Remembrance Day 2003 saw the opening ceremony for the Australian War Memorial in London. The unveiling was by Her Majesty the Queen, Tony Blair and the Australian Prime Minister John Howard in front of a huge crowd of Australians, including 25 Australian war veterans. Read the rest of this entry »
London used to be regarded as a bit of a gastronomic desert. The French in particular would mock our 1970’s attempts at epicurean endeavour (remember the ubiquitous prawn cocktail in a glass, sat on top of a piece of wilted lettuce? Perhaps it’s better to forget…). Over the last 30 years things have thankfully moved on, and London is a fantastic place to eat. Whether you’re eating out at a restaurant or selecting ingredients to rustle up a little something at home the choice and the quality of food is superb. London’s food markets are not to be missed if you’re seeking gourmet delights. Here is a pick of five of our favourites… Read the rest of this entry »
If asked to name a Sir Christopher Wren building - most of us would get as far as St Paul’s cathedral and then be stumped. It’s astounding quite how prolific Wren was - more than 89 buildings are attributed to him, and when you consider the scale of some of these buildings, that’s no mean feat. St Paul’s took more than 30 years to complete, and by the end of the construction Wren was 76 and being hoisted up in a basket to inspect the building works. Read the rest of this entry »
Bankside Power Station was built by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott - his name may not be familiar, but his other major London building will be - Battersea Power Station. He also designed the much-loved Red Telephone boxes (you can see four of these in a virtual tour here), the Salvation Army’s William Booth Memorial Training College in Camberwell, and Waterloo Bridge. Read the rest of this entry »
The Bank of England is personified as ‘The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street’ - conjuring images of a benevolent and homely old spinster at her sewing. However, the ‘old lady’ has a slightly less peaceable heritage than this image implies - the Bank of England was borne out of funding the war with France. In 1694, William III’s coffers were running low, threatening his war against the French. Read the rest of this entry »
An Indian native has made its home in the chillier climes of North London. Hampstead Heath is now home to a flock of Rose-ringed Parakeets (also known as Ring Necked Parakeets). Although they hail from India, they tend to live at high altitudes, meaning that they’re able to adapt well to Britain’s cold winters.
The parakeets were popular pets in Victorian times, but many people believe that the current colonies around London were formed when a number of birds were released from the tropical film set of The African Queen at Shepperton Studios in Surrey. Read the rest of this entry »
Leadenhall Market is one of London’s oldest food markets, standing on the site of a 1st century Roman basilica (a Roman public building). There has been a market on this site since the 14th century, and people travelled from all over the neighbouring counties with their produce. Read the rest of this entry »
In 1959, the Strand in London lent its’ name to a brand of cigarettes from W.D. & H.O. Wills (part of Imperial Tobacco). Strand Cigarettes were launched with a massive marketing campaign based around the line ‘You’re never alone with a strand’. Read the rest of this entry »
A 17th century Londoner might one day notice a dark, gangrenous looking pustule on his leg which grew. It would soon be joined by black blotches all over the skin caused by haemorrhages underneath, and buboes - apple-sized swellings in his groin and armpits. He’d swiftly fall into a high fever and experience Read the rest of this entry »
In 1982, Queen Elizabeth II woke up to find an unemployed labourer with a bloodied hand and a broken glass ashtray sitting on her bed.
Michael Fagan was (according to his mother) inordinately fond of the Queen. Perhaps this is why he allegedly chose her bedroom as the place he would commit suicide, but apparently then decided that it wasn’t “a nice thing to do” once he arrived. It wasn’t his first break-in to Buckingham Palace - a month previously, Read the rest of this entry »
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