Johnson’s London Dictionary: Electric Cab
ELECTRIC CAB (n.) A sedan, whose owner hath payed a King’s ransom, thus insuring he doth work on the Sabbath, and in so doing, saving polar bears from extinction
Dr. Johnson’s London Dictionary for publick consumption in the twenty-first century avail yourself on Twitter @JohnsonsLondon
Protected: London’s first cuppa
London in Quotations: Samuel Johnson
Sir, if you wish to have a just notion of the magnitude of this city, you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey the innumerable little lanes and courts. It is not in the showy evolutions of buildings, but in the multiplicity of human habitations which are crowded together, that the wonderful immensity of London consists.
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), The Life of Samuel Johnson
London Trivia: Where is Lucan?
On 7 November 1974 nanny Sandra Rivett was murdered in Lower Belgrave Street and her boss, Lord Lucan vanished. In his absence, the inquest into Rivett’s death named him as her murderer, the last occasion in Britain a coroner’s court did so.
On 7 November 1665 the London Gazette was first published as the Oxford Gazette, renamed on 5 February 1666 when Charles II returned
Reggie Kray and Frances Shea’s photographer at their wedding at St James the Great, Bethnal Green Road in April 1965 was David Bailey
Dr Samuel Johnson once owned 17 properties in London, only one of which survives – Dr Johnson’s Memorial House in Gough Square
18th century Hampstead was a spa resort where people came to take the waters which reputedly had health giving properties
The House of Commons’ press gallery bar is named Moncrieff’s in honour of respected political journalist, Chris Moncrieff – a teetotaller
Actor, dancer, comedian and clown Joseph Grimaldi lived at 56 Exmouth Market, Islington from 1818 to 1828, there is now a park off Pentonville Road named after him
Coram’s Fields park and playground in Bloomsbury is unique in that adults are only allowed to enter if accompanied by a child
The sport of golf, which originated in Scotland, was first played in England on Blackheath in 1608. The Royal Blackheath Golf Club was one of the first golf associations established (1766) outside Scotland
London’s heavily congested streets mean that a taxi’s average speed of 17mph is slower than that attained by Hansom cabs over 100 years ago
The ‘porter’ style of beer was officially invented at the Bell Brewhouse in Shoreditch by Ralph Hardwood in 1722
Marc Isambard Brunel came up with his idea on how to dig the Thames’ Tunnel whilst in debtors’ prison watching a shipworm bore through 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.
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