London is like a great bird-cage. She, that innocent, gentle and single-hearted, is fluttering in there along with other millions. She can’t get out. She’s at the mercy of any cold-eyed, rapacious brute who will get her into a corner.
Maurice Hewlett (1861–1923), Mrs. Lancelot
On 8 March 1941, during a German air raid, two bombs hurtled down a ventilation shaft straight onto the dance floor soon after the start of a performance at the Café de Paris in Coventry Street, the venue was described as a ‘sumptuous, subterranean haunt of debs and celebs. A bomb exploded directly in front of band leader Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson, 33 members of staff, band members and revellers were killed and at least 100 injured.
On 8 March 1934, the London County Council was taken over by Labour, where it remained the majority party until its abolishment in 1965
Wallace Walk traces a 4-mile route that William Wallace of Braveheart fame took from his trial at Westminster to his execution in Smithfield
Oliver Cromwell’s statute outside Westminster Hall depicts him standing without a horse but wearing his spurs upside down
The Monument was erected in memory of The Great Fire of London which 5 people died, 6 people have since fallen to their deaths from the top
Within 2 years of the start of World War II 26 per cent of London’s pets were destroyed, a quarter of a mile queue formed outside a Wood Green vets
Such was its worldwide renown that in the early days of the Savoy Hotel the house orchestra was led by Johann Strauss
Coram’s Fields the remnant of the Children’s Foundling Hospital only allows adults into its grounds if they are accompanied by a child
On Shrove Tuesday charity teams race up and down Dray Walk, Spitalfields flipping pancakes. The winning team receives an engraved frying pan
Queensway Station has its main entrance in Bayswater Road and Bayswater Station has its entrance in Queensway
In 1941 a new 3-mile stretch of the Central Line tunnel – Gants Hill to Leytonstone was given to Plessey for use as an underground factory
Cabbies are permitted to ask a police constable to shield them with his (or her) cape when urinating against the vehicle in a seemly fashion
Trivial Matter: London in 140 characters is taken from the daily Twitter feed @cabbieblog.
A guide to the symbols used here and source material can be found on the Trivial Matter page.
For those new to CabbieBlog or readers who are slightly forgetful, on Saturdays I’m republishing posts, many going back over a decade. Some will still be very relevant while others have become dated over time. Just think of this post as your weekend paper supplement.
I have to say I’m a little miffed. For the last 3 years, I have been craning my neck out of the cab window marvelling at the way construction workers assembled – and that’s the right word – assembled The Shard.
So it was late last Monday that I found out that cabbies could – for free – go up to the viewing platforms instead of paying £24.95 if you pre-booked or if you should just turn up on the day a whopping £100.
The Shard has polarised opinions, during the last year I have been authoring a feature entitled The London Grill in which the same 10 questions are asked of the guest contributor. Two questions are: ‘What is your most hated/loved building in London’.
The Shard comes up time and again. One contributor was so enthused by its construction she had photographed it through every stage of the build.
This Marmite of a building reminded me of the anecdote when after its construction the Eiffel Tower was highly controversial amongst the Parisians. One famous quote is from novelist Guy de Maupassant, who hated the tower but still went to its restaurant every day. When asked why, he said it was because it is the only place in Paris where one cannot see the structure.
Luckily for the Eiffel Tower haters, Eiffel only had a permit to keep the tower for 20 years, after that it would be demolished. However, as the tower proved valuable for telecommunication purposes, it was allowed to remain intact even after the time had expired. As time passed, more and more people started to like the building. Today, almost all Parisians love the tower.
The Shard, symbolising London’s burgeoning wealth has a 75-year specification written into its design, but will this new icon prove to be as ephemeral as the 1960s buildings which once graced London Wall or, as with the Parisians, Londoners take it to their heart?
It’s probably the most boring news item this month, I’m talking about rain: greatest precipitation, regular frequency, continuous cloud cover; umbrella sales. So what’s mushers’ lotion, I hear you ask? A musher is an owner-driver, as opposed to a cabbie who rents his cab, and lotion is rain, said to increase business, thus helping to pay off the huge costs of buying a vehicle.
Around the middle of the month, CabbieBlog received a spike in the number of ‘hits’ from across the Pond. According to my counter, on the 12th-13th, 4,060 people took an interest in my musings. They were almost certainly bots harvesting data, but this is unusual for America; usually, China is the culprit, taking it upon itself to do web data extraction.
My 19-year-old VW Golf has developed a fault that prevents me from locking the rear doors. Until my mechanic can fit me in, I’ve had to rely on security devices, which got me rummaging around my garage to find five old locks, some fitting my Mini that I owned in the early 70s – none fit. My purchase of a Tevlaphee steering wheel lock, which hopefully will keep thieves at bay.
If you haven’t had enough of the London cab trade here at CabbieBlog, Tom Hutley’s new YouTube video with Joe Dan Hirst gives 40 minutes of London cab facts.
A farce has unfolded since 23 June last year, when this important junction was closed and scheduled to reopen in September. Without suitable detours, driving around Romford has been horrendous, with 40-tonne lorries negotiating country lanes. The work was then promised to last 6 months longer than scheduled; nobody is holding their breath. Now a wag has dreamt up this Lego set, replete with a speed camera and the guide to the duration of the build at 10 years.
Most read post – Mr Ormes’s Parrot
Most read page – Green Cab Shelters
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London – a place you go to get bronchitis.
Fran Lebowitz, attributed, Dick Enberg’s Humorous Quotes for All Occasions
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