You must not expect much friendliness from a John Bull who does not see his way to get something out of you. On the other hand, for learning commerce, London is without exception the best school.
Georgina Meinertzhagen (1850-1914)
London Trivia: Lord Lucan vanishes
On 8 November 1974, Lord Lucan vanished without trace. The previous evening his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was bludgeoned to death in the basement of his children’s home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street. As the police began their murder investigation, Lucan telephoned his mother, asking her to collect the children, and then drove a borrowed Ford Corsair to a friend’s house in Uckfield then vanished.
On 8 November 1429 the Duke of Norfolk crashed his barge into London Bridge, but survived by climbing a rope onto the bridge
On 8 November 2002 an arsonist burned down the Lock Keeper’s Cottage, Old Ford Lock, original location of Channel 4’s Big Breakfast
In Star Yard Holborn stands a late Victorian gents’ ‘pissoir’. Another one in is to be found in Twickenham, a similar example is in Regency Street
In 19th century London, middle class men lived to 45, workmen and labourers life spanned half that time and children were lucky to survive until five
It was at the Merchant Taylor’s Hall, in 1607 in honour of King James I, that the National Anthem was first sung
The West End’s oldest theatre, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, is also reported to be haunted by the Victorian music hall star and panto dame Dan Leno, whose spirit is said to exude the scent of lavender oil
You are allowed to use a camera in a London Royal Park, but not a tripod, nothing is mentioned about the use of a monopod
Richmond Golf Club’s 1940 rules: Known unexploded bombs are marked by red flags at a not guaranteed safe distance, a player whose stroke is affected by a explosion may play another ball from the same place
There are thirty-three bridges of all types across the tidal Thames up to Teddington Lock, a distance of just under 99 miles
Filming on location in the Underground costs £500 per hour (plus VAT) unless you have a crew of less than five
At 440 feet the village of North End on the edge of Hampstead Heath is the highest inhabited point in London
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.
Previously Posted: A New River for London
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.
A New River for London (29.09.13)
There cannot be many commoners who have given their name to so many parts of London as Sir Hugh Myddleton (or had their name misspelt as much), and today marks the 400th anniversary of the opening of his venture to bring water into London from Hertfordshire. Londoners only had access to water from wells or from the filthy Thames, via a large waterwheel at London Bridge. A challenge issued by King James that finally brought a solution to the problem.
Having made his fortune in London as the Royal Jeweller to King James I, Sir Hugh Myddleton proposed to construct a water conduit from Amwell in Hertfordshire into the capital. His scheme was to run the water’s flow along the 100ft contour line but he met with vociferous opposition to the scheme as it ran its sinuous path across farmers’ fields on its route to London.
Some evidence of his venture can still be seen, in Enfield Town a little park has the New River running through it before going underground. Popping up again at Bush Hill Park as it wends its way through Palmers Green disappearing underground again when it reaches Myddleton Road at Bowes Park. It next appears alongside the two reservoirs constructed for this venture by the Amhurst Park and Seven Sisters Road junction before going underground at – yes, you’ve guessed it – Myddleton Avenue, with a final above-ground appearance in Cannonbury at New River Walk.
The original venture comprising over 38 miles terminated at New River Head was opened on 29th September 1613 when water was let into the Round Pond at New River Head at the site of the Thames Water Board’s headquarters (now converted into flats) at the corner of Rosebery Avenue and Hardwick Street.
Water was then taken from the reservoir into the city in pipes made from hollowed elm logs and then into individual houses through lead pipes. By 1670, up to two-thirds of houses in many parts of London had running water thanks to the New River.
The cost of the scheme proved beyond the means of Myddleton’s private fortune and he approached the King for help. As he was the Crown jeweller the King agreed to pay half the cost of the whole undertaking for half the profit as a sleeping partner. It proved a good investment by 1700 a single share paid about £200 a year and by 1766 it was worth £8,000 a year.
The New River Company remained London’s most important water supplier for 300 years and the venture is commemorated in many ways around the Islington area of north London.
Sir Hugh Myddleton’s house at Myddleton Corner was at 140-3 Upper Street, built in 1595 the building was rebuilt in 1891 and a terracotta plaque on the first floor attests to this. Myddleton Hall is to be found in Almeida Street and is now used as the Almeida Theatre.
Islington’s finest square is Myddelton Square just south of the Angel, off the square is River Street which runs into Amwell Street commemorating the source of the water supply in Hertfordshire. Almost opposite the old Water Board’s headquarters stands Hugh Myddelton Junior and Infant School in Myddelton Street and Myddleton’s statute is to be found on Islington Green facing towards the end of his venture.
There is a fountain playing at the corner of Rosebery Avenue and Arlington Way where Sadler’s Wells still stands which marks the New River’s final destination.
Other London streets that bear Myddleton’s name include Myddelton Close EN1; Myddelton Gardens N21; Myddelton Park N20; Myddelton Passage EC1; Myddelton Road N8; Myddleton Mews N22.
Monthly Musings
October 2026
💦 Hosepipe ban, and where the water goes
We’re very lucky here in Essex, Thames Water is only tasked with removing our sewage, water supply comes from Essex and Suffolk Water. So when we developed a leak in the pavement outside, a man arrived in under a day. He thought a lorry had caused the fracture whilst performing a three-point-turn. The man put in an official log for repair and marked the area with blue paint. That was the month before last; now it’s much worse, and we’ve been promised a repair team will arrive on the 16th November.🏏 Indoor cricket
My grandson, whose cricket team won this season’s local league, now plays indoor cricket. I went to watch it. The bowler gets four strides before launching the ball, whilst the boundary and beyond is determined by what wall or ceiling the ball makes contact. Perplexing. Team and Match Format • Players: Each team has six players, and everyone must bat and bowl. • Innings: Each match consists of one innings per team. • Overs: An innings lasts a maximum of 12 overs, with six balls in each over. All overs are bowled from the same end. • Bowling Limits: No individual can bowl more than three overs per innings. Batting and Scoring • Batting Pairs: Batters often play in pairs or follow standard dismissal rules where losing a wicket deducts runs. • Running: Batters score physical runs by running between the wickets. • Wall and Net Scoring: Hitting the ball into specific zones or walls scores extra runs: • 1 Run: Hitting a side wall or the ceiling. • 4 Runs: The ball hits the floor first and then hits the back boundary wall. • 6 Runs: The ball hits the back boundary wall directly on the full (without hitting the floor first). Dismissals and Penalties • Outs: Batters can be dismissed by being bowled, caught, stumped, or run out. • Wicket Penalty: A standard penalty of losing runs (often 5 runs) is deducted from the team’s total for every wicket lost. • Extras: Wides and no-balls award extra runs to the batting side and usually count as extra deliveries.🦅 An astonishing sight
Walking around our estate, I heard a squeek. On a roof was a crow attacking a squeeking toy, every time it made a noise which only encouraged the bird to attack it more.✈️ Roundabout route
Recently my grandson went to Iceland. On his flight home the plane appeared to perform a dog leg. I wondered just what the pilot was trying to avoid.
📖 The Day of the Jackal it’s not
I’ve been given an opportunity to read an early proof of Frederick Forsyth’s last book, publishing on 5th November. The Odessa Assassin written in collaboration with Tony Kent has all the hallmarks of Forsyth’s fast paced style, along with his meticulous attention to detail. Unfortunately for me the story arc just didn’t work, still in a crowded genre it’s still in the top rank.📅 October’s posts and pages
Most read post – Ten things Londoners never do
Most read page – Taxi Tales
📈 Last month’s statistics
5,686 views (+27.8%)5,417 visitors (+26.2%)
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44 comments (+120.0%)
14 posts (+7.7%)
London in Quotations: George Grossmith
I thought it was possible for a city clerk to be a gentleman.
George Grossmith (1847-1912)
