Exploring one of the world's greatest cities
As the Coronavirus lockdown continues, many of you are no doubt turning to streaming services in an attempt to stave off the boredom. However, there’s plenty to watch free online too, and here is my London films and documentaries box set selection! Current crisis aside, we are fortunate to live in a world where access to…
With the UK now in lockdown due to the Coronavirus many of you will no doubt be stuck indoors with little to do… so what better time to have a themed quiz? Here is my medical London lockdown quiz! Below are 20 questions which, in honour of the fantastic work being carried out by NHS…
On the 13th March 2020 David Lynch’s masterpiece The Elephant Man was due to be re-released in cinemas, fully restored in 4k definition to honour the film’s 40th anniversary. Sadly, few showings were able to take place due to the onset of the Covid 19 crisis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvJuJKOmZAY Shot in atmospheric black and white, The Elephant…
During the Cold War the threat of nuclear war was held in check by a perilous doctrine dubbed ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’. The idea behind this was that, because both sides maintained huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons, neither would dare attack the other, for to do so would be suicidal. Rather aptly, this theory was abbreviated to ‘MAD’. …
As the Cold War took hold and the devastating power of nuclear weapons became apparent, nations in both the West and East began to build bunkers in anticipation of a Third World War. Due to their purpose, many of these subterranean Cold War bunkers were top secret at the time and their existence continues to…
November 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, an event which effectively symbolised the end of the Cold War. Between 1945 and 1989 many cities found themselves under the shadow of the tense stand off between East and West. London was no exception and there are numerous sites in the…
When H.G Wells’ celebrated tale, War of the Worlds, was first serialised in Pearson’s Magazine in 1897, the world was powered by steam and Queen Victoria was still on the throne. Yet Wells had the foresight to envisage an alien invasion of Earth in which ultra-intelligent beings from Mars travel across the gulf of space in…
Although not as widely heard in London as it once was, Cockney rhyming slang remains an intrinsic part of the city’s character. Origins Playful, witty and occasionally crude, the dialect appears to have developed in the city’s East End during the 19th century; a time when the area was blighted by immense poverty. It’s believed…
