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
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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
All Washed Up
Sadly, on average around thirty corpses are fished out of the River Thames each year. However, this is a dramatically reduced number when compared to the 19th century. The amount of traffic and industry that took place on the river would have contributed to this number by accident alone, and there is evidence that people… Continue reading All Washed Up
Left High and Dry
I was recently looking through a collection of paintings by the 18th century artist Canaletto. Some of views of London took my interest, but one in particular, titled The Thames At Westminster. What grabbed my attention was the tower that dominates the skyline on the bank. Looking closely to get my bearings I could see… Continue reading Left High and Dry
Station to Station
One thing I’ve really missed during lockdown is riding the Tube, it’s been over a year since I last had the opportunity, so to try and lessen the desire, I thought I’d take a virtual journey and look at the place names on certain lines. We’re going to start down in the South on the… Continue reading Station to Station
A LONDON MISCELLANY 