Seven Dials Covent Garden is a unique quarter of London whose star-shaped layout remains as constructed in the early 1690s. It was brought back to life largely through the dedication of the Seven Dials Trust, working in partnership with the local authorities and landowners for nearly forty years.

John Jacob Holtzapffel was the most famous producer and seller of luxury ornamental turning lathes. Priced at many times the annual wage of an ordinary worker, they were much sought after by wealthy amateurs: clergy, aristocrats and heads of state.  

William Hazlitt was probably the first Englishman to make a living as a professional critic. A parliamentary reporter and a freelance lecturer, he is best remembered as an essayist.