This day in London’s history
1966: The Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen during a public exhibition ahead of the World Cup Finals, but was found just seven days later, wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge in Norwood, by a dog named "Pickles". As a security measure, FIFA secretly manufactured a replica of the trophy for use in the post-match celebrations. The replica was also used on subsequent occasions until 1970 and was sold at an auction in 1997 for $425,015 (£254,500).
1345: According to scholars at the University of Paris, the Black Death is created on this day in 1345, from what they call "a triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in the 40th degree of Aquarius, occurring on the 20th of March 1345". It took three years to reach London, but when it dead, sorry, did, it caused the death of up to 30,000 of the city's population of 70,000. Nasty.
London fact of the week
Spitalfields, in Tower Hamlets, takes its name from the suburban fields that were once situated between the ancient highway of Bishopsgate-street and the Whitechapel High-street. In the year 1197, a chap named Walter Brune founded a large hospital in these fields for poor brethren of the order of St. Austin; hence the surrounding meadows were called Hospital-fields, and ultimately Spitalfields.
In the 14th Century, it became the site for a very large plague pit (see above), but now it's been redeveloped and has lots of nice and shiny new shops. We're not sure if we like the new bits, but at least the Square Pie Company is still there. Mmmmmmmm.....pies.
Londoner of the week
Charlton Athletic's Darren Bent, who'll be hoping that he can make the difference in his team's FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough on Thursday night. London could have three teams in the semi-finals, with West Ham away to Man City tonight and Chelsea taking on Newcastle at the Bridge on Wednesday.
One thing you must do in London this week
Have a good look round Spitalfields Market and pop into the Spitz Gallery , where you can have a gander at 'Knock Three Times', a photographic exhibition by Chris Coekin. Knock Three Times is set in the Acomb Working Men's Club in York, where Chris first photographed in 1996 and although it's not a spotlight on London per se, the themes of masculinity, relationships and work ethic that it explores are pretty universal. Worth a look, and you can always pop next door to the bar for a drink....and then across the market for a pie.
