Category: Life

Winston Churchill style icon? Siren Suits – the precursor to Onesies.

It was only 2 or 3 years ago where much of the world, or at least those perhaps lacking in sartorial elegance, was obsessed with an item of clothing known as a Onesie.  Usually made for people who want a comfortable, cosy evening on the sofa or perhaps for those not going out on a… Continue reading Winston Churchill style icon? Siren Suits – the precursor to Onesies.

John Donne – A forgotten poet and his discovered manuscript.

In the long and rich history of English literature, John Donne is almost forgotten about by many today but in his time he was pioneering.  Born into a Catholic family at a time when it was illegal to practice the religion in England, Donne wrote often biting satire on legal corruption, mediocre writers, pig-headed officials… Continue reading John Donne – A forgotten poet and his discovered manuscript.

When two (spaces) are better than one

I don’t know about you but there are countless things that annoy me about modern life and one of them is the slow decline into the use of a single space after a full stop or period. Until the early twentieth century, guidelines were numerous and often contradictory.   There were a variety of space… Continue reading When two (spaces) are better than one

The Great Beer Flood of London

Like many ancient cities, London has suffered its fair share of disasters, perhaps unduly so but whilst history is full of fires, wars, pestilence and biblical downpours, few places in the world can have suffered what is known as The Great Beer Flood of London. It happened over 200 years ago on Monday 17th October… Continue reading The Great Beer Flood of London

The statue of Peace in Smithfield with its secret sign of fidelity.

As I mentioned in passing on my post on Smithfield Market the area hasn’t just got a millennia long relationship with animal markets and executions.  It was also a place where men in Victorian times would bring their unwanted wives to swap them with other men, divorce being both monetarily expensive and a social faux-pas. Around… Continue reading The statue of Peace in Smithfield with its secret sign of fidelity.

Alexander Parkes – The man who changed and poisoned the world

Alexander Parkes is another one of those people from the Victorian Age that is forgotten despite him changing the world and his story is being told in a new exhibition in Bow, East London. The fact the the exhibition is in East London may give something of a clue that Alexander Parkes is the man… Continue reading Alexander Parkes – The man who changed and poisoned the world

The fake Number 10 Downing Street

It’s perhaps the most famous doorway in the world, number 10 Downing Street.  For centuries home of the British Prime Minister and I’m standing in front of it.  Except it isn’t and I’m not. Though until just the 1990’s, one could easily walk up and pose on the doorstep of Number 10, since the IRA… Continue reading The fake Number 10 Downing Street

The secret underground road right in the heart of London

It’s hard to believe that just a few minutes walk from the iconic Trafalgar Square or the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden, there is an almost forgotten and entirely buried street in the very centre of London. It’s rarely used by anyone these days save for those of us who know London like the… Continue reading The secret underground road right in the heart of London

York Watergate – The ceremonial gateway to the River Thames, out of sight of water.

Following on from Mondays post on the Lions of the River Thames, not to far away is one of the last remnants of an era of grandeur on the Thames that has largely been swept away.  The York Water Gate. However, if you walk along the River Thames you won’t ever find it.  That’s because… Continue reading York Watergate – The ceremonial gateway to the River Thames, out of sight of water.