On 25 August 1870 Richard Seymour-Conway the 4th Marquees of Hertford, died in Paris, Richard Wallace his illegitimate son, learned that the nobleman was his father and inherited a priceless collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture and decorative objects. After his death, the collection was donated to the nation by his widow, it is now located in what was his London home, Hertford House, Manchester Square.

On 25 August 1840 a conductor on an Chelsea omnibus found a pocket book containing £150, owned by Mr Kempis on New Road. He received £60 for his honesty

In Farringdon Street is the site of the Fleet Prison where fallen clergymen conducted clandestine weddings until the 18th century

The Tudor frontage of St. Bartholemew The Great Church which had been covered was revealed after a Zeppelin raid on the City

In the late 1880s, the life expectancy of an East End labourer was less than 19 years, his average wage was 25/- a week it would just cover his rent, and a very sparse diet for him and his family

The 0 on 10 Downing Street’s front door is at an angle, in tribute to original door, whose 0 slipped due to poor fixing

In the film Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy MI5 headquarters was, in fact, the Victoria and Albert Museum store in Olympia

Petticoat Lane home to London’s Sunday market doesn’t exist renamed Middlesex Street in 1830 the market still retains its original name

A site where starved bears were chained to a post and set upon by dogs as spectators bet on the outcome is marked by Bear Gardens Southwark

Half of London’s Tube stations have no light switches, meaning their lights can never be turned off. Transport for London (TfL) has no idea how much that is costing

Edwards of Camberwell has a Royal Warrant to supply the Queen with err . . . mopeds, it is not known if Her Majesty has need of that form of transport

Knightsbridge is the only Underground station with six consecutive consonants in its name, Aldwych has six but closed in 1994

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.

On 18 August 1668 Samuel Pepys wrote: “ . . . turned into St. Dunstan’s Church . . . stood by a pretty, modest maid, whom I did labour to take by the hand and the body; but she would not, but got further and further from me; and, at last, I could perceive her to take pins out of her pocket to prick me if I should touch her again – which seeing I did forbear, and was glad I did spy her design. And then I fell to gaze upon another pretty maid . . .

On 18 August 1274 arriving in London, a full two years since his accession, King Edward I received an enthusiastic welcome

On formal occasions judges attending at the Old Bailey carry nosegays of aromatic herbs their scent were once thought to ward off typhus

Under Clapham Common are three wartime shelters which were a temporary home for Jamaicans arriving via the Windrush in 1948

Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots never met but are entombed within yards of each other (one without her head on her shoulders)

In 1940 from Room 36 at Brown’s Hotel the Dutch government in exile declared war on Japan as it wasn’t broadcast Japan was hardly terrified

Bob Dylan’s cue card video for Sub.Home.Blues – you’d think it was New York City, right? But actually shot at the back of the Savoy in London

The American Bar at the Savoy – where the barman used to be called Joe – hence “set ’em up Joe” in Sinatra’s One For My Baby

The German Gymnasium by St. Pancras station was built in 1864 by the German Gymnasium Society for use of visiting German businessmen

The woman recording the Tube announcements was asked for different pronunciations of Marylebone – including (no word of a lie) “Mary-Lob-On”

18th-century artist Hogarth was an Inspector of Wet Nurses in Chiswick near his home which is open to the public

The only Celtic name in London not a river is Penge from penn ced ‘the woods end’, originally a woodland swine pasture by Battersea manor

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.