Originally I started composing this blog post for halloween but then I noticed how today is the anniversary of this awful crime so I thought it was rather fitting to post today. Just 3 or 4 miles from where I live is the scarily affluent town of Radlett, brimming with actors, socialites and premier league… Continue reading A notorious local murder 200 years ago today!
You’re hired! In a Victorian way
Over the weekend I came across this old photo from 1895. It is from the Victorian equivalent of a Jobs or Recruitment fair. We Saw this old photo from 1895. A Victorian service fair. The young lady is having a coin placed in her hand to confirm she is employed. We can see the young… Continue reading You’re hired! In a Victorian way
My sneak-peak inside the Raffles OWO Hotel
A few days ago after 9 years or so of waiting, the Raffles OWO Hotel opened in Whitehall to a great fanfare of a no-expense party with royalty and other high-status people. Obviously it will come as no surprise to you to learn that I too was there, yes about 9 hours after the party… Continue reading My sneak-peak inside the Raffles OWO Hotel
John Clayton – The man who planted the most famous tree in the world!
Not many people have heard of John Clayton but most of us have enjoyed his farsighted benevolence even if from a distance. There is a saying that a person is truly generous when they plant a tree that they will never live to see mature. If that is the case then there are few better… Continue reading John Clayton – The man who planted the most famous tree in the world!
Remembering the felled tree at Sycamore Gap
I wasn’t sure what I would post today. I have lots of material but some of them are quite in depth and take an hour or three to write and the busy summer tourist season in London shows no sign of ending. Sadly a few days ago something happened in the news that made my… Continue reading Remembering the felled tree at Sycamore Gap
Standing under the shoulders of giants
A few days ago I was fortunate to be invited on a private behind the scenes tour of the Guildhall in the City of London. Imagine that, me on a tour! It’s one of a handful of buildings I’ve always wanted to look around that I’ve never properly been in. I did once get a… Continue reading Standing under the shoulders of giants
Looking for the River Fleet
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
Thomas Dagger – The Man who discovered The Great Fire of London
By the time it was extinguished, an area about a mile-and-a-half (2.4km) wide along the River Thames was devastated, with 13,200 houses, 87 churches and the old St Paul’s Cathedral destroyed. The huge fire left some 100,000 people homeless but led to widespread changes in the city, many of which still resonate to this very… Continue reading Thomas Dagger – The Man who discovered The Great Fire of London
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
Stephen Liddell 