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The Dog’s Nose

So to continue the theme of senses; touch and hearing now under the belt I start to look at taste and smell. Despite the title of this piece, it’s actually to do with taste. Now I could have gone off down the same old hackneyed route of extolling the beauties and health benefits of pie,… Continue reading The Dog’s Nose

Sounds of the past

Following on from the post last week on touch, I’m going to try the sense of hearing. I thought this might be a tricky one, how do you hear the past? Well there’s oral audio history, memories of people who were in a certain place at a certain time. These are really valuable to historians… Continue reading Sounds of the past

Touch Wood

I set myself a task today. I thought I’d try and write about London with regard to the senses. Seeing is a bit of an obvious one, but there’s always, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting to explore. I’m going to start with the tactile. There are many old bits of London that you can run… Continue reading Touch Wood

The Beavers Of Oxford Street

Whenever I walk the streets of London I try to make the effort to look up once in a while. Sometimes you can be too focussed on what’s in front of you. Take a moment to look above the horizon and you might be surprised at what you find. Many interesting and bizarre ornaments and… Continue reading The Beavers Of Oxford Street

….one in a taxi, one in a car

Funny how things come back to you years and years after the event. The title comes from something we used to sing at school when it came to carol concerts at Christmas to the tune of “We three Kings“. Rather unseasonal I know given the abundance of Easter bunnies, but I thought it a better… Continue reading ….one in a taxi, one in a car

As Grave As The Grave

I’ve just finished reading John Bennett’s excellent book, Krayology, which examines the rise and fall of the notorious 1960s London Gangsters Ron and Reggie Kray. Well worth a read if that’s your sort of thing. So far I’ve limited my guided audio walking tours to the confines of the City walls and the environs on… Continue reading As Grave As The Grave

Brass in pocket

Possibly John Rivet was a 17th century example of nominative determinism, that is when your surname influences you to gravitate towards a chosen profession. It’s unclear if the young master Rivet ever wanted to be a Lumberjack, but he eventually became a metal worker. One thing is certain about him, he was a bit of… Continue reading Brass in pocket

……..AND THE BONUS BALL IS

The Nation Lottery started in the UK on the 19th November 1994, however, this was not the first nationwide lottery to be run in Britain. “The Lottery” by William Hogarth 1721 showing the two lottery wheels. The first state lottery was the idea of Master of the Royal Mint, Thomas Neale in order to raise… Continue reading ……..AND THE BONUS BALL IS

“Just a single please”

This is about a very bizarre one way journey that our London Ancestors could have taken during the Victorian period. By the early 1850s, London had a problem with overcrowding. No, not as you would assume with housing or population or traffic, those go without saying. Victorian London had too many corpses and not enough… Continue reading “Just a single please”

A Cock And Pye Story

To make a Peacock Pye. Pick it, and leave the Feathers on the Neck, cut the Neck off close to the Body, skin the Neck close to the Head, and cut it off; put a Stick tight into the Skin up to the Head, dry it in an Oven; cut off the Legs, and keep… Continue reading A Cock And Pye Story