In countless books, guides, apps and websites dealing with “Secret”, “Hidden” and “Curious” London it is asserted with bland confidence that the cellars of the Viaduct Tavern contain cells from old Newgate Prison. This is nonsense but sometimes a picture can help to nail a lie better than dates. This image dates from 1897 and shows the last incarnation of Newgate Prison on the same site, facing the newly built Viaduct Tavern. Newgate Prison and The Viaduct Tavern 1897 Newgate

I will always remember where I was when I heard that Rick Buckley had revealed the secrets of The Seven Noses of Soho. I picked up a...