Whistler Events This Summer

To coincide with the major retrospective on his art I'm doing another of my walks around Chelsea this summer, tracing the many connections with JAM Whistler and his friends and enemies. The walk will start from outside Chelsea Old Church on the Embankment at 3pm on Sunday 2 August. It's hosted by the Sohemian Society. The Decadent London 1890s walk this summer for the Sohemian Society sold out almost immediately. 

For the Whistler walk around Chelsea book HERE.

It's brilliant to be in such distinguished company as Iain Sinclair, David McGillivray (again), Robert Elms, Cathi Unsworth and Andrew Lownie. Upcoming events for Sohemian Society HERE.

There's an online talk about Whistler's Life and Art (with a section looking at his interest in Spiritualism) for Viktor Wynd and The Last Tuesday Society (hosted by Ed Parnell) on Thursday 18 June in the evening 8-9.30pm. BOOK HERE

A FREE in-person talk on Whistler's Life and Art at West End Arts Library (Formerly Westminster Reference Library) on Friday July 3 6.30 to 7.30pm. RESERVE A SPOT HERE

Poe and Decadent 1890s Events coming up

 

My online talk for the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies will take place tomorrow evening at 7pm UK time and should be accessible worldwide.

BOOK HERE

Mansion of Gloom will be available for sale online afterwards at various places including the dedicated website HERE

I'm leading a walk around the vestiges of 1890s Decadent London on Saturday 11 July. Tickets are still available at time of post but selling fast.

BOOK HERE 

Events in 2026

I shall be talking about Poe and Mansion of Gloom for the wonderful Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies in the spring on 18 May. This talk will be online and therefore available worldwide. Details HERE.

Also two walks I'll be leading for the Sohemian Society:

DECADENT LONDON (The capital in the 1890s) Saturday 11 July

HOGARTH'S LONDON Sunday 13 September

Details to follow.

There's a blockbuster retrospective of Whistler coming to Tate Britain. See HERE 

I'm doing an online talk about his art and life with a section in his interest in spiritualism and seances for the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities. Details HERE Eventbrite booking HERE

Leaving 2025 and Entering 2026

This is always the worst time of the year for me and today's dismal wet weather doesn't help matters.

At the moment the diary for this year is empty, although it's pretty certain that I'll be doing a couple of walks for the Sohemians in the summer on the subject of Decadent London and Hogarth's London. Details available in the coming weeks.

You can still purchase copies of Mansion of Gloom, The Unsettling Legacy of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher from The Big Cartel, Treadwell's, Watkins, Midian Books, Atlantis, Hare & Hawthorn or at a bargain price on eBay.

As far as my recommendations for 2025 go - I looked through Sight & Sound's list of the 50 best films of the year and realised that I hadn't seen a single one. Nothing to be proud of, but I did watch a lot of films, just not any contemporary ones; mostly, it has to be said, Italian gialli and horror and Anthony Mann westerns. The films I most enjoyed watching last year were: Nashville, McCabe and Mrs Miller, The Small Back Room, The Cat o' Nine Tales, Forbidden Photos of a Woman Above Suspicion, and Death Walks on High Heels. Memorable for the wrong reasons was Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye, a giallo purportedly set in a Scottish castle starring Jane Birkin with, believe it or not, Serge Gainsbourg as a Scottish police detective.

Books to recommend (some of which were actually published in 2025) are: Andrea Wulf Magnificent Rebels, Vincenzo Latronico Perfection, David Skal Hollywood Gothic, Gustav Meyrinck The Golem (a very strange book), Olga Tokarczuk Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Lili Anolik Didion and Babitz (although I have to agree with this review) and some trashy entertainment Julia Philips You'll Never Eat Lunch in this Town Again (a 70s and 80s Hollywood expose that deals the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll dirt although, given that the author prides herself on editing scripts, it could have lost a couple of hundred pages - apparently the original manuscript was over 1000 pages before the lawyers got to it).

Favourite concert probably Todd Rundgren at the London Palladium. Honourable mentions for Pierre Bastien and Louis Laurain at The Piper and Throwing Muses at the White Rock.

In recent months I've been invigorated by American 'jangle rock' and Power Pop from the likes of the DBs, Game Theory and most of all Let's Active whose Cypress and Big Plans for Everybody are wonders of catchy hooks and great guitar music. A good sampler of Power Pop is Looking for the Magic, American Power Pop in the Seventies (Grapefruit). Other interesting records this year: Joe Henderson Multiple, Alessandro Alessandroni La Terrificante Notte del Demonio (Cinedelic).

Not much news on the publishing front - no new book in the pipeline, I might consider publishing other people's work (non-fiction) but in very small editions.

What may be an interesting gig at Hastings Jazz Club in February Edrix Puzzle.

Events and concerts for the Remainder of 2025

 

OCTOBER

Thursday 30   Talk about the life of James Abbot McNeill Whistler and London fog for the Salon for the City. London Horse Hospital. Book HERE

DECEMBER

Sunday 7 Goth Weekend Talk about Mansion of Gloom with another speaker to be announced at Guy's Hospital Chapel.

Thursday 11   A coffee house related talk for the London borough of Islington. See HERE

GIGS

Wednesday 29 October Todd Rundgren at the London Palladium. HERE

Tuesday 4 November Pete Roth trio featuring Bill Bruford Jazz Hastings HERE

Sunday 16 November Gong at The Piper St Leonards. HERE

October Events

I'll be busy in October on a variety of events, more to come in November and December. 

For starters:

VIKTOR WYND AND THE LAST TUESDAY SOCIETY

Thursday 9 October Join Antony Clayton for this illustrated Zoom talk on fin de siecle London: a place where occultists, magicians and poets mingled. Talk based on Decadent London.

BOOK HERE

MISKATONIC INSTITUTE OF HORROR STUDIES

For the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, an in-depth study of horror films and folklore on the London Underground that will include Quatermass and the Pit, Bulldog Jack , Death Line and various other chthonic chillers. To be held in person at the Horse Hospital in London on Tuesday 14 October. 

Also appealingly advertised on Ian Visits. See here.

BOOK HERE

SALON FOR THE CITY

Thursday 30 October Talk on Whistler and the London Fog in Salon For the City at the Horse Hospital in London.  

BOOKING THROUGH EVENTBRITE HERE

I shall also be selling copies of my latest book Mansion of Gloom at all events. More than half of the limited edition now sold since December 2024.

Further Events for 2025

 

I'm busier with events this year than I have been since the end of COVID. Fortunately I'm not working on a book at the moment.

Mansion of Gloom will be available to buy at all of them.

AUGUST

Sunday 10 An Alien in London William Burroughs walk for the Sohemian Society. With Bill Redwood and Jim Pennington.
Some tickets still available here. Starts outside Westminster Reference Library WC2H 7HP

Sunday 31 Talk (around 4pm) on Netherwood guesthouse and Aleister Crowley at The Mint House Pevensey, East Sussex. Information here.

SEPTEMBER

Decadent London walk for the Sohemian Society. I'VE DECIDED TO POSTPONE THIS UNTIL NEXT SPRING

OCTOBER

Thursday 9   Decadent London online talk for the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art and Unnatural History. Hosted by Edward Parnell.

Tuesday 14 October Lecture for the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies. Subject probably Horror on the London Underground. To be held in London, at the Horse Hospital.  RIP Roger Burton.

Thursday 30   Talk about the life and art of James Abbot McNeill Whistler for the Salon for the City. London Horse Hospital.

DECEMBER

Sunday 7 Goth Weekend Talk about Mansion of Gloom with Dr Emma Liggins at Guy's Hospital Chapel.

Thursday 11   A coffee house related talk for the London borough of Islington.

Many of the above are subject to confirmation so please check beforehand.

More Events

Another online talk for the Viktor Wynd Cabinet of Curiosities has been arranged for the evening of Thursday 9 October. The subject will be Decadent London, a profile of the city in the 1890s.

More details and booking here

The Whistler walk for the Sohemian Society on Sunday 8 June has sold out.

Copies of my latest book Mansion of Gloom: The Unsettling Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher can be purchased here.

Further events to promote the book are in the pipeline.

Upcoming gigs:

Jazz Hastings at East Hastings Sea Angling Association: Byron Wallen's Four Corners (great musicians including brilliant Rob Luft on guitar and Rod Youngs on drums. See here

I was intending to see Throwing Muses in Hastings last night but the gig has been rescheduled owing to Kristin Hersh losing here voice. See here

Lost Crowns at Alphabet Brighton see here

Whistler Walk in June

 

I'm leading a walk about James Abbot McNeil Whistler, his art, friends and enemies, around the riverside area of Chelsea for The Sohemians on Sunday 8 June meeting at 2.20pm outside Chelsea Old Church on Chelsea Embankment.

More information and ticket booking here. 

Limited places so book early. It will take 90 to 120 minutes and involve a fair amount of walking. Hope to finish at a pub for those interested.

Barry Humphries Sale at Christie's

While in London last week I popped into Christie's to see the exhibition devoted to the incredible collection of the late Barry Humphries prior to going for auction on 13 February.

See here for Christie's sale.

What a treasure trove for the decadent and symbolist enthusiast:

a small work by Fernand Khnopff, many paintings by Charles Conder, a letter from Beardsley, many signed editions of Oscar Wilde, rare books including several by Aleister Crowley (Diary of a Drug Fiend with dust jacket), Bodley Head books with sumptuous covers, first yellow 1897 edition of Dracula, as well as Dame Edna Everage dresses (including the Munch Scream dress) and glasses. 

Apparently I bought the very last catalogue (sorry). Not everything was extravagantly priced, so it might be worth bidding for some items, although I imagine they will net much more than their estimated prices.  

Mansion of Gloom and Other Events in 2025

 

In addition to Mansion of Gloom talks listed in previous posts there will be a talk to the Dracula Society on Saturday 26 April at The Barley Mow pub in Horseferry Road, London.

Booking details to follow. 

Also an online talk for the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities on Thursday 10 April.

See here and book here.

Sohemians talk at the Fitzroy Tavern to be confirmed.

I've also agreed to do three walks in London over the summer on Decadent London, Whistler in Chelsea and William Burroughs in London (the last with Bill Redwood and Jim Pennington).

Booking details to follow.

There may be a reprint of Decadent London this year, time and money allowing.

There's also the Electric Palace Hastings film event with two versions of The Fall of the House of Usher on Sunday 19 January. Book here. THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.

Illustrated talk about Mansion of Gloom at Westminster Reference Library (about 15 tickets left at time of writing). This event will probably sell out soon.

Book here. 

I'm also organising some non-Mansion-of-Gloom events featuring other guest speakers that I hope will prove popular. Details to follow shortly.

Mansion of Gloom is now available from Treadwell's Books in London.

Online purchases through The Big Cartel.

John Richardson

I've just learned of the death of John Richardson in May. Not to be confused with the biographer of Picasso, he was the founder of Historical Publications who published so many interesting books on parts of London and aspects of the capital's history. 

Four of these books: Subterranean City, London's Coffeehouses Folklore of London and Decadent London (first edition) were by me. I will be eternally grateful to John for getting in touch after reading an article (the first!) I wrote and having the confidence to ask me to write Subterranean City. I had never written a book before and this one took a lot of research. The book did extremely well (John printed a revised and expanded edition in 2010) and I was pretty much allowed to choose the subjects of my next couple of books. I was also impressed by the amount of freedom given regarding illustrations and cover etc. 

John was a lovely man who was fascinated by local history, particularly of Camden - he wrote a number of books himself and supported many local projects and enterprises. He wound up HP a few years ago and retired to Whitstable, where I visited him a couple of times. On one occasion he gave me the rights to all my work to publish myself and I duly republished Decadent London in a larger revised and updated paperback edition under my imprint Accumulator Books (which I may reprint this year).  My thoughts go out to his wife Helen and his children.

2023

 

Happy New Year. 

My year got off to a good start yesterday when I noticed on Facebook a blog review of favourite books of the year that included my own Decadent London. My sincere thanks to the blogger - these things make you feel that you're not wasting your time. You can find it here.

Work on my next book continues slowly but surely. I would like to be more productive as a publisher this year but we'll have to wait and see. I have to admire the workload of this publisher.

Reading some academic articles online I became interested in the work of the religious studies scholar Carole Cusack, who has written about invented religions. I listened to a couple of podcasts she's been involved with:

The Religious Studies Project here. Also an interesting discussion on Gurdjieff.

Invented Religions here.

Also an article on occultural bricolage and popular culture here.

Jeremy Harte is an excellent speaker and has written about many aspects of folklore. His latest book on devilish folklore will be on my reading list this year. Guardian review here. Magonia review here.

Three gigs for this year: 

April 2 Steve Hillage Band Brighton Concorde 2

April 4 Matt Ridley Hastings Jazz Club

June 20 Yes Hammersmith Apollo Definitely my last time seeing the much-depleted Yes, but have to go as they are playing my favourite of their albums: Relayer.

Strychnine

 

One of the books I took along to read in our Devon holiday cottage last week was In Love With Hell by William Palmer, a series of short biographies of modern writers who were very heavy drinkers or alcoholics. The usual suspects are present and correct: Patrick Hamilton, John Cheever, Dylan Thomas, Kingsley Amis  etc. The chapter on Malcolm Lowry (see earlier post) contained some information that shed light on a passage that I often include in my talks on Decadent London.

In a letter from July 1894 dipsomaniac decadent poet Ernest Dowson wrote about a journey to alcoholic oblivion with his friend the actor Charles Goodhart: 

'Goodie and I met in the evening, he had a charming man with him, a twenty-ton opium eater, who had run away with his cousin and is now to marry her. We met at 7 and consumed 4 absinthes apiece in the Cock till 9 [in Shaftesbury Avenue - demolished]. We then went and ate some kidneys- after which two absinthes apiece at the Crown [now a KFC in Charing Cross Road]. After which, one absinthe apiece at Goodie's club. Total 7 absinthes. These had seriously affected us - but made little impression on the opium eater. He took us back to the Temple in a cab. This morning Goodie and I were twitching visibly. I feel rather indisposed; and in fact we decided that our grief is now sufficiently drowned, and we must spend a few days on nothing stronger than lemonade and strychnine.'

I had assumed the 'lemonade and strychnine' was a joke, but it turns out that 'suitably diluted, strychnine was in the past given as a stimulant to patients suffering from the palsy from lead poisoning, beriberi, and the shakes induced by alcoholism' [William Palmer, In Love With Hell: Drink in the Lives and Work of Eleven Writers p.82] In Lowry's masterpiece Under The Volcano, based on one day, the Consul's breakfast consists of a bottle half-full of Johnny Walker and a glass of strychnine mixture. Later he mistakenly takes a second draft of the strychnine mixture and passes out. Needless to say, don't try this at home. 

For a scientific overview see here.

Also immortalised in 1965 by The Sonics (and later covered by The Fall) here

'Some folks Like water, Some folks like wine, but I like the taste, of straight strychnine.'

 

To Keep the Ball Rolling

Almost all copies of Netherwood, Secret Tunnels of England and Decadent London have now sold and decisions will have to made about any future Accumulator Press projects or reprints in the light of our 'cost of living crisis' - what a damning phrase that is.

I'm much more aware of my general health these days and don't want to take on a great deal of work. Having said that I'm still working on what I hope will be another non-fiction book, Gothic in nature, that will be published next year and I may do various talks and walks, but probably not till 2023. To promote the book I am planning an event that will feature a talk from me, films and live music, I hope an improvised soundtrack to a silent film (I've been checking out some musicians for this) to be held in quite a large venue in St Leonards. 

On the music front the following are lined up:

Hatis Noit   Church of St John Bethnal Green, London 25 August

Alabaster DePlume   Marina Fountain, St Leonards 15 September (not sure about this one)

Steve Hackett   De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill 17 September - 50 years since Foxtrot was released

The Bug Club   The Piper St Leonards 29 October   

Emma Rawicz Quintet   Hastings Jazz Club 6 December. A star-studded band assembled.

In Brighton on Sunday 21 August there will be various celebrations marking the 150th birthday of the great Aubrey Beardsley. I hope to be there in the afternoon and evening and may check out the bar called The Yellow Book.

See here.

Aleister Crowley Talk at Electro Studios

 

As part of the Silverhill Press Presents events on 21 May I shall be promoting Accumulator Press and giving a short presentation on the book Netherwood: Last Resort of Aleister Crowley.

The few remaining Accumulator Press books that I have will be on sale: Decadent London, Netherwood, Secret Tunnels of England and there will be the opportunity to crowdfund/pre-order my next book Mansion of Gloom.

Accumulator Press on Big Cartel here

Electro Studios St Leonards on Sea 11-7.

The illustrated Crowley at Netherwood talk will begin at 1pm 

A Talk in St Leonards on Aleister Crowley at Netherwood

 

A Virtual Whistler Talk

I shall be putting a tentative toe into the waters of virtual talks next month. I was originally supposed to be delivering a talk on Whistler at Chelsea Town Hall (a handsome historic venue in the heart of the area where he lived for most of his life) a few weeks ago, but coronavirus put a spanner in the works and it never happened.

Now I've agreed to deliver it instead through Teams on 14 July. The advantage is that anyone anywhere (with internet access) can tune in, the disadvantage that you lose the atmosphere of the venue and the opportunity to sell and sign books afterwards (the latter quite a big disadvantage as many of my book sales are at talks, where I sell them for less than you pay online).

It's not something I want to pursue in a big way, but I'm willing to see how it goes this once. I was also planning to do a guided walk around Chelsea to supplement the walk in the summer, but it looks unlikely that that will happen this year.

Register for FREE through Eventbrite here.

Decadent Lockdown

There has been a significant increase in viewings of various blog posts from the Antonine Itineraries recently. It's always interesting to see which ones attract the most interest, often not the ones that I would have thought would be popular - also posts I thought would gain attention have hardly been viewed - I imagine this is not unusual.

Book orders have returned to pre-lockdown levels. As some copies are running low, I am having to consider future publications and priorities. Post is understandably slower that usual, but everything has arrived at its destination so far.

One unfortunate consequence of the lockdown for me was that Tate Britain bought a large number of copies of Decadent London (with the expectation that they would order more) to coincide with the major Aubrey Beardsley show, which then closed after a couple of weeks, together with the rest of the UK's museums and galleries. Fortunately, I did have a chance to visit the exhibition in the first week and really enjoyed it - I've no idea whether it will be extended when the Tate reopens. You can visit remotely here.

Some recent decadent links:

A Dandy's Guide to Decadent Isolation here

Peter Wollen on Dandyism, Decadence and Death in Performance here

A repost of Saxon Henry's A Decadently Yellow London here

Book Orders

Book orders through the Big Cartel are still being taken and all three books are available.  Secret Tunnels of England is now down to 12 copies and I shall have to take it off the site in the next few days. I am considering a reprint although, owing to the high price for printing the hardback edition (after five years it has only just covered production costs), it will have to be a paperback -probably the same style as Decadent London (with French flaps).

I've been thinking about offering them as e-books, but I still personally prefer physical paper books - the costs of typesetting, design and printing however make this an expensive business at a time when people's finances are increasingly uncertain. One good thing about e-books is I don't have to lug them across London in a suitcase to talks!

See here.

Understandably, there have been no orders for the last month or so, although they have resumed this week, which is a good sign. Readers in the USA are particularly keen.

I sincerely hope that, after the lockdown eases, the independent book shop network will have survived. Above photograph taken in early March of the front window at Gay's The Word in London.