It’s the sort of thing that might be seen onscreen in a bit of far-fetched action but one day a regular London Double-decker bus jumped the gap at Tower Bridge. On 30th December 1952, Albert Gunter was happily going about his day job, driving the number 78 bus over Tower Bridge towards Shoreditch. To his… Continue reading Jumping a Double-decker bus over Tower Bridge
Month: February 2023
Have you ever thought about changing your name?
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I wrote a post entitled What’s in a name? The name’s Liddell, Stephen Liddell. It’s hard to believe that’s over a decade ago! One thing that perhaps isn’t clear is that my name isn’t Stephen. Actually Stephen is my middle name but my first name is… Continue reading Have you ever thought about changing your name?
Lord Camelford – A Desperate Bruiser!
Whenever I see Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak or Oliver Dowden, I always think to myself how money doesn’t buy you class and never was this more true than in the case of Thomas Pit. I must say I have a penchant for historic oddballs but Thomas Pit, the 2nd Baron of Camelford seems to have… Continue reading Lord Camelford – A Desperate Bruiser!
The Kings Drops – When King Charles II of England became a cannibal for good health & eternal life
Like people through the ages, I often spend time around St James Palace, the senior palace which is often forgotten compared to its renowned neighbour Buckingham Palace. At one point the palace was home to that infamous ladies man, King Charles II. One of his better attributes and certainly one that fared England in good… Continue reading The Kings Drops – When King Charles II of England became a cannibal for good health & eternal life
A valentine to St Paul’s Cathedral
I love St Pauls Cathedral. I remember when the first Covid lockdown ended and having no-one else, went to hug one of the great columns on the front of the building in gratitude for making it through the pandemic to that stage. Like Big Ben and various other church bells, St Pauls seems to be… Continue reading A valentine to St Paul’s Cathedral
The Death of Nelson – A painting in the Royal Gallery, Houses of Parliament
Following my post on tuesday about the painting depicting the two allied commanders meeting after the Battle of Waterloo, I decided I may as well post on the painting that sits directly opposite it in the Royal Gallery, Houses of Parliament. It shows the Battle of Trafalgar and the dying Admiral Nelson on the deck of HMS Victory,… Continue reading The Death of Nelson – A painting in the Royal Gallery, Houses of Parliament
THE MEETING OF WELLINGTON AND BLÜCHER AFTER THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO
There is so much to see when I go into Parliament and whilst naturally what takes the breath of many away are the grand historical chambers of the House of Lords and the House of Commons or perhaps some of the royal areas where kings and queens visit; what I always enjoy is detail of… Continue reading THE MEETING OF WELLINGTON AND BLÜCHER AFTER THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO
Standing by Ziggy Stardust and the Spidermen from Mars
Well that’s weird isn’t it? I got for years and years without doing a music related post and here are two in successive posts. It wasn’t at all planned this way but on Sunday morning I was out early in London and was happening by a very famous music related location. It was the very… Continue reading Standing by Ziggy Stardust and the Spidermen from Mars
Stephen Liddell 