Because if you had been standing in the City of London on the second day of September 1666, exactly three haundred and sixty years ago today, you would not have needed to ask. The air was practically waving at you. A warm toasty smell drifted through the streets, the sort of smell that makes you… Continue reading Can you smell smoke?
Tag: Death
Political Assassination in Belgravia
Field Marshal Sir Henry Hughes Wilson was one of the most senior British Army staff officers of the First World War and was briefly an Irish unionist politician. Wilson served as Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley, and then as Director of Military Operations at the War Office. He played a large part in drawing up plans to deploy the British Expeditionary Force to France… Continue reading Political Assassination in Belgravia
That’s one in the eye
Last week footsore and a little disheveled, finding myself on Fleet Steet I decided to take a breather in one of my favourite places in the city, Fountain Court in the Temple. I’d published an audio tour around the Temple a couple of years agovoicemap.me/temple but I must admit that I hadn’t listened to it… Continue reading That’s one in the eye
“Lord have mercy upon me, I am killed”
I was doing a bit of housekeeping with my audio tours the other day and came across a tour that I must admit I’d forgotten all about. Everything about the process of compiling it I remembered was easy. The research went well and the writing just flowed from the pen. This was going to be… Continue reading “Lord have mercy upon me, I am killed”
Taken At The Flood
The Dominion Theatre stands on Tottenham Court Road. Construction of the theatre began in March 1928 with a design by W and TR Milburn with a budget of £460,000. The theatre hosted the premier of Charlie Chaplin’s slapstick comedy “City Lights” in 1931, with the star in attendance. There is a rather sad and macabre… Continue reading Taken At The Flood
A baby, but no bath water
Whilst rooting about in A Survey Of The Cities Of London and Westminster written by John Strype in the 1720s for some information, I came across a story by accident that is too good not to tell. The story is set near to the Tower of London and centres around the Churchyard of All Hallows-by-the-Tower,… Continue reading A baby, but no bath water
Burye, Berry, Bury. A revision.
I’ve been writing and publishing self guided audio tours for four years this month, not sure where all that time’s gone! Before that I used to host tours in person. I really enjoyed meeting the people who came on the walks, but it did have it’s downside. The main object is to get the story… Continue reading Burye, Berry, Bury. A revision.
……..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”
That Crazy Cat/Dog/ Magpie/ Monkey Lady/Man
Friend Street in Islington is a very unassuming thoroughfare which allows you to cut through from St John’s Street to Goswell Road. Recently while writing a new audio tour I used it as just that, a cut through and didn’t pay it much attention. Over the Christmas period at a bit of a loose end,… Continue reading That Crazy Cat/Dog/ Magpie/ Monkey Lady/Man