Monthly Archives: September 2022
London in Quotations: Her Majesty The Queen
We cheered the King and the Queen on the balcony and then walked miles through the streets. I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief. I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life.
Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), Speaking to the BBC about joining street celebrations for VE Day in London in May 1945
London Trivia: Jimi Hendrix dies
On 18 September 1970 rock legend Jimi Hendrix, aged 27, died after collapsing at a party, a number of sleeping pills were found. At the inquest, finding no evidence of suicide, and lacking sufficient evidence of the circumstances, recorded an open verdict.
On 18 September 1709 Samuel Johnson was born, his dictionary: Oats a grain in England is given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people
Newgate Prison was renovated with funding provided by London’s famous mayor, Dick Whittington, with a bequest in his will of 1422, the gate and gaol were pulled down and rebuilt
Under Cleopatra’s Needle a time capsule contains cigars, a razor, Queen Victoria’s portrait, newspapers and pictures of 12 English beauties
During the plague a sage said breathing on a chicken for self-diagnosis: if you’re infected the chicken becomes ‘roupy’ and lay rotten eggs
At a Twickenham public park 8 naked ladies disport on fountain rockery so startlingly white during World War II their bums were sprayed grey for the blackout
When Animal Farm was published in 1945 George Orwell was living at 27b Canonbury Square he moved there in the autumn of 1944 after their flat in Kilburn was hit by a V-1 flying bomb
Tea made its first appearance in London in September 1658, when the new beverage was advertised in a pamphlet by Thomas Garraway, a coffeehouse owner
Griffin Park Brentford FC’s home since 1904 is renowned for being the only English league ground to have a pub on each corner, and the ground is named after one of these
Blackfriars is London’s only station to have entrances on both sides of the Thames, it is world’s largest solar-powered bridge having been covered with 4,400 photovoltaic panels
19th Century ‘pure finders’ wandered London collecting dog faeces required by the many South Bank tanners to purify the leather
Street names that sadly no longer exist include Shiteburn Lane, Pissing Alley, and more than one Gropecunt Lane
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: Nailing my colours to the mast
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.
Nailing my colours to the mast (25.08.09)
When American tourists get into my cab they will ask me questions about the Royal Family, never do they want to know about Gordon Brown or Tony Blair for that matter.
But once again the cost of keeping our Royal is up for debate. Unable to criticise the Queen whose frugality is legendary, these Republicans (including the BBC) seize on the petty extravagance of minor members of the Royal Family, whose only job is to provide us with much entertainment.
At 69p per person in this country, the cost of having our Royal Family is minuscule compared to the extravagance of politicians; their international travel to “summits”, chauffeured cars, and don’t get me on the expenses scandal, which has laid bare the greed at the heart of The Palace of Westminster.
When will we in this country learn to stop spitting on our good luck and to keep the precious possessions our wiser parents fought for and handed to us on a plate?
The question that should be asked is not what do the Royal Family get, but what powers do they stop others from receiving.
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