Tag Archives: River Thames

A swan-song moment of glory for Tilbury Fortress

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

I thought I would finish my little run of Tilbury Fort related posts but recalling its last great moments and some might say greatest of all, the night it shot down a Zeppelin in WW1. The Zeppelin was invented by … Continue reading →

Posted in history, London, writing, WW1 | Tagged L15, Lest We Forget, River Thames, Tilbury Fort, WW1, Zeppelin | Leave a comment

When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

My last post was all about my recent visit to Tilbury Fortress on the northern bank of the River Thames. Despite its massive size and strength or maybe because of it, no-one was ever killed in action here and yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Funny & Humour, history, Life, London | Tagged Cricket, Murder, River Thames, Sport, Tilbury Fort | Leave a comment

A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

Last Monday being part of a long Bank-holiday Monday and us entering our months behind schedule first warm weather of the year, I decided to visit Tilbury Fortress in the county of Essex though to all intents and purposes it … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London, Travel | Tagged castles, Queen Elizabeth I, River Thames, Tilbury Fort, war | Leave a comment

The 900 year old Swan Upping ceremony is cancelled

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Stephen Liddell

It is an historic Royal ceremony that has taken place annually for the last 900 years but the Coronavirus means that for only the second time, this ancient practice of counting the swans on the River Thames has been cancelled … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Coronavirus, London, Queen, River Thames, Social Distancing, Swan Upping, The Dyers, The Vintners | 1 Comment

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

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

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. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Architecture, Embankment, London, River Thames, The Strand, York Watergate | 4 Comments

The Thameside Lions that guard against flooding

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

There is always something to look out for in London, even in the most unlikely places. One might not know that you’re seeing but there are points of interest all over the place. Should you happen to to be near … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Embankment, Floods, London, River Thames, Sewers, Thames Lions | 7 Comments

The Great Stink of 1858

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

If like me, you suffered through the blazing London summer of 2018 with seemingly wall to wall sunshine heat and humidity from Easter to the end of September, squashed on your commute in airless tube trains and wondering how you’d … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London | Tagged 1858, Greenwich, London, River Thames, Sewers, Sir Joseph Bazalgette, The Great Stink | 8 Comments

An eerie old mortuary from Jack The Ripper and the world’s oldest Police.

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Whilst out on one of my walks and whilst taking some photos for Mondays post on The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, I made it my business to hunt out a new (for me) location related to Jack The Ripper. Hidden away … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged East End, Elizabeth Stride, halloween, Jack The Ripper, Murder, River Police, River Thames, St George In The East Church | 4 Comments

The ticking timebomb shipwreck that could damage half of London

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Every now and then a newly made discovery of a long-lost shipwreck makes the news with everything from RMS Titanic to the lost ship of Captain Cook and everything in between. There are a few shipwrecks however that are well … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London, WW2 | Tagged Bombs, Life, London, River Thames, S.S. Richard Montgomery, Shipwreck, war | 6 Comments

Ratcliffe Cross Stairs – Where fires raged, explorers set sail and pirates hung

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Last week whilst scouting out a new walking tour of just a small part of East London, one of the places I most wanted to visit is the slipway which was once known as Ratcliffe Cross Stairs. The village of … Continue reading →