PIE AND MASH (n.) Traditional East London delicacy topped by a green liquid described as liquor despite the absence of alcohol.
Dr. Johnson’s London Dictionary for publick consumption in the twenty-first century avail yourself on Twitter @JohnsonsLondon
This is thought to be the earliest surviving photograph of London. It was taken in 1839 by Monsieur de St. Croixin, a Frenchman who had set up his camera behind the statue of King Charles I. The featured image is from approximately the same position nearly 200 years later.
M. Croixin’s choice of location brings us to the vexing question of just where is London’s centre. It is a quandary that has perplexed geographers, cartographers and general town-planning nerds for generations. In the strictest geographical sense, it should be where lines intersect between the four furthermost locations which would, surprisingly, make the Shell Centre buildings on the Thames riverside just outside Waterloo Station London’s actual epicentre.
The official point, according to The Carriage Office, which is the arbitrary starting point for The Knowledge is the King Charles I Statue in Trafalgar Square, the very spot chosen by the photographer.
In 1649 John Rivett, a brazier, was ordered to destroy the King’s statue by Cromwell, but he buried it in his garden and made a fortune by selling souvenirs allegedly from the metal. He gave it back to Charles II upon the Restoration of the Monarchy, and presumably, he was rewarded for his loyalty.
The image shows the statue behind railings (presumably to protect it from Republicans), these have since been removed and the surrounding pavement turned into a mini-roundabout.
A ghostly form of a Hansom cab driver (the vehicles had only appeared on London’s streets some five years earlier) is seen on the right, waiting outside what is now the Trafalgar Theatre. Was this cabbie the first Londoner ever to be photographed?
I drive a motorbike, so there is the whiff of the grim reaper round every corner, especially in London.
Benedict Cumberbatch (b.1976)
On 20 August 1989 the pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being run down by the dredger Bowbelle in the Thames, a total of 51 people died in the collision. The Bowbelle’s skipper, Douglas Henderson, was acquitted after a trial in 1991. After a campaign lasting 10 years a public inquiry criticised Henderson for failing to set up a proper lookout. In 2002 the first River Thames lifeboat rescue service was started in response to one of the report’s recommendations.
On 20 August 1929 the BBC made the first transmissions of John Logie Baird’s experimental 30-line television system
Chancery Lane takes its name from the 14th century Court of Chancery administered by the Lord Chancellor’s personal staff, the Chancery
Charing Cross was a hamlet known as Charing derived from Anglo-Saxon word cerring meaning ‘bend’ its position by a large bend in the Thames
Canning Town once had no roads, pavements, drains, fresh water, houses built below high tide level behind embankments were damp and flooded
The London Silver Vaults opened 1876 survived a direct hit by a German bomb in World War II that completely obliterated the building above
Jeremy Sandford’s much acclaimed 1966 BBC play Cathy Come Home directed by Ken Loach was partly filmed on Popham Street, Islington
Kensington Olympia opened in 1886 as the National Agricultural Hall on the site of a vineyard and market gardens in Kensington High Street
Chesham the start for the Tube Challenge visiting all stations on the network in the fastest time first completed in 1959 latest 16 hours 29 minutes 57 seconds
The original Tube escalators ended with a diagonal so it finished sooner on the right leading to the etiquette of standing on the right
Cannon Street was known as Candelwrichstrete meaning ‘candle maker street’ after the many candlestick makers that had set up residence
Olympia proved popular with King Edward VII who requisitioned a private suite as a secret rendezvous for liaisons with his many mistresses
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.
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.
Our Political Masters have said to the electorate that savings of up to 40 per cent need to be made in the public sector, either Transport for London were lucky enough to have signed their lease before the axe fell, or just didn’t care when the politicians promised cuts before the election.
Take my little taxi world of the Public Carriage Office, now rebranded with the catchy title “Taxi and Private Hire Licensing”. The renaming of a perfectly understood title for the organisation that regulate taxis and private hire has been undertaken, no doubt at a not inconsiderable cost.
Furthermore, this public organisation have now moved its premises, from the building they have occupied for decades to one of the most prestigious recently constructed office premises in central London.
When charged with the task of regulating private hire the old premises were refurbished to accommodate the organisation’s new responsibilities, but clearly the old building didn’t match the aspirations of senior management so for their new headquarters Palestra has been chosen.
If you know Blackfriars Road you will know this new iconic building, looking top heavy with the upper floors overhanging the lower part of the building in an alarming way.
A simple bog standard office space wasn’t sufficient, for this scaled down department, for that is what it is as they now have withdrawn the counter services offered for cabbies renewing their licences.
But there, those upper floors at Palestra must make a great boardroom to discuss the PCO (oops sorry, Taxi and Private Hire Licensing) future direction, just don’t tell the new Conservative/LibDem Coalition how you are spending the public’s money.
CabbieBlog 