Our most precious things in life are our children, so why do the eco-warriors in London persist on transporting them on their bikes? Today, I saw one which had a plastic cradle attached to the handlebars with a 3-year-old perched on top.
Monthly Archives: December 2020
Adieu 2020
I‘ve had a mental block regarding blogging just lately. It’s nothing unusual, it happens lots of times to lots of bloggers. I’m scratching my head staring at a lone cursor blinking forlornly in the middle of a blank white screen, with my liver-spotted hands poised over the keys. So, I had a look around at the usual what to do when you can’t think what to do websites, looking for motivation, and unsurprisingly they all seem to have the same what to do suggestions.
So, I could bang on about Brexit, now only two days away, though it seems every man and his dog are now counting down.
Uber, given a reprieve, could be examined to see if they are now whiter-than-white. But the reality, with a quiet Christmas out of the way, was there even enough customers to put in a complaint?
I could give my predictions for next year, only to forever having comments uploaded about how wide-off the mark I’d been.
In the end, I’ve sat down and decided to write. What about, I haven’t a clue, but we’ll see what happens.
What On Earth Can I Say?
Having retired, writing is a feeling of catharsis. It costs nothing to put pen to paper and even the most obscure topic will be read by someone in the world who might even reply.
So . . . I have nothing to say, but here I am saying something, and hoping something might just might, turn up.
Coronavirus diary
It’s been an extraordinary year, with Covid-19, something the experts at Public Health England assured us would never reach our shores. Well, without the risk of saying “I told you so” when first reading of this virus in China I started a 1-line diary. Starting on 31st December 2019, every day I recorded how this malevolent form was impacting our lives. If you are minded to, you can read it next month under ‘Coronavirus Journal‘.
As this blog is about London I should mention that this New Year’s fireworks will not be claiming, as in the past: ‘London Is Open’, when clearly it isn’t.
Next year I should decide whether to surrender my ‘Bill’, that’s my licence if you’re not one of a dwindling band of London cabbies speaking the lingo. I haven’t driven for 2 years (could I even find my way from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square?), and to maintain the licence costs over £200 a year.
How many intend to return to the office, all bright and bushy-tailed, next year. Or will London become a ghost town with tumbleweed blowing through the City?
The West End has been decimated, many shows including Phantom of the Opera closed, so no more young Japanese taking selfies outside Her Majesty’s Theatre at 10.15 at the end of the show.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine looks promising, as does the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine but as the Americans say: “You do the Math”, protecting an entire country is going to take over a year, so where does that leave London’s leisure sector, and by extension, the Licensed Black Cabbie?
Happy New Year
There you have it. I had nothing to say and most of what I said amounted to nothing that hasn’t already been said. I’ll leave it at that. I just want to wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year and may 2021 be Covid-19 free. Thank you to everyone for your continued support during this year.
London in Quotations: Jimmy Kimmel
How can you ever be late for anything in London? They have a huge clock right in the middle of the town.
Jimmy Kimmel (b.1967), Jimmy Kimmel Live! 5th March, 2013
London Trivia: The first smog
On 27 December 1813 smog descended upon London, lasting until 3 January 1814, it was said to have spread as far as the North Downs. The worst area affected was the East End where the density of factories and homes burning coal was greater than anywhere else in the Capital. Here people claimed not to be able to see from one side of the street to the opposite pavement. It caused the Prince Regent to turn back from a trip to Hatfield.
On 27 December 1871 the world’s first cat show was held at Crystal Palace, a staggering 200,000 people attended
In 1841 the Metropolitan Police reported there were 9,409 prostitutes and 3,325 brothels known to the police across the 17 police districts
St Pancras station’s bricks are that famous red colour because they’re made from Nottinghamshire clay supplied by the Nottingham Patent Brick Co. Ltd.
St. James’s Palace and its park were formerly the site of a leper hospital for women dedicated to Saint James the Less, the palace was secondary in importance
Trafalgar Square was to have been called ‘King William the Fourth’s Square’ architect and landowner George Ledwell Taylor suggested its name
Charles I’s statute in Trafalgar Square stands on the site of the original Charing Cross marking where all distances from London start
Tradition has it that Pimlico is named after Ben Pimlico, a 17th Century Hoxton brewer who supplied London with a popular Nut Brown ale
Running between Old Street and City Road Bath Street recalls the location of London’s first purpose built outdoor facility the Peerless Pool
London has fewer bridges spanning its principal river than Paris but has 23 underwater tunnels more than any other city in the world
Arsenal were founded as Dial Square in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, but were renamed Royal Arsenal shortly afterwards
Bank is the only one-syllable station name and Knightsbridge is the only London street name with six consecutive consonants
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.
Christmas Quiz 2020
You have eaten your fill and now find yourself looking at CabbieBlog’s baker’s dozen of foodie questions. The correct answer will turn green when it’s clicked upon, and the incorrect answers will turn red giving the correct explanation.
1. The 2 I’s coffee bar on Old Compton Street is often called the birthplace of British rock ‘n’ roll, hosting early performances by Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele
Iranians
CORRECT Before two Australians involved in the world of wrestling acquired the lease of the cafe in the early 1950s, it was owned by three Iranian brothers and they called it the 3 I’s. Apparently one of them left and so it ended up as the 2 I’s.
Italians
WRONG Before two Australians involved in the world of wrestling acquired the lease of the cafe in the early 1950s, it was owned by three Iranian brothers and they called it the 3 I’s. Apparently one of them left and so it ended up as the 2 I’s.
Intellectials
WRONG Before two Australians involved in the world of wrestling acquired the lease of the cafe in the early 1950s, it was owned by three Iranian brothers and they called it the 3 I’s. Apparently one of them left and so it ended up as the 2 I’s.
2. What is the Pancake Greaze?
A pub in Soho
WRONG Every Shrove Tuesday since 1753 the pupils of Westminster School have been allowed a minute of licensed mayhem during which they fight to get hold of pieces of a ‘pancake’ thrown over the bar that once separated two parts of the school. The ‘pancake’ is actually made largely of horsehair.
A game played every Shrove Tuesday in Westminster School
CORRECT Every Shrove Tuesday since 1753 the pupils of Westminster School have been allowed a minute of licensed mayhem during which they fight to get hold of pieces of a ‘pancake’ thrown over the bar that once separated two parts of the school. The ‘pancake’ is actually made largely of horsehair.
A type of theatrical makeup used at the Old Vic Theatre
WRONG Every Shrove Tuesday since 1753 the pupils of Westminster School have been allowed a minute of licensed mayhem during which they fight to get hold of pieces of a ‘pancake’ thrown over the bar that once separated two parts of the school. The ‘pancake’ is actually made largely of horsehair.
3. What is Baddeley Cake?
A cake eaten every Twelfth Night in the green room of Drury Lane Theatre
CORRECT Robert Baddeley was an 18th-century actor. When he died in November 1794, he left property to found a home for ‘decayed’ actors and also £3 per annum to provide wine and a specially baked cake in the green room of Drury Lane Theatre every Twelfth Night. The ceremony of cutting (and eating) the Baddeley Cake has remained a regular tradition.
A cake baked every Easter Sunday in memory of an 18th-century Lord Mayor
WRONG Robert Baddeley was an 18th-century actor. When he died in November 1794, he left property to found a home for ‘decayed’ actors and also £3 per annum to provide wine and a specially baked cake in the green room of Drury Lane Theatre every Twelfth Night. The ceremony of cutting (and eating) the Baddeley Cake has remained a regular tradition.
A cake eaten every Midsummer Day at a feast given by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
WRONG Robert Baddeley was an 18th-century actor. When he died in November 1794, he left property to found a home for ‘decayed’ actors and also £3 per annum to provide wine and a specially baked cake in the green room of Drury Lane Theatre every Twelfth Night. The ceremony of cutting (and eating) the Baddeley Cake has remained a regular tradition.
4. Kasper the Cat joins diners at certain times. Where can this wooden feline be found?
The Savoy Hotel
CORRECT Superstition at The Savoy Hotel has it that 13 diners is unlucky. If your companions make up that unlucky number a 1920s three-foot-high black wooden cat is introduced to a 14th chair, a napkin is placed around his neck and he is served with each course by a diligent waiter.
The Guildhall
WRONG Superstition at The Savoy Hotel has it that 13 diners is unlucky. If your companions make up that unlucky number a 1920s three-foot-high black wooden cat is introduced to a 14th chair, a napkin is placed around his neck and he is served with each course by a diligent waiter.
The Tower of London
WRONG Superstition at The Savoy Hotel has it that 13 diners is unlucky. If your companions make up that unlucky number a 1920s three-foot-high black wooden cat is introduced to a 14th chair, a napkin is placed around his neck and he is served with each course by a diligent waiter.
5. Where on the last day of 1853 was a dinner party held at an unique location?
Inside a model dinosaur
CORRECT On 31 December 1853 celebrating the installation of life-sized dinosaur models at Sydenham Park. A 20 strong dinner party was held inside the stomach of the partly completed a concrete iguanodon made by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins of the Crystal Palace Company. The model was surrounded by a tent decorated with a chandelier and four plaques honouring famous palaeontologists. Guests were served by waiters, what was on the menu is unknown.
Inside the world’s first aquarium at the London Zoo
WRONG On 31 December 1853 celebrating the installation of life-sized dinosaur models at Sydenham Park. A 20 strong dinner party was held inside the stomach of the partly completed a concrete iguanodon made by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins of the Crystal Palace Company. The model was surrounded by a tent decorated with a chandelier and four plaques honouring famous palaeontologists. Guests were served by waiters, what was on the menu is unknown.
Inside a basket beneath a balloon celebrating Jules Verne’s recently published novel about being stranded aboard a hydrogen balloon
WRONG On 31 December 1853 celebrating the installation of life-sized dinosaur models at Sydenham Park. A 20 strong dinner party was held inside the stomach of the partly completed a concrete iguanodon made by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins of the Crystal Palace Company. The model was surrounded by a tent decorated with a chandelier and four plaques honouring famous palaeontologists. Guests were served by waiters, what was on the menu is unknown.
6. What makes the George in Borough High Street, Southwark, a particularly noteworthy pub?
It is the pub in which Chaucer’s pilgrims gathered in The Canterbury Tales
WRONG There has been an inn on the site since medieval times, although the present buildings date only from the 17th century. There were once galleries on three sides of the courtyard but two were demolished when the railways came to the area.
It is the only surviving galleried inn in London
CORRECT There has been an inn on the site since medieval times, although the present buildings date only from the 17th century. There were once galleries on three sides of the courtyard but two were demolished when the railways came to the area.
It is the London pub with its own brewery on the premises
WRONG There has been an inn on the site since medieval times, although the present buildings date only from the 17th century. There were once galleries on three sides of the courtyard but two were demolished when the railways came to the area.
7. Bar Italia coffee shop in Soho is popular with local and tourists alike, but what invention was first demonstrated in a room above?
The world’s first espresso machine
WRONG In 1924 John Logie Baird rented an attic room at 22 Frith Street using it as a workshop, it was there on 26th January 1926 members of the Royal Institution made up the first television audience.
A vacuum cleaner which blew instead of sucked
WRONG In 1924 John Logie Baird rented an attic room at 22 Frith Street using it as a workshop, it was there on 26th January 1926 members of the Royal Institution made up the first television audience.
The television
CORRECT In 1924 John Logie Baird rented an attic room at 22 Frith Street using it as a workshop, it was there on 26th January 1926 members of the Royal Institution made up the first television audience.
8. When did Bloom’s famed kosher restaurant on Whitechapel High Street close its doors?
1976
WRONG Morris Bloom opened his first kosher restaurant on Brick Lane in 1920. The restaurant moved to Whitechapel High Street in 1952 and was a magnet for City traders, stallholders and celebrities. Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and Princess Margaret were among those who stopped by to enjoy its chopped liver, lokshen soup and cholent. Bloom’s may have left the East End, but a second restaurant opened in Golders Green in 1965 and, in 2007 a further branch in Edgware, to keep the tradition alive.
1986
WRONG Morris Bloom opened his first kosher restaurant on Brick Lane in 1920. The restaurant moved to Whitechapel High Street in 1952 and was a magnet for City traders, stallholders and celebrities. Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and Princess Margaret were among those who stopped by to enjoy its chopped liver, lokshen soup and cholent. Bloom’s may have left the East End, but a second restaurant opened in Golders Green in 1965 and, in 2007 a further branch in Edgware, to keep the tradition alive.
1996
CORRECT Morris Bloom opened his first kosher restaurant on Brick Lane in 1920. The restaurant moved to Whitechapel High Street in 1952 and was a magnet for City traders, stallholders and celebrities. Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and Princess Margaret were among those who stopped by to enjoy its chopped liver, lokshen soup and cholent. Bloom’s may have left the East End, but a second restaurant opened in Golders Green in 1965 and, in 2007 a further branch in Edgware, to keep the tradition alive.
9. Which famous London building stands on the site where the French chef Alexis Soyer opened a restaurant complex called the ‘Gastronomic Symposium of All Nations’ in 1851?
Royal Albert Hall
CORRECT Soyer bought Gore House, a mansion which stood where the Royal Albert Hall now stands, attempting to improve Londoner’s culinary habits. Extravagantly furnished, the venture was a disaster, losing Soyer £7,000 in five months.
Victoria & Albert Museum
WRONG Soyer bought Gore House, a mansion which stood where the Royal Albert Hall now stands, attempting to improve Londoner’s culinary habits. Extravagantly furnished, the venture was a disaster, losing Soyer £7,000 in five months.
Natural History Museum
WRONG Soyer bought Gore House, a mansion which stood where the Royal Albert Hall now stands, attempting to improve Londoner’s culinary habits. Extravagantly furnished, the venture was a disaster, losing Soyer £7,000 in five months.
10. What cocktail takes its name from a Billingsgate shellfish dealer who opened an oyster bar in Poultry in 1823?
Harvey Wallbanger
WRONG The typical summer drink of the English upper middle classes was created by a man named James Pimm. Pimm originally thought that his concoction would be used as a digestive tonic but his customers doon decided that it was best drunk as a cocktail.
Pimm’s No. 1
CORRECT The typical summer drink of the English upper middle classes was created by a man named James Pimm. Pimm originally thought that his concoction would be used as a digestive tonic but his customers doon decided that it was best drunk as a cocktail.
Tom Collins
WRONG The typical summer drink of the English upper middle classes was created by a man named James Pimm. Pimm originally thought that his concoction would be used as a digestive tonic but his customers doon decided that it was best drunk as a cocktail.
11. Why does the Ministry of Defence have an enormous wine cellar?
Safe storage for Customs & Excise impounded wine
WRONG The cellars of Whitehall Palace, most of which was destroyed by fire at the end of the 17th century are situated beneath the MoD.
Henry VIII’s personal cellar
CORRECT The cellars of Whitehall Palace, most of which was destroyed by fire at the end of the 17th century are situated beneath the MoD.
To supply guests at the MoD
WRONG The cellars of Whitehall Palace, most of which was destroyed by fire at the end of the 17th century are situated beneath the MoD.
12. In what unusual location did 14 men gather to dine on 23 October 1843?
Inside a model dinosaur at Sydenham Hill
WRONG Fourteen of the stonemasons who had worked on the construction of the column ate a meal on the platform at its top just before the statue of the admiral was placed upon it. The large model of a dinosaur was the setting for a dinner 11 years earlier. The reconstruction of an iguanodon, together with others, can still be seen today. Marc Brunel’s tunnel under the Thames was used for a banquet or 150 people in 1827.
Under the Thames in a tunnel dug by Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s father
WRONG Fourteen of the stonemasons who had worked on the construction of the column ate a meal on the platform at its top just before the statue of the admiral was placed upon it. The large model of a dinosaur was the setting for a dinner 11 years earlier. The reconstruction of an iguanodon, together with others, can still be seen today. Marc Brunel’s tunnel under the Thames was used for a banquet or 150 people in 1827.
On top of Nelson’s Column
CORRECT Fourteen of the stonemasons who had worked on the construction of the column ate a meal on the platform at its top just before the statue of the admiral was placed upon it. The large model of a dinosaur was the setting for a dinner 11 years earlier. The reconstruction of an iguanodon, together with others, can still be seen today. Marc Brunel’s tunnel under the Thames was used for a banquet or 150 people in 1827.
13. Jeanette Winterson whose memoir is titled Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, owns an organic food store in a once-neglected Georgian building in Spitalfields. What is it called?
Verde’s
CORRECT Verde’s is at 40 Brushfield Street, Spitalfields Market. As Winterson told Good Housekeeping magazine “The ground floor had first opened as a shop in 1805. My building had been a fruit importer, and the place was pasted with ancient posters urging me to ‘Eat More Oranges’.
Sexing the Cherry
WRONG Verde’s is at 40 Brushfield Street, Spitalfields Market. As Winterson told Good Housekeeping magazine “The ground floor had first opened as a shop in 1805. My building had been a fruit importer, and the place was pasted with ancient posters urging me to ‘Eat More Oranges’.
Oranges Are Not The Only Organic Fruit
WRONG Verde’s is at 40 Brushfield Street, Spitalfields Market. As Winterson told Good Housekeeping magazine “The ground floor had first opened as a shop in 1805. My building had been a fruit importer, and the place was pasted with ancient posters urging me to ‘Eat More Oranges’.
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