ULEZ’s expansion won’t have a major impact on the London Underground, but it will on other modes of transport – notably the most common mode of public transport in Outer London – buses. Transport for London has stated that “one million extra kilometres” of buses will come to the rescue of anyone wishing to avoid the £12.50 a day charge. Last year London’s bus network travelled 473m km. So a 1m km increase is 0.21 per cent. The Mayor claiming this will mitigate ULEZ concerns for outer London given this limited scope is contemptuous.
Monthly Archives: April 2023
Johnson’s London Dictionary: Opera House
OPERA HOUSE (n.) Musick venue populated by women of negotiable affection much favour’d by His Majesty.
Dr. Johnson’s London Dictionary for publick consumption in the twenty-first century avail yourself on Twitter @JohnsonsLondon
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London in Quotations: John Galt
In a word, man in London is not quite so good a creature as he is out of it.
John Galt (1779-1839)
London Trivia: An anonymous pedestrian
On 16 April 1892 a letter to The Times was printed complaining about cyclists. Signed Pedestrian, London, W the writer wrote “Sir, . . . the growing number of cyclists is resulting in a Tyranny of the Road . . . and that his country walks were . . . regularly interrupted by hurtling wheelmen like a horde of Apache or Sioux Indians . . . woe betide the luckless man or aught else coming their way . . . can nothing be done?”
On 16 April 1969 Princess Anne saw the hippy musical Hair at the Shaftsbury Theatre surprising as it featured a nude sequence set to music
In the 17th and 18th centuries London thief-takers were rewarded £40+ the horse, arms and money of any highwayman they captured and were convicted
Meard Street is not named after the French word merde. It was the unfortunate name of its 1720s developer John Meard
On 16 April 1889 comedian Charlie Chaplin was born in Walworth, as his father was absent and his mother struggled financially, he was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine
London Bridge is Falling Down referred to Norwegian King Olaf who suggested destroying the wooden bridge while occupied by Danes
The nursery rhyme Pop Goes the Weasel refers to the act of pawning one’s suit after spending all one’s cash in the pubs of Clerkenwell
In 1840s a ‘Dances of the Dead’ were held in the Enon Chapel, St Clements Lane where 12,000 bodies lay rotting under the floor
In 2012 London became the first city to host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948
The inaugural journey of the first Central line train in 1900 had the Prince of Wales and the American author Mark Twain on board
In the 1800’s London prostitutes were sometimes euphemistically referred to as ‘Fulham virgins’ inspired by the proximiy of Cremorne Gardens a 19th century ‘pleasure garden’
During a City clean up in 1,340 prostitutes were arrested, among them was Clarice la Claterballock but no record as to how she got her name!
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.
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