Rob Baker
@robnitm.bsky.social
Author of two London history books - 'Beautiful Idiots and Brilliant Lunatics' and 'High Buildings, Low Morals' - I'm currently doing up a 18th Century cottage in the Brecon Beacons which seems to be taking an inordinate amount of time.
"More Champagne"! - Francis Bacon in the Toucan Club, 1980. Can anyone tell me anything about the club on Gerrard Street?
February 7, 2026 at 9:14 AM
"More Champagne"! - Francis Bacon in the Toucan Club, 1980. Can anyone tell me anything about the club on Gerrard Street?
The Amalgamated Union of Engineering & Foundry Workers take on mini-skirts in 1968. The foundry section alone had approximately 72,000 members.
January 26, 2026 at 5:56 PM
The Amalgamated Union of Engineering & Foundry Workers take on mini-skirts in 1968. The foundry section alone had approximately 72,000 members.
The Gerrard Street Telephone Exchange building was built in 1906-1907 to the designs of Leonard Stokes, who happened to be married to the daughter of the General Manager of the National Telephone Company. The building at 32-35 Gerrard Street was replaced in the mid-1930s
January 24, 2026 at 11:31 AM
The Gerrard Street Telephone Exchange building was built in 1906-1907 to the designs of Leonard Stokes, who happened to be married to the daughter of the General Manager of the National Telephone Company. The building at 32-35 Gerrard Street was replaced in the mid-1930s
Golly’s Garage on the corner of the Earl’s Court Road and Cromwell Road c. 1935
January 17, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Golly’s Garage on the corner of the Earl’s Court Road and Cromwell Road c. 1935
Horse Guards Parade, 1971
January 7, 2026 at 3:55 AM
Horse Guards Parade, 1971
Frank Auerbach at the LCC Open Air Exhibition, July 1948, Embankment Gardens, London. Photo - Dan Farson.
January 6, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Frank Auerbach at the LCC Open Air Exhibition, July 1948, Embankment Gardens, London. Photo - Dan Farson.
Snow in Oxford Street, 1941
January 5, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Snow in Oxford Street, 1941
Paul Robeson, Anna May Wong and Peking opera artist Mei Lanfang, outside Claridges in 1935.
January 3, 2026 at 9:36 PM
Paul Robeson, Anna May Wong and Peking opera artist Mei Lanfang, outside Claridges in 1935.
Anna May Wong, who was born on this day in 1905, in her London flat in 1928
January 3, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Anna May Wong, who was born on this day in 1905, in her London flat in 1928
Views of Pen y Fan and Corn Du on a walk from my house yesterday
January 3, 2026 at 5:16 AM
Views of Pen y Fan and Corn Du on a walk from my house yesterday
Bankside and its surroundings, January 1947- the old Bankside power station on the left - St Paul's cathedral just visible through the mist.
January 2, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Bankside and its surroundings, January 1947- the old Bankside power station on the left - St Paul's cathedral just visible through the mist.
90 years ago, this was the menu at the Trocadero's Arctic Night New Year's Eve party, 1935-36
January 1, 2026 at 5:07 AM
90 years ago, this was the menu at the Trocadero's Arctic Night New Year's Eve party, 1935-36
Peter Cook at the Establishment Club, 18 Greek Street in 1962
December 31, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Peter Cook at the Establishment Club, 18 Greek Street in 1962
Dancing at the Sunset Club, a jazz and calypso club, situated at 50 Carnaby Street - December 1951
December 29, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Dancing at the Sunset Club, a jazz and calypso club, situated at 50 Carnaby Street - December 1951
Brigitte Bardot in the Coach and Horses on Bruton Lane, photos by Ray Bellisario in 1968
December 28, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Brigitte Bardot in the Coach and Horses on Bruton Lane, photos by Ray Bellisario in 1968
My late stepfather was evacuated from Folkestone to Merthyr Tydfil during WW2. Here’s a page from his diary in December 1940. “Went out to dig up incendiary bombs” as you do.
December 26, 2025 at 11:03 PM
My late stepfather was evacuated from Folkestone to Merthyr Tydfil during WW2. Here’s a page from his diary in December 1940. “Went out to dig up incendiary bombs” as you do.
Bob Dylan playing at the Singers Club at the Pindar of Wakefield pub, 328 Grays Inn Road December, 1962. The pub was said to be a favourite of Lenin’s some 60 years previously. Photo by Brian Shuel.
December 26, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Bob Dylan playing at the Singers Club at the Pindar of Wakefield pub, 328 Grays Inn Road December, 1962. The pub was said to be a favourite of Lenin’s some 60 years previously. Photo by Brian Shuel.
Jon Pertwee and his wife Ingeborg Rhoesa entertaining Pertwee’s brother and his wife, Boxing Day, 1966.
December 26, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Jon Pertwee and his wife Ingeborg Rhoesa entertaining Pertwee’s brother and his wife, Boxing Day, 1966.
Boxing Day, Hampstead Heath in 1938
December 26, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Boxing Day, Hampstead Heath in 1938
Hampstead Heath, December 1938. Photograph by Frederick G Roper
December 25, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Hampstead Heath, December 1938. Photograph by Frederick G Roper
Christopher Lee, Hazel Court and Anton Diffring at the Hammer Christmas party in 1958. They were filming The Man Who Could Cheat Death at Bray Studios.
December 23, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Christopher Lee, Hazel Court and Anton Diffring at the Hammer Christmas party in 1958. They were filming The Man Who Could Cheat Death at Bray Studios.
Terence Rattigan in his apartment at Albany, Piccadilly in 1948. His ‘Playbill' opened at the Phoenix Theatre, London, on 8 September that year.
December 22, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Terence Rattigan in his apartment at Albany, Piccadilly in 1948. His ‘Playbill' opened at the Phoenix Theatre, London, on 8 September that year.
The actress Valerie Hobson in her drawing room at 3 Chester Terrace, Regent’s Park - her home was featured in House & Garden magazine in February 1961 - 5 months before her husband John Profumo embarked on an affair with Christine Keeler. Photo by Ray Williams.
December 22, 2025 at 6:15 AM
The actress Valerie Hobson in her drawing room at 3 Chester Terrace, Regent’s Park - her home was featured in House & Garden magazine in February 1961 - 5 months before her husband John Profumo embarked on an affair with Christine Keeler. Photo by Ray Williams.
Peter Ustinov, Christopher Fry and Kenneth Tynan drinking in the Nag’s Head pub in Covent Garden, 1955
December 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Peter Ustinov, Christopher Fry and Kenneth Tynan drinking in the Nag’s Head pub in Covent Garden, 1955