In 1751, William Hogarth, the great London painter and satirist, produced Gin Lane, arguably his most famous etching. This raucous image is a good place to introduce one of London’s hidden gems, because in the background is the unique spire of St George’s church in Bloomsbury.
In the late 1600s London was expanding. To the north of the city, new mansions were being constructed and squares laid out on open land by people such as the Earl of Southampton. Soon, a genteel neighbourhood became established.
