This Week In London’s History
- Monday – 23 December 1690: At Greenwich Royal Observatory, astronomer John Flamsteed catalogues what he believes to be a star as ‘34 Tauri’. It would later transpire that this is the first recorded sighting of the planet Uranus.
- Tuesday – 24 December 1890: Surrey House Museum (later to become known as the Horniman Museum) in Forest Hill is officially opened to the public.
- Wednesday – 25 December 1066: William the Conqueror is crowned king at Westminster Abbey.
- Thursday – 26 December 1913: Golders Green Hippodrome is opened as a 3000-seat music hall.
- Friday – 27 December 1813: A thick smog smothers London, causing the Prince Regent to abandon a trip to Hatfield House and turn back. The smog would last almost a week, causing considerable disruption.
Random London Quote Of The Week
In a word, man in London is not quite so good a creature as he is out of it.
John Galt, 'The Ayrshire Legatees'
Photo by Jason Webber via the Londonist Flickr Pool.
