* ”Now That’s What I Call London Shoes-2025″ – (End of Year Review for 2025)

With the passing of yet another year of London Shoes activity, I always like to take a look back and reflect on what Shoes has achieved in terms of places visited / knowledge gained / people encountered / unplanned experiences etc – and reflect on the fun times I’ve had ‘on the road’ throughout the previous 12 months.

When I started my London Shoes stuff way back in 2017, I set myself a rather ambitious target of publishing 1 x blog per week on the London Shoes website and then replicating that on Shoes other social media feeds (ie Facebook / Instagram / X/Twitter) – a target that I’ve always attempted to achieve – with the obvious exception of the Covid pandemic lockdown weeks/months.

However, what with all the other stuff that I get involved in outside of my London Shoes activities (ie ‘life’), I have to admit that I do at times, find it a bit challenging trying to achieve my aspirational target of 1 blog per week. Now – whether that’s because of all the other stuff I’m involved in, or because I’m simply getting older (I’m fast approaching the grand old age of 70), I don’t really know – but I guess we’ll just have to see how things go the next couple of months.

Having said all that, I wasn’t that far off my self imposed 1 x Shoes blog per week target in 2025 – I still managed to knock out 46 blog publications in total……so not too bad.

So, looking back – 2025 has been yet another productive and enjoyable year for London Shoes – a year where I’ve continued to explore every nook and crannie of this wonderful capital City – journey’s that have taken me to places I’d never been to before, and experiencing new adventures, that I could not have predicted at the beginning of last year.

The ‘stats’ page from the London Shoes website, provides interesting reading for 2025 – some of which I’ll share with you.

I’ve never been a stats person, but looking at the data yesterday, it tells me all I need to know, when I question myself as to whether I should be devoting so much of my time to London Shoes…so here’s a few snippets of info that the Shoes website ‘stats’ for 2025 have thrown up:-

• 127,000 ‘hits’in total
• 76,000 – from the UK
• 12,000 – from the US
• 10,900 – from across Europe
• And interestingly – 528 ‘hits’ from Brazil & 380 ‘hits’ from Argentina
• 589 ‘Comments’ received – ie emails from viewers/readers received via the London Shoes website email link.
• What’s even weirder is that the top 4 individual blog topics that received the most ‘hits’ throughout 2025 – were:-
  • The ‘Pop Goes the Weasel-Nursery Rhyme’ (published-2018)
  • ‘Victorian Stink Pipes-of Old London Town’ (published-2017)
  • ‘Bank Station & its 16 entrances/exits’ (published 2019)
  • ‘Welcome to London Shoes’ – a website link-accessible when the website went ‘live’ in 2017.
• The 2 most viewed Shoes blogs actually published in 2025 were:- (1) “the famous ‘Regency Café’-Pimlico-London SW1” – which achieved 1.125 ‘hits’ and (2) “Ruth Ellis-the last woman to hang in Britain” – which received 981 ‘hits’.

For what is simply a little hobby I created for myself upon my retirement in 2017, I do sometimes feel I’ve created a little bit of a monster.

I’ve met some extremely interesting people on my travels and have I’ve sunk many a  ‘cheeky’ beer in some wonderful historic old pubs

Having read one of my ‘music’ related blog articles, I was approached by a particular newly opened music venue in North London – who asked whether I would be interested in reviewing selected ‘live’ music events they were hosting, and publish those reviews on my London Shoes website –  a request that I was more than happy to undertake, seeing as it gets me free entry into the event and free beer!!

I have again, been approached by the young film production students who I worked with last year on their Punk film  – who now want me to support them in new film projects they’ve got in the pipeline for 2026.

I’ve walked a couple of ‘trails’ throughout the City – searching for specifically placed statues that had been laid out to commemorate or raise awareness of important issues – these trails are great fun.

I was there at the opening week of a new enterprise venture called ‘The Dialogue Express Café’ – an operation that is run specifically by those with hearing disabilities – and where all orders and inter-action are given in British Sign Language.

I was invited by a member of staff to attend the newly opened ‘V&A Storehouse’ in Stratford’s Olympic Park – a completely new concept of ‘museum’– where I was also granted access to the specific David Bowie Exhibition it is currently hosting.

2025 also saw my London Shoes return to covering-off ‘live’ music events performed by the band that my old drum tutor from the 1990’s, plays in – a task that taken me to some historic jazz venues, especially in the Soho district of London.

Also – on a number of occasions I’ve had the pleasure of being accompanied ‘on the road’ by friends and Shoes followers, who have fancied a day out pounding the pavements with me. I have very much valued the company – and I hope that sort of engagement continues throughout 2026.

Now – I’m fully aware that there are people out there who must think that I’m a proper geek, and they probably wonder why the hell I bother putting my time and energy into something that’s not generating any financial reward for me……and in some ways I get where they’re coming from.

But, for me – all I can say in answer to questions as to why I bother, is that I thoroughly enjoy what I do with London Shoes – and the feedback I receive from all corners of the planet – would indicate that others enjoy my stuff too – and for that reason, my intention is to ‘keep on, keeping on’ whilst I still can.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little ‘look-back’.  You will see below that I’ve put together a compilation of my 5 ‘best of’ 2025 blog publications, which you may (or may not) wish to browse through the links at your leisure  – and, to mirror those popular CD’s that always used to be available at this time of year, I’ve amusingly entitled this reflective piece “Now That’s What I Call London Shoes-2025” .

Dependent on the ‘big guy in the sky’, I intend to continue doing what I enjoy doing – so keep an eye out for more London Shoes blogs coming your way.

Wishing all London Shoes followers everywhere a very Happy & Healthy 2026 – take care of yourselves – try and be kind to each other, and stay safe at all times – and many thanks again for following the ‘Shoes’ – your loyalty and continued interest is very much appreciated

My very best wishes…..GEOFF

My personal Top 5 London Shoes-Blogs – of 2025

(1) The ‘Punk Film’ Experience

* the Punk film experience – with “London Shoes” & the “East London Arts & Music” (ELAM) Students – London Shoes

Why?

• The fact that a group of young students, who – having read one of London Shoes – London’s Lost Music Venues themed blogs – actually approached a then 68yr old dinosaur me, and asked me to act as a content advisor , and appear in, a documentary film they were making about ‘Punk Music’…….really made me realise that perhaps, my little London Shoes hobby is worth all the time and effort I put into it. The experience also restored my faith in the younger generations – as these young people in their late teens – treated me with such genuine respect, and I thoroughly enjoyed being in their company.

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(2) The ‘Covid Wall’ 

*”The National Covid Memorial Wall” London SE1-on the 5th Anniversary of the 1st Covid-19 Lockdown – London Shoes

Why?

• I never in a million years, expected a visit to this site would affect me so emotionally – it was a very moving experience – plus, it is a Wall created by ‘the people’ for ‘the people’ – no outside political motive or other involvement or interference.

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(3) The ‘Leake Street-Arches’

*the colourful “Leake Street-Arches” – London SE1 (2025) – London Shoes

Why?

• This little insignificant tunnel archway in the middle of busy London – epitomises to me, exactly what ‘street art’ should be about – a site where anyone can rock up there and plonk a bit of graffiti on its walls

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(4) The ‘Onion Garden’

*the tranquil “Onion Garden” – London SW1 – London Shoes

Why?

• In the middle of an ugly corporate concrete jungle-on a small triangle of waste land – lies a little oasis of tranquility in a desert storm – long may it continue.

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(5) ‘Word on the Water’

*the “Word on the Water” – probably London’s most unique bookshop – London N1 – London Shoes

• In this corporate smothered world we live in – I think its so pleasing to see and experience this unique little floating bookshop on the Regent Canal (just at the back of Kings X station) – you must pay it a visit if you’re ever in the Kings Cross area, you’ll luv it.

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Below is a summary of just some of the 46 blog articles published in 2025 on the

London Shoes Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (Twitter) social media feeds

All of which can be re-visited via the London Shoes website link :- www.londonshoes.blog