London is the epitome of our times, and Rome of to-day.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Monthly Archives: July 2025
London Trivia: Press conference without words
On 27 July 1990 Marcel Marceau, the mime artist, proved he was a monologue artist of the first order at a press conference at the Savoy, he spoke for twenty-five minutes then answered twenty-five minutes of questions possibly his last one-man show in London.
On 27 July 2012, the Queen appeared to parachute into the Olympic Stadium in London before declaring the London 2012 Olympic Games open
London’s oldest tree a 2,000 year old yew in St Andrew’s Totteridge churchyard was used as the venue for an early type of magistrate’s court
Covent Garden takes its name from when the area was walled off as a garden for Westminster Abbey and the convent on the site
London’s first pedestrian refuge island was financed by a Colonel Pierpoint stepping back to admire his creation he was knocked down by a cab
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s sermon at Edward VII’s wedding was so boring the orchestra started playing to drown him out
The Duke of Wellington has the unique honour of having two equestrian statutes of him erected in central London
Britain’s first bagel bakery opened in 1855 – it still is open every day of the year 24 hours a day in Brick Lane
Montague Burton set up a chain of shops selling 30/- suits, upper floors were builliard halls for use by customers as they waited for their clothes to be altered
The total number of stations served on the network is 270. Parking your car? The largest car park is at Epping having 599 parking spots
Twining Teas opened 1707 on the Strand selling tea to Queen Anne, it’s the oldest business in Britain operating from their original premises
The former Abbey National Building Society (now Santander) was founded in a Baptist chapel in Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood
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 Nation of shopkeepers
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 Nation of shopkeepers (17.07.12)
My daughter came home the other day enraged, her favourite Indian restaurant in our high street had closed.
It was being replaced; she informed me, with a note of incredulity in her voice with yet another fast food outlet.
The offending newcomer this time was one selling pizzas with a name sounding like an Italian version of a game played with black tablets with white spots.
Just how many fast food outlets does one small suburb need?
Well, the answer was somewhat surprising as I spent 15 minutes making a survey of our high street.
Once the street provided all the usual outlets for sustenance and comfort: butcher, baker, greengrocer, fishmonger and my hardware haven.
Our local authority in an attempt to give us a balanced retail experience has given us: 13 fast food outlets; 7 hairdressers; 4 nail bars/sun tanning studios; 3 charity shops and 3 estate agents.
Napoleon Bonaparte once famously described the English as ‘A Nation of shopkeepers’, this at a time when the rich would eat at home the food prepared by their staff. While the poor, because they had no choice would eat at the local pie shop.
Danny Boyle’s plans for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics are said to be reflecting the customs and values that made Britain. Well, this should include having unique local shops each with its own identity where your daily needs may be purchased.
Within a few years not only will every high street peddle the same products, only those retailing fast eating or your coiffeur will be available.
The Green Hut Run Club
On Wednesday, September 24th, 2025, 10 London taxi drivers will run 16 miles across the capital, visiting all 13 of the city’s historic green taxi shelters in one go.
They’re calling themselves, predictably, the Green Hut Run Club, and yes, expect cab bags, flat caps, and plenty of tea stops along the way.
Setting off from Warwick Avenue at 8:00 am, they’re aiming to reach St John’s Wood — home to the original shelter and its newly appointed shelter keeper — by late morning.
These iconic green huts aren’t just quirky street furniture — they’re part of London’s living history. All 13 are Grade II listed, and each one provides vital rest, warmth, and community for working cabbies. But maintaining them is no easy task. Repairs are costly; as they’re listed buildings, even simple works can become expensive conservation projects.
One example is the shelter at Cromwell Gardens, also known as the ‘Bell and Horns’. A few years ago, it was hit by a car, suffering significant damage. It had to be moved onto the pavement for safety, where it was painstakingly repaired — but despite all that effort, it still hasn’t been able to reopen. Without proper funding, more shelters could face the same fate.
That’s why they’re fundraising to support the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund, the small but vital charity that oversees the preservation and upkeep of the shelters.
An ambitious fundraising target of £10,000 has been set, all of which will go directly towards keeping these unique parts of London life in good shape for future generations.
They’ll be taking photos at each stop, sharing the journey online, to raise public awareness about these little green gems, helping to keep the shelters standing.
If you love London, history, or just a good old-fashioned cabbie story, please consider donating to the JustGiving page. Every pound helps preserve something truly special.
As a postscript in a blatant piece of self-promotion, my novels featuring the Shelter Sleuths Investigators are based around the finishing line at the St. John’s Wood Shelter.
London in Quotations: Percy Bysshe Shelley
You are now / In London, that great sea, whose ebb and flow / At once is deaf and loud, and on the shore / Vomits its wrecks, and still howls on for more / Yet in its depth what treasures!
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), letter to Maria Gisborne, 1820
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