Goodwins Court WC2

I love an alleway, ideally a Victorian or even better a Georgian one - when I am walking around town, I will always choose to go down Percy or Newman Passage, Flitcroft Street, Meard St, Cecil Court,  Hanway St, Crown Passage or Colville Place rather than the larger thoroughfares.  One I don't think I had ever walked down before and stumbled on by happy accident yesterday, is Goodwins Court - which runs between St Martin's Lane and Bedfordbury and is parallel to nearby New Row in WC2.  I was instantly charmed and felt like I had stepped back into 18th Century London.  In fact the court was built a century earlier in 1627 and was originally know as Fishers Alley but the buildings still there today are later, most likely having been built in the late 17th century.  I loved the fact that after turning off a busy St Martin's Lane at 9am, I was suddenly alone, with old gas lanterns and beautiful round bay-fronted shops in front of me.  Another one of the (oh so many) things I love about this wonderful old city.