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
Category: Ye Olde England Tours
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
Secret Gardens, lavish lunches.
Some of you might remember that on the hottest day in the history of London last year, I became a Stationer. There are 111 livery companies, comprising London’s ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are styled the ‘Worshipful Company of’ their respective craft, trade or profession. These livery companies play a significant part in the… Continue reading Secret Gardens, lavish lunches.
A special Charles Dickens Tour. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
Recently I did a most special tour for two blind tourists from Iran. It was hard work and tiring but thoroughly rewarding and ultimately a huge success. My guests were Bita and Parham and were lovely. Very clever and witty and charming, it really was their dream to visit London and follow in the footsteps… Continue reading A special Charles Dickens Tour. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
Feeding the green parakeets of London
I’ve written a few times about how Green London is, it’s (to some) surprisingly dry climate and that it is only fractionally under being a Subtropical city in fact it is suspected small districts are. It’s not just my secret gardens or huge parks and commons that make London green but if it is the… Continue reading Feeding the green parakeets of London
Happy Birthday to Camden Town Underground Station, one time newest London wonder
Obviously one could write for ages about London Underground, its stations, lines, oddities and many people do. Even I have written more than the odd post 140 London Underground Facts. Today though by chance I noticed it was the birthday of Camden Town Underground Station. Or at least the station as it is in its current… Continue reading Happy Birthday to Camden Town Underground Station, one time newest London wonder
Touching a doorway to hell – the old door of Newgate Prison
There was no place grimmer on this planet than Newgate Prison and as someone once wrote…“It was, almost from its beginning, an emblem of death and suffering… a legendary place, where the very stones were considered ‘deathlike’…it became associated with hell, and its smell permeated the streets and houses beside it.” Indeed if something is… Continue reading Touching a doorway to hell – the old door of Newgate Prison
Stephen Liddell 