This is ‘The Old Curiosity Shop immortalised by Charles Dickens’ in London – and now it is even more curious, dwarfed by the buildings around it.
It is located off Portugal Street, off Kingsway. The buildings behind are some of the many buildings of the London School of Economics. It’s full name that is so rarely used, is the London School of Economics and Political Science and it was started by four members of The Fabian Society, Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas, and George Bernard Shaw.
The Fabian Society was and is an organisation whose purpose is to ‘advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow’.
Given that Charles Dickens was a social reformer using his pen to further his views, it is perhaps fitting that of all the buildings that could dwarf the Old Curiosity Shop, it is snuggled within buildings that are designed to further similar aims.
Google the alumni of LSE and you will probably be surprised at some of those who went there.
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