I threatened last week to start posting reminiscences of childhood in Metroland. Well here’s the first one and goes back to the late 60s when I was around ten years old. For a ten year old back then there were three types of gainful employment, one poor, one middling and the third the pinnacle. The… Continue reading STAAAAAANDAAAAART!
Tag: History
The Winter Garden of Oxford Street
Feeling a little peckish as you wander along Oxford Street (when the shops re-open) ?Forgo the delights of the numerous fast food outlets, and even give a pub lunch a miss. As you saunter east towards the junction of Tottenham Court Road, pass the tailors Hawes & Curtis and then take the next open door… Continue reading The Winter Garden of Oxford Street
What’s in a name? (part 2)
Just a quick adjunct from the post of the same name posted a couple of days ago. Remember Nicholas”If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned” Barebon? You may recall that he switched his interests to property developing following the Great Fire of 1666. One such development was the Villiers Estate that today sits next to Charing Cross railway station. The land… Continue reading What’s in a name? (part 2)
What’s in a name?
To finish the quote in full, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. (William Shakespear, Romeo & Juliet). It’s my belief that a name sets the tone of a thing or even a person. Take the example of rose, it is a rounded, lilting word which conjures up the fragrant… Continue reading What’s in a name?
At Sixes and Sevens
Not a phrase you hear much nowadays, but I can remember my Grandmother using it quite often, “Oh you’ll have me at sixes and sevens if you don’t get from under my feet!“ I’d never really queried its origin until recently. I was researching for a new walking tour, looking into the history of what… Continue reading At Sixes and Sevens
Ziggy played guitar….
It is a cold wet late afternoon in January 1972 and you’re legging it down Regent Street as fast as your platform shoes will allow, your wet flares (possibly even Loon pants) flapping around your ankles and your cheesecloth shirt is clinging to you. In an attempt to shelter from the precipitation you duck into… Continue reading Ziggy played guitar….
Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells*
* I should probably clarify the title of this piece for those who aren’t aware of the phrase. It is a generic name used in the UK for a person with strongly conservative political views, who writes letters to the newspapers or the BBC in moral outrage. Disgusted is the pseudonym of the supposed letter writer, who is… Continue reading Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells*
Burye, Berry, Bury
Next time you’re in the City, walk past the Gherkin along Bury Street and at the end of Holland House and you will see the relief of a ship. This dates to when the offices were owned by Wm. H. Müller who were a Dutch shipping company and commissioned the building in 1916. In itself… Continue reading Burye, Berry, Bury
What’s it all about then?
When I first started this site as a portal for A London Miscellany Tours and began to write about some of the history of London, like everyone I had no idea of how the Global Pandemic would affect my unusual walking tours of London. With tours curtailed for much of 2020 and things looking bleak… Continue reading What’s it all about then?
Who?
Stephen Geary? ……………………………. Anyone? No, I must admit it wasn’t a name that I was familiar with, but Mr Geary definitely left his mark on both the advancement of mankind and also London, although probably more so for the latter. Over 160 years after his death, Geary is tucked away right at the back of… Continue reading Who?
A LONDON MISCELLANY 