community/cultural
10 Old Pye Street, SW1P 2DG
Visit the Thorney Island Society Archives to explore rare photographs, documents, and hidden stories that shaped the local community. Whether you love heritage, local culture, or discovering the past, the archives offer a welcoming glimpse into the area’s history.
Victoria, Westminster
Victoria
88, 24, 11, 148
There are cafés, restaurants, and a supermarket available on Strutton Ground, a two-minute walk from The Thorney Island Society Archives.
Talk: Thorney Island - 'London's Lost Island'
Join us for a talk exploring the hidden history of Thorney Island, the ancient eyot on which Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster now stand. Once nestled between the arms of the River Tyburn as it flowed into the Thames, Thorney Island played a crucial role in the early development of London. This talk will uncover the island’s transformation from a secluded monastic settlement to the seat of royal and political power. Learn how the landscape has changed over the centuries, why the island disappeared from maps, and what traces of it remain today.
The Archives contain books, engravings and files relating to the extraordinary history around us from Parliament, Whitehall, Westminster Abbey to Sinfonia Smith Square. It is in Old Pye Street at the centre of what was a hotbed of squalor and criminality that Charles Dickens dubbed “The Devil’s Acre”. It is on the actual site of a former school for pickpockets - almost certainly the inspiration for Fagin’s Den.
Drop in
community/cultural, military
A Grade 2 listed former Territorial Army Drill Hall featuring restored elements of the original 1882 design. It has a triple height central hall with the restored wrought iron balconies and roofing. Notable Neo-Georgian design brickwork. It is also unique in being the last ever military drill hall built in the UK.
Oliver Hill RIBA, 1952
