On 18 January 1486 Henry VII, the first Tudor King, married Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of Edward IV whose two brothers, the ‘Princes in the Tower’ had disappeared, their fate unknown. Henry and Elizabeth’s union was formalised at Westminster Abbey, the Tudor Rose a combination of the White Rose of York and Red Rose of Lancaster, became a symbol of their union. Their son was to become Henry VIII.

On 18 January 1936 Rudyard Kipling died in London aged 70. He was at the time the most popular and highest paid writer in the world

Following the Great Fire of London in 1666 French Silversmith, Robert Hulbert, confessed to starting the fire on the Pope’s orders

There are two strange statues on Portman Mansions-a monkey with a long tail and a hunchback-that weren’t on the plans appearing summer 1935

Ben Johnson who died in 1637 was buried standing up in Poets Corner at his own request, “2 feet by 2 feet is all I want”

Prior to his execution at Wandsworth Prison Nazi sympathiser William Joyce (Lord Haw Haw) scratched swastikas on his cell wall

1970’s ITV sitcom On The Buses starring Reg Varney was partly filmed at Wood Green bus depot as well as Lavender Hill cemetery

The Japanese Garden in Hammersmith Park is the only remnant of the Japanese British exhibition held at White City in 1910

The longest Rugby drop goal (85yd) was kicked by Gerry Brand for South Africa against England at Twickenham in January 1932

The first person to receive a parking ticket in London was parked on Great Cumberland Place – was a doctor attending a heart attack victim

Cock Lane near St Bart’s Hospital was the only place licensed prostitutes could legally ply their trade in medieval London

The Buckingham Palace corgis have a new menu every day, their culinary delight for the day is typed out and stuck on the kitchen wall

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.