London Roman's remains go on show

The remains of what experts believe was one of the last Romans to have lived in London form the centre-piece of an exhibition which opens this week.

Visitors to the Museum of London will be able to see the headless skeleton of a man, thought to be in his late 30s or early 40s, laid in a limestone coffin.

It was found last year when a £36m building project was undertaken at St Martins-in-the-field, central London.

Curators said the man's death dated back to about AD410.

Wealthy and respected

Describing the find as "hugely significant" experts said the man had died around the time of the collapse of Roman Londinium in the City and the decision by the Romans to abandon Britain.
Francis Grew, senior curator at the museum, said the man would have been wealthy and well-respected and may even have been a "commuter" into the Roman city of Londinium.
"The man in the coffin may well have been living in a substantial Roman villa estate somewhere around Trafalgar Square - a big country house maybe with a little village, even, associated with it," he said.

The sarcophagus, along with a Roman tile kiln, Saxon grave goods and pottery unearthed at the site, sheds light on a "hidden" two hundred year period in the history of the capital, the museum said.

A clay pot dating from about AD500 suggests that the Saxon settlement of Lundenvic, built on the site of what is now Covent Garden, was established at least 100 years earlier than previously believed.

Jewellery, glass and metal vessels found in graves of people buried on the site after AD600, who may have been Christians, are also on show.

The display at the museum in the City opens on Thursday and runs until 8 August.

Blaze ravages historic Cutty Sark

A blaze on board the famous 19th Century ship Cutty Sark may have been started deliberately, police believe.

The ship, which was undergoing a £25m restoration, is kept in a dry dock at Greenwich in south-east London.

An area around the 138-year-old tea clipper had to be evacuated when the fire broke out in the early hours.

A Cutty Sark Trust spokesman said 50% of the ship was removed for restoration work. He said the trust was devastated but it could have been worse.

Charred planking

The decks of the ship are said to be unsalvageable. But much of the boat, including the masts, had already been taken away as part of the restoration project.

Chris Livett, chairman of Cutty Sark Enterprises, speaking at the scene, said: "We had removed 50% of the planking, so 50% of the planking wasn't on site and that's safe and secure.

"And from where I stand there is not a huge amount of damage to the planking that was left on.
"There are pockets of charred planking and some have gone, but it doesn't look as bad as first envisaged."

Police are analysing CCTV images which are thought to show people in the area shortly before the fire started.

A police spokesman said: "There have been reports of a silver car seen leaving the scene but nothing at this stage to link it to the fire."

Insp Bruce Middlemiss, from the Metropolitan Police, said detectives were looking into the possibility that the fire had been started deliberately and would like to speak to some people seen in the area last night.

However, a spokesman for London Fire Brigade said it was "pure speculation" to say the cause of the fire was suspicious.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 0445 BST and the flames were put out by 0700 BST.
CUTTY SARK

Built in 1869 at Dumbarton on the River Clyde
Designed by Hercules Linton
First voyage February 1870
210ft (64m) long
Main mast stood 152ft (46.3m) above the deck
Attracts 15m visitors a year

Preserved as a tribute to merchant navy workers

Speaking to BBC News, the chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust, Richard Doughty, said: "When you lose original fabric, you lose the touch of the craftsman, you lose history itself.
"And what is special about Cutty Sark is the timbers, the iron frames that went to the South China Seas, and to think that that is threatened in any way is unbelievable, it's an unimaginable shock."

Mr Doughty described the ship as the epitome of speed under sail.

The Cutty Sark left London on her maiden voyage on 16 February 1870, sailing around The Cape of Good Hope to Shanghai in three and a half months.

She made eight journeys to China as part of the tea trade until steam ships replaced sail on the high seas.

The ship was later used for training naval cadets during WWII, and in 1951 was moored in London for the Festival of Britain. Shortly afterwards, she was acquired by the Cutty Sark Society.

The Cutty Sark is the world's oldest surviving tea clipper

The ship was undergoing a £25m renovation and was closed to visitors.

The conservation work was being carried out because sea salt had accelerated the corrosion of her iron framework.

The fire at the Cutty Sark may mean only one clipper from the same period is left intact.
The City of Adelaide, built in 1864 to carry passengers and currently at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Ayrshire, also combines a cast iron frame with a wooden hull.

Dr Eric Kentley, curatorial consultant to the Cutty Sark Trust, said of the ship: "It can be saved. It's certainly not completely devastated.

"We will put her back together - but it's going to take much much longer and a lot more money than we originally thought."

Longest serving cabbie in London (BBC News)

Longest serving cabbie honoured

Mr Collins took his first passenger back in 1937London's longest serving black cab driver has been honoured with an award after 70 years of service.
Alfred Collins, aged 92, was given the award from Transport for London at a specially organised ceremony at the Public Carriage Office.

Mr Collins, from Colindale in north west London, drove his first passenger in 1937 and his last a few years ago.

Some of his most famous fares have included Margaret Thatcher, Joan Collins and Bruce Forsyth.

Treasured memories

The father of two said: "Life is all about communication and I have enjoyed sharing my vast experience of life as well as learning a lot with some of my passengers.
"I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life."
He added: "It has been a great privilege to serve the people of London.
"It really does not seem that nearly 70 years has passed by. I have had the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life, politicians, celebrities and the great British public".
David Brown from TfL said: "We are proud of the invaluable contribution he has made to Londoners and visitors alike who value the black taxi as an iconic landmark."

Mr Collins said the secret to a long life was not to worry and always take a little exercise.

25 millionth ride for London Eye (BBC News)

25 millionth ride for London Eye

Abbie joined her dad for a VIP trip on the EyeThe London Eye has had its 25 millionth visitor, seven years after opening.

The milestone at the 450ft-high central London attraction was reached when tourist Steve Harland arrived.

Mr Harland, from Didcot, Oxfordshire, and his daughter Abbie, three, were given a special VIP ride and other perks including a magnum of champagne.

The Eye's managing director David Sharpe said: "Thanks to the support of Londoners and visitors, we have managed to exceed our greatest expectations."
He added: "Just before the turn of this century, we were a mere concept.
"Today we have become a global icon, a contemporary symbol for modern Britain and have changed London's skyline forever."

Tower of London Key Ceremony

I collected my ticket to London today. I am going to visit Pieter & Anca! They got tickets for the Tower of London Key Ceremony and I am really excited about it!

The ceremony takes place every night without disturbanceFor the last 700 years, the Tower of London has locked its gates at 21:53, exactly seven minutes before 10 o’clock. The Chief Warder, dressed in a Beefeater costume, marches his way to the front gate from the Byward Tower. Carrying a lantern in one hand and the Queen’s keys in the other, the Chief Warder walks to Traitor’s Gate and hands his lantern to a nearby guard. As he locks it and aims his way to the other ones, all Beefeater soldiers salute to the Queens Key’s. Never has a small piece of metal demanded so much respect.

As the soldier locks up all the gates, he makes his way towards the Bloody Archway tower, where he is stopped by a sentry. As part of its tradition, the sentry and Warder hold an exchange:

Sentry: ‘Halt, Who goes there?’
Warder: ‘The Keys!’
Sentry: ‘Whose keys?’
Warder: ‘Queen Elizabeth’s keys.’
Sentry: ‘Pass Queen Elizabeth’s keys – Alls well!’

After the traditional exchange the Chief Warder lifts his hat and proclaims ‘God preserve Queen Elizabeth.’ The clock chimes for 10 o’clock as the other Queen’s guards raise their bonnets and say ‘Amen.’ The entire process takes no more than 7 minutes, making the Ceremony of the Keys one of the shortest in London.

Despite it being a near millennia tradition, the ceremony has gone on every night without disturbance. During World War II, when German bombs rained down on London, the ceremony still took place with the exception of a direct hit. Even then, the ceremony was delayed by one-half hour.

I am going to see this :-)

BBC reports: Hybrid double-decker bus launched

Hybrid double-decker bus launched

The bus will operate on route 141London's first "green" double-decker bus has gone into service to help cut carbon emissions.

The hybrid vehicle, which runs on diesel and electricity, will produce 40% less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than regular buses.

It will operate between Palmers Green and London Bridge on route 141.
Mayor Ken Livingstone called for manufacturers to make hybrid buses more financially feasible to speed up their introduction across London.

The hybrid bus is a key part of a range of measures designed to meet targets for tackling climate change.

Mr Livingstone said: ""This is a world-first for London, marking our commitment to a cleaner, greener public transport network."

A battery pack powers the wheels of the new hybrid bus through an electric motor.
Unlike conventional buses, energy generated from braking is recycled and used to charge the batteries.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesman said: "We are hoping to add 40 double-decker hybrid buses to the fleet this year and then gradually increase that number."

By the time of the 2012 Olympics, TfL aims for every bus purchased for London - up to 500 per year - to be a hybrid bus.

Single-deck hybrid buses have been operating on London route 360 since March 2006.

Mrs Henderson presents...

Ek het vanmiddag na 'Mrs Henderson presents...' gekyk. Die storie is gebaseer op ware gebeure voor en tydens WO II.

Dis ook die storie van die Windmill Theatre in die West End. The Windmill was die enigste teater wat dwarsdeur die oorlog oop gebly het. Dit was ook die eerste teater wat non-stop vertonings gehad het.

Hier is 'n stukkie van hulle geskiedenis.

The Windmill Theatre Opened on the 22nd of June 1931 with 'Inquest!' a play by Michael Barrington. The Theatre's capacity as a proper Theatre was 322.

This part of London has a rural history. A windmill stood here from the reign of Charles II until late in the eighteenth century. This gave its name to the footpath leading to the mill from Piccadilly at the top of the HayMarket over Windmill Fields. From here could be seen the towers of Westminster and its palace. Great Windmill Street now runs from Coventry Street (Piccadilly Circus) up to Brewer Street, crossing Shaftesbury Avenue. in 1910 a cinema, the Palais de Luxe, was opened at the corner of a block of buildings which included the Apollo and Lyric Theatres (see Nos. 5 and 21) at the point where Archer Street joins Great Windmill Street just off Shaftesbury Avenue. This cinema was one of the first of the little West End homes of the early films. With the rise of the large super-cinema, it descended the scale and its programmes consisted of foreign films and classics. The property came into the possession of Mrs Laura Henderson who, in association with Bernard Isaac and J. F. Watts Phillips (The Windmill Theatre Co, Ltd), converted it into a theatre. The general manager was Vivian Van Damm. The architect, Howard Jones, remodelled the exterior in the style of a traditional windmill and the interior was entirely reconstructed to become a one-tier theatre of miniature size.

THE PLAYS

The theatre opened on 22 June 1931 with a new play by Michael Barrington called Inquest!, with Mary Glynne, Hilda Trevelyan and Herbert Lomas in the cast. This was only a mild success and once again films were shown which included The Blue Angel and Sous les Toits de Paris. In December 1931 it was announced that a policy of nonstop variety would be tried. Mrs Henderson gave her manager Vivian Van Damm carte blanche to try and help the variety profession which had been hit by the coming of the 'talkies'.
On 3 February 1932 this innovation began and Revudeville was introduced, a programme of continuous non-stop variety of a nature then new to London. The idea originated in Paris and proved most popular, drawing crowded audiences. The performances ran from 2.30 p.m. until 11 p.m.

During the first years the project lost £20,000, but the tide turned and the theatre became an established part of the London scene.

The Windmill was the only theatre in London which never closed, except for the twelve compulsory days between 4 and 16 September 1939, throughout the blitz, the performers often sleeping night after night in the theatre during the worst of the attacks from the air.
The death of Mrs Henderson in 1944 was a great loss to the Windmill, but it was announced that the policy of the theatre was to remain unchanged under the direction of Van Damm. After his death in December 1960 the theatre was carried on by his daughter Sheila, who had become his partner. Many famous comedians of today made their first impact here and a roll of honour was fixed to the exterior of the theatre. The full history of the venture has been told in To-Night and Every Night by Vivian Van Damm (1954). The last edition of Revudeville was seen in 1964.

In October the theatre was sold to the Compton Cinema Group and it closed on 31 October 1964 and was reconstructed as a cinema and casino. In 1973 a campaign was started to revive 'The Old Windmill Days' and re-claim the theatre. Eventually, in February 1974, the theatre was bought by Paul Raymond, from Laurie Marsh, who transferred a 114 year lease to him.

Raymond announced his intention of making it a home for nude shows 'a la Revudeville but without the comic element'.

Die rand en die Britse pond en vakansie-begrotings

Ek het op nog 'n oulike webtuiste afgekom.

Smartsave (http://www.discountbritain.net/) gee jou aflaaibare afslagbewyse vir die meeste toeriste-aantreklikhede in London.

Ja, die pond is sterker as die rand en ja, die rand verswak nou effens, maar dit beteken nie dat mens nie 'n baie lekker vakansie in London kan hou nie.

Daar is baie spesiale aanbiedinge en BAIE gratis goed om te sien. Byna al die museums & gallerye (waaroor ek later sal skryf) is of gratis of het gratis periodes.

Samuel Johnson het geskryf: "Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

Bottomline? Daar is ALTYD iets om te doen in London en dit hoef nie eens duur te wees nie :-)

Ek gaan kuier!

Ek gaan in April by Pieter & Anca kuier. In die lig van die kuiertjie het ek weer meer aktief oor London en die omgewing begin lees.

Ek het op 'n baie oulike site afgekom - http://londonwalks.libsyn.com/ (ook onder die lys van links op hierdie blog) - waar jy staptoere heeltemal gratis kan aflaai in mp3 formaat.

Die gids se naam is Robert & hy woon in Kensington.