And the word was “Doves“. I was skimming through a book that I was given for Christmas, the excellent A Field Guide to Larking by Lara Maiklem. I’d wanted this book as it’s packed with loads of information regarding a new hobby I’m starting, that of Mudlarking on the banks of the river Thames. I… Continue reading In the beginning was the word
Tag: History
ABC of City of London Wards
This is the fifth post about the wards that make up the the City of London. These links will take you to the post about Aldersgate, Aldgate, Bassishaw & Billingsgate. The City of London is divided into 25 wards. These wards are a survival of the medieval governmental system that allowed very small areas to exist as self-governing units… Continue reading ABC of City of London Wards
An inspirational place for a fag
Six Word Saturday On a recent wandering I was walking along a small street called Whetstone Park which runs parallel between Lincoln’s Inn Fields and High Holborn. There’s not much to see as it’s primarily used as a service road. Towards it’s end I came across a small fenced area. What caught my eye was… Continue reading An inspirational place for a fag
What did you get for Christmas Sam?
The Sam in question being Samuel Pepys, the answer is obviously a new diary. I decided that this year I’ll try and read each of his diary entries on the day he wrote them over three hundred and sixty years ago. Luckily his first ever entry is January 1st 1660, so I can start right… Continue reading What did you get for Christmas Sam?
PC49 was ‘ere
Graffiti is part of everyday life it seems. It annoys some and delights others. It can we witty and insightful or plainly banal and pointless. Recently on a trip up to Hadrian’s Wall I marvelled at some graffito dating back to the Roman occupation. One was a disparaging comment about a roman soldier by a… Continue reading PC49 was ‘ere
He’s behind you!
“Oh no he isn’t, oh yes he is”. Sorry but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to slip in a pantomime reference considering the time of year. Afraid this might be lost on anyone outside of the UK. Took some American cousins to a pantomime a few years ago and to begin with they were… Continue reading He’s behind you!
The “To Do” List
I suppose I’m lucky, I take a very laid back approach to Christmas, that is it’s all done by the end of August! So the “To do” list in question is a couple of tasks that I set myself in two earlier posts. In the first The Dog’s Nose I conveyed the story of an… Continue reading The “To Do” List
Milestones
While poking around Smithfield recently I had occasion to take a break in a local hostelry and over a pint started reading an old guidebook. First thing I learnt was that the Great North Road that links London to Scotland and was the main route of travel from medieval times until the 20th century begins… Continue reading Milestones
Humumm’s
On the south east corner of Covent garden was an area in the 17th century that was known as the “Hummums“ The term crops up in several different places, diaries. letters etc from the 18th & 19th centuries and at first I thought it was the name of the people who owned the establishment that… Continue reading Humumm’s
Stumped!
Ok, so not the most inspiring photo, but as they say, “Every picture tells a story”. What you’re looking at here was the proposed site for the London terminus of the Great Central Railway in the 1890s. An enterprising businessman, Frank Crocker somehow got wind of these proposals and realising that the terminus would need… Continue reading Stumped!
A LONDON MISCELLANY 