The St Lawrence is water, the Mississippi is muddy water, but the Thames is liquid history.
John Elliot Burns (1858-1943)
All posts by Gibson Square
London Trivia: London riot
On 6 October 1985, after police raided the home of 49-year-old resident Cynthia Jarrett in a futile search for stolen property, causing her such a shock that she died from a heart attack, Broadwater Farm Estate erupted into riots, spreading out across London. In total, 230 police officers were injured and one, PC Keith Blakelock, was killed – stabbed 44 times in a frenzied mob attack. His memorial is located on his regular beat in Muswell Hill.
On 6 October 2007 Jason Lewis completed his ‘self-powered’ 13-year circumnavigation of the earth at Greenwich using bikes, kayaks and roller blades
For years inmates on hard labour at Brixton were required to wash their own laundry and that of Pentonville, Millbank and Wandsworth’s lags
On 6 October 1834 The old Palace of Westminster burned down, caused by the burning of small wooden tally sticks which had been used as part of the accounting procedures of the Exchequer until 1826
Lord Horatio Nelson is buried directly under the centre of the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, occupying the best spot as he was the first person of national importance to be buried at the cathedral
The equestrian statue of Charles I in Trafalgar Square has the King facing his place of execution outside Banqueting House in Whitehall
Marylebone Station is the one the Beatles are chased into by fans at the beginning of the film A Hard Day’s Night
Dr Johnson, on a drunken overnight wander with friends, offered to help the Covent Garden stallholders set up, curiously the offer was declined
Opened in 1862 Islington’s Business Design Centre was London’s first multi-purpose indoor arena, an early event was a 6-day walking race
The London Cab Trade is the oldest regulated land passenger service in Britain licensed in 1654 – 150 years before the horse-drawn bus
London’s oldest shop could be the Old Curiosity Shop, Portsmouth Street although it is not thought to be the one featured in Dicken’s novel
When Chad Varah started Samaritans at St Stephens Walbrook he used the church’s huge crypt which had remained undiscovered for centuries
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: Ruling the airways
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.
Ruling the airways (19.08.11)
Research recently published has concluded that our attention span nowadays could be limited to Just A Minute before our minds are distracted; so to make my point Today this post is limited to take about 60 seconds to read.
In this Material World of gizmos and gadgets; Facebook, Twitter and blogs Any Questions on any subject or an opinion expressed are expected to be answered within our short memory span.
Television is as much to blame as social media; why after the interminable adverts do they feel the need to reiterate what we have just watched? After all, you have just been sitting in a Front Row seat in your living room with no distractions from the images appearing on your plasma screen.
In a previous age information was passed on by Word of Mouth a farmer as depicted daily on The Archers would take time to explain to future generations the wealth of his knowledge; a fisherman before leaving harbour would know The Shipping Forecast by taking time to observe the cloud formations; and In Business training for between 6 to 10 years was the norm to ensure a skilled workforce.
Now we have the unremitting tendency to patronise, putting everything into bite-sized chunks of Quote-Unquote.
The World At One can tune into Dave (as if he was the oracle of all knowledge) and watch the same programme that was transmitted three hours earlier; am or PM it’s the same reality television or makeover programme even the same adverts just in case you have forgotten their important message.
Thinking Allowed is not now practised for it would seem that mothers who previously might devote a Woman’s Hour with their daughter by passing on her wisdom and experience, imparting advice via a text message seem the order of the day.
Well, last week we received (in bite-sized chunks) the heartening news that intelligent audiences are turning increasingly to the radio for their information and entertainment with listening figures for many Radio 4 programmes at an all-time high. This is encouraging for when on 30th September 1929 John Logie Baird broadcast Britain’s first television programme from a building in Long Acre his invention was predicted to kill wireless broadcasting stone dead. In Our Time the brainchild of Tim Berners-Lee ultimately was forecast by wiz-kids to change our listening habits, well they thankfully have been proved wrong.
The intelligent medium of radio, which leaves so much more to our imagination – even if your humble scribe feels like telling Melvin Bragg “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue” to his discussion on the Hundred Years War – has given the programme-makers 30 minutes to try to explain the subject.
On Radio 4 you’ll find no chopping and changing between segments of two-and-a-half seconds each; no adverts (hardly necessary with a £3 billion-a-year dowry); and no regurgitation of the same footage shown 10 minutes previously.
At least for the time being on FM it is still possible to listen to someone speak uninterrupted – without hesitation, deviation or repetition – for an entire minute. About the same time, it’s taken you to read this post.
London in Quotations: Ray Davies
Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, rolling into the night / People so busy, make me feel dizzy, taxi light shines so bright / But I don’t, need no friends / As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset, I am in paradise.
Ray Davies (b.1944), Waterloo Sunset
London Trivia: Church of Casanova
On 29 September 1792 the first church in England since the reformation dedicated to St. Patrick was consecrated in Soho Square, its successor was completed in 1893. It stands on the site of Carlisle House which became a venue for dazzling soirees, recitals and concerts. Once the home of a Venetian courtesan Mrs Cornelys, an opera singer, serial bankrupt and socialite, she had a child fathered by Cassanova.
on 29 September 1829 this Tuesday the first Metropolitan policeman went out in the streets of London from the unfinished Scotland Yard
‘The bells of Old Bailey’ in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons are the bells of St. Sepulchre rung to mark an execution in Newgate Prison
The three Barbican towers were Europe’s tallest residential buildings when built – the drains zig-zag down so nothing hits the bottom too hard
St. Martin-in-the-Fields is the parish church of Buckingham Palace and any baby born at the Palace is entered into its church register
Ravens are kept at The Tower of London for ancient legend predicts that if they should depart the Monarchy will fall
The Beatles filmed the video for Penny Lane in Angel Lane Stratford (very near Olympic site) they didn’t have the time to go up to Liverpool
Mon Plaisir Restaurant, Monmouth Street claims to be London’s oldest French restaurant having been established in the 1940s
In 1702 while riding at Hampton Court William III was thrown when his horse stumbled on a molehill and died as an equestrian statue depicts
There are no Roads in the City of London only Streets, Lanes, Alleys to be named road highway had to be wide enough to allow two carts to pass
City Livery Companies have their halls in the City except The Gunmakers their use of gunpowder it was deemed prudent to locate at a distance
By the early 12th century the population of London was about 18,000 (compare this to the 45,000 estimated at the height of Roman Britain)
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.
CabbieBlog 