In my last post I took a look at a group of people that populated London’s streets in the mid 1800s called Patterers. This was the heyday of the street merchant or costermonger. Alongside these were the street entertainer. I have to come clean, I loath street entertainers of the type you see today in… Continue reading A penny in the cap
Tag: History
The Patterers; a breed apart
I’d heard about Patterers, I knew a bit about them, that is in terms of the job that they did, like a lot of their peers it seemed to be a job and a description only found on the streets of the capital, but I recently read an account of an interview with one such… Continue reading The Patterers; a breed apart
A rose between the beer vats
“Khalil took the sound as a request, and soon his mouth was on hers, hot and vibrant, firm and needing. Strong, despite that terrible wound he carried.“ A bit racy for first thing on a Monday morning you might be thinking, especially as I haven’t had my cornflakes yet! Well, I’ll tell you, I had… Continue reading A rose between the beer vats
What a pile of s**t !
To help clear London’s air and improve public health, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is expanding across all London boroughs from 29 August 2023. Generally speaking, low emission zones have been proven to make a considerable difference to the levels of pollutants and greenhouse gases in cities, in terms of both CO2 but also NOx (Nitrogen… Continue reading What a pile of s**t !
That’s one in the eye
This short story fits loosely in with the idiom theme that I’ve been perusing recently. The term is used to mean a disappointment or setback for someone or something. At the moment I’m researching a new tour, this time based in the Temple. The Temple is an area of Barristers chambers situated between the Strand… Continue reading That’s one in the eye
Feeling Like A Proper Charlie
I like to collect and research idioms, although I’m not too sure how to describe them. I suppose a phrase that is used where a meaning is not deducible from the words in it, something like “Over the Moon” for example, to convey happiness. To feel or to look like a proper Charlie is one… Continue reading Feeling Like A Proper Charlie
Caught with your trousers down!
For the last month I’ve immersed myself in all thing Soho, as I’m currently publishing an audio tour about the area ( when it’s published it will appear HERE ) As with all the tours I write you sometimes get a bit stuck in a particular part, sometimes inspiration appears and you move on, or… Continue reading Caught with your trousers down!
Jessie Matthews and the Brontosaurus
Probably best I explain from the beginning, Jessie Matthews was an actress, dancer and singer of the 1920s and 1930s, whose career continued into the post-war period. Following a string of hit stage musicals and films in the mid-1930s, Jessie developed a following in the USA, where she was dubbed “The Dancing Divinity”. The studio… Continue reading Jessie Matthews and the Brontosaurus
A man of many parts
It’s 1665 and you’ve caught the coach from York to London and are recuperating at the White Hart Inn on Bishopsgate prior to a business meeting the following day. The merchant you are meeting has left word that he will meet you outside St Botolph’s church at midday. The Inn being being next door to… Continue reading A man of many parts
Stop and have a cuppa
Sometimes you walk past a building and give it no attention whatsoever, it doesn’t matter how grand or humble it is, it just doesn’t ask you to stop and take a look at it. The small shabby building in the middle of the photo and it’s neighbours have been slowly lapsing into decay for as… Continue reading Stop and have a cuppa
A LONDON MISCELLANY 