Broadgate Venus. Some good views of the station platforms for people who like good views of station platforms.

Why use? One of several alternatives for office workers north and east of the station wishing to reach the platforms without braving the outside world. No charity muggers here.

Also good for? (1) A rapid, rain-free rollerblading route (it’s deserted at weekends); (2) film location work, by virtue of the Orwellian oppressiveness; (3) laughing at high-speed rollerbladers crashing into film crews. <br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874630">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 12:18:38.217141+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874635">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874635</link>
<title>3. Brydges Place</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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 after her. It’s a lengthy thoroughfare of extremely mean width. Expect tailbacks whenever folk of ample carriage attempt to pass through. Perhaps because the passage is lined with rear entrances to pubs and eateries (and even a private club), the expected waft of tramp’s piss never quite materialises.

Why use? You’re a Londoner, you’ve stumbled into the dreaded tourist precincts, and you’re stuck in a chaotic sea of confused theatregoers. If you want to move anywhere, you have two options. (1) Wait for the capricious drift of plate tectonics. (2) Learn to use passages such as this. Knowledge of the numerous shortcuts of the West End is invaluable if you want to get around at anything approaching normal speed.

Also good for? (1) Giving portly pursuers and hammerhead sharks the slip. (2) Low-budget reenactments of the Star Wars trench finalé. (3) Low-budget reenactments of the Star Wars garbage compressor scene.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874635">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 12:24:54.037943+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874637">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874637</link>
<title>4. Ely Court, EC1</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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. As well as being Elizabeth I’s alleyway of choice, it was once patrolled by a costumed beadle and wasn’t considered part of London at all. So much oddness in so little space.

Why use? The Old Mitre Tavern, one of London’s canonical must-see boozers, takes up the north side. This is the Lizzy link. She once danced around a maypole tree at this place, and the stump in the bar is a remnant of this – or so the legend goes.

Also good for? Evading arrest. The long arm of the law needs to be rather elastic if it’s to reach you down here. The passage and connecting Ely Place are traditionally part of Cambridgeshire, so neither the Met nor the City Police can wield authority. A ‘fact’ particularly handy for gem thieves, given the convenience of the Hatton Garden diamond quarter. Sadly, the more responsible sources for some reason insist on accuracy over anecdote, and claim this quirk of law is no longer the case. Bah! <br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874637">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 12:27:26.24602+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874639">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874639</link>
<title>5. Johnson’s Court, EC4</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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).

What? A twisting, partly covered alley with some character left, despite one too many modern developments.

Why use? The route is trodden by many a lexiphile, for it leads to Gough Square and the house-museum of Dr Johnson (creator of the first decent English dictionary).

Also good for? Dashing your faith in seemingly reasonable assumptions. Dr Johnson not only lived in nearby Gough Square, but also resided in Johnson’s Court for nearly 11 years. Yet the name of the passage has nothing to do with him. It is called for Thomas Johnson, a tailor who lived here some 200 years before Samuel.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874639">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 12:29:37.455116+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874821">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874821</link>
<title>7. Colonnade</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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 drive down it. But with its cobbled surface and general out-of-the-wayness it feels like a right proper alley. Also possesses its own localised weather systems, judging by the ever-preset rain whenever we visit.

Why use? You have absolutely no business being down here unless you require access to one of the adjoining properties. Still, it’s a picturesque slice of Old Bloomsbury, and worth a diversion.

Also good for? OK, so we lied. There is something worth visiting down Colonnade - arts venue The Horse Hospital. Pop along this Saturday for the UK’s first festival devoted to Flash animation.
<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874821">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 19:58:47.669614+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874823">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874823</link>
<title>8. Wild Court, WC2</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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 hasn’t always been so hushed, though. 150 years ago, over 1000 people (mostly Irish) resided here, in just 13 houses.

Why use? The passage leads nowhere useful and runs parallel to two alternative routes. But it is good, excellent in fact, for cycle parking. For all those biwheeled moaners who say there’s nowhere to chain up bikes in central London, well looky here. A five minute walk from the heart of Covent Garden and not a single velocipede in evidence, despite ample provision.

Also good for? 1. Ideal course for beginners’ croquet. 2. Playing knock-a-door-run with befuddled Freemasons.
<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874823">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:00:45.042516+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874825">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874825</link>
<title>9. French Ordinary Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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 to Crutched Friars (there’s another one) via some fancy brickwork vaulting.

What? Two passages in one - a veritable ginnel glut. The northern, open-air end is known as St Katherine’s Row, as it runs through the churchyard of the long-demolished St Katherine Coleman. Further down, the alley passes under railway tracks, and is named French Ordinary Court. (This is the dark, creepy section shown in the photo.) The southernmost part unexpectedly widens into a car park. The unusual name, so it’s reckoned, derives from a Gallic eatery once located near the site. An ‘ordinary’ was a fixed-price meal purveyed in such restaurants. The eating place was destroyed during the Great Fire and never replaced.

Why use? Good views of the Lloyds Registry of Shipping extension, designed by Lord Rogers. A kind of update on his more famous Lloyds Building. Also, the cavernous stretches to the southern end of the passage are worth a visit for their sheer atmospheric pleasure.

Also good for? 1. An as-yet undiscovered goldmine for carjackers, druggies, graffiti artists and other ne’er-do-wells. 2. Ideal location for Vincent Price impersonations.
<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874825">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:05:14.431526+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874827">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874827</link>
<title>10. Took’s Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Piddling little dogleg to the East of Chancery Lane. Yes, we’re back near Samuel Johnson Land again.

What? Surely London’s least grimy alley. Sandblasted and scrubbed to the point that you could eat your dinner off it whilst performing open heart surgery. The largely useless route was built just before the Great Fire by a chap called Thomas Took (and not the filthy little Hobbitsy). Over the years, it’s housed the poet Sheridan (in a debtor’s prison) and, briefly, Charles Dickens (but then he lived everywhere).

Why use? Fans of hidden London may wish to make a pilgrimage to this spot. Until recently one of two entrances to the semi-secret tunnels and bunker beneath Holborn could be found in Took’s Court. The visible infrastructure was demolished and redeveloped a couple of years ago, hence why everything looks so clinical, spangly and new.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874827">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:07:41.073941+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874829">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874829</link>
<title>11. St Bride's Avenue</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where?
Part of a warren of similarly ancient thoroughfares in the Fleet Street area. As its name suggests, this one runs alongside St Bride's church, south of Fleet Street, and turns 90 degrees at the north-west to lead into the church.

What?
Looking something like an open sewer in our photo, this is actually quite a pleasant place. Hitch up over that wall, and you'll be in the churchyard, a quiet, contemplative space to sit.

Why use?
If you only visit one church this year, make it St Bride's. You don't need to be all gody or anything to appreciate the layers of history in this place. From the tiered spire, which influenced the first wedding cake, to the crypt, which houses a small musuem and significant Roman remains - this is one of those London spots that almost sweats with history (see picture). Did we mention that the first printing press was set up in the churhyard in 1501? And way, way before that, this was a place of ancient pagan worship. There's just too much for this one little column to cover. Do go and have a look some time.

Also good for?
1. Banksy spotting. There's a faded rat just out of shot to the left of this picture. 2. Entrance to the Old Bell pub (bit cluttered with suits, but one of the gems of Fleet Street).
<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874829">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:26:54.797653+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874835">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874835</link>
<title>14. New Turnstile</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Refurbished shortcut at the back of Holborn Tube station.

What? The most recent and blandest of several 'turnstiles' in the area - Great Turnstile and Little Turnstile are the others. These alleys once contained gateposts to prevent livestock escaping from the grazing areas now known as Lincoln's Inn Fields. No sign of the posts, or the sheep, remains today. In fact, there's no sign of anything but wheelie bins down the curiosity vacuum that is New Turnstile. Perhaps that's why Camden Council decided to install the crazy, wobbly paving you see in the picture. Whoooa, how whacky.

Why use? In conjunction with the marginally more exciting Gate Street, this forms one of London's most useful shortcuts. Holborn station in the rush hour is one of London's most pressing pedestrian bottlenecks and several people have paid with their lives on the dangerous crossroads outside. Cutting down these back streets is much quicker than forcing your way through the throng.

Also good for? The bendy paving undulates with the perfect frequency to counter the swaying effects of alcohol. Especially useful in Holborn, whose many great pubs include The Ship Tavern on nearby Little Turnstile.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874835">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:15:37.199257+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874837">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874837</link>
<title>15. Lazenby Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where?Short alley connecting Floral Street to Rose Street, Covent Garden. Please mind your head.
What?Perhaps one of the shortest short-cuts we've yet featured, this alleyway is nevertheless a relative heavyweight historically. The Court was constructed in 1688, becoming one of the first areas to be built upon in this area. It soon gained a reputation as an excellent place to catch cholera, syphillis, or an extreme case of death thanks to the overcrowding and squalor. One notable sampler of the area's unsavoury character was the writer John Dryden, who is said to have been mugged and almost murdered while walking down Lazenby Court. This is probably nonsense though.
Why Use?File this one under the burgeoning catagory of passages with good pubs down them. The Lamb and Flag, although usually too busy to contemplate, is an excellent place for a cheeky half. In darker times, the hostelry was known as the Bucket of Blood. You'd have thought Dryden would have got the hint.
Also Good for?Given the name...topical James Bond tie-ins (we can link anything on this site!).
<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874837">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:18:26.955166+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874870">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874870</link>
<title>17. Shepherd Market</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? A little north-east of fragrant Hyde Park Corner. Built on the site of the ancient May Fairs, after which the wider area is named.

What? A charming conglomeration of pokey eateries, thrusting awnings and cluttered passages, all colleced under the one name. The result is the most atmospheric of Mayfair's many antiquated enclaves.

Why use? Bask in a piece of semi-genuine old English lovliness, without the usual tourist hordes. Can get busy in the summer, though.

Also good for? Pubs (again!!). Ye Grapesand the King's Arms are two of the area's finest if you catch them at the right time. Also, prozzies. In situ for generations; and even by appointment to a certain former Mayoral candidate. There was still a touch of the sordid on our visit, with prominent canvases of luxuriously splayed nudes in a local gallery window.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874870">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:22:27.054516+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874874">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874874</link>
<title>18. Princes Arcade</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? One of several upper-class tunnels in SW1. This one connects Jermyn Street to the A4 (or Piccadilly to you and me).

What? Ah, a scene straight off of a Victorian Christmas card. But appearances can be deceiving. Princes Arcade was the last such thoroughfare to be built in the area and dates from as late as 1933.

Why use? Festive shopping. And if ever a hall was decked with boughs of holly, this is it. You'll find shop after shop of luxury-class tat for the toff who has everything. Take these, for example. An ideal gift for fans of dogs in period military costume.

Also good for? Arguments about apostrophes.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874874">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:24:50.230471+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/890061">
<link>http://platial.com/post/890061</link>
<title>19. St Christopher's PLace</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? A clement thoroughfare connecting Oxford Street (near Bond Street Tube) to Wigmore Street.

What? It might be full of beautiful people today, but St Kitt's was once a rather slummy backwater known as Barretts Court. It later found some semblance of respectability under the guidance of Octavia Hill, one of the Victorian founders of the National Trust, who bought the noisome plot and rechristened it after her pet saint. A local plaque speaks of cheesemongers, drapers and chandlers lining the street at that time. All trades that wouldn't look out of place today, along this cutting of bright shops and inviting eateries.

Why use? If you're stuck on Oxford Street during the New Year sales and are close to screaming, seek out this alleyway and all will be calm again. It's like escaping into Mayfair, only less exclusive and more focussed on food and speciality shops. Our favourite is 'Under two flags', a tiny outlet on the east side selling toy soldiers like it's still 1807.

Also good for? Al fresco dining is nothing special in London these days, but St Christopher's Place boasts one of the largest concentrations of pavement dining in the West End. Maybe leave it a few months, though.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/890061">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-01-04 02:29:46.328987+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/897143">
<link>http://platial.com/post/897143</link>
<title>20. Faulkner's Alley</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Runs parallel to Turnmill Street, between Cowcross Street and Benjamin Street.

What? Wooooo! Spooky, eh? And so it should be. This little shortcut is 350 years old, predating the Great Fire. This part of Cowcross Street would have then overlooked the River Fleet, which today lies buried beneath the Metropolitan Line tracks. Back then, herds of cattle would have been herded daily past the entrance of this passage, on their way to Smithfield Market. From whence the name Cowcross Street.

Why use? There's no particularly good reason to use this passage, other than a more atmospheric alternative to Turnmill Street. However, it does lead to St John's Gardens, a very small, and somehow morose, patch of turf. At t'other end is the Castle Pub, in which the never-popular George IV is said to have pawned his watch to raise gambling funds.
<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/897143">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-01-11 02:51:24.837477+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/930186">
<link>http://platial.com/post/930186</link>
<title>21. Cecil Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Short pedestrian route between Charing Cross Road and St Martin's Lane.

What? In the heart of glitzy, neon tourist-town, it's heartening to find such a contrasting bastion of antiquity. The shop fronts have not, we're told, been altered in more than a century. All of which made this the perfect location for filming recent period piece 'Miss Potter'. The Victorian frontages belie the true age of this street, which dates to the late 17th Century. It's named after Robert Cecil, the leading minister whom Elizabeth I referred to as her elf, on account of his gurnsome features. Now famed for its books, the street has previously had associations with other artforms. Many early film companies were based here in the early 20th Century, leading to its erstwhile nickname Flicker Alley. Fitting, then, that it has a handsome representation in the 21st Century, courtesy of Flickr. There's also evidence that the young Mozart lived here, very briefly, in 1764.

Why use? Cecil Court is replete with niche book shops, memorabilia of another age, maps, charts, faded advertising posters from yesteryear, and the sorts of oddments you'd expect to find in Iain Sinclair's attic. A bibliophilic orgasm of a street. <br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/930186">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-01-21 04:47:57.790546+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/967187">
<link>http://platial.com/post/967187</link>
<title>22. Cloth Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Barely visible on most maps, this little dog-leg sits within the precincts of the ancient St Bartholomew's Church, Smithfield.

What? This is one of our favourite parts of town for poking around and feeling the history. The nearby church is one of London's most beautiful, and to step inside when the incense is burning can bring tears of wonder to the most hardened atheist. Cloth Court is one of numerous surviving passages and courts in the area. The cloth association comes from the ancient Bartholomew Fair, which for 700 years was one of Europe's biggest textile markets. This was finally banned by the no-fun Victorians, who wanted to stamp out the chaos and crime associated with the event. Many London Greats have lived nearby. Inigo Jones, Ben Franklin, William Hogarth...it's an impressive list. The blue plaque you see in the photo is to poet laureate John Betjaman, who lived on the corner above what is now an outlet of Jamie's wine bar, bearing his name.

Why use? Well, it doesn't really go anywhere, so your visit here is simply to breath in the history...and/or the stench of stale urine.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/967187">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-02-16 08:08:57.585246+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/967193">
<link>http://platial.com/post/967193</link>
<title>23. Exchange Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? A sibling to Bull Inn Court, running down ancient sloped from Maiden Lane to Strand.

What? To avoid the cliché of calling this lane 'Dickensian', we'd like to proclaim it a passage of Coxian dimension. The gas-lit southern end oozes atmosphere. It's a creepy, quiet place where only drunks loiter for long. We expect, and find, the now familiar stench of last night's bladder urge.

Through the Stuart and Georgian eras, the neighbourhood was alive with seedy, vice-ridden markets. It's not clear whether the alley takes its name from the exchange of goods, or bodily fluids. Later, the court housed a troupe of errand-runners and odd-jobbers known as the Corps of Commissionaires - ex-servicemen with their own special uniform and military band. The Corps is still active today, having transmogrified into a security outfit.

Why use? Get to the heart of Covent Garden without having to walk past loads of overpriced outdoor-persuits shops. And, as usual, bypass the tourists.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/967193">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-02-16 08:11:01.290261+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/967195">
<link>http://platial.com/post/967195</link>
<title>15. Bull Inn Court</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Long, sloping alley dropping from Maiden Lane down to Strand.
What? Named after, unsurprisingly, the Bull Inn tavern, which once stood at the foot of the hill. A narrow cutting between the Adelphi and Vaudeville theatres widens in the middle, allowing in a little daylight. Charmingly spooky, if you ignore the smell.
Why use? This alley checks all our boxes. 1. It has history. Actor William Terris was murdered 'yards from this spot' in 1897, according to a notice toward the Strand end. This is slightly stretching the truth, as Terris was actually stabbed round the corner on Maiden Lane. With his dieing breath he vowed to return, and his spectre has been spotted by the credulous in several local spots, including Covent Garden Tube. 2. It has a good pub. The Nell Gwynne, named of course for the famous mistress of Charles II, who lived locally. The Nell is a tiny, old-man sort of place, with a winningly old-fashioned interior and several real ales. Also has its own ghost and 'Hellish stairs to the toilets'. 3. The cutting is eminently practical for avoiding herds of tourists in surrounding Covent Garden precincts.
Also good for? Homeless sleeping and pavement pissing, judging from the smell.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/967195">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-02-16 08:13:08.926364+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/967198">
<link>http://platial.com/post/967198</link>
<title>24. Artillery Passage</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Surviving bastion of the Ripper's London in the heart of Spitalfields.

What? The sickly lighting only adds to the troubling atmosphere of Artillery Passage. The short passage has changed little since the days of Jack the Ripper. His final victim, Mary Kelly was dissected just yards from the eastern end of Artillery Passage, where today a multistorey car park stands. Appropriately, someone had daubed a lifesize image of the Ripper on a nearby wall - through that glowing opening to the left. Which has a macabre roundness about it, considering Jack was no stranger to graffiti himself.

Artillery passage and the nearby Lane take their names from, predictably, an old military training ground. The artillery field was established by Henry VIII after nicking the land from the nearby St Mary Spital priory (remains of which can now be seen in the new Spitalfields development). The street was layed out in the 1680s. Today it mostly contains eateries of one stripe or another, cashing in on the tourist trade.

Why use? You'll certainly pass this way if you're on one of the many Ripper tours. If you've never been here before it's worth making a trip over to see a genuine, untouched bit of old London. It's also a convenient route if you're heading to Brick Lane from Liverpool Street.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/967198">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-02-16 08:15:38.400431+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/1069358">
<link>http://platial.com/post/1069358</link>
<title>25. Meard Street</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Part-pedestrianised route in the heart of Soho, linking Wardour and Dean Streets. Sounds like a sack of French excrement. Isn't.

What? Meard Street is a street of two halves, with a western end closed to traffic and an eastern cul-de-sac. This reflects the origins of the street, which started life as a pair of courtyards. The unified route was built in the 1720-30s by the carpenter John Meard, who was also responsible for the slightly eccentric spire of nearby St Anne's church. Many of the original houses remain, and it's perhaps the best place in Soho to admire Georgian architecture.

Why use?
Good for street art. Not only does a faded Banksy rat grace the corner of one building, but a peculiar stone nose can be seen poking out from a wall at the eastern end. And then there's this. http://london.thewayweseeit.org/index.php?full=1&lo=48&iid=862&page=slide<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/1069358">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-03-13 14:21:06.342798+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/1069360">
<link>http://platial.com/post/1069360</link>
<title>26. Silver Place</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Sticking in Soho for another week, this little cutting will take you from Lexington Street to Hopkin Street.

What? A rather anonymous alleyway, which seems to evade the attentions of the usual reference books. We're not even sure why it's called Silver Place; perhaps as a nominative . A number of markets have existed closeby over the centuries, so perhaps one of these specialised in silver. To the north-east, when the passage was called Pulteney Court, stood the Lion Brewery (1801 to 1937). The brewery played an important role in the history of public health. Many locals died during an outbreak of cholera in 1854. Dr John Snow theorised that this might be down to an infected water source - the Broad Street pump. One of the clinchers in his argument was the lack of fatalities amongst the brewery workers, who rarely drank anything other than beer. Snow thus became the first to demonstrate that cholera is a water-borne disease, the first step in eliminating it as a risk to public health.

Why use? If you're an ageing bohemian and want to remain in Soho. Silver Place perhaps takes its name from the follicular hue of its denizens. To the south-east corner stands Pargiter Court - a residential block now used as retirement flats. A plaque notes that when the building was erected in 1886, the local vestry ordered the inclusion of iron balconies to 'encourage a taste for window gardening'. The ornate ironmongery can still be seen today.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/1069360">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-03-13 14:22:26.983208+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/1110812">
<link>http://platial.com/post/1110812</link>
<title>28. Roman Wall passage</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Just north of Tower Hill (see map below) on Cooper's Row, a hotel forecourt leads through to a hidden section of London's Roman wall. An opening to the left (where that chap's passing through) leads out towards Minories.

What? Where else in London can you enjoy an Italian coffee next to a 1900 year-old Italian relic? The courtyard of the Grange City Hotel conceals one of the few surviving sections of Roman wall, sited just metres from the tourist hub of Tower Hill. Most of what you see in the photo is Medieval, but the red-banded foundations are from the time of the Caesars. A transmural passage and a style (of no substance) lead to nowhere in particular.

Why use? Impress friends and family by showing them one of those recondite sites that have yet to reach most guide books.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/1110812">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-03-25 12:18:43.839437+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/1178359">
<link>http://platial.com/post/1178359</link>
<title>30. Holly Bush Steps</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Steep cutting leading up from the west side of Heath Street, Hampstead.

What? The slopes of Holly Hill couldn't be more quaint if they were tended by a hobbit's grandmother. This passage takes you to the highest strata of Hampstead society, past seriously expensive properties. No hint of tramp's piss here. If any commoner released his bladder upon these august flagstones, all trace of the besmirchment would be quickly washed away. By the maid. With leftover Moet and/or Chandon.

The twisting alley eventually reaches a plateau, from which can be seen The City, in some of its glory.

Why use? As is so often the case with these passages, Holly Bush Steps leads to one of London's finest pubs. The Holly Bush dates from 1643 and was one of many, many favourite drinking holes of Samuel Jhonson.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/1178359">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2007-04-11 05:56:13.4522+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874641">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874641</link>
<title>6. Crown Passage, SW1</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        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 James Palace. Its other end reaches King Street.
What? Narrow and crowded with ancient buildings and swinging signs - feels very ye olde worlde. A jumble of sandwich shops (yes, that is a Pret) and one of London’s finest pubs make for a well-trodden byway.
Why use? A visit to the unexpectedly down-to-earth Red Lion is one of the few reasons to go to St James if you are not of noble blood. The pub claims the second oldest licence in the West End. We choose to believe that locals have included the Queen Mum (God rest her soul), given that Clarence House is also nearby. Sadly, aficionados of vagrant piss will be disappointed. This place is way too posh.
Also good for? Harry spotting. The wizarding type might easily mistake this for Diagon Alley, while the oft-inebriated, swastika-sporting Prince lives just a few blocks away.
<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874641">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 12:31:47.537638+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874831">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874831</link>
<title>12. St Chad's Place</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? Dingy little dogleg behind King's Cross Thameslink.

What? Ah, St Chad. You know, the brother of St Cedd and St Cynibild? Founder of the moanstery at Barrow-upon-Humber? Patron saint of rigged elections? No? Since ancient times, this spot contained a small, health-giving spring dedicated to the saint. St Chad's Well, was one of several ancient and important water supplies associated with the River Fleet. The passageway probably predates the Victorian redevelopment in which the Midland Railway carved up the surrounding area, obliterating all trace of the well. The Fleet still flows close by, buried beside the railway.

Why use? Well, it's a nice little shortcut between Gray's Inn Road and King's Cross Road. But more importantly, it houses the superb 06 St Chad'sPlace. This swanky but friendly bar gets everything just about right. But riddle us this: how can a bar look so full of life while playing non-stop Smiths and Morrissey? And with one whole wall sporting a lifesize image of a Thameslink train? What were they thinking? Make sure you visit.

Also good for? A rail bridge in the passage makes a superb vantage point for over-tall trainspotters with a mono-passion for Thameslink.

Sorry, we mean 'First Capital Connect'. What kind of a shitty, customer unfriendly rebranding was that? We know the franchise changed hands, but couldn't the new owners have invented a catchier name? What's the new equivalent of saying 'I'm going to catch the Thameslink'? Should we call it the FCC? And what the deuce are the stations going to be? Is King's Cross Thameslink to become the unwieldy King's Cross First Capital Connect (KCFCC). Sounds like a Holloway Road chicken outlet. Jesus.<br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874831">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:11:25.193816+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://platial.com/post/874854">
<link>http://platial.com/post/874854</link>
<title>16. Lamb's Conduit Passage</title>
<description>
        <![CDATA[
        Where? North-east corner of Red Lion Square, connecting through to Theobald's Road.
What? Pleasant diagonal, taking in quaint eateries and not-so-quaint pink flats built on heavily war-damaged land. Formerly called Little Conduit Street, the passage takes its name from a water channel built by the philanthropic William Lamb in the 16th century. Originally, similar alleys existed at all four corners of the square, but road alterations have removed most traces of the other three.
Why use? Another one with a good pub, this. The Dolphin at the Theobald's Road end is a pokey smokey kind of place, with a high proportion of regulars. It also boasts a haunted clock, which was pulled from the rubble when the pub was destroyed in WWI. The opposing Enterprise is also worth a visit.
Also good for? A particularly quirky bookshop that keeps very strange hours and an eminently browsable stock. Also, check out Conway Hall at the Red Lion Square end. This 'hub for free speech and progressive thought' is London's spiritual home for morality and ethics. Not so progressive in its interior decorating, though. <br /><br /><a href="http://platial.com/post/874854">Map this on Platial</a><br /> 
        ]]>
        </description>
<georss:point> </georss:point>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2006-12-23 20:20:18.158466+00:00</dc:date>
</item>
</rdf:RDF>