How to make a good RU-vid video. Interesting, quirky subject, good research, proper narrative, no gimmicks, well chosen filler shots, calm and friendly narration.
My interest in the building holding the BT telephone exchange, earned me an uncomfortable conversation with a couple of plain clothes police officers in about 2004. They knew why I was there, and they knew that I knew why they were there, and didn't seem very amused. The BT building is/was? an entry point into the tunnels under Whitehall. I told them this, and the name of the book (London Under London, by Richard Trench; 1985) that had told me so. I also told them that I had also been amused by the story of the eminent gent, whose carriage got stuck, and he had to eventually exit via the coach's sawn off roof. They wandered off after I told them that. I didn't linger, either.
Cheers Brian... yes, I did feel a bit awkward filming there even though the communications tunnel is in the public domain. I did have a chat with one fellow- who was very friendly- but he thought I was something to do with the scaffolding they've got up at the moment!
Craig's Square would be a lovely place to escape the hustle and bustle of the madness that is the heart of London ... if only there were benches or some place to sit and do so. As it is, it is just a hole in the middle of the city. I am sure that the surrounding buildings are great for cutting down on the noise, but a place to rest one's feet would be nice, too.
I too worked in Q on and off in the 80s and 90s. Being the 1st female to work there, BT had to provide a ladies toilet. From what I recall, the answer was to change the signs from Gents, to Ladies and Gents and put a lock on the door 😆
@@Robslondon Comming from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Escaping our 40-degree summer. February is our hottest month. Can't wait. Look forward to more vids and going though your past catalogue.
Another great video! You help us all find the hidden gems of London. Next time I'm in London I'm definitely checking out Craig's Court. I've walked right past it before and never knew it was there. I bought the Knowledge and if I could remember just one of the routes I'd be extremely thrilled. Waterloo is next on my list. Once again Rob thanks for the awesome video and keep up the great work. I can't tell you how much I enjoy your channel. 👍
You've made my day with your wonderful comment Johnny. Thank you so much mate; and thank you too for purchasing my book. Really appreciate it; I'm blessed to have people like you as friends of the channel. Thanks again and stay well :-)
I never knew this little gem existed and I'v been past it so many times and thought I knew the area. Thanks I'll have a look next time I'm passing. And will pop in the pub so I;m prewarned for your next subject.
Thank you for this glimpse of Craig’s Court. As a follower of the Barker and Llewelyn mysteries by Will Thomas, it is wonderful to see the setting of the books. The books are beautifully narrated by Antony Ferguson and now I can visualize the setting as I listen.
(Late to the party, but) I used to work just around the corner in Northumberland Avenue, and think I must often have walked past the entrance to Craig's Court to get to the old Whitehall Sandwich Bar at lunch time... and never registered that it was there!
Blimey snuff, that's a blast from the past🤣next time I'm in London I must learn to stop and take more of these fine building in. Ps I've been in the Old Shades👍🍺
Cool! I once found a similar hidden little place just off Oxford Street. I was walking on the left-hand side, away from Marble Arch, and there was this tiny little alleyway. I went in because I was curious and to escape from the noise and the many people for a moment. And found a couple of nice cafés inside, one of them I think a Prêt à Manger which had very good tea and a few vegan options. 🙂 With fresh spinach leaves.
We are going to London tomorrow. Will check out Craig's Court and other areas you have highlighted! I got your book and the first run that ended in Brixton Prison had me looking on Google maps. There is a resto there and we are booked to check it out! Thanks Rob! Showing me parts of London we wouldn't have found on our own.
Oh Anita, thank you so much ☺️ Really glad I can help in some way! And thank you from the bottom of my heart for buying my book. I have heard of the restaurant you mentioned, and have been meaning to try it out too- not got around to it yet though. Hope you have a great time! Thanks again for the wonderful comment and stay well.
Rob, you know why people miss this Square ? It is because whilst walking along Whitehall on the mentioned pavements you are constantly looking at people so you do not bump into them. You mentioned tunnels I think that picture from what I have heard is only scathing the surface, it is I think quite a complicated net work but we will never know ?? !! Yesterday another excellent and well edited video so interesting, this time it is greetings from here in South London back from my three months travels around Thailand Keep up the good work
Cheers Butch! A good point about why people miss it! And yes, you're right- the tunnels are very complex. If you read the article Duncan Campbell wrote in 1980 (I linked it in the description in case you missed it) you'll see he entered the network at a point in Bethnal Green... and then used a bike to cycle through the tunnels towards Whitehall! Hope south London is treating you well ;-)
Well, how to start a Bank Holiday Weekend off in style.... find Rob has posted yet another fantastic video.... what a gem of a place. I hope you and family are all doing well. Stay safe and you have me really drooling for that tease of London Pub explores now. All the best.
My word John, what a lovely comment! Thank you so much my friend; your words mean a great deal to me :-) We are all very well thanks; hope you are too? Thanks again for you support, I'm blessed to have viewers like you- and I'm so happy to have contributed towards your Bank Holiday! Cheers and stay well.
Idea for a video rob… how about covering the history and development of areas you grew up in or lived around london? Just about everywhere in london has interesting history and it would interesting (to me at least) to hear why those areas are special to you.
Thanks for the lovely comment :-) Believe it or not my next video will feature one particular location which is personal to me! And I am hoping to look at more places around where I grew up in the near future. Thanks again and stay well.
@@Robslondon yourre welcome, ive really enjoyed both the exceptional content and production quality of your videos, they are clearly made with love and theyve taught me a lot about london.
After watching this video, I'm going to start not allowing myself to be seen in public before 6pm. Fascination subject matter and great narration, as always. The front door of Harrington House is in a shocking state of disrepair.
Love these hidden gems, thank you, Rob! I surely have unwittingly walked by this wonderful courtyard many a time, not knowing that I should have turned down into it!
Hi Rob Well you've done it again, producing a wonderfully researched video and giving me another part of London I have walked and driven past for many years, and yet had no idea existed, you've also given me another pub to visit , great stuff as always Cheers Mike
Henry de la Beche was a friend of Mary Anning of Lyme Regis, palaeontologist, from whom he gathered fossils and developed his own knowledge of prehistory. The UK Census Office was also in Craig's Court c.1850-1862. A delightful and interesting video, thank you Rob.
Wonderful as always! Rob, you have the most soothing voice and accent. As we say in the States, I could listen to you read the telephone book. Thanks for taking us along on these great adventures!!
It’s so funny - you never even think to go down the little side streets when walking by but this shows there’s so much interesting history and beautiful old buildings to be found. Great video as always x
Wonderful stuff as always. Having grown up with a housekeeper in Old Brompton Road as a mum, some names here - Onslow and Stanhope for example are familiar as garden names from my early youth in the fifties.
Excellent! The history is fascinating and embraces past celebrities, influential figures and great events over hundreds of years. I shall look there on my next visit. Thank you! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊👍👍
Rob, I thought that I knew London better than most, but Craig's Court has eluded me until now. Thank you. A similar little gem that I like is 'The King's Wardrobe', off Carter Lane, just a stone's throw from St Paul's Cathedral. The Carter Lane area, needless to say, has three tucked-away pubs, just in case you get thirsty.
Watched this one last night. I had heard the name Craig's Court, possibly in a book about secret shelters etc, but I'd never seen the place. Looks brilliant, and as you say, easy to miss. As you know from my comments on your Pickering Place video, I love these kind of places, but St James's area is still my favourite. Still got a few more of your videos to catch up on. Hope you're keeping well.
Hello Rob Most excellent video. You are right have walked by there many times. I have eaten in one of those pubs. What is the house used for now? Take care Chris and Sandra of Canada.
Thanks so much 😊 Unfortunately I have no idea what Harrington House is used for now, it looks empty- and quite eerie! Someone has just suggested though that it could be connected to the telephone exchange…
@@Robslondon back then it was great to be a young man working in a cool place. I’ve seen videos of people in similar tunnels in different parts of London and it’s sad to see that they weren’t just decommissioned, but were totally gutted and left in such a messy state. I could tell you some great tales of working down there. Some rooms hadn’t been opened since pre Cold War days and the glue in the wooden furniture and floor tiles had dried up to the point that the chairs had fallen apart. We used to use a narrow electric train and buggy to get from one end to the other.
@@Robslondon for the most part, it was just people going to work. That work was in a series of tunnels and at some places, tube trains would rattle along above us, the toilets flushed up to the sewers, it was possible to take a wrong turn and end up down some fairly spooky dead ends and conversely, no ends. You could see the ceiling lights disappear down some of them and the least used ones smelled of damp metal. Most people never spoke about what they did and the various security passes looked like bad 1960s wallpaper. I’ll never see it again but I believe I’d be more interested in being down there now, than I was then.
Many thanks Paul, much appreciated. Yes, the building looks a lot worse for wear.... quite eerie actually. Someone in the comments said they'd heard it was now connected to the BT Exchange which sounds plausible, although unfortunately I don't know for sure. Thanks again and stay well.
@@Robslondon hi Rob...thank you again for the post... very professional.. the next time I'm down there I will go there and think of the post..I have subscribed...and I will tell my friends about your site
Back in the 90’s, I was responsible for the strategic use of the exchange building in Craig Square - Whitehall ATE. The entrance to the building contains a reputed haunted staircase and is locked off from general access- the entrance to the building is through a ‘side’ entrance adjacent to the pub. The deep level tunnels are quite a thing to traverse, as long as you have clearance you won’t be stopped by military stationed along the route.
Fascinatingly thorough, and thoroughly fascinating as always, Rob. Might be six months since I found your channel, but you moved right to the top of my 'excited when they upload' list of RU-vid subscriptions as soon as I'd watched your catalogue 🙂 With love from Yorkshire xx
Mickey, I can't express how much your kind words mean to me. Thank you so much sir; I'm blessed to have you as a friend of the channel; it's kind words like yours that keep pushing me to make videos. Love Yorkshire by the way; truly beautiful part of the world ;-) Thanks again and stay well.
Poor old Arthur probably wouldn't have got stuck if someone had have been more considerate with the scaffold and pile of sacks left on the pavement. It's always the same when you want to get your fat waggon down there.
Another wonderful video. I always look forward to watching your videos. Next time I come to London I will check out some of the places you have mentioned. Also some of the tube pubs mentioned in your previous videos. Many thanks Rob.
Another enjoyable and most informative video from this excellent channel! From the teaser posted a few days ago, I had assumed from the state of the building's facade that this was one of those false frontages masking an Underground line and that that was to be the topic of the video. This not being the case, the building seems badly in need of care and attention. The front door seems not even to be in use.
Thanks so much for the wonderful comment Marcomanseckisax! The false frontages would make an excellent topic by the way ;-) Yes, the building looks very unused... the front door of Harrington House doesn't even seem to have a handle. Someone else in the comments has said that they've heard it's now connected to the BT Exchange... which sounds plausible. Hopefully someone will see this and be able to fill us in! Thanks again and stay well; really appreciate your support.
A fantastic documentary and extremely interesting. you are also such a talented artist, I love your illustrations, hence have purchased three of your mugs. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for this video, really interesting - sad to say I use to regularly walk past this on the way to catch the bus to work with no idea such a lovely place was there, now live at other end of the ocuntry :-( I just might have to visit some friends south of the river and make a point of visiting this and a few other places - great video.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment Sandra. Missing it is easily done! Hope you make it back soon so you can take a peek ;-) Thanks again and stay well.
Hi Rob, 👍👍👍 a great interesting exploration. What elegant architecture at that time too. It reminds me of the Blue Coat Chambers in Bold St? Liverpool. There are lots of little Courts off Lower Brigade Leeds hidden from open view behind alleyways. There is still Kenyon's? Jewelers shop and building where the display windows and counter dropped into the basement strong room at closing time. Its now a cafe bar. The rather ballsy statue of the naked seafarer on the old Lewis's department store in Liverpool, which was a popular meeting point for shoppers etc. However as a new subscriber its about Robs London so I will keep the faith and not bore your London subscribers with out of London things 😎 Cheers matey DougT in Mancs
@@Robslondon yuppers I lived in L.pool L7 Smithdown Road area for a few years in the 80's and a local pub which was tiled outside was still gas light lit! and suitably teak interior. Sadly its now student bedsits 😠 (with electric lights!!!)
A fascinating gem of a video! For some reason I'd always imagined that Harrington House and the telephone exchange are now interconnected - is this the case or not?
Thank you so much 😊 To be honest I don’t know, although it seems like that could be the case. Harrington House looks pretty secret itself; quite an eerie building… Hopefully someone in the comments will know? Thanks again for your support and stay well,
Thanks for another interesting video Rob. If you look at Craig’s Court in Apple Maps, Satellite view and then in 3D, the building on the south side of the square is totally gutted with only its façades left. You can see right into its basement and what suspiciously looks like a tunnel entrance under the square. Fascinating. I must try those pubs on my next visit to the Big Smoke. Cheers.
@@Robslondon You need and up-to-date version of iOS to get the 3D, then tilt the image to look from the south. At the very least it shows just how deep the basements are in this part of London.
Dr Watson's box at Cox & Co. features in the opening to the 1970 film, "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." The stories in the film allegedly come from that long-forgotten box.
11:11 funny you mention Horseferry rd, since thats the hq of channel4 at no.124, tho I guess that's just coincidence, because I think the tunnels were there before ch4 moved in.
@@Robslondon CH4 must have been somewhere else before. The building is from 1994, but interestingly, 'The site consisted of an abandoned 10 m (33 ft) deep basement of a proposed 1970s post office building.' according to the addresses wiki page. Also, its a Grade 2 listed building now.
Thanks Rob, always a pleasure to watch. At 1.00 min, a red phone box comes into view in the bottom right corner with a chimney on top. I’ve seen a couple of these chimney topped boxes in central London but can’t find an explanation anywhere for the chimney’s purpose. Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks again for such an informative Channel.
Thanks so much for the kind words P K. That’s a great question about the phone box; unfortunately I don’t have the answer but would love to know too! Hopefully someone in the comments may know? Thanks again and stay well.
Strangely when you check out the box on street view there is no sign of the chimney! I selected the South African High commission to look at the 360 and the box is easily checked.
rob, dear boy, you are so sweet, and it comes across so well in your videos. i hope you enjoy making these videos as much as we enjoy watching them. you’re channel may not be big (yet!) but just look at your views to subscriber ratio - so many views! i’m still keeping an eye out for a mug with your pigeon mascot. (tooly? tooley?) blessings.
@@hellie_el Oh my, thank you! I love making these videos and it greatly warms my heart that they're even being watched at all :-) I'm truly blessed with the viewers I have; I honestly can't thank you all enough. I haven't forgotten about the Tooley mug! That will be appearing, I'm just trying to give the channel a little more momentum at the moment- which I hope is working. Thanks so much again, you're a star hellie el.
i’ve made a robs london pinterest board to share your videos. (i’m not on any of the other social media sites, i’m afraid.) i hope this helps your channel at least a little bit. have a great day, rob. hellie
I didn’t know much about the history of Craig’s Court, despite going past it most days when I worked in Whitehall. My ‘locals’ were Walkers (my preference), the Silver Cross and The Old Shades. I was particularly interested in the map of the area showing property boundaries. I have a copy of one of the first photographs of London, dated 1839, which shows Whitehall (image reversed). Although the building facades look different now, the property boundaries clearly haven’t changed. It would be interesting to know how much of the old buildings remain - are they complete rebuilds or have the facades merely had a makeover?
Thanks Chris, lovely comment and thoughts. I know that picture you mean from 1839, it's rather incredible! I also mention it at the start of an earlier video (the one about George Washington's statue in Trafaglar Square) in case you haven't seen it. Cheers and stay well.
