Living in Laandan..

[Who2]

It's always good to hear from old souls....
I'm finding London again.
Not being in Egypt and not exercising is putting years on me. Plus, I'm seizing up..
Walking is what I'm doing plus 'nimbly avoiding joggers, elec cars & scooters.
The amount of people exercising is quite staggering. Plus the streets are not as busy with cars.

I have always kept a distance from most people most in my life, being 'scorpio, So this social distancing is great,
one can observe 'swervers from a long way off.
Oh! Plus you can swear at supermarket non mask wearers with impunity...

Local people recognize you even when wearing a mask, "on in out off simple.
Pubs can be difficult, scan this and that, I just give a business card saying "my phone not 'trackable".

Down in Smithfields last Friday I saw a posh sign saying 'free haircuts and beard trim ?
What ? Anyhow, I stopped and looked 15 hairdressers cutting hair in a window, with full ppe.
It was the new HQ of the London Hairdressing Academy.

When I get a camera that works I will take pictures...
The Eagle today Sunday 1200hrs, B Mary plus pint of Eagle. Their fully booked for 1pm.
As I sat in the window observing the Observer spotted an opportunity.
Warehouse buildings diagonally opposite 'propose, a once in a lifetime opportunity to show
The Eagle Public House from a distance, where that word 'Gastropub tag was first coined.

Spoke to my mate 'disagreeable Mike (owner) about the idea, he disagreed as usual,
I'll have to do it myself. As Usual, no ideas some people...


Ps: Must dash another Amazon delivery for Sim, Brutus is excited!

[Grandad]

Who2, is your Eagle pub the one in the rhyme 'Pop goes the weasel'? Where it goes 'In and out of the Eagle'?
We lived in West Laandan, Wembley and Harrow, in the late fifties after I left the RAF. Worked on Western Avenue and at Colnbrook......Happy times

[Who2]

No that Eagle is on Shepherdess Walk off City Road over in Old St.
Just in front of 'kill copper alley, which was renamed after the 2nd WW...

[Grandad]

Who2, I trust that your thread is open to contributions from other members? But 'Living in Laandan', I don't want to hog your excellent thread
I have said that we lived in west London, well, I doubt that Wembley and Harrow really count as 'Laandan'. However what your thread has triggered is memories of the 'Pea soupers' of the fifties. I remeber a particular run of foggy/pea souper days when I worked in Acton on the A40. After dark the drive home to Wembley was treacherous. My journey was helped by the fact that at that time we had a 1946 Hillman Minx as the picture.

20130212 Hillman like our GOM635.jpg

These had a wind up windscreen which could be raised to horizontal. Bl**dy cold but it did improve the visibility.

[BBLUX]

Now that takes me back Grandad. I was reminded by your picture of the car my uncle had. I looked it up, It was a Triumph 65 Roadster. I now can see it was a very flash car for the time but as a 7 year old that did not mean anything to me. In the very early 50's he came down from Hertfordshire and took us to Bournemouth for a short holiday with my father and me in the dicky seat with mum up front. Great fun driving round the New Forest etc

Triumph 65.jpg

[Who2]

Went for a walk this morning with my new camera...
This is the old Finsbury Savings Bank where Charles Dickens used to bank.

And this is one of my old buildings in Charterhouse St.
It's triangular on the right side drops 8 floor to the tubelines.
And where the Buster film wrap-party was held, down in the
Slaughterhouse Galleries basements..

My destination The new London School of Barbering.
People have no idea just how huge underground Smithfield really is.

And before all this, I met Nick and my godson Ziggy, in a Wetherspoons Pub,
Who has just started University at Brighton, and is studying Photojournalism and girls.
The pub which was once a burger place and was owned by the Addams Family)
You know! our local clerkenwell crime syndicate, funnier still The A Team..

Very well organised that Wetherspoons pub but no atmosphere.
Oh! here's another of my buildings 55, it was once an aids charity till i got it for £10k p.a.

We had a radio station in it's basement totally DJ Mad Ash.

Our ariel was 1 mile away, up over there on that roof-top, up 26 stories...
pretty windy up there, I should know!

Anyhow, what with my new camera and my keep fit walking program, expect more....
Clerkenwell Tales...

[Grandad]

Keep 'em coming G. Much more interesting than the Covid stats. That's all they can find on TV these days. Going up nicely, !9,724 new cases today......I feel a lockdown coming on

[Who2]

Upon my megga walk down to the Thames I took a few pictures....
These winged Griffons are on every entry to the City of London..

They are an esoteric protection against evil thoughts and deeds, as in 'Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Came across this weird piece of art..

And if anybody wants an empty gift shoppe....

Walked past John Soane's' museum into Holborn and took this one of the Old Holborn building.

For those who remember....

Into the Eagle straight and into the toilets..
Why are there no public lavs open in London ?......

Ps: A telephone box pretending to be a Tardis outside The Waldorf.

[newcastle]

Why are there no public lavs open in London ?

The answer given by a subscriber to Quora pretty well sums it up :

“Mainly, spending cuts.

Public toilets were essential when many homes didn’t have enough facilities.

They need staffing.

Unattended, they became used for cottaging (gay men picking up other gay men for sex) and drug use - somewhere secluded to shoot up. Which meant that people who just needed a pee tended to avoid them, so the councils could claim lack of use…

Many were also underground, so not accessible to people with disabilities.

So they have been closed and sold off to be turned into wine bars…

[The old underground public toilets had cubicles with coin-operated locks on the doors, which needed an old penny to operate them. Hence the somewhat dated euphemism “spend a penny” for having a pee. Although in the gents you could use the urinals for free]

It’s a problem, particularly late at night after the bars close. Some places have pop-up urinals, that are just a circular plate in the ground during the day but emerge at night. They’re not much use to the ladies though.

Some councils have schemes where local businesses offer their toilets for use by the public.“

[BBLUX]

I know this is a bit of a tangent but it is historical and involves beer in Laandan. I thought you might be interested as it happened quite near to your gaff George.

"In the autumn of 1814, one of history's most bizarre disasters befell London when a 15-foot wave of beer flooded an entire neighbourhood and left eight people dead.

The Horse Shoe Brewery on Tottenham Court Road in London boasted a massive 22-foot-tall vat that held some 160,000 gallons of dark porter. On October 17, 1814, one of the metal hoops meant to secure it snapped, and the wooden vat succumbed to the immense pressure of all that fermenting brew. The gushing beer smashed open the brewery's other vats, resulting in a raging sea of beer that burst forth from the building.

Over 1 million litres of beer flooded out onto the road and raced through the St. Giles neighbourhood. The area was crammed with crowded slums, and many inhabitants couldn't escape in time. According to The Independent: "Hannah Banfield, a little girl, was taking tea with her mother, Mary, at their house in New Street when the deluge hit. Both were swept away in the current, and perished."

Others who were gathered in a cellar for a wake were caught by surprise by the flood and drowned in beer. A wall of a nearby pub crumbled and crushed a 14-year-old girl who was standing next to it. In total, eight people perished in the accident.

Unsubstantiated rumors persist that rowdy locals brought pots and pans to the river of beer in an attempt to round up free drinks. In reality though, the citizens of St. Giles were lauded in the press for their help with the rescue efforts, keeping quiet in the aftermath in order to help listen for the screams of their trapped neighbours."

I was amazed that way back in 1815 there was brewing on such a huge industrial scale.

[carrie]

Thank you all who have posted I probably know Cairo better than London, because of all these interesting posts I intend to remedy that in the future. If and when things return to normal.
One place I particularly want to visit is Tower Bridge. Is it true that the keeper of the bridge has an apartment within the bridge?

[newcastle]

Thank you all who have posted I probably know Cairo better than London, because of all these interesting posts I intend to remedy that in the future. If and when things return to normal.
One place I particularly want to visit is Tower Bridge. Is it true that the keeper of the bridge has an apartment within the bridge?

It’s on my exercise itinerary when I get back to London...assuming COVID restrictions don’t put the kybosh on it.

https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/

I’m not aware of any living accommodation in the towers. The Bridgemasters House is nearby....but the bridge is controlled by computer nowadays.

[Who2]

I did once go there to a book launch, 'London by Peter Ackroyd, hell of a climb up to the spans.
But once up there quite, quite amazing with HMS Belfast below us.

So, if anyone's visiting (easy just say you want to hold a party or something) but use the toilets first as
it's hell of a climb up and down, but well worth it...shame I never had a camera...
https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/venue-hire

[newcastle]

I did once go there to a book launch, 'London by Peter Ackroyd, hell of a climb up to the spans.
But once up there quite, quite amazing with HMS Belfast below us.

So, if anyone's visiting (easy just say you want to hold a party or something) but use the toilets first as
it's hell of a climb up and down, but well worth it...shame I never had a camera...
https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/venue-hire

I can imagine it’s quite a view from those high walkways.

Apparently they were the haunt of prostitutes and pickpockets before WWI and closed until reopened for better behaved tourists in recent years.

[carrie]

So Who not returning yet, a little bird has told me that BINGO is going to be held in Little Gezira gardens soon. Just think what your missing. Bet that makes you get your skates on.
My little symbols seem to have gone astray just imagine a little line of dancing laughing men.

[Grandad]

@carrie
Others may be able to confirm Carrie but I am sure I remember on a TV programme it was stated that the the keeper does indeed live in a flat in the tower. What a job
Some years ago we did the day trip on PS Waverley from Whitstable to the pool of London via Southend, then back to Tilbury from where we were bussed back home. A brilliant day a highlight of which was when Tower Bridge opened for us to pass under. That is pretty special

Paddle steamer Waverly arriving at Whitstable from Margate

20110926 Waverley arrives at Whitstable.jpg

Tower Bridge is raised for us as we approach

20110926 Aooroaching Tower Bridge 6.jpg

I am enjoying the way this thread is moving about Who2's main theme with other snippets about "Living in Laandan". In my family history stuff I came across a story, via a third cousin in Australia, about a horrible case in late Victorian London. The culprits wifes maiden name was Madams, same as my grandmother, and that is the 'remote' connection to me.

Here is an extract of the story:-
Too Many Children - So He Killed Them (1883)

Twenty-six-year-old Londoner, WILLIAM GOULDSTONE of Walthamstow is a hard-working abstemious blacksmith. He and his wife had three young sons until this August, when she gave birth to twins. The problem of supporting five children preyed on Gouldstone's mind, and neighbours observed that he became morose.

After the Bank Holiday he did not return to work, and when the twins were but one week old, he suddenly dispatched all his offspring.

The three toddlers were forcibly drowned in a cistern containing but 14 inches of water. Then he burst into his wife's bedroom, and struck the twins at her breast with a hammer. As she screamed, he told her that she hadn't wanted the children, and now she should be single and happy.

At the police station he remarked, "I thought it was getting too hot to have five kids in about three and a half years, and thought I would put a stop to it." He added that he had "done it like a man" and was "ready for the rope."

He didn't actually get 'the rope' and lived to a good age of 75......in an asylum......

[carrie]

Keep it in your pants. Great way for birth control.

[A-Four]

@carrie
Others may be able to confirm Carrie but I am sure I remember on a TV programme it was stated that the the keeper does indeed live in a flat in the tower. What a job

Either you mis heard him Grandad or the TV program was wrong, but I'll give a bit of detail on the main subject first.

As you leave the Tower of London grounds through an arch that is part of Tower Bridge, you come to area that is called Dead Man's Hole, nothing to do with The Tower, it is in fact an old mortuary built at the same time as the bridge, note the steps that go down as far as the low water level. Throughout time, though especially 1850's to the mid 1950's suicides were common, where people threw themselves from LONDON BRIDGE, then at low water level the bodies would be discovered on either side of the banks of the river near Tower Bridge. Although no longer used, visitors are not allowed, notice the white tiled walls and ceiling in the open 'corridor'. It is said that often when bodies were retrieved they were placed here for a while because the stomachs would 'explode', thus the tiled walls made it easier to clean after such an incident, whether true or not,......I'm not sure.

The two main towers are called Opening Bascule Towers, the two smaller towers either side are called Abutment Towers. The two Upper Footways give excellent views as the Dr points out, the West Footway show the City, the one to the East has a very strong 'glass' floor, and amazing views of Canary Wharf.

The whole structure was built with Cornish Granite and Portland Stone. The so called Bridgemaster's House, with its Portland Stone base, with the rest in simple red brick, in truth was mainly the office of Tower Bridge, where notice had to be handed in as to which ships required to pass through and also at what time, at the earlier part of the history of the bridge, it was more than just quite busy. The Bridgemaster had a flat in this building. If he did any entertaining this was done in a wonderfully decorated room of the era, on the top floor of the South Bascule (small) Tower. When the then Prince of Wales (future King Edward V11) and his wife opened the bridge in 1894, they were entertained in this place, which is today called the old dinning room. The Bridgemaster's job became redundant around 1913. Today 'the house' is still the official office of The Tower Bridge, and still where application must be made to request passage through, with no less than 24 hours notice. The back of the building as been rather vulgarly extended to incorporate a educational centre for local schools.

On the opposite side of the road to the 'Bridgemaster's House' you will come across the area towards where you can view the modern day engine room, this is not the Bascule Chamber, this area is only open to the public on special occasions, when it is possible to be part of the bridge's 'behind the scenes' events, which actually are quite rare these days.

Entrance is around £10m, and seems very popular when I have gone by, local residents like myself get in for £1 with proof of residence,.........well we do have to put up with tourist a lot in this area.

[Grandad]

@Who2
@A-Four
And anyone else who KNOWS London.
My experiences of walking the streets of London are mostly limited to occasions when we have gone to London for some purpose: a show, London eye, The Shard, exhibitions etc. In my younger years I did have cause to walk and on the first case I am looking for some advice.
As a 15 year old sea cadet in 1949/1950 I spent a few weeks on a small vessel plying between London docks and Hamburg. I believe the dock was London Commercial Dock but I can't find it on Google maps. It was a small dock somewhere around Stepney. Can any one enlighten me on where it was or still is?
My walk back to the ship each time before sailing was in the late evening. From Victoria I would take a tube to Aldgate East and then walk to the dock. For a young lad that walk was a little scary at late evening. Would it have been Commercial Road or Mile End Road that I walked along?

On the other occasion, I was in the RAF and for my first year I was stationed at Weeton in Lancashire near Preston. For my return Sunday evening journey I would walk from Victoria Station to Euston, probably best part of three miles. I remember that walk well via Piccadilly with all the lights and enjoyed my half hour stroll.

I do regret that I did not visit our capital city more and just walk the streets and coming across all the notable places and things of interest. That's why I am enjoying reading this thread and Who2' s and A-four's obvious knowledge of Laandan....

[newcastle]

@Grandad

I’ve lived in the East End for over 30 years...currently I’m in Poplar.

I’ve never heard of the London Commercial Dock.....all the docks were referred to as commercial docks and many had specific names. But I don’t recall the one you mention. Of course the area has changed enormously over the years...particularly with the development of the aisle of Dogs.

Both Mile End Road and Commercial Road meet at Aldgate so your journey could have taken either but I’m guessing Commercial Road as it heads for the Limehouse Basin and the docks area.