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The newest stories from The Fence — features, facts, fiction and more.
A Professional Service
A visit to the oldest undertakers in London, who have been in operation since the Battle of Trafalgar.
25 November 2024
Goodbye England’s Rose
A grotty hotel that stood against the forces of east London gentrification is no more. But what exactly was happening within its four walls?
22 November 2024
A Hackney Story
In the early 2000s, Clapton was the scene of a spate of public shootings, often conducted in broad daylight. The area earned the tabloid sobriquet ‘Murder Mile’. But who was behind the violence?
18 November 2024
Last Days of Soho
London’s most infamous neighbourhood has a glamorous mythos. Meet the dwindling band of residents who call it home.
12 November 2024
Empty Orchestra
A short story in a pub.
6 November 2024
The More They Feel, the More They Buy
Mad//fest, or Madfest for short, is an advertising and marketing conference where speakers declaim that 'brands are dead' or 'brands are God.'
22 October 2024
War Games
The Colonel was at the pub, plotting up an ethical mercenary company to do battle in Ukraine: here is the bizarre story of the Mozart Group.
22 October 2024
A Load of Bollocks
What do revellers at one of London's most naked sex clubs think of the Labour Party? Our special correspondent stripped off and asked other bare clubbers what they thought of the Autumn budget.
15 October 2024
Icarus Also Flew
Deep in the heart of the world’s first lockdown, Our writer flew from Perth to London to move in with a man she'd fallen in love with but had never met. This is their love story.
14 October 2024
Over the Hill and Far Away
Every summer Barnard Castle hosts a special festival dedicated to the music of John Martyn: a moveable Graceland in the Teeside Hills.
9 October 2024
Down on the Farm
Deep in the dark heart of Bamford Country, mutiny brews. For the past two decades, Lady Carole has transformed the Cotswolds. But what do the locals really think of her?
7 October 2024
A Memorable Meal
A world-famous novelist once went for lunch in an Umbrian tavern. He's remembered it for the past fifty years. He recounts it for us now.
3 October 2024