One Word Sunday
Tag: History
Cowabunga dude!
“On the contrary! I had two flagons of claret and a double helpingof curried turtle! I can assure you: it’s no holds barred withus at the annual communion-wine tasting.” So says Lord Melchett in an episode of Blackadder. The claret was obviously readily available, but where would you have gone to purchase the main ingredient… Continue reading Cowabunga dude!
Ready, aim, fire!
I’d like to share a short story of an incident that happened in 1322. Foster Lane near to St Paul’s Cathedral was at the time known as St Vedast Lane. Today there is a very small and strangely shaped Costa Coffee (other coffee outlets are available) at one end of the street. Just where the… Continue reading Ready, aim, fire!
The Duke, his magician and a windmill
Old Jewry is a street that runs north to south connecting the Guildhall to Cheapside. In the 1600s an Inn used to stand at the north end of the street known as the Windmill, there is not much known about the building except for its role in a rather bizarre occurrence that happened in the… Continue reading The Duke, his magician and a windmill
“Which service do you require?”
Hopefully, one telephone number that you won’t dial too often will be 999, unless KFC have run out of chicken, as some idiot did during the shortage back in 2018. The number will give you access to the four emergency services, Police, Fire, Ambulance and Search & Rescue. It’s a number that’s ingrained into most… Continue reading “Which service do you require?”
Sunny Saturday morning at Charing Cross
Six Word Saturday
That’s a Moray
In my last post I gave a mention to the church of St Mary le Bow in Cheapside. This is the church that appears in the nursery rhyme, Oranges and Lemons. Post war archaeological digs showed that there was a church on the site in Saxon times. During the medieval period the church was redeveloped… Continue reading That’s a Moray
Dazed and confused
Sometimes London can leave me feeling slightly bemused, it is a city of contradictions, double meanings and inconsistency, but I always think that I’m in a much better position to understand these than those who don’t know the capital just as well. A long time ago I posted a piece called name theory on mispronunciation… Continue reading Dazed and confused
Dustbin Day
While looking at things underground and specially in the last two posts regarding the job known as Toshing, I came across references to several strange occupations. Within the list there was Dustman, which I somewhat disregarded as being a bit banal. However, I found another text that when I read it cast the role in… Continue reading Dustbin Day
A police station in a lamppost
six word Saturday Although it is police property and is sometimes acclaimed as the smallest police station in London it’s not actually true. It’s more of a lookout post. An officer would be stationed there during days of rallies or protests in the square and had a direct line to Scotland Yard to call for… Continue reading A police station in a lamppost
A LONDON MISCELLANY 