history

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London On The Cheap

It’s officially Spring and by Pisces it’s lovely out there in the sunshine. Crocuses have been spotted in Highbury Fields so our biggest recommendation for expenditure light trips this week is get to the parks and into the gardens and witness the miracles of the …

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London Bridge Experience Dieing To Meet You

‘It’s new and it’s bloody scary,’ says the tourist blub. ‘C’est nouveau et terriblement effrayant,’ it repeats in French. Well, you try sounding menacing in that language. ‘Eine neue, unheimlich gruselige Sensation.’ That’s more like it. We prefer the German, especially as ‘die London Bridge …

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Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History Monday – 25th February 1900: The first tube station to be known as ‘Bank’ is opened, effectively replacing the old ‘City’ station and providing a link between the Waterloo & City Railway and the newly extended City & South London …

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Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History Monday – 18th February 1996: An IRA bomb explodes on a double-decker bus on Aldwych, killing the bomber and injuring eight members of the public. Tuesday – 19th February 1960: Prince Andrew is born in the Belgian Suite of Buckingham …

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Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History Monday – 11th February 1826: The University of London is founded. It would later be known as University College London (or UCL). Tuesday – 12th February 1554: Lady Jane Grey and her husband Lord Guildford Dudley are executed at the …

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The Book Grocer

Happy February, FOBGs. Another healthy serving of book groceries awaits you this week. Stick to a well-rounded book diet, and you’re sure to stave off a winter cold. We have no actual data to support this contention – we’re book geeks, not science nerds – …

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Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History Monday – 4th February 1915: Norman Wisdom is born in Marylebone. He would become a very successful entertainer, as well as (bizarrely) a cult film icon in Albania. Tuesday – 5th February 1924: The Greenwich Time Signal pips are broadcast …

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Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History Monday – 28th January 1807: The gas lamps on Pall Mall are lit, making it the first street in the world to be illuminated in such a fashion. Tuesday – 29th January 1976: Twelve IRA bombs explode in the area …

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Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History Monday – 21st January 1976: Concorde’s first commercial service, from London to Bahrain (and Paris to Rio de Janeiro) commences. Tuesday – 22nd January 1876: The Royal Aquarium opens in Westminster. It would be demolished just 26 years later and …

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London On The Cheap

Three weeks into the New Year, probably one week until payday and telly’s rubbish (except for new CSI), the weather’s grey and the detox is wearing thin. Don’t give in to those January blues! Here’s what can get you out of the house for not …

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Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History Monday – 14th January 1437: The Great Stone Gate at the south side of London Bridge collapses, taking down two bridge arches and several houses with it. Tuesday – 15th January 1867: The ice on Regent’s Park Lake gives way …