Following yesterday’s post I’d looked up the Kentish Drovers Public House in the Old Bailey database. In all there were six cases stretching between 1845 to 1912 and in a nice little twist they are bookended by two coining offenses. The first case concerns a Catherine Hacket who appeared on 24th November 1845 charged with… Continue reading Nefarious activity at the Kentish Drovers
Author: endean0
Hi, I'm Steve, a London tour guide and owner of A London Miscellany Tours, a guided walking tour company who specialise in small number tours of the greatest city in the world!
…and now to travel news
….due to an incident. Next there are around 20 minute delays on the A2 Old Kent Road in both directions due to a large volume of cattle, police are advising ….. Well, you might have heard that had there been travel news and radios to hear it on in the 18th and early 19th centuries.… Continue reading …and now to travel news
The odd post
I like oddities. I like finding out why they are odd, perhaps that makes me a little odd too? There’s this lamp post that’s sort of fascinated me, just across from the Royal Courts of Justice. It sits quite happily on the island bordered by Aldwych and Strand that is home to St Clement Danes… Continue reading The odd post
The one and ninepenny’s
As a small child, no trip into central London would be complete without a visit to what for me at the time was the most magical place on earth, the Victoria Station Cartoon Cinema. I have many fond memories of sitting in the slightly dilapidated and grubby seats, a haze of cigarette smoke billowing all… Continue reading The one and ninepenny’s
Flour and Dough and a DSO
I’d never come across the sculptor Phillip Lindsay-Clark before, not until I found his signature on a great piece of public art. This piece differs from his usual creations, which tended to be mainly ecclesiastical or memorials. Lindsay-Clark was a Londoner born in 1889, his Father, Robert was also a sculptor. Phillip studied at the… Continue reading Flour and Dough and a DSO
The Doctor will see you now
At a time when we are rightfully lauding the efforts of all NHS staff for their work during the pandemic I’d like to take you back to a time when the medical profession was not quite as caring and helpful as today. Let’s focus on Dr. William Butler, born in Ipswich around 1535. He attended… Continue reading The Doctor will see you now
Tunnel Vision
Its funny how when you start to research a subject some fact or unknown story gets thrown into the mix worthy of further investigation. Yesterday’s post contained a piece about a supposed private station beneath Buckingham Palace for the Queen to use if a rapid departure was needed from central London. I had heard the… Continue reading Tunnel Vision
Hook, Line and Stinker
Thought I’d take a quick look at three London urban myths. Whilst writing this I started to feel a bit bad about dispelling these myths as each one has a certain charm about it, but as these are all well documented I decided to press on. However I don’t think that I’ll ever directly tell… Continue reading Hook, Line and Stinker
Station to Station (Part 2)
Continuing with the toponyms while travelling the Northern Line eastern section. Stockwell: Recorded as Stokewell in 1188. The name can be interpreted as “The stream with a footbridge consisting of a tree trunk” from the Old English Stock (trunk) and Wella (Stream) Up until the 1860s Stockwell was still a small rural village. The station… Continue reading Station to Station (Part 2)
The Vile Adulterator Windy Miller
Aficionados of Camberwick Green will all know that Windy Miller was definitely a single guy about town and I have long suspected that he knows more that he lets on about Mrs Honeyman’s baby (there’s never a mention of a Mr Honeyman). I believe that he is also familiar with some of the Green’s married… Continue reading The Vile Adulterator Windy Miller
A LONDON MISCELLANY 