In my last post I mentioned in jest about there were several ‘heads of John the Baptist’ and I thought I might try and see how many I could quickly find. It should be noted that there are some photos of 2,000 year old dried out skulls below so if it’s not your thing then… Continue reading The five heads of John the Baptist
The Holy Thorn Reliquary
If you go in the big long gallery on the right of the ground floor of the British Museum, most people will flock to the legendary Rosetta Stone which these days rather politically correctly is a duplicate of the original. I was there recently and it is a marvellous object though the crowd of Spanish… Continue reading The Holy Thorn Reliquary
The Lamassu or Shedu of Khorsabad
Do you have a favourite ancient civilisation? Probably you’ve never really thought about it. There are so many to choose from though the mainstream media seem to obsess over the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Greeks and of course those pesky Romans get everywhere. There are so many more major civilisations to learn about and they… Continue reading The Lamassu or Shedu of Khorsabad
St Mary le Strand – The finest 18th century church in London
St Mary le Strand is a justly celebrated architectural gem and a widely recognised landmark building. It has a grand and dignified worship space which makes it a sanctuary and place of peace in the heart of the district. After the Great Fire and the subsequent rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral, the City Commissioners proposed a… Continue reading St Mary le Strand – The finest 18th century church in London
A new look for Aldwych
On Saturday whilst giving a James Bond Walking Tour, I had a brief opportunity to see the changes at Aldwych in Central London. Aldwych has always been funny kind of place. Neither here nor there really. A gateway to Covent Garden, except it’s not. Roads leading down to the river, Fleet Street and the City… Continue reading A new look for Aldwych
Tiny the rat catcher extrodinaire
Very close to the wonderful Bunhill Fields (previously bone hill) is the pub that was in Victorian times as The Blue Anchor but which is now the Artillery Arms. The 1835 Cruelty to Animals Act prohibited pastimes such as bull baiting, cock fighting and dog fighting but no mention was made of rats – a… Continue reading Tiny the rat catcher extrodinaire
Jumping a Double-decker bus over Tower Bridge
It’s the sort of thing that might be seen onscreen in a bit of far-fetched action but one day a regular London Double-decker bus jumped the gap at Tower Bridge. On 30th December 1952, Albert Gunter was happily going about his day job, driving the number 78 bus over Tower Bridge towards Shoreditch. To his… Continue reading Jumping a Double-decker bus over Tower Bridge
Have you ever thought about changing your name?
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I wrote a post entitled What’s in a name? The name’s Liddell, Stephen Liddell. It’s hard to believe that’s over a decade ago! One thing that perhaps isn’t clear is that my name isn’t Stephen. Actually Stephen is my middle name but my first name is… Continue reading Have you ever thought about changing your name?
Lord Camelford – A Desperate Bruiser!
Whenever I see Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak or Oliver Dowden, I always think to myself how money doesn’t buy you class and never was this more true than in the case of Thomas Pit. I must say I have a penchant for historic oddballs but Thomas Pit, the 2nd Baron of Camelford seems to have… Continue reading Lord Camelford – A Desperate Bruiser!
The Kings Drops – When King Charles II of England became a cannibal for good health & eternal life
Like people through the ages, I often spend time around St James Palace, the senior palace which is often forgotten compared to its renowned neighbour Buckingham Palace. At one point the palace was home to that infamous ladies man, King Charles II. One of his better attributes and certainly one that fared England in good… Continue reading The Kings Drops – When King Charles II of England became a cannibal for good health & eternal life
Stephen Liddell 