Whilst I was giving a Roman Tour on Saturday, my guests and I happened across a mini rehearsal fora special event coming up later this week in the Guildhall Yard. Two very large figures were inthe process of being taken apart. At first I thought it might be Gog and Magog but I quickly worked… Continue reading Thomas Becket Play and Pageant 2022
Category: Heritage
London Decorated for the Platinum Jubilee
Working every day in the streets of London can have its challenges. What is merely a news item on protestors, sporting events, strikes or terrorists that other people watch from afar is for me, real-life. Protests for good or bad reasons make it hard for me to do my job. Marathons are all well and… Continue reading London Decorated for the Platinum Jubilee
Celebrating The Platinum Jubilee
There aren’t many things in life longer in the making than the opening of the Elizabeth Line but one of them is the Platinum Jubilee which marks the 70th year of service Her Majesty The Queen has given to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth, the longest in history. To… Continue reading Celebrating The Platinum Jubilee
Covent Garden May Fayre & Puppet Festival – Celebrating the 360th Birthday of Punch and Judy
One of the things about doing tours in London is that in a way it is both my office and indeed my stage and tours can be variable and incorporate whatever it is we come across in addition to my vague plans for the day. Yesterday (Sunday) we happened across the annual Punch and Judy… Continue reading Covent Garden May Fayre & Puppet Festival – Celebrating the 360th Birthday of Punch and Judy
Getting Snug With Box Beds
If you’ve ever browsed properties for sale in expensive and over-crowded cities such as London, Tokyo or New York you may have seen some creative descriptions from estate agents that are only surpassed by the ingenious if often very unsatisfactory layouts that some developers try and make a quick profit to sell a home that… Continue reading Getting Snug With Box Beds
50 sayings that are off to the knackers yard!
A few years ago I wrote a book called My New Book – Straight from the Horse’s Mouth : 100 Idioms, their Meanings and Origins which always sells quite by my standards, especially at Christmas. Words and sayings have been such a rich source of our culture and often inspired by history, even if it is… Continue reading 50 sayings that are off to the knackers yard!
The Queen’s Green Canopy
Last week when I was out and about in London I passed through the Embankment Gardens as I do quite often. It’s one of the most beautiful parks in Westminster and always full of blooming flowers, well kept lawns, water features and in the summer, much needed shady trees. I’ve written before about London named… Continue reading The Queen’s Green Canopy
The death and resurrection of Margorie McCall
If you’re anything like me then there is nothing that quite tickles your fancy like a historic ‘resurrection’ story. This one took place in Ireland in 1705 when after succumbing to a fever Margorie McCall was hastily buried to prevent the spread of whatever had sent her to her maker. Margorie was buried with… Continue reading The death and resurrection of Margorie McCall
Oakham Stocks – A quirky remnant of punishments from the Middle-Ages.
A few days ago I went to see a dear friend of mine in Oakham, a little market town in the once abolished and now restored count of Oakham. There are lots of good reasons to visit Oakham and its nearby Rutland Water lake but one of the things I enjoyed seeing the most apart… Continue reading Oakham Stocks – A quirky remnant of punishments from the Middle-Ages.
The Statue of King Alfred The Great that isn’t all it might appear.
Every where you go in London, it is hard to move without bumping into statues and the politics behind who is worthy of a statue, where it should be and how high a status it has in comparison to other figures especially in statue-dense areas are things that get the proponents and opponents quite worked… Continue reading The Statue of King Alfred The Great that isn’t all it might appear.
Stephen Liddell 