The essential London scenes is a row of low identical houses set around a square.
Anna Quindlen (b.1953), Imagined London: A Tour of the World’s Greatest Fictional City
London Trivia: Gold standard
On 26 November 1983 Britain’s most successful robbery took place at Heathrow. £26 million sterling in gold, diamonds and cash was stolen from the Brink’s Matt security warehouse. The investigation lasted nearly 10 years and a large percentage of the gold bars were never recovered and few convicted. Several murders have been linked to the case, plus links established to the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary over 30 years later in April 2015.
On 26 November 1964 The Stones described in court as not a long-haired idiots but highly intelligent university men Mick was still fined £10
In 1736 gravedigger Thomas Jenkins received 100 lashes for selling dead bodies from St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney High Street
Underneath the MI6 building is the overflow pipe for the River Effra, it’s just big enough to launch a mini-submarine from the orifice
Nell Gywnn, orange seller and mistress to Charles II was born in the Coal Yard, now Stukeley Street off Drury Lane in 1650
After his victory over England Hitler had a plan to dismantle Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and display it in Berlin
Only one house where Charles Dickens lived still stands 48 Doughty Street from 1837 to 1839 here he wrote Oliver Twist and The Pickwick Papers
The upper span of Tower Bridge was originally a walkway but it was closed in 1910 as it had become a haunt of prostitutes
One of the Scotland fans who invaded the pitch at Wembley in 1977 was Rod Stewart. In the commotion someone nicked his Cartier watch
In 1910 the London and North Western Railway offered its business passengers the on-board services of Miss Tarrant. (Typist)
In 2013 one ton of dust was removed from the attics at Kensington Palace, the first time since 1719 they had been cleaned
In the 1950s three members of the Attkins family were Highgate’s fishmonger, butcher and dentist – known as Fishkins, Porkins and Toothkins
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: Demographic analysis
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.
Demographic analysis (15.10.2010)
This month London’s first French language terrestrial radio station starts broadcasting to the capital’s 400,000 native French speakers as a reminder of their own culture, but why are so many French institutions based around South Kensington?
It’s a subject that has perplexed me for years, if not decades and here I feel I might need some help.
London is often said to be a conglomeration of villages each with its own identity, but also within our City – as with its villages – are islands of immigrant settlements each with their own economic, social and cultural identities.
But here’s the question I would like answered: What attracts ethnic, religious or cultural groups to live in particular areas?
For instance why have the Chinese moved into Chinatown; why are a few streets at the north of Stamford Hill the home to Europe’s largest Hasidic and Adeni Jewish communities. The Greeks frequent Green Lanes and why would you find Little Lebanon, with its large Arabic population along the southern stretch of Edgware Road.
When I first started working in London my company was located in Clerkenwell known then as Little Italy, there was to be found an Italian delicatessen, restaurants serving pasta and pizza, an Italian church, it even had (and still does) an Italian driving school, presumably to teach you Italian driving skills.
Earls Court is known as Kangaroo Court due to the large number of antipodeans students in digs there.
The Irish once populated Kilburn while the Whitechapel Road supports an almost exclusive population of Muslims.
For while I can understand later arrivals setting up home near people of their own ethnic mix for language, security or cultural reasons but what makes the first settlers adopt a particular area?
For the large Afro-Caribbean community in Brixton David Long in his book The London Underground suggests:
During the war a series of deep level air raid shelters were built designed in such a fashion they could eventually be linked up to form a super underground railway, but lack of money after the war meant this scheme was abandoned. So in 1948 the Clapham Common Deep Level Shelter became briefly home to several hundred Commonwealth citizens who arrived on the SS Empire Windrush, laying the foundations for nearby Brixton’s Afro-Caribbean community.
So why have different divergent communities decided at random to live in different areas of London, any theories are to be welcomed?
Has Berty Popped?
It is not surprising that an ancient profession such as black cabbies has developed a rich private vocabulary some of the most common are featured here on CabbieBlog.
If you are cruising empty around Kensington it would be helpful knowing when the Albert Hall is emptying.
With over 5,000 concert-goers beginning to exit the auditorium, hailing a taxi home or to their subsequent destination becomes a priority, in fact, I’ve seen punters walking away from the concert venue in the hope of catching oncoming cabs heading towards the West End.
It is during this short critical post-concert period that the term ‘Berty Popped’ – paying homage to the world-famous Royal Albert Hall – finds relevance, alerting cabbies to the potential influx of customers around the South Kensington area.
So, the next time you find yourself stepping out of a memorable performance at the Albert Hall, keep in mind that you are ‘Berty Popping’.
Market strategy
Romford Market was awarded a licence to trade in 1247 by King Henry III. Originally a sheep and cattle market, in fact before the War my uncle sold second-hand cars there alongside cattle pens. Apart from being a viable crossing over the River Rom (hence the name), the market contributed to the development of the town with up to 150 traders selling a wide range of goods.
When a proposal to open on Sundays was taken, 83 per cent were in favour, prompting Havering’s Leader to announce “Romford Market is the jewel in the crown for Romford”.
Now the current inept Labour-run council are proposing: closing the Sunday market, increasing parking charges by up to 16 per cent, closing libraries, reducing funding for five Metropolitan Police officers, reducing Christmas decorations and outsourcing services.
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