Spending all day in London, it’s always been clear to me that it doesn’t just have its own heat-island climate (https://stephenliddell.co.uk/2018/01/27/busting-the-myth-of-london-being-a-rainy-city/) In fact London has multiple different microclimates and I encounter several every day. Some places it is always much warmer than others. Some places seem perpetually cooler and windier and it rains more at… Continue reading It’s getting hot in London, so let’s plant lots of trees!
Category: London
Visiting the spot where Oliver Twist asks for more
Having gone through something of the history of the Southwark Mint and its somewhat trepidatious old workhouse, I wondered if I might find anything of the spot today. There are still several old workhouse buildings around but I knew that this one had long since vanished. What started off this whole escapade was this old… Continue reading Visiting the spot where Oliver Twist asks for more
St. Saviour’s Union Workhouse at Mint Street
Following on from the previous post on the dismal history of the Mint Street area in Southwark, I thought I’d investigate more to see how just this one example was the inspiration for a very famous Charles Dickens moment. Maybe even find a way to jazz up my original Ye Olde England Tours Charles Dickens… Continue reading St. Saviour’s Union Workhouse at Mint Street
The Southwark Mint – “The Grand Receptacle of Superfluous Villainry”
Recently I’ve been doing quite a few Charles Dickens Walking Tours for my little company, Ye Olde England Tours. I’m always improving all my tours, it’s my job! I have done a 3 hour walk for six or seven years and this summer started offering the option of a 5 hour version as well as… Continue reading The Southwark Mint – “The Grand Receptacle of Superfluous Villainry”
A new identity for Jack the Ripper?
Though we’ve been here several times before, particularly when someone is selling a book, a former police volunteer claims to have discovered the identity of the figure behind some of the most shocking crimes in history, unmasking the 19th-century murderer who terrorised the nation as Jack the Ripper. Sarah Bax Horton has unearthed compelling evidence that matches… Continue reading A new identity for Jack the Ripper?
Beating the bounds
These days we all have easy access to maps and our local administration is likely run by some sort of government office, elected or otherwise. That wasn’t always the case especially in the U.K. where the role of the church was hugely important. With churches across the whole country, it was important to know what… Continue reading Beating the bounds
The oldest door in Britain
I was fortunate to be in Westminster Abbey a few days. Much of the main building is perpetually overcrowded and particularly so in midsummer. There is so much to see in terms of memorials and architecture, royal thrones and the like and yet there is one place which always seems to be empty and yet… Continue reading The oldest door in Britain
Indiana Jones and the hunt for his Fedora Hat
Summer is traditionally the time for the biggest blockbuster, fan pleasing movies and whilst the recently opened Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is still pulling in the punters, there is another company that is doing very well out of it all. They being Herbert Johnson, a 134-year-old London hatmaker that makes the original… Continue reading Indiana Jones and the hunt for his Fedora Hat
The newly unearthed Roman Mausoleum in Southwark
Fast on the heals of the remains of some Roman docks being found by Upper Thames Street in London, last weeks another Roman find made the news in the U.K. What the archeologists involved call a “Completely unique” Roman mausoleum. Though the news sites have just mentioned them, it is something that I’ve known about… Continue reading The newly unearthed Roman Mausoleum in Southwark
The RAF Flypast at the 2023 Trooping of the Colour
Saturday saw the annual Trooping of the Colour ceremony at Horseguards, an event that has taken place for centuries but which was notable for it being the first one wit King Charles III in attendance. Normally it is a bit of a pain to do tours in Whitehall when Trooping of the Colour is on… Continue reading The RAF Flypast at the 2023 Trooping of the Colour
Stephen Liddell 