Open House Festival

Talks at The Thorney Island Society Archives

community/cultural

10 Old Pye Street, SW1P 2DG

Talk: Thorney Island - London's Lost Island' Join Victor Keegan, author of Lost London 1 & 2, for a journey into the hidden history of Thorney Island—the lost eyot where Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament now stand. Once formed by the River Tyburn flowing into the Thames, discover its role in early London, its transformation, and the traces still visible in Westminster today.

Getting there

Tube

Victoria, Westminster

Train

Victoria, St. James' Street

Bus

88, 26, 24, 11, 148, 10

Access

Facilities

What you can expect

Cafe/restaurants/supermarket available on Strutton Ground which is two minutes walk from The Thorney Island Society Archives

About

Talks at the The Thorney Island 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 Thorney Island Society Archives

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.

Online presence

thethorneyislandsociety.org.uk/ttis

www.instagram.com/thethorneyislandsociety

www.youtube.com/@TheThorneyIslandSociety

Nearby

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