Author Archives: Geoff Clements

“Seven Dials”-London WC2…..it’s rise & fall & rise again !!

Posted on by Posted in Streets .

 

This week “London Shoes” went in search of a particular area of central London situated between Tottenham Court Road tube station in the north, and Covent Garden tube station in the south – an area that I should have already been familiar with, bearing in mind that in the late 1970’s I spent 4 years working in a bank, just a stone’s throw away – but I have to be honest and say that I knew very little about this place and particularly its significant historic past.

So – the subject matter of this week’s London Shoes website publication is all about a fascinating area known as “Seven Dials”-London WC2.

“Seven Dials” is a particular district of London that was designed by a ‘Thomas Neale’ way back in the late 1600’s – when the area was mainly just fields.

Throughout the late 1600’s Thomas Neale was one of the most influential men on the London scene. He had been an MP – he had been Master of the Royal Mint – he was the first man to set-up the very first Lottery scheme in Britain (with all proceeds to the Crown) Neale was very much a man-about-town, who had friends in very high places.

Thomas Neale was also a big gambler, not just with his money, but also spending other people’s money on new projects and schemes.

Anyway – Neale saw that certain people were making a lot of money from designing and constructing new housing, especially over in wealthy west London – and he wanted a piece of that action, over to the east side of central London.

Because he had done quite a few jobs for the Monarchy, he was bequeathed a large area of land that was mainly just fields – located in the area we now know as the Covent Garden district.

In his quest was to make the area attractive to London’s wealthier residents, and so he designed a layout of new roads and new houses that he believed would turn the area into one of London’s most prestigious residential districts.

These roads and residences were laid out like a star-fish, and comprised of 7 roads that were set-out in a series of triangles, which all converged at a centre point.

Now – there was a reason as to why the streets were set-out in triangular shapes, and that was because at that time rental income was determined by the size of a building’s exterior frontage, not the size of its interior – so Neale was deliberately looking to maximise his rental income.

The construction work for this new project was finally completed around 1693, and when everything was finished and ready to go, Neale commissioned Britain’s top stonemason ‘Edward Pierce’ (who had worked with Sir Christopher Wren on the construction of St. Paul’s Cathedral), to design and build a massive ‘Sundial Pillar’ that would be the centre-piece of the district, where all the 7 roads converged.

Thomas Neale instructed Pierce to attach sundials to the very tip of this Pillar – hence the reason why the district was named as “Seven Dials”.

However – Thomas Neale’s vision of the area becoming one of London’s most prestigious districts, where only the rich and famous would live – did not materialise. In fact, it had completely the opposite effect, as ‘Seven Dials’ very soon became one of London’s worst and most notorious slum areas.

The whole district soon became renowned for its gin-palaces, pubs, brothels and gambling dens. At one stage, there was a pub on every corner where the 7 streets converged.

‘Seven Dials’ was one of London’s most dangerous districts, where violence, muggings, sexual assault, pick-pocketing, prostitution, drunkenness, debauchery and gang warfare – were a daily occurrence.

In fact, those locals that had not been lucky enough to move away, and long before the Met Police force was formed – had to chip-in to hire ‘night watchmen’ to patrol the streets in an attempt to try and keep some kind of order.

Even the retail shops in the area were a disaster – mainly selling 2nd/3rd & 4th hand goods.

Throughout the early to mid 1800’s, the ‘Seven Dials’ district deteriorated even further – when hundreds of lower-class and poor Irish workers moved into the area, attracted by the cheap rents charged on single rooms that had once made up the large houses – and also the illegal practice of sub-letting was rife throughout the entire district.

Even the renowned poet John Keates, famously described ‘Seven Dials’ as being a place:-

“Where misery clings to misery for a little warmth – and where want and disease lie down side by side, and groan together”

In 1773 the authorities ordered the removal of the original ‘Sundial Pillar’, as it had become a common meeting place for street gangs, and a location from where all the violence in the area seemed to originate from.

In Victorian times, the street slang term for inner city slums such as the ‘Seven Dials’ district, was the ‘Rookeries’ – as its inhabitants had the same habits as the rook bird, who stole, cheated and lived in untidy and dirty nests.

However, as the 1800’s drew to an end, housing in London expanded at a rapid rate, and this had the effect of taking a bit of pressure off of the ‘Seven Dials’ district and slowly but surely, more affluent people started to move into the once inhabitable area , and this in turn encouraged new businesses into the area.

This improvement in circumstances and conditions continued throughout the 20th Century, to the extent that the ‘Seven Dials’ district is today has become one of the more desirable areas of London – attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and tourists every year.

The majority of its original Georgian and Victorian buildings are still intact, and at least 25% of them are now Grade I or Grade II listed.
In fact, old John Neale’s legacy still lives on with Neal Street, and Neal’s Yard being big tourist attractions where loads of independent businesses such as coffee shops, bakeries, cheese shops and cosmetic shops have totally transformed the area.

It just goes to show how much certain areas of London have changed for the better over the last 100 years or so.

The ‘Neale’s Yard’ area is not the only attraction that brings visitors to the ‘Seven Dials’ district – there are loads of other unique historic landmarks throughout the area – such as:-

The ‘new’ Sundial Pillar :-
In 1989 an exact replica of the original Pillar that was removed in 1773, was built and erected, and was officially opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

St. Giles-in-the-Field Church:-
The present St. Giles Church dates back to 1733, but there has been buildings on the site dating right back to the 1100’s.
It used to be a Monastery – then a Leper colony – then a plague burial pit – an execution stop-off point – before it became the church as it is today.

It is now a Grade I listed building, which means that it can’t be touched inside or outside.

Cambridge Theatre:-
This famous theatre was built in 1930 and is located on one of the corners of ‘Seven Dials’ where the 7 roads converge – directly opposite the ‘Sundial Pillar’.

The Crown Pub:-
Is another building located on one of the corners where the original 7 roads converge – with the Sundial Pillar directly opposite it.
The pub was built in 1833, and its exterior still has its original Victorian tiling.

It is a pub which was once described by Charles Dickens as being “A hot bed of Villainy”

The Punjab:-
On the corner of Neal Street, is one of London’s oldest Indian restaurants – having traded there since 1946.

Blue Plaques:-
Displayed on one of the houses inside Neale’s Yard is a blue plaque commemorating the fact that Monty Python’s Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam worked on Monty Python material from there for quite a while.

Another blue plaque on display on a building down at Seven Dial’s Monmouth Street, commemorates the fact that the legendary Beatles manager Brian Epstein once ran his business empire.

Green Plaque:-
Down in the Long Acre area of Seven Dials/Covent Garden, there is a green plaque on display that commemorates where Britain’s very first bicycle’ the ‘bone shaker/hobby horse’ was invented and manufactured there.

The ‘Punch & Judy’ flagstone:-
In the actual Covent Garden square itself, there is flagstone embedded into a wall – to commemorate the spot where in 1662 the very first Punch & Judy show was said to be performed.

Agatha Christie:-
On the pavement of Great Newport street there stands a distinctive statue commemorating the globally famous author and playwright ‘Agatha Christie’, who is the only woman to have had 3 plays on the go in the West End at the same time, and whose ‘Mousetrap’ play is the longest running in the history of theatre.

Choccywoccydoodah:-
Nothing historic about this specialist chocolate shop – I just luv the name – and the fact that it attracts loads of punters.

Throughout this day out, I was privileged to be accompanied by my former Canary Wharf banker worker work colleague and partner-in-crime for over 10 years – me ol’mucka ‘Jackie’ who did a great job on the navigational front, and she also took some mean photos – however, adopting a ‘no publicity’ stance, she was very insistent that she should not be in any of them.

Anyway – after a tiring day wandering all over ‘Seven Dials’ and ‘Covent Garden’ – we were very much in need of some liquid refreshment and a nosebag – and so we headed off to the excellent “Montagu Pyke’ pub, a Wetherspoons situated down the Charing Cross Road.

Montagu Pyke was a famous impresario in the early days of public cinemas in London – and the pub itself used one of his former cinemas. In fact it was opened in 1911 and was the last of the 16 cinemas he owned throughout London, before he went broke.

So – after a few ‘cheeky’ ones and a plate of southern fried chicken goujons & chips, it was time to reflect on what had been a successful day blogging the ‘rise & fall-and rise again’ of “Seven Dials” – London WC2.

Hope the accompanying photos help tell the story.

Covent Garden tube station – the nearest stop to the “Seven Dials” district of London – (me negotiating my way across busy Long Acre)

 

The ‘Seven Dials’ streets, even have their own bollards

 

One of the streets that lead into the ‘Sundial Pillar’ – the centre of London’s ‘Seven Dials’ distric

 

Another of the streets that lead into the ‘Sundial Pillar’ – the centre of London’s ‘Seven Dials’ district

 

Another of the streets that lead into the ‘Sundial Pillar’ – the centre of London’s ‘Seven Dials’ district

 

The ‘Sundial Pillar’ – the centre-point of the ‘Seven Dials’ district, where the 7 roads converge

 

Another view of the Seven Dials ‘Sundial Pillar

 

The sundials, at the very top of the ‘Sundial Pillar’ at the centre-point of the ‘Seven Dials’ district

 

The inscription on the ‘Sundial Pillar’ at the center of the ‘Seven Dials’ district of London

 

Me – with the Seven Dials ‘Sundial Pillar in the background

 

Me – near to “Neal’s Yard” – references to Thomas Neale are all over the place

 

The entrance to the alley that leads to the popular tourist attraction that is Neal’s Yard

 

The entrance to Neal’s Yard

 

Inside ‘Neal’s Yard

 

Me – inside Neal’s Yard – and outside the Neal’s Yard Remedies shop

 

Inside ‘Neal’s Yard

 

Inside ‘Neal’s Yard

 

Inside ‘Neal’s Yard

Inside ‘Neal’s Yard

 

Inside ‘Neal’s Yard

 

Me – outside one of the independent shops inside ‘Neal’s Yard

 

Displayed on one of the houses inside Neale’s Yard is a blue plaque commemorating the fact that Python’s Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam worked on Monty Python material from there for quite a while.

 

I’m sure I spotted old ‘Thomas Neale’ himself puffing on a ‘lardie-dah’ – inside Neal’s Yard

 

Spotted filming in Neal’s Yard – was the excellent TV historian presenter Ruth Goodman – currently appearing in the Gregg Wallace series ‘Inside The Factory’

 

St. Giles-in-the-Fields church – The present Church dates back to 1733, but there has been buildings on the site dating right back to the 1100’s. It used to be a Monastery – then a Leper colony – then a plague burial pit – an execution stop-off point – before it became the church as it is today. It is now a Grade I listed building, which means that it can’t be touched inside or outside.

 

Inside ‘St. Giles-in-the-Fields’ church – The present Church dates back to 1733

 

The Cambridge Theatre – this famous theatre was built in 1930 and is located on one of the corners of ‘Seven Dials’ where the 7 roads converge – directly opposite the ‘Sundial Pillar’.

 

The Crown pub – located on one of the corners where the original 7 roads converge – with the Sundial Pillar directly opposite it. The pub was built in 1833, and its exterior still has its original Victorian tiling. It is a pub which was once described by Charles Dickens as being “A hot bed of Villainy”

 

Just one of the streets Seven Dials that reflects Thomas Neale’s influence on the area

 

Me and me bald patch, outside the ‘Punjab’ restaurant on the corner of Neal Street – The Punjab is one of London’s oldest Indian restaurants – having traded there since 1946.

 

Displayed on one of the houses inside Neale’s Yard is a blue plaque commemorating the fact that Python’s Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam worked on Monty Python material from there for quite a while.

 

Beatles manager ‘Brian Epstien’ – ran his business empire from the shop with the blue plaque displayed over its door

 

A close-up of the blue plaque on display on a building down at Seven Dial’s Monmouth Street, commemorates the fact that legendary Beatles manager Brian Epstein once ran his business empire.

 

In Long Acre just down the road from Seven Dials, there is a green plaque on display that commemorates where Britain’s very first bicycle’ the ‘bone shaker/hobby horse ’bike was invented and manufactured there

 

In the actual Covent Garden square itself, just down the road from ‘Seven Dials’, there is flagstone embedded into a wall – to commemorate the spot where in 1662 the very first Punch & Judy show was said to have been performed.

 

Me – underneath Mr. Punch’s commemorative stone in Covent Garden – just a couple of streets away from Seven Dials

 

Me – underneath one of the many Agatha Christie commemorative landmarks in the Seven Dials/Covent Garden area

 

The Agatha Christie commemorative statue – in Gt. Windmill Street, just a couple streets from the centre of ‘Seven Dials’

 

Me – by the Agatha Christie commemorative statue – in Gt. Windmill Street, just a couple streets from the centre of ‘Seven Dials

 

Me – outside the brilliantly named “Choccywoccydoodah” establishment in the ‘Seven Dials’ district

 

Outside the ‘Montagu Pyke’ pub in the Charing Cross Road

 

Inside the “Montagu Pyke” pub. Montagu Pyke was a famous impresario in the early days of public cinemas in London – and this pub itself used to be one of his former cinemas. In fact it was opened in 1911 and was the last of the 16 cinemas he owned throughout London, before he went broke.

Me – neckin’ down a ‘cheeky’ one inside the Montagu Pyke pub

Me – caught in conversation with my old work-mate Jackie – my accomplice for the day – whilst neckin’ down another enjoyable ‘cheeky’ one

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ‘Lost’ Blog – “Charles Holden” – legendary tube station architect

Posted on by Posted in People, Transport - Rail .

I have always been intrigued when reading stories about incidents where ‘lost’ music tapes of top recording artists, are discovered collecting dust in someone’s loft or attic at some obscure location.

Well –“London Shoes” has had its own experience of this scenario this week, when a never published ‘lost’ blog was discovered whilst conducting a ‘spring clean’ of the ‘Shoes’ archives.

The blog in question was undertaken way back in sunny June 2017, at a time when ‘London Shoes’ was still in its infancy, having only started its life some 4 months earlier.

Anyway – just like an old Beatles, or any other famous band’s ‘lost’ recordings, I felt it was only right to resurrect this ‘lost’ London Shoes blog, and give it the ‘life’ it deserves, alongside all the others that have been published.

So – the subject matter of this ‘lost’ blog is one ‘Charles Holden’ – a man who has left us with an everlasting legacy of work, that ‘all’ of us, whether we be Londoners or just visitors to this magnificent city, will viewed and touched at some stage in our everyday lives.

Charles Holden – 1875 – 1960 :
Born in Bolton in 1875, Charles Henry Holden endured a tough childhood. His father went bankrupt and his mum died when he was just eight years old.

Charles Holden’s first jobs were as a railway store clerk and then as a chemical laboratory assistant. He then moved on to work as a trainee ‘articles clerk’ with a reputable Manchester architects EW Leeson , a role which enabled him to continue his studies at the Manchester School of Art – where he became their star pupil.

Having graduated from the Manchester School of Art, Holden went in to design and architecture for employment.
He soon became a partner of a prominent and very successful architectural business ‘Adams, Holden and Pearson’, which continued to operate right up until the 1970’s.

Charles Holden’s earliest architectural design works were for gothic type hospital constructions, many of which are still around today.

He was also commissioned the prestigious job of designing many of the WW1 war graves in France.

In 1923 Charles Holden experienced a break in his fortune that saw his name rise to prominence within the design industry – when Frank Pick, the then general manager of the ‘Underground Electric Railways Company of London’ (later to become London Transport and now Transport for London), commissioned Holden to re-design the interior of Westminster Tube Station.

At that time Holden had absolutely no experience whatsoever in designing for the transport industry, but by using the simple modernist styles he had used for his war graves work – he created a completely new style of tube station ticket hall that was constructed of Portland stone, with walls covered with ceramic tiling.

The ticket office fixtures and fittings and the customer signage was all designed to display the Underground Railway ‘roundel’ of the time.
Following the favourable feedback received from the public regarding his transformation of Westminster tube station, Frank Pick then commissioned Charles Holden to provide the same sort of design for the interior of “Piccadilly Circus” tube station, and the interior and exterior of “Clapham” tube station.

By the late 1920’s Charles Holden had been responsible for the redesign of a number of tubes station within what is now known as the Northern Line.

The ‘Underground Electric Railways Company of London’ were so impressed with his work that in 1926 they commissioned him to design a new headquarters for them at ’55 Broadway’ above St James Park tube station. When finished, this building was one of London’s most talked about constructions because of its design and structure – its art deco style interior, and the fact that it was clad in Portland stone.

In 1930, London Underground (as it was known as then) was planning extensions of the Piccadilly Line to the west, north-west and north of London, and a new type of station was wanted – and Charles Holden was again called upon to be responsible for their design.

For these stations Holden created simple designs consisting of cylinders, curves and rectangles that were built in plain brick, concrete and glass.

The extensions to the Piccadilly Line crossed over existing routes operated by the Underground network, and as a result a number of stations had to be rebuilt to accommodate additional tracks.

Sudbury Town in west London was the first station to be rebuilt in 1931, and its design went on to form a template for many of the other new stations that followed.

All in all, Charles Holden used his simplistic ‘box’ or ‘cylindrical’ designs, with a ‘lid’ on top – to adapt up to 39 tube stations throughout the 1930’s and into the early 40’s – the majority of which are still in use today and are now Grade 1 and Grade 2 ‘listed’.

In 1933 the ‘Underground Electric Railways Company of London’ became ‘London Transport’ and Charles Holden’s designs were used to also transform tram/bus stops and shelters.

Holden’s very last pieces of work for London Transport were the art-deco designs for Wanstead and Gants Hill tube stations on the then recently extended Central Line extensions.

In 1932 – because of the success of the London Transport Head office building at 55 Broadway, Holden was commissioned to design ‘Senate House’ for the University of London, near Russell Square.

At the time, the design of this 29 story building was unique, and it was (right up until 1957) the tallest building in London – and like the London Transport Head Office building, it was clad in Portland stone.

Charles Holden died in 1960. His body was cremated at Enfield crematorium and a memorial service was held at St Pancras New Church, where Holden had designed the altar in 1914.

So – for a boy from a poor background, who did not have the best of starts in life – this shy, unassuming, teetotal vegetarian, certainly made his mark on London, that left future generations with a legacy of work that millions of people use and observe to this very day, and scenery that has become a backdrop to the lives of Londoners and visitors to this wonderful City.

Interestingly, during his lifetime, Charles Holden turned down 2 offers of a Knighthood – because, in his opinion, he felt strongly that architecture/design should be viewed as a collaborative activity ‘by the people, for the people’.

So – having travelled the length & breadth of the tube network tracking down the late great Charles Holden’s work – and before heading off for home, I dropped into “The Feathers” pub, directly opposite the old London Transport Head Office, and Charles Holden designed ’55 Broadway’ in Westminster, for a quick ‘cheeky’ beer.

There has been a pub in or around this site since the late 1700’s – and ‘The Feathers’ itself, first appears on a London street map, as far back as 1869 – and as with all remaining London pubs from the Victorian era, there are still a number of the original fixtures & fittings within the building that help create a cosy vibe.

The photos accompanying this piece provide a ‘journey’ through just some of Holden’s work – which I hope you find interesting.

 

The great man himself – ‘Charles Holden’

 

Arnos Grove tube station – just one of many of Charles Holden’s unique and iconic designs.

 

Charles Holden’s art-deco designs – at Arnos Grove tube station

 

Holden’s ’roundel’ design at ‘Oakwood’ tube station

 

Charles Holden’s simplistic design for ‘Bounds Green’ tube station

 

Holden’s design for ‘Turnpike Lane’ tube station

 

Me – outside Holden’s ‘Turnpike Lane tube station

 

A marketing campaign of the time – the new tube stations that were designed by Charles Holden

 

Charles Holden’s unique ‘flying saucer’ design for ‘Southgate’ tube station

 

A touch of art-deco inside Southgate tube station

 

Holden’s ‘St. James’s Park’ tube station – with London Transport’s ’55 Broadway’ Head Office above it. Now a Grade I listed building, which means it cannot be ‘touched’ inside or outside

 

‘Boston Manor’ tube station – very close to Heathrow Airport – another classic, simplistic Charles Holden design

 

 

Me, in June 2017 – outside Holden’s ‘Boston Manor’ tube station – close to Heathrow Airport

 

‘Northfields’ tube station – yet another of Holden’s designs from the 1930’s

 

‘Osterley’ tube station – another of Holden’s simplistic, but unique designs, and another one that is close by to Heathrow Airport

 

A Heathrow Airport bound plane – above Osterley tube station

 

The unusual design of ‘East Finchley’ tube station – another one of Charles Holden’s masterpieces

 

Charles Holden’s magnificent interior art-deco design for Gants Hill station (which was my local tube station when I was growing up!!)

 

Holden’s magnificent design for ‘Senate House’ – right next to Russell Square – central London. At 29 stores high, this was London’s tallest building right up until the 1970’s!!

 

 

Inside Holden’s ‘Senate House’

 

Inside the Charles Holden designed ‘Senate House’

 

Charles Holden was so famous, that there is a pub named after him in his honor – in Colliers Wood, nth London

 

St. Pancreas Parish Church – Euston-London. Where the commemorative service to Charles Holden was held, following his death in 1960 🙁

 

The St.Pancras Parish Church altar – which was actually designed by Charles Holden in 1914 – and the site where his commemorative service was held, following his death in 1960

 

‘The Feathers’ pub – Westminster – a Victorian pub that is situated directly opposite the Charles Holden designed ’55 Broadway’ which was once the head-office of the former ‘London Transport’

 

Me – neckin’ down a ‘cheeky’ one at ‘The Feathers’ pub-Westminster – way back in June 2017, when this ‘lost’ blog was undertaken 🙂

 

 

The Victorian “Bath House” in Bishopsgate & a London Walking Tour experience !!

Posted on by Posted in Historic Buildings, Quirky Topics, Street - Fixtures & Fittings .

This week’s ‘Shoes’ activity was slightly different from the norm – as not only did it involve the usual touch of historic culture, it also incorporated yet another ‘first’ in the world of “London Shoes”.

Although the weather on my chosen day out was really lousy, and certainly not conducive to wandering London’s streets – I did manage to knock-out a brief (but perfectly formed) blog, on a particular landmark involving a topic that has been on my ‘to do list’ for some time–namely………the “Victorian-Bath House” in Bishopsgate!!!

Back in the day, long before there were ‘public’ baths, and way before the luxuries of bathrooms, showers, hit-tubs and jacuzzi’s that we enjoy today – it was common practice particularly throughout Victorian times, for most of Britain’s main cities to have cheap ‘wash-houses’, predominantly for the purpose of keeping the lower classes clean and healthy.

Throughout London itself, there were a number of these wash-houses scattered across the metropolis, that were run by independent companies – where, for a few pennies, the average man/woman on the street, could go and have a good old scrub-down.

By the mid to late 1800’s, the more wealthier of the Victorian city dwellers, had moved up a gear and had got hooked on a new craze of ‘Turkish Bath-Houses’ and as a result of their popularity, more and more of these ‘specialised’ establishments started to sprout-up all over London.

These ‘Bath-Houses’ were mostly ‘underground’ hideaways where the more well-off Victorians could slink off to, escaping the hustle & bustle of the ‘smoke’ – treating themselves to a relaxing scrub-down and clean-up, whilst being pampered in luxury surroundings.

Amazingly – tucked away in a back-street behind the extremely busy Bishopsgate area of the City, roughly 5mins walk from Liverpool Street Station, and squashed between a bland and characterless jungle of corporate high rise offices, there is still in situ, a magnificent original Victorian ‘Bath-House’!!!

It may look totally out of place – but then that’s the beauty of it.

This tiny ‘Bishopsgate-Bath House’ was opened in 1895, and was designed so that it could be squeezed in between the big city buildings that were there at the time, (nothing compared to today’s buildings of course).

The actual design of the Bishopsgate-Bath House was/is heavily influenced by Turkish architectural styles – with marble floors, sunken baths, exotic mosaic tiling, stain glass windows, Arabian colours and emblems plus gold fixtures such as handles and rails etc.

The ‘Bishopsgate-Bath House’ soon became very popular with the wealthy Victorian city dandies – however, women were banned from it, probably because there wasn’t enough space to have a separate women’s changing facility.

Anyway, because the Bath-House was squashed between large buildings, its exterior was visually extremely small – but the bulk of its underground interior was massive and included hot-rooms and sunken baths.

 

What is fascinating about the Bishopsgate-Bath House is that it has amazingly survived all the devastation of the WW2 blitz, plus it has endured 100 years of non-stop extensive redevelopment and building works that have taken place all around it, and continues to this day.

The Bishopsgate Bath-House finally closed in 1954 – and throughout the next 50 or so years it had stints at being a nightclub, a bar, a storage centre – right up to 2016, when it was bought up and extensively redeveloped whilst retaining its original design, features and fixtures, all restored to their former glory – and it was turned in to a ‘private’ events venue holding up to 150 punters.

The Victorian Bishopsgate-Bath-House has been granted Grade II status, which means that it will still be around for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.

__________________________________________

So – the rest of my day out in the ‘Smoke’, was most definitely a ‘first’ in the world of ‘Shoes’ – and great fun it was too.

The London Shoes website receives in the region of 20 to 30 e-mails per week from ‘followers’ all over the world.

One e-mail in particular last week, was from a gentleman by the name of David, who is a London Walking Tours guide for the prominent and extremely popular London tour-guide company “Insider London”.

Anyway – in David’s e-mail to me he mentioned that he is a regular ‘follower’, and a big fan of the ‘London Shoes’ website, and he complimented me on its content and presentation – saying that it was one of his favourite London ‘info’ websites, that he often refers to, to gather-up additional info on some of the lesser known and unusual historical aspects of the ‘smoke’ – some of which he often quotes when conducting his tours.

David asked if I fancied joining him on one the walking tours he was undertaking this week, that was on the topic of the London Tube/Underground – an offer which I obviously jumped at.

So – I duly met up with David and his tour party, outside Baker Street Station and we all set-off to visit a number of tube stations that had an interesting historical background to them.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as David was extremely knowledgeable on the topic of London’s underground tube network, and his passion in his delivery certainly held his audience’s attention throughout the entire tour.

Also, what was useful for me, was that David touched on a number of facts and snippets of info about the Tube that I had absolutely no knowledge about, which I will now most definitely factor in to future blogs that I have planned under the ‘London Shoes’ category of “Transport” – a topic of which there are already some 11 blogs published on the ‘Shoes’ website.

Anyway – I found this ‘cross-fertilisation’ of knowledge and experience, really interesting and useful, but more importantly, thoroughly enjoyable – as did the rest of the walking-tour group – who came from places as far as Germany, Scotland & Manchester.

Also – the fact that David the tour-guide was a massive ‘Hammers’ supporter and season-ticket holder like myself, meant that we easily formed a connection – to the extent that we arranged to meet up again to trade ‘smoke’ knowledge – all of which is good kudos for ‘London Shoes’.

When the tour was finished, and before heading off home – I popped in to the wonderful “Lord Aberconway” pub next to Liverpool Street Station, for a couple of ‘cheeky’ ones and a bag of Nobby’s Nuts.

The pub is named after Lord Aberconway (1850 – 1934) the former chairman of the old Metropolitan Railway – London’s and the World’s very first Underground Railway.

There has been a pub on this site for a couple of hundred years, and many of the interior of the ‘Aberconway’ today, contains fixtures & fittings dating way back to the mid 1800’s.

This is a really good pub for a ‘cheeky’ one – and it also has a bit of notoriety as it is purported to be haunted by a person who perished in the nearby Great Fire of London – but the only thing I found ‘chilling’ in there, was the cost of a beer.

So – to summarise the day’s activities – there’s the ‘Bishopsgate-Bath House’ – a little Victorian gem bang in the middle of a characterless concrete and glass jungle – and then there is the experience of ‘London Shoes’ networking with one of the ‘smokes’ top walking tour organisations – so all in all, a very enjoyable and successful day.

 

 

The Victorian ‘Bath-House’ in Bishopsgate – opened in 1895

 

 

 

 

Another view of the Victorian ‘Bath-House’ in Bishopsgate – opened in 1895

 

Another view of the 1895 Victorian ‘Bath-House’ in Bishopsgate

 

The ornate Arabian designed turret of the Bishopsgate Bath-House

 

 

Me – with the Bishopsgate Bath-House in the background

 

A reflection of me (in my London Shoes) trying to photograph the interior reception area of the Bishopsgate Bath-House

 

The back-end view of the old Victorian Bath-House in Bishopsgate

 

Me – alongside one of the many stained glass windows of the Bishopsgate Bath-House

 

What the Victorian ‘Bath-House’ in Bishopsgate looks like inside these days

 

 

David – of ‘Insider London’ – my new Walking Tour Guide buddy – passionately delivering the history of the London Underground to the tour group

 

Me – down in the tube – on tour – with David and his London Walking Tour group

 

The excellent ‘Lord Aberconway’ pub – next to Liverpool Street mainline train terminus

 

The magnificent interior of the ‘Lord Aberconway’ pub

 

More of the interior of the ‘Lord Aberconway’ pub

 

Me – in the ‘Lord Aberconway’

 

Me – neckin’ down a ‘cheeky’ beer in the ‘Lord Aberconway’ pub – following a productive day out with ‘Shoes’

 

 

 

the Victorian “Stink-Pipes” – of old London town

Posted on by Posted in Quirky Topics, Street - Fixtures & Fittings .

It could be said that the London Shoes topic this week caused a bit of a ‘stink’.

Undertaking this particular task had me thrashing the life out of me faithful old free-travel ‘60+Oyster Card’ and also caused me to wear away a bit more of the soles of my actual (London) ‘shoes’ – as I found myself in ‘Sarf’ London (aka the ‘Dark Side’) traipsing all the way from South West London across to South East London, in search of examples of this particular subject matter.

So – the subject matter for this week’s publication onto the London Shoes website, Facebook and Twitter sites – is the rather ‘geeky’ topic of “Victorian-Stink Pipes”.

These Victorian ‘Stink Pipes’ are ‘street fixtures’ that we have all walked past thousands of times, and most probably never noticed or never even given a second thought to – however, the story behind their origin, and their place in London’s history, is pivotal to the creation of the London sewer system as we know it today.

So – what is a ‘Stink (or Stench) Pipe’ ??

Well – they date right back to 1858, a period of time in London that is now historically referred to as the “Great Stink”.

In the lead-up to that period in time, there was no proper centralised management of sewage and water waste throughout London, and as a result the River Thames was literally full of human poo & pee, animal carcasses and industrial waste – all of which was extremely unhealthy for Londoners, many of whom contracted serious illnesses, some of which were fatal.

The ‘stink’ across London was so bad, that Parliament felt that it could no longer carry out its business in Westminster, and so had to relocate to Oxfordshire, until such time something was done about the ‘Stink’.

So – in 1858 the Government passed an Act to centralise the control of ‘human waste’ – and commissioned the renowned British designer and engineer ‘Joseph Bazalgette’* to design and build a brand new sewage system network throughout London (a sewage network that has lasted well over 150yrs and is still very much in use today).

*A blog I did entitled “Joseph Bazalgette & the construction of the London sewers” can be found in the ‘Archives’ tab of the London Shoes website.

Anyway – one of the noticeable street-fixtures that accompanied these new sewer systems were ‘Stink Pipes’.

These ‘Stink Pipes’ were simply massive hollow iron pipes that disposed of the lethal and highly inflammable concoctions of methane, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia gasses that built up in the sewage pipes under the roads and pavements.

These ‘Stink Pipes’ were quite simply a sort of safety valve which allowed these build ups of gasses in the sewage pipes – to travel up to the top of the ‘Stink Pipe’ high above the rooftops, and then drift off into the skies above London – and then be simply be blown away by the wind – leaving the streets and pavements ‘stink’ free.

Their locations tended to follow the path of main sewer pipes below the pavements, and also the spots where sewage pipes from different streets would converge or change direction.

As with all things Victorian, these Stink Pipes were quite often ornate works of art in their design and bodywork decoration.

The London ‘Stink Pipes’ were mainly designed, built and supplied by renowned London based manufactures such as ‘Ham Baker’ and ‘Fred Bird & Co’.

They were made of iron and were mainly ‘green’ in colour – and displayed a small plaque at their base, bearing the name of its manufacturer.

Hundreds of these ‘Stink Pipes’ were installed throughout Britain, and there are still loads of them in situ today – some in excellent condition, bearing in mind they’ve been there for over 160yrs – but most are not in such good nick.

Of the ‘Stink Pipes’ that still remain in London’s streets, most are located ‘sarf’ of the River and tend to follow the path of the Thames.

So my quest for this blog was to track-down some of the more prominent of these 160 year old Victorian street fixtures.

My challenge started in the Wandsworth and Clapham districts of South West London – an area that is important to me, as I was born in nearby Battersea in 1957, where I spent the first 5 years of my life – before my mum & dad decided to move across to the eastern side of London.

Although very young at the time, I do have some recollection of those times, particularly when my dear old mum used to take me to Clapham Common – and so it was slightly ‘thought-provoking’ for me, returning to Clapham for the sole purpose of searching for ‘Stink Pipes’ 🙁 I’m not too sure what my dear old mum would make of that :-))

It was certainly a long old day out, but by the end of it I had managed to track-down and photograph the Victorian ‘Stink Pipes still in situ at the following locations:-

Ram Street – (Wandsworth)
Wakenhurst Road – (Clapham)
Chivalry Road – (Clapham)
Garratt Lane – (Earlsfield)
Kennington Road – (Kennington)
Watson’s Street – (Deptford)
Lissell Street – (Greenwich)
Union Street – (Souhwark)
Bishopswood Road – (Hampstead) – (the only one I found north of the River)

Now – you may find this hard to believe, but there is a really big interest in ‘Stink Pipes’, with many clubs, societies, websites, blogs, Twitter groups all dedicated to this dear old ‘street fixture’ – and, the actual activity of Stink Pipe ‘spotting logging & mapping’ is an extremely popular pastime for enthusiasts.

Anyway – after an exhausting day on me ‘plates’, and before heading off home – I decided to pop in to the “Rose & Crown” pub in Union Street Southwark, for a well-deserved ‘cheeky’ beer and a packet of cheese & onion. The Rose & Crown pub has been a prominent fixture in Southwark since way back in the early 1800’s and it still retains some of the decorative wooden fixtures and fittings from that time.

So – wherever you are in the UK, next time you find yourself ambling down a street, just spare a thought for the dear old Stink Pipe – and if you should spot one then you never know, you may feel inclined to give it a closer examination, and perhaps look to see if it displays a manufacturers plaque – but then again, you may not!!

Hope you enjoyed this little story and the accompanying photos.

 

 

A newspaper cartoon picture – at the time of London’s ‘Great Stink’of1858 –  (image courtesy of The Appendix)

Wandsworth Town rail station in SW London – where a few of these 160yr old ‘Stink Pipes’ can be found

 

The ‘Stink Pipe’ located in Ram Street – Wandsworth

 

Fred Bird & Co of Gt Castle St & Regent St-W1 – the manufacturer of the Stink Pipe located in Ram Street-Wandsworth

 

A typical Victorian design – at the base of the Ram Street-‘Stink Pipe’ in Wandsworth

 

Wakenhurst Road – which borders Wandsworth and Clapham – and the site of one of the better conditioned Victorian ‘Stink Pipes’

 

The Wakenhurst Road ‘Stink Pipe’

 

Another view of the Wakenhurst Road ‘Stink Pipe’

 

A close-up of the manufacturers emblem (Ham Baker of London) on the Wakenhurst Road ‘Stink Pipe’

The funnel of the Wakenhurst Road ‘Stink Pipe’

The ornate design of the base on the Wakenhurst Road ‘Stink Pipe’

 

Me – & the Wakenhurst Road ‘Stink Pipe’

 

Chivalry Road – Wandsworth SW London – where another Victorian ‘Stink Pipe’ is located

 

The Chivalry Road ‘Stink Pipe’

 

Another view of the Chivalry Road ‘Stink Pipe’

 

A couple of stinkers 🙂 – Chivalry Road-Wandsworth

 

The ‘Stink Pipe’ down Garratt Lane – Earlsfield – SW London

 

Clapham South Station – an area where a couple more of the old ‘Stink Pipes’ can be found.

 

‘Clapham Common’ SW London – very close to where I was born and lived until I was 5yrs old – and the Common was a place that my mum often took me to

 

A photo taken 62yrs ago, of my dear old mum & me having fun on Clapham Common

 

Clapham Common today – and there is also a Victorian ‘Stink Pipe’ somewhere on the Common, but I couldn’t find it

 

The extremely ornate and decorative ‘Stink Pipe’ in Kennington

 

Deptford Bridge station in SE London – and the location of yet another ‘Stink Pipe’

 

The ‘Stink Pipe’ down in Watson’s Street – Deptford SE London.

 

Another shot of the ‘Stink Pipe’ down in Watson’s Street – Deptford SE London.

 

Me – and the ‘Stink Pipe’ down in Watson’s Street – Deptford SE London.

 

Cutty Sark-Greenwich rail station – and another place where a160yr old Victorian ‘Stink Pipe’ can be found

 

The ‘Stink Pipe’ located on the corner of Lissell Street & Banning Street – Greenwich SE London

 

A close-up of the ‘Ham Baker’ manufacturers emblem, on the ‘Stink Pipe’ located down Lissell Street-Greenwich SE London

 

Me – & the Lissell Street, Greenwich ‘Stink Pipe’

 

A slightly different design of ‘Stink Pipe’ – in Bishopswood Road-Hampstead N.London

 

Southwark SE1 – where a huge old ‘Stink Pipe’ can be found in Union Street

 

The Victorian ‘Stink Pipe’ standing next to the ‘Island Cafe’ in Union Street-Souhwark-SE1

 

A view of the base of the Victorian ‘Stink Pipe’ in Union Street-Souhwark

 

Another view of the Victorian ‘Stink Pipe’ in Union Street-Souhwark

 

Me – with the Union Street ‘Stink Pipe’ in the background

 

The ‘Rose & Crown’ pub-Southward SE1 – there has been a pub on this site since the early 1800’s

 

Me – neckin’ down a ‘cheeky’ one in the Rose & Crown pub in Union Street-Southward

 

the wonders of “Notting Hill”- London W11

Posted on by Posted in Streets .

Last week’s London Shoes jaunt to the ‘smoke’ took me out west to a district of London that has always intrigued me, probably because of its bohemian and hippie notoriety when I was an impressionable teenager in the late 1960’s & early 70’s.

For this trip out I was privileged to be accompanied by my old work mate Les Bannell – who I first met some 45 years ago back in 1974, when we were both junior members of staff with Barclays Bank – and then, in the late 1980’s we actually worked together at the Whitechapel/Mile End branch of Barclays, when Les was the Office Manager and I was one of his assistants.

Anyway – the topic in question for this specific publication, is all about the extremely interesting place that is…….”Notting Hill”….London W11.

I guess that if you mentioned ‘Notting Hill’ to most people, then they would probably automatically think of the historic annual ‘Carnival’ that takes place throughout the streets of Notting Hill every August – and has done in one form or another since the mid 1960’s.

The other thing that people would probably know Notting Hill for is the 1999 BAFTA winning film of the same name that starred Hugh Grant & Julia Roberts, and was set in and around the area.

However, following my research I discovered that Notting Hill has a whole wealth of history that is far more interesting than just the Carnival and the film.

The main rail station servicing the area is ‘Notting Hill Gate’ tube – and the reason for the ‘Gate’ reference is that in the mid 1700’s there used to be a toll-gate on the main road that led onwards to the very ‘western’ limits of London and beyond – and travellers had to pay a fee to pass along it – This toll-gate was finally removed in 1864, but the name ‘Notting Hill Gate’ has still remained.

It’s very hard to believe it today, but right up until the early 1800’s the district of Notting Hill was almost entirely made up of rural land – and its was known throughout London as an area full of ‘Potteries & Piggeries’!!!

It was known as the ‘potteries’ because its rich clay based soil was ideal in the manufacture of earthenware and house bricks – and as a result there were a number of pottery production company’s operating in the area.

Notting Hill’s rural landscape was also ideal grazing land for animals – to the extent that it was the main area where livestock owners especially bring pigs to fatten them up before slaughtering them in preparation for sale in the London markets.

The majority of the land in the area was owned by the extremely wealthy ‘Ladbroke’ family, and with the rapid increase in London’s population at the end of the 1700’s and early 1800’s, there was massive demand for landowners such as the Ladbroke’s to give up some of their rural land, and make a few quid by commissioning it for the construction of new houses that were to be particularly suitable for London’s up-and-coming middle & upper classes.

By the 1840’s some of the land previously owned by the Ladbroke’s was used for the construction of new streets and large houses, that were designed to incorporate servants living quarters and stables for the horses. Streets such as ‘Ladbroke Grove’ and ‘Ladbroke Square’ plus many more, were laid out – making the area far more accessible to wealthier than average home owners – with its proximity to the City being one of the districts main attractions.

Many of these new streets had ‘private squares’ as their gardens, which were secured by locked gates, which only the home owners in its vicinity had the keys to – thus keeping the riff-raff out. Today, ‘Ladbroke Square’ is a remaining example and is one of the largest ‘private’ squares in London, and quite possibly Britain.

Another amazing fact about Notting Hill that I never had a scoobie about is that it was once the location of London’s largest ‘Racecourse’ – a race-track that was far bigger and more prestigious at that time than Epsom and even Ascot.

Notting Hill’s ‘Hippodrome Racecourse’ was built in 1837, with its design and structure circled around the area at the bottom of the ‘hill’. The punters stood at the top of the ‘hill’ and watched the races taking place below.

St. John’s Church situated at the very top of Notting ‘Hill’ was the actual centre of what was the Hippodrome Racecourse.

However, because of continual angry and sometimes violent protests by the ‘locals’, and also the fact that a number of horses kept breaking their legs racing on the wet clay type turf – the Hippodrome Racecourse didn’t actually last that long, and was forced to close down in 1841.

The former racecourse land was then handed over to developers for the construction of further new housing, that was built encircling the outline of what used to be the actual race-track – and that’s why today Notting Hill has circular shaped streets such as Blenheim Crescent – Elgin Crescent – Lansdowne Crescent & Stanley Crescent.

References to the old racecourse can still be seen today, with street names such as ‘Hippodrome Mews’ and ‘Hippodrome Palace’ etc.

In fact, it was in a room at a hotel that was once situated at no.21/22 Lansdowne Crescent – where in 1970, rock music legend ‘Jimi Hendrix’ was found dead – having choked on his own vomit, following a night of excess.

In nearby ‘Walmer Road’ there stands an old bottle-shaped Kiln from the early 1800’s, that was used by the pottery manufacturers that once thrived in Notting Hill. This magnificent landmark now has a ‘listed’ status so that it remains in situ for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.

One of the main attractions that has drawn day-trippers and tourists to Notting Hill throughout the past decades – is the famous ‘Portobello Road’.

Back in the day, when Notting Hill was a rural area, Portobello Road used to be just a leafy lane that led to Portobello Farm near the top of the ‘Hill’.

The name ‘Portobello’ refers back to the exploits of the English naval officer Admiral Vernon, who captured the port of Portobello in the Gulf of Mexico way back in 1739.

Now funnily enough – when I was working at Barclays Bank at their Dagenham Dock branch back in the early 1980’s – I used to do my drinking in a local pub there called ‘The Admiral Vernon’ – and so as a result of my little jaunt out to Notting Hill, I now know what he was all about.

The main attraction of today’s Portobello Road is its rows of antique shops and market stalls, plus many other shops selling all kinds of quirky and arty stuff.

Another attraction in Portobello Road is the actual book-shop that features prominently in scenes throughout the 2000 film Notting Hill.

Halfway down the Portobello Road stands the “Electric Cinema” building. Built in 1911 it was London’s very first ‘purpose-built’ cinema. However, the Electric Cinema does have a bit of ‘dark’ notoriety about it for 2 reasons.

In WW1 the cinema was owned by a German – and it was believed that he deliberately left spotlights switched on overnight on the cinema roof, in order to assist German Zeppelins in their navigation across London, when they were on their bombing missions. As a result of this the building (and its owner) was targeted by local mobs intent on causing as much damage as possible, in retribution.

Also – it is strongly believed that during WW2, the notorious mass murderer ‘John Reginal Christie’, (who lived just round the corner to the cinema at 10 Rillington Place) – used to be the Electric Cinema’s chief projectionist.

The area around Notting Hill’s ‘All Saints Church’ and especially ‘Powis Square’ – was once considered to be the centre of London’s underground hippie movement and counter-culture.

All Saints Church was built in the Victorian period of the 1850’s and has an unusual ‘Gothic’ design to it. It is definitely a focal point of the area. Throughout the ‘swinging’ 60’s the likes of ‘underground’ bands such as Pink Floyd, Hawkwind & Quintessence plus many others, would regularly play gigs at the huge hall that was attached to the church.

Pink Floyd’s founder ‘Syd Barrett’ would often hang-out there along with many other members of the underground scene of that time – and it is said that old Syd used to be particularly interested in the antics of a young girl by the name of ‘Emily Young’ who used to regularly be ‘on-the-scene’ and who back in 1966, had a reputation for being known as London’s ‘aristocratic flower child’. Anyway, the story goes that Floyds first hit single “See Emily Play” penned by Syd Barrett, was inspired by this Emily Young – who subsequently went on to become one of Britain’s top sculpturers.

Also in Powis Square, is the ‘Tabernacle’ – a Victorian circular shaped terracotta bricked building that was built initially as a church back in 1889. In recent years the Tabernacle has been used as a rehearsal centre by bands such as The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd before they headed off for big world tours.

The house at no. 25 Powis Square, was where some of the scenes of the 1970 cult film ‘Performance’ were shot – a violent London gangster type film that starred Mick Jagger, James Fox and the late Anita Pallenberg (who was Stones guitarist Keith Richards girlfriend at that time) – and legend has it that ‘Keef’ would sit in his car bang outside the house in a bit of a state, whilst Jagger was inside filming intimate scenes with Pallenberg. (I’m guessing that must have been a bit awkward)

Nearby is ‘St. Luke’s Mews’ where in 2000 at mews house no.4 – Paula Yates was found dead from a drug overdose.

Just around the corner at no.280 Westbourne Park Road is the famous blue front-door to the house where Hugh Grant lived in the award winning 2000 film Notting Hill – and even today there are still constant streams of visitors queuing up to stand in the doorway to have their photo taken.

Down by Ladbroke Grove tube station, alongside the railway arches is ‘Bartle Road’ – a street that today is made up of fairly new residential houses – however, it was once the site of the street ‘Rillington Place’, where at no.10, between the years 1943 to 1953 – the notorious murderer ‘John Christie’ killed his wife and up to 7 others – and then hid their remains either in the back yard, under the floorboards or in hidden sections of its interior walls.

In the mid-20th century the standard of Notting Hill’s housing dramatically fell into a rapid decline, to the extent that it soon became known as being a slum area.

This was mainly due to the devastation caused by extensive WW2 bomb damage to the area – and also the fact that these once elegantly large houses, with their servant quarters and stables, were being divided up into flats and bed-sits to accommodate multiple-occupancy.

The Notting Hill area became more and more multi-cultured and cosmopolitan as its once glamorous houses were now owned by dodgy landlords who took advantage of the income that they could gain from multiple occupancy, by offering cheap rents to the immigrants that had been drawn to the area because of the vast number of job opportunities there were at that time in post-war London.

In the late 1950’s Notting Hill and its surrounding areas, were the scene of a number of much publicised ‘race-riots’ – when immigrants became the target for ‘white’ trouble-making youths such as the ‘Teddy Boys’ – a movement that was notoriously popular at that time.

However, throughout the recent decades, Notting Hill has gradually returned to being a ‘single occupancy’ posh and expensive area for London’s wealthier home-owners.

So……having spent the day walking the length and breadth of Notting Hill – me and my accomplice Les (who, I have to say, did a cracking job of map-reading to help me find all the locations and landmarks on my itinerary) suddenly found ourselves on the door step of one of Notting Hill’s most popular tourist attractions – the ‘Churchill Arms’ pub, and so we decided that we may as well pop in there for a couple of well earned ‘cheeky’ beers and a bag of pork-scratchings.

Followers of ‘Shoes’ will be aware that I have covered-off the Churchill Arms pub in previous blogs – as this is the pub that, is completely engulfed in flowers in the Summer months – and then covered with Christmas trees and fairy lights throughout the Xmas period.

As we ‘took-the-weight-off-our-feet’ in the ‘Churchill’ we reflected on what had been a very successful day exploring and blogging – a day that was made even more enjoyable by the glorious weather, and a day that in itself had made history, by being the hottest February day since records began.

So – as you can see, there is definitely a hell of a lot more to Notting Hill than just the Carnival and an old rom-com film – In my opinion it’s a cracking place to spend a few hours just walking around and taking in its vibe.

_______________________________

Hope you enjoy these accompanying photos.

The main rail station servicing the area is ‘Notting Hill Gate’ tube – and the reason for the ‘Gate’ reference is that in the mid 1700’s there used to be a toll-gate on the main road that led onwards to the very ‘western’ limits of London and beyond

 

St. John’s Church situated at the very top of Notting ‘Hill’ was the actual centre of what was the Hippodrome Racecourse.

 

St. John’s Church situated at the very top of Notting ‘Hill’ was the actual centre of what was the Hippodrome Racecourse.

 

An old illustration that shows the layout of Notting Hill’s ‘Hippodrome Racecourse’ – which was in situ between 1837 to 1841

 

Notting Hill’s ‘Hippodrome Racecourse’ design and structure was circled around the area at the bottom of this ‘hill’. The punters stood at the top of the ‘hill’ and watched the races taking place below

 

Another view of what the race-going punters stood at the top of the Notting ‘Hill’, would have seen when they were watching the races taking place below

 

An illustration of Notting Hill’s ‘Hippodrome Racecourse’ back in the early 1800’s – you can even see the bottle-shaped ‘kiln’ in the distance – which still stands today

 

References to Notting Hill’s old Hippodrome Racecourse can still be seen today, in some of its street names.

 

More references to Notting Hill’s old Hippodrome Racecourse can still be seen today, in some of its street names.

 

References to the Pottery industries that used to operate in Notting Hill, can still be seen today, in some of the districts street names.

 

In ‘Walmer Road’ there stands an old bottle-shaped Kiln from the early 1800’s, that was used by the pottery manufacturers that once thrived in Notting Hill. This magnificent landmark now has a ‘listed’ status

 

One of the old Victorian ‘Brick Work-Factories’ – that has now been converted into luxury apartments

 

A close-up of the blue plaque displayed on the Victorian bottle-shaped kiln

 

Me – beside the pottery kiln in Walmer Road-Notting Hill

 

The streets & houses of Notting Hill

 

The streets & houses of Notting Hill

 

The streets & houses of Notting Hill

 

Some of the mews houses of Notting Hill

 

The streets & houses of Notting Hill

 

The streets & houses of Notting Hill

 

The streets & houses of Notting Hill

 

When they were built back in the Victorian era, the more posher of Notting Hill houses had ‘private squares’ as their gardens, which were secured by locked gates, which only the home owners in its vicinity had the keys to – thus keeping the riff-raff out. Today, ‘Ladbroke Square’ is a remaining example and is one of the largest ‘private’ squares in London, and quite possibly Britain.

 

A view inside one of Notting Hill’s ‘Private Squares’

 

Some of the mews houses of Notting Hill

 

Some of the mews houses of Notting Hill

 

It was in a room at a hotel that was once situated here at no.21/22 Lansdowne Crescent – where in 1970, rock music legend ‘Jimi Hendrix’ was found dead – having choked on his own vomit, following a night of excess.

 

21/22 Lansdowne Crescent – where in 1970, rock music legend ‘Jimi Hendrix’ died

 

One of the main attractions that has drawn day-trippers and tourists to Notting Hill throughout the past decades – is the famous ‘Portobello Road’

 

The name ‘Portobello’ refers back to the exploits of the English naval officer Admiral Vernon, who captured the port of Portobello in the Gulf of Mexico way back in 1739. When I used to work at Barclays Bank in Dagenham Dock, back in the early 1980’s – Dagenham Dock branch back in the early 1980’s – I used to do my drinking in a local pub there called ‘The Admiral Vernon’!!

 

The main attraction of today’s Portobello Road is its rows of antique shops and market stalls, plus many other shops selling all kinds of quirky and arty stuff.

 

 

Portobello Road and its rows of antique shops and market stalls,

 

Scenes from Portobello Road

 

My old mate Les – pondering amongst the antique stuff down in the Portobello Road – (which one’s the antique??)

 

Another attraction in Portobello Road is the actual book-shop that features prominently in scenes throughout the 2000 film Notting Hill.

 

No.280 Westbourne Park Road is the famous blue front-door to the house where Hugh Grant lived in the award winning 2000 film Notting Hill – and even today there are still constant streams of visitors queuing up to stand in the doorway to have their photo taken

 

no.280 Westbourne Park Road is the famous blue front-door to the house where Hugh Grant lived in the award winning 2000 film Notting Hill – and even today there are still constant streams of visitors queuing up to stand in the doorway to have their photo taken

 

Me – loitering in the doorway of the old Electric Cinema in Portobello Road

 

10 Rillington Place-Notting Hill – where between the years 1943 to 1953 – the notorious murderer ‘John Christie’ killed his wife and up to 7 others – and then hid their remains either in the back yard, under the floorboards or in hidden sections of its interior walls

 

‘Bartle Road’ – a street that today is made up of fairly new residential houses – however, it was once the site of the street ‘Rillington Place’, where at no.10, between the years 1943 to 1953 – the notorious murderer ‘John Christie’ killed his wife and up to 7 others – and then hid their remains either in the back yard, under the floorboards or in hidden sections of its interior walls

Bartle Street today – which was once the location of ‘Rillington Place’ – where John Christie committed up to 8 murders.

 

 

The ‘Tabernacle’ in Notting Hill’s Powis Square area – a Victorian circular shaped terracotta bricked building that was built initially as a church back in 1889. In recent years the Tabernacle has been used as a rehearsal centre by bands such as The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd before they headed off for big world tours.

 

No. 4 ‘St. Luke’s Mews’ where in 2000 at mews house no.4 – Paula Yates was found dead from a drug overdose

 

Me – outside no.4 St. Luke’s Mews – where in 2000, Paula Yates was found dead from a drug overdose

 

the Ladbroke Grove area of Notting Hill was once considered to be the centre of London’s underground hippie movement and counter-culture.

 

The railway bridge down by Ladbroke Grove tube station

 

Ladbroke Grove was once considered to be the centre of London’s underground hippie movement and counter-culture.

 

Me and my accomplice Les on the door step of one of Notting Hill’s most popular tourist attractions – the ‘Churchill Arms’ pub

 

‘Sir’ Les – my accomplice and map-reader for the day – getting stuck in to a ‘cheeky’ one in the ‘Churchill Arms’ pub Notting Hill

 

Me & my map reading accomplice Les – enjoying a refreshing ‘cheeky’ one and a bag of pork scratchings 🙂

 

Me – neckin’ down a final ‘cheeky’ one in the excellent ‘Churchill Arms’ – Notting Hill

 

 

“Billy Bonds – Claret & Blue Army” – the London Stadium’s official naming of the ‘Billy Bonds Stand’

Posted on by Posted in Sporting People .

Yesterday evening (02/03/2019) saw a special day in the history of my beloved football team West Ham Untied – when one of the stands in its London Stadium home, was officially named after one of the clubs greatest ever, and much loved and respected players – who holds the club record for appearances – the one and only and legendary…….”Billy Bonds” 🥅⚽️🏃‍♂️ 🔨🔨🔨

Billy was born in Woolwich, south London in 1946.

Billy Bonds made his  debut as a professional footballer for Charlton Athletic in February 1965 and became a regular in the first team, going on to make 95 League appearances, and scoring one goal.

He joined West Ham from Charlton Athletic in may 1967 for the sum of £50,000 (I attended my very first Hammers game in the 1967/68 season v Southampton – we lost 1-0 😔).

This quiet and extremely private gentleman, had a swash-buckling buccaneering never-say-die attitude on the pitch, and was well known for his tough tackling and his leadership skills – traits that endeared him to the Hammers faithful, old and new. ⚽️🏃‍♂️😘

After the departure from West Ham United, of the late great Bobby Moore in March 1974, Bonds was appointed club captain, and went on to lift the FA Cup for West Ham in 1975 (v Fulham – winning 2-0) and again in 1980 (v Arsenal – winning 1-0), and he also led the side to the European Cup Winners Cup Final in 1976 v Anderlecht – a game which unfortunately they lost 4-2. 🏆🏆🥈

Billy played his last competitive game for West Ham in April 1988 age the grand old age of 41 – and clocked up a club record of “799” appearances, which most probably, will never be beaten – especially with the way the game is today. 😋🏅

In 1988 Billy Bonds was awarded the MBE. 🏅😊

In 1990 he returned back to the club when he was appointed first team Manager – winning 2 promotions from Div 2 to Div 1 (now known as the Championship and the Premier League). ⚽️🏆👍

So – before West Ham’s match against Newcastle Utd yesterday evening – as he walked onto the pitch accompanied by his family – Billy Bonds was given a guard of honour consisting of a whole bunch of players that he had played alongside throughout his time at the club – Billy’s entrance was met with a crescendo of applause, cheers and singing, that continued throughout the entire match – and it was clearly evident that this legendary ‘hard man’ of football who never ever pulled-out of a tackle, was truly moved by the occasion and all the respect and love being showered upon him. ⚽️🏃‍♂️

Accompanied by the club’s joint Chairman David Gold – Billy cut-the-ribbon that officially gave the East Stand (where I have my season ticket) the title of the ‘Billy Bonds Stand’. 🙌👍

A fitting and well deserved tribute to a true West Ham legend – the one and only “Billy Bonds” – an occasion that I can now very happily say “I was there” ☺️ 🔨🔨🔨🔨

 

The match-day programme for yesterday’s historic occasion for the club

 

Pitch tributes at the London Stadium – pre the official naming of the Billy Bonds stand

 

A close-up of pitch tributes at the London Stadium – pre the official naming of the Billy Bonds stand

 

A close-up of pitch tributes at the London Stadium – pre the official naming of the Billy Bonds stand

 

Another close-up of pitch tributes at the London Stadium – pre the official naming of the Billy Bonds stand

 

Billy Bonds in his first season as a Hammer (1967/68)

 

A typical swash buckling Billy Bonds in action – at Upton Park

 

Billy Bonds in his playing heyday – showing his buccaneering spirit, so loved by the Hammer’s faithful!!

 

West Ham captain Billy Bonds lifting the FA Cup in 1975 – when West Ham beat Fulham 2-0

 

The legendary captain ‘Bonzo’ lifting the FA Cup in 1980 – when an unfancied West Ham beat Arsenal 1-0

 

Billy Bonds – in his final season for West Ham Utd – having clocked up an astonishing total of 799 games for the club

 

The London Stadium preparing for the official naming of the ‘Billy Bonds Stand’

 

Big screen image of Billy Bonds making his entrance onto the London Stadium pitch, before the match against Newcastle

 

Another big screen image of Billy Bonds making his entrance onto the London Stadium pitch, before the match against Newcastle

 

Big screen image of an extremely moved Billy Bonds on the London Stadium pitch, before the match against Newcastle

 

To tumultuous applause – Billy Bonds and his family make their way across the London Stadium pitch – to conduct the official naming ceremony of the ‘Billy Bonds Stand’

 

Billy Bonds & club joint chairman David Gold – cut-the-ribbon, officially naming the east stand the “Billy Bonds Stand”

 

A very much treasured personal photo of mine from the mid 1990’s – of my 2 daughters Sarah & Hollie, with Billy Bonds – taken at a charity match

 

Some old ancient Hammers fan – eagerly awaiting the official naming of the East Stand

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Happy 150th Birthday” – to the “District Line” tube network

Posted on by Posted in Transport - Rail .

2019 sees the 150th Birthday of London’s ‘District Line’ tube network – and “London Shoes” took this occasion as an opportunity to take a closer look at this particular underground line in celebration of its longevity, by looking back at its history and how it has evolved to the present day – and also ‘stopping off’ at a selection of its stations that have a little bit of a story to them.

The ‘District Line’ tube (the one coloured Green one on a standard tube map) is the 2nd oldest of the entire London underground network.
It currently consists of 60 stations – much more than any of the other lines – and interestingly only 25 of its stations are actually ‘underground’.

It comprises of 40 miles of track, some of which it ‘shares’ with the District Line – the Metropolitan Line – the Piccadilly Line and the Hammersmith+City Line.

It currently experiences over 21 million passenger journeys per year.

The District Line was first opened to the public way back in 1869 and consisted of only 5 stations that were serviced by gas lit wooden carriages that were pulled by steam engine locomotives.

Throughout the following couple of years the District Line was extended out west to West Brompton – and east to Blackfriars.

By 1884 the line had been extended further east to Whitechapel – and by 1902 further extensions east, saw it go right the way out to Upminster in Essex.

By 1905 the entire District Line track had been fully electrified.

Further extensions in 1946 saw it spur out north to Olympia to accommodate passengers who were regularly attending all the exhibitions continuously being held there.

Today the District Line runs all the way from Ealing Broadway in the west and right through to Upminster in the east.

The Line spurs at Turnham Green down to Richmond – and at Earls Court it spurs north to Olympia – and also south down to Wimbledon – and then further north up to Edgware Road.

Three train depots service todays District Line, and they are located at Ealing – Hammersmith & Upminster.

From a personal perspective, the District Line a tube line is that is used frequently by ‘London Shoes’ for its weekly jaunts to and from the ‘smoke’, as its Hornchurch station (2nd from last stop to Upminster) is my local tube station. Also during my career with Barclays Bank, I had to use its Whitechapel and also East Ham stations on a daily basis, when I worked at the branches that were in those areas.

‘London Shoes’ wanted to take a closer look at a selection of District Line stations that have seen a bit of life and have a little bit of an interesting ‘story’ to tell – that all adds to the historic background of this tube line.

So – looking at the District Line on a standard tube map and starting from the end of the line at Ealing Broadway in the west, through to the end of its network at Upminster in the east – here are some fascinating facts about the following District Line stations:-

Ealing Broadway:
On one of the platforms at Ealing Broadway station, are displayed a couple of pre-1910 ‘roundels’ – the very first that were ever used on the ‘new’ tube network at the time of its origins.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stamford Brook:

It was at this station in 1964 that the Underground’s very first automatic ticket barriers were installed.

Hammersmith:
Is technically 2 stations in one – with the District Line & the Piccadilly Line services in one location – and the Hammersmith & City and the Circle Line services in another part, just a couple of hundred yards walk away.

Apparently, some tube geek has worked out that if you wanted to get from one of these lines to the other ‘by train’ (rather than walk a few yards….why would you!!!) then you would have to make 3 changes and travel through 10 stops!!

Gloucester Road:
This station has a disused platform that is totally dedicated to ‘art’ – and where exhibits are constantly on display – (a really good idea – it looks great)

Sloane Square:
When Sloane Square was first constructed way back in 1868 – the engineers hit upon a slight problem, as the path of the River Westbourne ran right through where the track needed to go.

So – to solve the problem, engineers diverted the river via a huge metal pipe that runs up in the skies ‘over’ the rail tracks.

St. James’s Park:
This station is built into a building that was/is known commonly as 55 Broadway – the old HQ of what was ‘London Underground’ – now ‘Transport for London’ (TfL).

The building was granted Grade I listed status, which means that it can’t be touched ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ – making any future development plans a little bit tricky.

It also has something that causes mayhem amongst the OCD sufferers, as it has a ‘roundel’ that displays the station name as “St. James’ Park” – whereas the other roundels on display name it as “St. James’s Park”…..now, which one is the correct spelling – and why aren’t all the roundels the same!!

Temple:
One of my favourite tube stations – for no other reason than it just has a pleasant ‘vibe’.

Displayed throughout the exterior of this station is London Transport signage dating right back to the 1930’s – and within the structure of the platform inside the station, there are loads of iron pillars that have images of temples moulded into them.

Whitechapel:
One of the stations I used to use every day when I worked at Barclays Bank-Whitechapel branch.

This station has a really weird anomaly, as its ‘Overground’ track is underground – and its ‘Underground’ track is overground…..confused – you will be!!

Bow Road to Bromley by Bow
The short stretch of track between these 2 stations is said to have the ‘steepest’ gradient of the entire tube network – which is measured as 1:28 (whatever that means).

It is also the stretch of track where a film of the tube train travelling across a bridge, has been animated and is used as part of the scenery backdrop for the tv soap ‘East Enders’.

East Ham:
Another station that I used to use daily when working at Barclays Bank East Ham branch.

On the westbound platform, in the brickwork of a corner of the waiting room – there is a ‘ghost sign’ that advertise “Tea 2d per Cup”.

Barking:

Barking is one of only 2 stations throughout the entire tube network where the train doors open on both sides when it reaches the platform. (The other station is Stratford on the Central Line)

Upminster:
The eastern end of the District Line.

Not far from the station is the Church of St. Laurence, where way back in 1709, the Reverend William Derham became the very first person to accurately measure and record the ‘speed of sound’.

He did this by taking a telescope to the top of the church tower – and then arranged for someone to fire a gun in the visible distance –then, by observation, timed the distance and time between seeing the ‘flash’ of the gunshot and ‘hearing’ the gunshot. (I’m sure there not many ‘locals’ who are aware of that fact – I certainly wasn’t).

So – the above are just a few ‘interesting facts’ about the District Line, which you can amaze your friends with next time you travel past these stations when using the District Line.

Having spent the day hopping on & off at stops on the District Line, I was in desperate need of ‘cheeky’ beer or two and a packet of pork scratchings – and so I made my way to the unique ‘ The Edgar Wallace’ pub, just a couple of minutes’ walk from Temple station (on the District Line).

The pub building dates right back to 1777 when it was called ‘The Essex Head’ – and it was re-named in 1975 to commemorate the famous crime writer ‘Edgar Wallace’ at the centenary of his death.

The pub is also famous for being the local drinking hole of Samuel Johnson–(b.1709 – d.1784) the historically famous writer, poet, playwright, biographer, literary critic and early author of the English Dictionary.

The “Edgar Wallace” has a really unique and interesting interior as it is crammed to the rafters with old advertising memorabilia, mainly relating to pubs and smoking, and its ceiling is completely covered with old beer mats. It’s the sort of place where, no matter how many times you visited, there would always find something new that you hadn’t noticed before – a really great pub and well worth a visit if you’re in the Embankment area of the ‘smoke’.

Anyway – that all about the District Line for you, and I hope the accompanying photos bring this little story to life for you.

A District Line tube train – in action

 

One of the commemorative info boards displayed on some District Line stations – acknowledging its ‘150th Birthday’

 

“London Shoes” – on the London Underground, ‘minding the gap’ 🙂

 

 

Ealing Broadway station in west London – the final (or first) stop on the District Line

 

On one of the platforms at Ealing Broadway station, are displayed a couple of pre-1910 ‘roundels’ – the very first that were ever used on the ‘new’ tube network at the time of its origins

 

Stamford Brook station – It was at this station that the Underground’s very first automatic ticket barriers were installed, back in 196

 

Stamford Brook station – It was at this station that the Underground’s very first automatic ticket barriers were installed, back in 1964

 

Hammersmith station – technically 2 stations in one – with the District Line & the Piccadilly Line services in one location – and the Hammersmith & City and the Circle Line services in another part, just a couple of hundred yards walk away.

 

Gloucester Road station – which has a disused platform that is totally dedicated to ‘art’ – and where exhibits are constantly on display

 

The ‘art’ on display at the District Line’s ‘Gloucester Road’ station

 

Another view of the ‘art’ on display at ‘Gloucester Road’ station

 

When Sloane Square was first constructed way back in 1868 – the engineers hit upon a slight problem, as the path of the River Westbourne ran right through where the track needed to go. So – to solve the problem, engineers diverted the river via a huge metal pipe that runs over ‘over’ the rail tracks.

 

Another view of the pipeline that holds the River Westbourne – over the top of Sloane Square station

 

St. James’s Park station is built into a building that was/is known commonly as 55 Broadway – the old HQ of what was ‘London Underground’ – now ‘Transport for London’ (TfL). The building was granted Grade I listed status, which means that it can’t be touched ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ – making any future development plans a little bit tricky.

 

St. James’s Park station has a ‘roundel’ that displays the station name as “St. James’ Park” – whereas the other roundels on display name it as “St. James’s Park”…..now, which one is the correct spelling – and why aren’t all the roundels the same!!

 

The big St. James’s Park station anomaly – of old London town

 

Temple Station – where displayed throughout the exterior of the station is London Transport signage dating right back to the 1930’s

 

Another photo of the exterior of Temple Station – and a London Transport signage dating right back to the 1930’s

 

The very pleasant ‘vibe’ of the District Line’s Temple station – one of my personal favorite stations

 

Within the structure of the platform inside Temple station, there are loads of iron pillars that have images of temples moulded into them.

 

Whitechapel station has the really weird anomaly, where its ‘Overground’ track is underground – and its ‘Underground’ track is ‘Overground’…..confused – you will be!

 

Whitechapel stations – underground ‘Overground’ service !!

 

Whitechapel’s ‘Underground’ service – that’s actually overground

 

The short stretch of track between the District Line’s Bow Road station and Bromley-by-Bow station, is said to have the ‘steepest’ gradient of the entire tube network

 

The stretch of track between Bow Road station and Bromley-by-Bow station – where a film of the tube train travelling across a bridge, has been animated and is used as part of the scenery backdrop for the TV soap ‘East Enders’.

 

 

The short stretch of track between the District Line’s Bow Road station and Bromley-by-Bow station, is said to have the ‘steepest’ gradient of the entire tube networ

 

On the westbound platform of the District Line’s East Ham station, in the brickwork of a corner of the waiting room – there is a ‘ghost sign’ that advertise “Tea 2d per Cup”

 

A close-up of the ‘ghost sign’ at East Ham station that advertise “Tea 2d per Cup”

 

Barking is one of only 2 stations throughout the entire tube network where the train doors open on both sides when it reaches the platform.

 

Upminster station – the eastern end of the District Line

 

Underground and Overground trains at Upminster station – the eastern end of the District Line

 

Not far from Upminster station is the Parish Church of St. Laurence

 

Not far from Upminster station is the Church of St. Laurence, where way back in 1709, the Reverend William Derham became the very first person to accurately measure and record the ‘speed of sound’

 

“The Edgar Wallace” pub – just a couple of minutes walk from the District Line’s “Temple” station

 

“The Edgar Wallace” pub – just a couple of minutes walk from the District Line’s “Temple” station – A building which dates right back to 1777 when it was called ‘The Essex Head’ – and was re-named in 1975 to commemorate the famous crime writer ‘Edgar Wallace’ at the centenary of his death

 

Another view of “The Edgar Wallace” pub – near Temple station 🙂 The pub is also famous for being the local drinking hole of Samuel Johnson-(b.1709 – d. 1784) the historically famous writer, poet, playwright, biographer, literary critic and early author of the English Dictionary

 

Me – outside “The Edgar Wallace” pub – near Temple station

 

The interior of “The Edgar Wallace” pub is crammed to the rafters with old advertising memorabilia, mainly relating to pubs and smoking paraphernalia, and its ceiling is completely covered with old beer mats

 

Inside “The Edgar Wallace” pub – near Temple station

 

More views of the Inside of “The Edgar Wallace” pub – near Temple station

 

The ceiling of ” The Edgar Wallace” pub – near the District Line’s Temple station

 

Me – neckin’ down a ‘cheeky’ one inside “The Edgar Wallace” pub – near Temple station

 

 

 

 

 

“Holy Holy” perform “The Man Who Sold the World” & “Ziggy Stardust” – ‘live’ at the “London Palladium”

Posted on by Posted in Music .

When putting together this post for the “London Shoes” website – I wasn’t too sure whether the topic in question was ‘technically’ correct for the ‘Shoes’ doctrine of “London’s lesser known and more unusual historical aspects” – However, upon further consideration I believe that it does as 2 of the principal personalities of the topic, definitely fit into the category of ‘lesser known’ to most people – and in terms of ‘history’, they have both worked with, and have been pivotal to, the early success of probably London’s (and the worlds) most globally famous songwriter and performer of popular music , throughout the past 60 years.

This particular “London Shoes” publication is all about ‘Woody Woodmansey’ & ‘Tony Visconti’, who both worked closely with the late great David Bowie.

(image courtesy of norwichartscentre.co.uk)

Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey (b 1951) was the drummer on 4 of Bowie’s earlier albums:-

> The Man Who Sold the World – (released 1970)
> Hunky Dory– (released 1971)
> The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars – (released 1972)
> Aladdin Sane – (released 1973)

Tony Visconti (b 1944) played bass on Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ album – and then went on to become one of the music industry’s top producers, and a life-long friend of Bowie’s right up until his death in January 2016.

People tend to forget that David Bowie had been around in the music business long before he found fame with 1972’s “The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust” album.

From the early 1960’s Bowie (real name David Jones) had been desperately trying to find his own niche in London’s music scene – and he thought that he had finally succeeded when he scored a hit with the single “Space Oddity” in 1969 – a song that became popular because it coincided with the very first Moon landing.

However, following the success of the ‘Space Oddity’ single, Bowie then struggled to keep the momentum going, and was desperately trying to find an identity that would endure him and his music to the record buying public, and the music industry itself.

In 1970, he went into ‘Trident Studios’ just off of Wardour Street W1 – accompanied by 2 young musicians from Hull – ‘Mick Ronson’ (guitar) and ‘Woody Woodmansey’ (drums), plus his American mate ‘Tony Visconti’ (who was just starting his career as a record producer) on bass.

1969 & 1970 was a period in time that saw a major shift in peoples tastes from what was described as ‘pop’ music to a more heavier sound of ‘rock’ music, which started to get more and more louder and heavier in terms of sound, with the likes of groups such as ‘Black Sabbath’ / ‘Deep Purple’ / Led Zeppelin etc, becoming popular with the youth (including me) of the day.

The songs that Bowie wrote and selected for this new album, were not necessarily typical of the heavy rock anthems being produced by the top bands – but the backing provided by Ronson/Visconti & Woody Woodmansey, was, on some of the tracks, quite ‘heavy’ & ‘progressive’, and therefore typical of the music being knocked-out at that time.

The finished album was titled “The Man Who Sold the World” and was released in Nov 1970 – however, although it failed to launch Bowie into the ‘big-time’, it was well received and peaked at no.24 in the UK album charts and no.44 in the US album charts.

(image courtesy of newstalk.com)

However, because Bowie did not have a permanent ‘working’ band put together during this period, the album was NEVER performed ‘live’ before an audience.

After ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ album was released, Tony Visconti concentrated on his record producing career – and was replaced on bass by ‘Trevor Bolder’ (b.1950), a friend of Ronson & Woodmansey’s from Hull.

It is these 3 musicians who backed Bowie on his next 3 albums – Hunky Dory – The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & Aladdin Sane, and became known as the ‘Spiders from Mars’ – right up until Bowie decided to call it a day on the ‘Ziggy’ persona, change musical styles, and then go on to become the global super-star he became throughout the following decades.

The guitarist Mick Ronson went on to play with many of the days leading artists including Bob Dylan – he was also a renowned record producer in his own right. Ronson died in 1993 of liver cancer.

Similarly, Trevor Bolder went on to play bass with a number of well-known bands, including a long spell with heavy-rock group Uriah Heep – until he sadly succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2013.

Tony Visconti went on to (and still is) one of the recording industry’s top producers – and was a life-long friend and music collaborator of David Bowie right up to Bowie’s death in 2016.

Meanwhile, drummer Woody Woodmansey is now left as the only remaining “Spider from Mars” – and has the accolade of being the drummer on legendary songs such as:- ‘Life on Mars’ – ‘Changes’ – ‘Starman’ – ‘John-I’m only Dancing’ – ‘Jean Genie’ – plus many many more from 4 of Bowie’s earlier albums.

Anyway – around 2014 Visconti & Woodmansey met up and agreed that it was such a shame that “The Man Who Sold the World” songs had never been played ‘live’ on stage – something that Bowie himself often regretted.

One thought led to another, and very soon they decided to put a little band together for the sole purpose of rehearsing the tracks from “The Man Who Sold the World” – with a view to performing them ‘live’ to an audience for the very first time – some 45 years after the album had been released.

They named their band “Holy Holy” which was taken from the title of a Bowie single they had played on, that had totally bombed.

The interest in ‘Holy Holy’ and the material they were to perform grew rapidly – particularly among those Bowie fans of a ‘certain age’ like me, who spent many hours of their youth listening to ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ album.

Following an initial few gigs, the success of the ‘Holy Holy’ band and its performances has subsequently gone from strength to strength throughout the past couple of years – and they have even toured the US.

There have been many ‘guest’ celeb musicians and singers that have toured with the band over the last couple of years, such as Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet) – Marc Almond (Soft Cell) and Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols) plus many more – and the current band comprises of Glen Gregory (ex Heaven 17) on vocals – renowned session guitarists James Stephenson and Paul Cuddeford – Jessica Lee Morgan on sax, guitar & backing vocals (Jessica is the daughter from the marriage of Tony Visconti to Mary Hopkin – who those of a certain age will remember sang Opportunity Knocks and then went on to have a massive worldwide hit with ‘Those Were The Days My Friend”) – And of course on bass is the one and only Tony Visconti and on drums is the legendary Woody Woodmansey – both of whom played on the original “The Man Who Sold the World” album.

So – last Wednesday I was extremely fortunate to get hold of one of the last remaining tickets for Holy Holy’s performance of “The Man Who Sold the World” at the prestigious “London Palladium” theatre – where the band proceeded to knock out the entire “The Man Who Sold the World” album – and if that wasn’t enough, they then banged out all the tracks off of the iconic “The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars” album.

Now, I’ve been to some historically legendary gigs in my time on this planet, but I have to say that this performance was right up there with the best of them – The Palladium was packed to the rafters and the band’s performance of all the tracks from the “The Man Who Sold the World” album, was ‘note-perfect’. The audience (of varied ages) was up on their feet and singing along to the choons, especially when the band played the entire ‘Ziggy’ album.

Bearing in mind that Woody Woodmansey is now 68 and Tony Visconti is 75, they were full of energy and you could see just how much the gig meant to them.

As someone who can say “I was there” way back in August 1972 when Bowie & the Spiders from Mars played, what has now become the legendary gig at London’s ‘Rainbow Theatre’ on the first leg of the very first Ziggy Stardust tour – I never though that I would witness another concert is good as that – but last week’s Palladium performance by Woodmansey and Visconti’s ‘Holy Holy’, is right up with there with the best of the gigs that I have been to during my time on this planet. The musicianship, the performance, the excitement and the entertainment created a special night, and one that all the audience, including myself – will never forget.

As the late great David Bowie would say:-
Oh no, not me – I never lost control
You’re face, to face
With the Man who sold the World

Hope the accompanying photos bring this little ‘good old London night out’ to life for you.

 

The revised cover for Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” album – that was reissued when Bowie reached fame with Ziggy Stardust in 72.

 

As well as ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ – Woody Woodmansey played drums on Bowie’s 70’s albums:- ‘Hunky Dory’ – The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars’ – and ‘Aladdin Sane’

Tony Visconti and David Bowie – at the time the ‘Man Who Sold the World’ album was being recorded (image courtesy of almay.com)

 

Tony Visconti and Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey – at around the time the album ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ was being recorded (1970) (image courtesy of norwichartscentre.co.uk)

 

The original cover for David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” album – released in 1970 (image courtesy of newstalk.com)

 

The US censored the original album cover of “The Man Who Sold the World” – as they weren’t too comfortable with the fact that Bowie was wearing a ‘dress’ – So this was the revised US cover for the album. (image courtesy of newstalk.com)

 

David Bowie & The Spiders from Mars – as displayed on the inner sleeve of the album “The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars”

 

Woody Woodmansey – at the height of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust period (1972/3) (image courtesy of strangers.co.uk)

David Bowie & the Spiders from Mars from l to r:- Trevor Bolder (bass) – Woody Woodmansey (drums) – David Bowie – Mick Ronson (guitar) (image courtesy of mostlyrandomphotoseh.blog)

 

Bowie and Woody Woodmansey on stage during the height of the Ziggy Stardust era (1972/1973) (image courtesy of pleasekillme.com)

 

The London Palladium – for the ‘Holy Holy’ gig

 

Me – arriving at the London Palladium for Woody Woodmansey & Tony Visconti’s  “Holy Holy” gig

 

The legendary ‘London Palladium’ – venue for Woody Woodmansey’s & Tony Visconti’s ‘Holy Holy’ gig – 20/02/2019

 

Punters queuing up at the London Palladium entrance for the ‘Holy Holy’ gig

 

Some ‘stage door Johnny’ at the London Palladium

 

A pre-gig ‘cheeky’ one in the Palladium bar

 

Another pre-gig ‘cheeky’ one in the Palladium bar

 

And yet a 3rd pre-gig ‘cheeky’ one in the Palladium bar

 

‘London Shoes’ on the Palladium carpet – preparing to ‘shuffle’

 

‘Holy Holy’ performing ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ at the London Palladium

 

Woody Woodmansey and Tony Visconti – on stage at the London Palladium

 

“Holy Holy” on stage at the Palladium

 

“Holy Holy” on stage at the Palladium

 

Tony Visconti – welcomes the audience

 

Woody Woodmansey – tub-thumping at the Palladium

 

Tony Visconti (bass) & Woody Woodmansey (drums) – on stage at the London Palladium

 

Tony Visconti – and guitarist James Stephenson & Woody on stage

 

Tony Visconti (bass) & Woody Woodmansey (drums) – on stage at the London Palladium

 

“Holy Holy” on stage at the Palladium

 

The audience lapping-up the band’s performance

 

The band returning to the stage for an encore

 

The brilliant & legendary Woody Woodmansey – steps down from his drum kit to personally thank the Palladium audience, at the end of the gig

 

Tony Visconti & Woody Woodmansey today – some 49 years since they provided bass & drums to David Bowie’s 1970 album – “The Man Who Sold the World” (image courtesy of kingston.ac.uk)

 

Me – necking down a well deserved post-gig ‘cheeky’ beer in the Palladium bar, after a cracking nights entertainment

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “Polo Bar” – Bishopsgate-EC2 – London’s Classic Cafes – Pt2

Posted on by Posted in Cafes .

Although this week’s publication onto the ‘London Shoes’ website is brief in its content in comparison to the usual postings – the subject matter in question proudly has its own little niche in post-war history, in terms of its service to Londoners.
This week’s blog is the 2nd posting in the London Shoes category of “London’s Classic Cafes” – and is all about the famous and extremely popular “Polo Bar” in Bishopsgate-EC2.

 

The ‘Polo Bar’ café first opened as the ‘Marco Polo Bar’ way back in 1953, when a Mrs Bruna Inzani and her husband set up a business that provided traditional English breakfasts and other home cooked dishes, to hungry Londoner’s.

The café has always been ideally situated in London’s Bishopsgate area, directly opposite the main entrance to the very busy Liverpool Street Station terminus.

Today, some 66 years since it first opened, the ‘Polo Bar’ is still proudly owned and run by the Inzani family – who jokingly declare that they have been in business ‘long before rock-n-roll was cool’.

Another big ‘claim-to-fame’ of the ‘Polo Bar’ is that is one of only a handful of “24 Hour” eatery establishments throughout the whole of London – and as a result, punters don’t actually ‘come through the door’ of the ‘Polo Bar’, because there aint one!!!.

Because the ‘Polo Bar’ is open every minute of hour of every day of the year, there was no point in forking out good money for a front door, as it would never have needed to be ‘shut’.

Christmas Day is the only day that the Polo Bar is closed – and to secure the place, all they do is quite simply nail a sheet of plywood over the entrance for that day.

The Polo Bar is spread across 3 floors – and not only does it serve food 24 hours per day, it also has a 24 hour booze licence – so you can imagine just how popular the place is.

Throughout any 24 hour period, the cafe serves customers from all walks of life such as cabbies – policemen & women (the City of London Police Station is just a few doors away) – para-medics – insurance brokers (Lloyds of London is just down the road) – bankers – shift workers – people waiting for a later train from Liverpool Street Station and tourists, just to name but a few – and then of course, you have all the ‘clubbers’ and night-owls – all of whom enjoy the delights of its varied menu, and the booze it serves up.

Naturally, the café can sometimes get a bit ‘lively’ and noisy in the wee wee hours, and so ‘bouncers’ are on-the-(non-existent) door to keep any rowdy punters under control throughout late evening through till dawn.

In my ignorance I have to admit that I was never aware of the existence of the ‘Polo Bar’ even though I would have walked right past it literally thousands of times throughout my life – which is a big shame, as had I known about its existence, then it would most certainly have been a place I would have ended up at on my way home from nights out ‘up-west’ during my late teens, and then later in life when making my way home from Bank do’s etc – as it’s an ideal place to grab one final ‘cheeky’ one, and a nice plate of ‘munch’ to soak-up the booze, before boarding the last train out of Liverpool Street Station.

Still – now that I’m aware of the café, I can envisage me using it on a regular basis from now on, as it’s the ideal place for me to grab a coffee and a sarnie, before making my way home following a full days ‘blogging’.

Anyway – I managed to grab a table on the ground floor of the Polo Bar, and then enjoyed getting stuck in to a massive doorstep salt beef sandwich plus a generously filled bacon baguette, washed down with lovely cappuccino.

So – the ‘Polo Bar’ one of London’s classic cafes – a family run business, 66 years old and still going strong – and in my opinion, definitely a place worth visiting if you ever find yourself in the Bishopsgate area of the City and feeling peckish and/or fancying a ‘cheeky’ one – no matter what time of day.

Hope the accompanying photos bring this little “Shoes” story to life for ya.

 

 

The “Polo Bar” café – 176 Bishopsgate-EC2 – opened in 1953 and located directly opposite the main entrance of Liverpool Street Station

 

A close-up of the ‘Polo Bar’ café shop front – minus a front door

 

The entrance to the Polo Bar – with stairs leading to its 1st & 2nd floors

 

Front page of the Polo Bar cafe’s 4 page menu

 

 

 

Inside the Polo Bar – ground floor

 

A hungry punter – inside the Polo Bar – ground floor

 

Inside the Polo Bar – ground floor

 

Inside the Polo Bar – ground floor – commemorating its close association with Liverpool Street Station

 

Inside the Polo Bar – 1st floor

 

Inside the Polo Bar – 2nd floor

 

 

A bacon baguette and a cappo – served up in the Polo Bar

 

A satisfied punter inside the Polo Bar

 

Neckin’ down a final ‘cheeky’ cappo in the Polo Bar – before heading off home

 

“Ronnie Scott’s Club”-Soho W1 – one of the world’s most famous Jazz clubs

Posted on by Posted in Music, People .

 

This week’s ‘London Shoes’ topic was a bit special for me, as the visit in question enabled me to tick-off one of the “must do” activities on my personal ‘bucket-list’.

Also – it just so happened that I visited the subject matter in question at a special time in its history…its 60th anniversary year – and, to make this outing even more special, I was extremely fortunate to find myself on the ‘guest list’, thus enabling me to go behind the scenes and tread where legends have trodden before.

So – the “London Shoes” topic this week is all about my memorable visit to one of the most famous clubs in the world – the “Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club” …..in Frith Street, Soho, London W1.

Those that follow the ‘London Shoes’ blogs, may recall a piece I did just before Christmas, where I visited the Albert Hall, for the specific purpose of attending a jazz gig being performed its Elgar Room, by a band that included my good friend ‘Gentleman’ George Double, my drum teacher from way back in the late 1990’s, when I was manager of Barclays Mare St-Hackney – and, a then young George, was a customer.

George Double is now a leading ‘face’ on the British jazz scene, and regularly appears at top jazz venues all across London, and he is also curator of the Hadleigh and Southwold Jazz Clubs.

Anyway, following that Albert Hall gig, ‘Gentleman’ George informed me that he would be playing at ‘Ronnie Scotts’ in February – and having mentioned to him in passing, that I had never ever visited “Ronnie Scott’s”, he asked me if I would be interested in coming along as a ‘guest’ of the band!!!!…….(I couldn’t believe my luck)

 

Ronnie Scott (r) with business partner Pete King – at the time when the first Ronnie Scott’s Club was opened in the late 1950’s (image courtesy of e.wikapedia.org)

The history of how the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club came about is an interesting story in itself – and it starts back in 1959 when 2 young London jazz musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King opened up a club down in a tiny basement of a property in Gerrard Street in the Soho district of London.

 

 

 

The purpose of the club at that time, was simply for it to be a place where local jazz musicians could congregate and ‘jam’ together , trading ‘licks’, ‘styles’ and ‘vibes’ (d’yer see my use of muso terms there ).

The Gerrard Street club soon became extremely popular with jazz lovers, and it was obvious that a larger venue was needed.

So, in 1965, the club moved to larger premises just a couple of streets away at 47 Frith Street-Soho – where it remains situated today.

Initially, the artists performing there were mainly up and coming British jazz musicians – as the club couldn’t attract the more globally popular American jazz stars – however, as the clubs reputation grew, it naturally started to attract attention from overseas, particularly the USA.

The very first ‘big’ American jazz star to appear at ‘Ronnie Scotts’ was the saxophonist “Zoot Sims”, who performed to an excited full-house – and this gig paved the way for other American jazz stars to follow suit.

 

Interestingly, during my research, I found out that ‘Zoot Sims’ was actually the influence for “Zoot” the sax playing muppet from the ‘Muppet Show’ – (it’s funny the useless info one collates when doing this stuff).

 

 

 

By the mid to late 1960’s Ronnie Scott’s was the ‘go-to’ place for celebs, musicians, ‘faces’ and even gangsters from London’s underworld, and its reputation continued to grow, attracting musicians and punters from all over the planet.

The list of jazz greats that have played ‘Ronnie Scotts’ is endless – and includes the likes of the following – to name just a few:-
Ella Fitzgerald – (singer)
Chet Baker – (trumpet)
Sarah Vaughan – (singer)
Buddy Rich – (drummer)
Billy Cobham – (drummer)
Nona Simone – (songwriter & pianist)
David Sanborn – (saxophonist)
Chic Corea – (keyboards)
George Benson – (singer & guitarist)
Stan Getz – (saxophonist)
Jamie Cullum – (piano)

Not only have the legends of world jazz played ‘Ronnie Scotts’ – there have been loads of ‘Live’ albums recorded there over the years – and I’ve listed just a few below:-
1962 – Zoot Sims – “Zoot at Ronnie Scotts”
1971 – Stan Getz – “Dynasty Live at Ronnie Scotts”
1974 – Ella Fitzgerald – “Ella in London”
1977 – Sarah Vaughan – “Sarah Vaughan Live”
1980 – Buddy Rich – “The Man from Planet Jazz”
1984 – Nina Simone – “Live at Ronnie Scotts”
2004 – Charlie Watts – “Watts at Scotts”
2006 – Jamie Cullum – “Live at Ronnie Scotts”

Ronnie Scott’s club also has a significant place in ‘Rock’ history – as it is the venue where, in 1970, rock legend ‘Jimi Hendrix’ made his last public appearance.

In 1996 Ronnie Scott sadly and unexpectedly died at the age of 69 – however, his long-time business partner Pete King continued to run the club for a further 9 years, right up to its 45th anniversary – but he found that it just wasn’t the same without his old pal Ronnie – so – in 2005 Ronnie Scott’s was sold to London theatre impresario Sally Greene, with a ‘strict’ proviso that it would remain a jazz club – for the people.

2019 sees the now world famous “Ronnie Scott’s” Club celebrate its 60th anniversary, and the club is as popular today as it’s ever been, with most of its shows sold out well in advance – as it is a place where music lovers can eat, drink and listen to all different styles of jazz music in cosy comfortable surrounding – right through to 3am.

So – parking my bum on my specially designated ‘guest-list’ seat up at the bar – I sat back to watch one of the most accomplished singers on the UK jazz scene – London based “Sara Dowling”, backed by the Chris Ingham Trio that included my old drum tutor ‘Gentleman’ George Double –– bassist Dario Di Lecce – and obviously pianist Chris Ingham.

Performing to a full-house, Sara Dowling & the band delivered an excellent set entitled “The Jazz of Judy Garland” – which was thoroughly enjoyed, by me, and all the other ‘Billy Bunters’ that were there.

So – for me, this once-in-a-life time opportunity of being ‘with the band’ behind the scenes at the world famous “Ronnie Scott’s”, means that I can now say that I have ‘trodden the boards’ on the same stage where all those jazz legends have stood over the years – which is a memory I will never forget.😊

Hope the accompanying photos bring this little story to life.

 

Frith Street-Soho-London W1 – where the world famous “Ronnie Scott’s” club is located

 

Frith Street-Soho – with “Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club” on the left – and the famous “Bar Italia” on the right

 

The iconic “Ronnie Scott’s” club neon sign

 

“Ronnie Scott’s” – 47 Frith Street-Soho-London W1

 

The main entrance to “Ronnie Scott’s”

 

Me – outside the main entrance to “Ronnie Scott’s”

 

Another one of me outside “Ronnie Scott’s” club in Frith Street

 

Ronnie Scott (r) with business partner Pete King – who started up the “Ronnie Scott’s Club”, way back in 1959 (image courtesy of Pinterest.com)

 

Inside Ronnie Scott’s – pre-gig

 

Inside Ronnie Scott’s – pre-gig

 

Inside Ronnie Scott’s – pre-gig

 

Me – Inside Ronnie Scott’s – pre-gig

 

Me – in the famous dressing room of Ronnie Scott’s

 

My dear friend and jazz drummer ‘Gentleman’ George Double in the dressing room of Ronnie Scott’s – pre-gig

 

Back-stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band’s sound-check on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band’s sound-check on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band’s sound-check on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

Me – ‘treading the boards’ and ‘brushing the skins’ on the stage of one of them worlds most famous Jazz Clubs

 

The 1962 album cover of Zoot Sims – Live at Ronnie Scott’s

 

 

The cover of Nina Simone’s 1984 album -“Live at Ronnie Scott’s”

 

 

 

The cover of Rolling Stones drummer ‘Charlie Watts’ 2004 album – “Watts at Scott’s”

 

The 2006 cover o the Jamie Cullum album – “Live at Ronnie Scott’s”

 

Sara Dowling performing her “The Jazz of Judy Garland” on stage at Ronnie Scott’s – accompanied by Chris Ingham (piano)-my old drum tutor ‘Gentleman’ George Double (drums) and Dario Di Lecce (bass)

 

The band performing on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band performing on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band performing on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band performing on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band performing on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

The band performing on stage at Ronnie Scott’s

 

My ‘London Shoes’ – foot-tapping to the sounds of jazz at Ronnie Scott’s

 

Me & my good friend and ex-drum tutor ‘Gentleman’ George Double – on stage at the “Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club” – Soho – (Feb 19)

 

Me brushing some skins – on stage at Ronnie Scott’s club – and luvin every minute of it 🙂