History – Page 14 – A LONDON MISCELLANY

After the Lord Mayor’s show

The saying goes “After the Lord Mayor’s show comes the S**t cart“, in more polite circles this can be changed to “Dust cart or even Donkey cart”. It is used to emphasise something that is disappointing or mundane after a major, exciting or triumphal event. The saying can be traced back to the 16th century,… Continue reading After the Lord Mayor’s show

The Yorkshire Stingo

At the Lisson Grove end of Marylebone Road you will find Westminster Magistrates Court. What to my mind is a rather drab building has been enlivened by the addition of an art installation by artist and blacksmith Bex Simons. The artwork references Marylebone life and in particular the former building that sat on the site… Continue reading The Yorkshire Stingo

……..AND THE BONUS BALL IS

The National 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

‘ello Darlin’ show us…..

Good manners prohibit me from finishing the title, but what I’m striving for is the full repertoire of inuendo and verbal abuse that some men find acceptable behaviour to openly shout at a passing female, yes you know who you are, scaffolders. Having never had it happen to me (!) I can only imagine that… Continue reading ‘ello Darlin’ show us…..

The Wheel Turns Full Circle

The London Eye has dominated the skyline of Lambeth for over twenty years. This 135 metres (443 ft) tall wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel until it was surpassed by the 160-metre (525 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, and has subsequently been… Continue reading The Wheel Turns Full Circle

Can I have that to go please?

There is at the western end of Fleet Street an opening to an alleyway so small that it is often easy to walk past and not notice it is there. It goes by the quaint name of Hen & Chicken Court. It appears named on John Rocque’s map of 1746 but is shown on maps… Continue reading Can I have that to go please?

Why not catch some proper criminals?

I was sitting in Fitzroy Square recently having a sandwich and playing a memory game. The square, located near to Regents Park has always been the home of some of London’s great and good and I was trying to recall who lived where. Sir Charles Eastlake, first director of the National Gallery, painter James McNeill Whistler, Bloomsbury Group artist Duncan… Continue reading Why not catch some proper criminals?

What’s in a name?

I was stopped the other day by a couple of tourists asking for directions and I outlined the quickest route to their destination, which happened to take them through Lincoln’s Inn. They seemed a bit perplexed and asked if it was “Ok” to walk through the grounds, which it is. As I was headed in… Continue reading What’s in a name?

The Cat And The Skull

So what do you think you know about Dick Whittington, Lord Mayor of London? The story goes that an impoverished Whittington made his way into the City of London to seek his fortune on hearing that the streets were paved with gold. Failing to make enough money to live on as a scullery worker in… Continue reading The Cat And The Skull

“We are not amused”

The phrase is often attributed to Queen Victoria and has passed into common usage to note perceived strait-laced stuffiness, bolstering the perception that Victoria was a dour woman living a melancholy life after the death of her husband Prince Albert. However, during an interview in 1976, Victoria’s granddaughter, Alice, Countess of Athlone, said that Victoria… Continue reading “We are not amused”