The Little Book of London

The Little Book of London

David Long

Language: English

Pages: 192

ISBN: B0078XH9S8

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


The Little Book of London is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. London's looniest laws, its most eccentric inhabitants, and the realities of being royal and literally hundreds of wacky facts about the world's greatest city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Against expectations the cricket ground’s distinctive shape was dictated by the layout of the surrounding streets rather than the other way round. Lizard Street, EC1: Built on land owned by the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers whose coat of arms incorporates two salamanders. Minories, EC3: The Sorores Minores (or Little Sisters) established a convent here in 1293. The church with which they were associated was only demolished in 1958. Newington Butts, SE11: Newington means ‘new village’, with

weight of batteries carried on board meant that they were actually even slower than the horse-drawn competition. As a result, having led the world with this new technology in the closing days of the Victorian era, by the turn of the century the company was bankrupt and five years later there were a mere 19 electric cabs still up and running. This compares to 10,361 of the conventional horse-drawn variety, at least one of which – a four-wheeled ‘growler’ – remained in service at Victoria station

Christianity. St Peter ad Vincula – literally St Peter in chains, which is appropriate as the chapel was founded in the twelfth century for prisoners in the Tower. When Queen Victoria ordered that the floor be taken up and the bodies given a decent burial 200 were discovered, including that of Anne Boleyn. (Tower Green, EC3) St Sepulchre without Newgate – at the time of the Crusades the church which is now the largest in the City was called St Edmund and the Holy Sepulchre. This was eventually

detectives arrested in 1877 and given two years at the Old Bailey after being found guilty of taking backhanders from conman Harry Benson. (See Chapter 4: Men, Women & Children.) In theory at least any policeman chasing fugitives into Ely Place, EC1, is required to seek permission before entering the street. As it was the London home of the Bishops of Ely and a private road it was considered technically to be a part of Cambridgeshire. Unusually for London it is still a private thoroughfare. A

Footbridge (now demolished) Battersea Rail 1861–3 Battersea Road 1886–90 Wandsworth 1870–3 1936–40 Replaced Putney Rail 1887–9 Putney Road 1727–9 1871–2 Altered substantially 1973–6 Strengthened Hammersmith 1824–7 Possibly just a footbridge 1883–7 Existing bridge installed 1973–6 Strengthened Barnes 1846–9 Rail and pedestrians 1891–5 Altered substantially Chiswick 1933 Kew Rail 1864–9 Kew Road 1757 Wooden bridge 1784–9 Stone bridge 1903 Rebuilt Richmond Lock 1894 Footbridge

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