This Week In London’s History
- Monday – 4th April 1896: The new premises for the National Portrait Gallery (next to the National Gallery by Trafalgar Square) open their doors for the first time.
- Tuesday – 5th April 1821: The newly rebuilt St Paul's Church in Shadwell (a.k.a. the 'Church of Sea Captains') is consecrated.
- Wednesday – 6th April 1580: An earthquake, later estimated at a Richter magnitude between 5.3 and 5.9, causes the only recorded London fatalities to be attributed to such an occurrence.
- Thursday – 7th April 1779: The Reverend James Hackman follows Martha Ray, a singer and the mistress of the 4th Earl of Sandwich, to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. When she leaves the theatre after the performance, Hackman shoots her dead, seemingly out of jealousy.
- Friday – 8th April 1908: Edward VII appoints Herbert Asquith as Prime Minister, following the resignation of his predecessor, Henry Cambell-Bannerman, due to ill health.
London Quote Of The Week
London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years.
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
View from the restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery captured by tomdanvers via the Londonist Flickr pool.
