A week or so ago I was fortunate to have a special invitation in the City of London and unusually found myself with time to spare and no tourists with me. I decided to hunt down the River Fleet. The River Fleet is perhaps the second most important river in the formation and history of… Continue reading Looking for the River Fleet
Category: Life
Posts predominantly related to Life.
RIP Yours Sincerely
About 8 years ago I wrote a blog post entitled https://stephenliddell.co.uk/2015/06/13/yours-sincerely-the-story-of-valedictions/ Even though it was partly hinted at all those years ago, a new study into workplace emails suggests that starting with ‘Dear’ will also soon become thing of the past. Phrases such as ‘Yours sincerely’ will die out in the next ten years as… Continue reading RIP Yours Sincerely
How London bus drivers changed the health of the world
It can’t be easy being a bus driver. The incessant traffic, protests, rude and miserable people, the odd terrorist, heatwaves in the summer, freaky rain, wind or snow in the winter. I guess it is much like being a tour guide except we also have to put up with transport strikes! I think the behaviour… Continue reading How London bus drivers changed the health of the world
I’ve got soul but I’m not a SEOldier
I don’t often put real life bits on my blog, well unless I’m on the national and international news in which case I figure I may as well! The last two months however I’ve been updating my company website for Ye Olde England Tours. I’ve not really updated it since 2012 when I became the… Continue reading I’ve got soul but I’m not a SEOldier
Henry Croft – The original London Pearly King and the 2023 Pearly King and Queen Harvest Festival
As churches across the U.K. prepare to celebrate Harvest Festival, something I’m sure many cultures do in their own way across the world. London, the real London, not the one tourists visit in the West End, will be celebrating in their own unique way with the Pearly Kings and Queens that will attract crowds of… Continue reading Henry Croft – The original London Pearly King and the 2023 Pearly King and Queen Harvest Festival
Nosing around the Ukranian Cathedral in London
There is a lady on the tube seat opposite me who has a laugh that sounds like a heavy wooden chair being scraped on a wooden floor. Every time a new person gets on the train they are alarmed by her laugh! She’s busy chatting away to her boyfriend who is very somber and serious.… Continue reading Nosing around the Ukranian Cathedral in London
The Executioners Axe at the Tower of London
Despite being a guide of 10 years standing, I never used to go in the Tower of London very much. I don’t like crowds and I always felt having guide in an attraction was a bit surplus to requirements or something ‘anyone’ by that I suppose any guide could do. Thus spring and summer however… Continue reading The Executioners Axe at the Tower of London
The return of the Bartholomew Fair
West Smithfield is one of my very favourite parts of London and I’ve written about it countless times despite it being an area little larger than a football field. As the western worlds oldest hospital, St Bartholomew’s and its neighbouring and magnificent neighbour St Bartholomew The Great Church both prepare for their 900th birthday party… Continue reading The return of the Bartholomew Fair
It’s getting hot in London, so let’s plant lots of trees!
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!
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
Stephen Liddell 