Monday Miscellanea

Dave Haste
By Dave Haste Last edited 187 months ago
Monday Miscellanea
William Blake's tombstone

This Week In London’s History

  • Monday11th August 1897: Enid Blyton is born in East Dulwich. She would become a hugely successful author of children’s fiction.
  • Tuesday12th August 1827: Renowned poet and painter William Blake dies. Five days later, he would be buried in an unmarked grave in Bunhill Fields. Wednesday13th August 1977: Hundreds of protesters clash with police at a National Front march in Lewisham, south-east London. About 400 Socialist Worker Party members had gathered to try to prevent the National Front march, but had been prevented by police, leading to attacks on the police themselves and over 200 arrests. Thursday14th August 1821: The funeral procession of Queen Caroline, wife of George IV, makes its way through London en-route to Harwich and a ship that would carry her body to Germany for burial. The originally prescribed route had deliberately avoided central London, but huge numbers of demonstrators had blocked all other viable routes and forced the procession to travel through the City. During the subsequent disturbances and rioting as crowds attempt to re-route the procession, many soldiers and civilians are hurt, and two are killed. Friday15th August 1950: Princess Elizabeth (as she was known at the time) gives birth to her second child, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (Princess Anne, who would become the Princess Royal) at Clarence House in central London.

    Random London Fact Of The Week

    In the mid-18th century, it was reckoned that London had one tavern to every five houses. However, some of these establishments may have been more akin to brothels than the pubs that we are now familiar with.

    London’s Weather This Week

    Oh dear.

    Photo courtesy of o.diaries via the Londonist Flickr pool.

    Last Updated 11 August 2008