UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 6, 2020 17:02:59 GMT
Central London present and future
The area is not completely deserted: joggers and cyclists still use it. There are a few people going out on errands and there is still some traffic. Dustmen are still collecting. Surprisingly the Horseguards are still appearing in Whitehall even though there are not many people around to admire them. “I was last walking around the Leicester Square area on the 15th March and whole junctions had been turned into construction sites. I had to navigate a maze of building fences and planks to get from A to B.” You are right about the construction sites: a huge new 5-star hotel to be called the Londoner is being built in Leicester Square, and there are many other ambitious projects in progress. For the moment work is continuing, but who will come and stay in the new hotels? Who will want the new luxury flats, who will come to work in the new expensive offices and who will buy from the pricey new shops? I think that many high-end projects are doomed. I suspect that some existing shops and venues will not re-open.
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aletheia
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Post by aletheia on Apr 7, 2020 17:20:13 GMT
London is unique in UK for its extensive tube network. One thing I used to love in the past was buying physical tickets for tube journeys, sadly the Oyster card is now so prevalent that the tickets are redundant. Something which allayed my boredom somewhat was this quiz on Sporcle in which the objective was to recall all the names of the Zone 1 tube stations. To my shame, I missed out some ones that I shouldn't have, but overall I did OK: scoring 51/63. Here is the link to the quiz www.sporcle.com/games/g/londontubecentral
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 8, 2020 7:16:01 GMT
The London Underground
There was a time when the tunnels and disused stations were a hot topic on here.
The Transport Museum in Covent Garden has a collection of old tickets and passes, and they can sometimes be found on eBay.
I used to travel by tube a lot but in recent years I have been mainly going by bus, often upstairs and at the front to get the best views.
Many of the stations have closed and services are reduced because of the virus. Essential workers are packed in.
I dislike the huge modern stations on the new Jubilee Line; I much prefer the old Northern Line, which I used every day for many years. I still think of it as my line and I feel very nostalgic about the station names:
“Finchley Central is two and sixpence From Golders Green on the Northern Line… At Finchley Central, ten long stations From Golders Green, change at Camden Town...”
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 9, 2020 6:51:03 GMT
All the Zones
“...the objective was to recall all the names of the Zone 1 tube stations.” aletheia this man has produced a song that helps people to memorise the names of all the London Underground stations! He has put the names into groups to make it easier to remember them.
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aletheia
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Post by aletheia on Apr 9, 2020 14:33:30 GMT
That's brilliant UnseenI ! I'm sure that after a week of listening to that I'll be a whizz on London tube stations. That must have taken some time to make and a great example of creativity. I was pleased to see those tube map leaflets included in the video; I used to love collecting the different designs that featured on the front.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 9, 2020 18:14:48 GMT
TFL maps etc.
It was very clever of that man to put like names with like and make the verses rhyme - these things help a lot when it comes to memorising all those names. I remember playing a game with people when on the underground platforms many years ago: one of us used to select and name a station that was not well known and the others tried to be the first person to locate it on the tube map on the wall without looking it up on the reference key. As for paper maps, I have been getting a set of five free bus maps every few years. Some of them have lovely covers. I was really annoyed when I went to replace them last year as I found they are no longer being issued. I have kept my most recent set, but recycled the others over the years. I wish I had kept them all, or at least taken pictures of the covers. These ones from 2012 are not the best I have seen, but they are not a bad example:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 14, 2020 17:47:52 GMT
Tootancamden!
I found an amusing story about the naming of the Northern Line: “The resulting line became known as the Morden–Edgware line, although a number of alternative names were also mooted in the fashion of the contraction of Baker Street & Waterloo Railway to ‘Bakerloo’, such as ‘Edgmor’, ‘Mordenware’, ‘Medgway’ and ‘Edgmorden’. With Egyptology very much in fashion after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, there was also a proposal to call the line the Tootancamden Line as it passed through both Tooting and Camden. It was eventually named the Northern line from 28 August 1937” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_line en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_lineI wish that they had called it Tootancamden! A map of the Northern Line and some of the attractions to be found close to Northern Line stations:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on May 5, 2020 18:21:17 GMT
A strange juxtaposition of Boris, Bowie, Isis and the Syrian Temple of Bel
“Boris Johnson has challenged London to channel the spirit of David Bowie as it stands up to the terror threat stalking the streets of the capital. In his final Mansion House address as mayor, Mr Johnson said he could not imagine anything the 'morons' of ISIS would find more abhorrent than the British rock legend. But he said it was the willingness to accept the individualism and eccentricity of Bowie which was the 'genius' which drove London… Mr Johnson highlighted an ambitious project to recreate an ancient Syrian temple in Trafalgar Square following its destruction by ISIS. He said: 'In April we will unveil a honey-hued replica of the fabled and beautiful gateway of the temple of Bel from Palmyra – the temple that stood for almost two thousand years until it was razed by the sick and nihilistic maniacs of Daesh or the so-called Islamic state. 'We will erect that portico as an act of defiance.” Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3401522/The-genius-David-Bowie-drives-London-face-terror-threat-morons-ISIS-declares-Boris-Johnson.html#ixzz3xQt9ad75 Bel? Baal? Child sacrifice? This reminds me of the Moloch at the Colosseum post in the History section. The replica arch was one of the many temporary sculptures installed in Trafalgar Square in recent years:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on May 29, 2020 7:08:57 GMT
The London Trocadero
This building complex at Piccadilly Circus is in the news because there are plans to turn part of it into a mosque. The Trocadero was built in 1896. It was originally a Lyons restaurant. A large variety of leisure and entertainment facilities have come and gone over the years, and its glory days are behind it. It was a good place to take children in the 1990s - I spent many happy hours there with some young friends. There were plans to turn part of the complex into a Japanese-style pod or capsule hotel where you get a very small space with a bed and a TV, but that came to nothing. Much of it is empty now. No wonder that a drastic change of use is being proposed.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 17, 2020 19:37:31 GMT
Outside dining in central London
Many eateries in the main tourist areas are still closed. Some may have decided to call it a day, some may not be able to meet the distancing rules and some might think there are not enough people to make opening worthwhile.
There are ambitious plans to get things moving with temporary road closures and pavement widening and temporary permission to put tables and chairs outside - just as the weather has got very wet!
I wonder whether this will encourage people to visit places such as Soho, Leicester Square and Covent Garden.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 21, 2020 7:36:00 GMT
Fun and games on the London buses
Many different companies operate bus routes under the Transport for London umbrella. This has made travelling during lockdown very confusing, as there are different models of buses and the rules have been implemented differently. Some buses are fitted with two places to touch in, one by the driver and one by the middle doors, and some have just the one. The drivers’ areas have been sealed off with tape and people have been entering by the middle doors only. This has meant free rides for weeks on some buses! This does not go too well with the instruction to use public transport only for essential journeys. There is some irony here as TFL were on the point of making everyone board by the front doors only as some of the people boarding in the middle were not touching in so the operators were losing income. The restrictions are being relaxed slowly, but passengers still have to check the temporary posters to see which door to use before boarding and whether or not touching in is required. I recently tapped in next to the driver on the outward journey and on the same bus number had to use the middle doors with no tap in for the return journey. Some buses now have signs saying the opposite of these ones:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jul 22, 2020 7:36:44 GMT
The Last Tuesday Society Museum of Curiosities
The only curiosity museum in the country is in Hackney, East London. I mentioned it on another forum years ago; I went past it yesterday, which reminded me of its existence. “The Little Shop of Horrors is located at 11 Mare Street, London E8. The shop front (The Last Tuesday Society) looks fairly normal from a distance; it’s only after you’ve opened the door that this changes. Even before the museum proper is reached, a cornucopia of the curious explodes into the visitor’s vision. Stuffed fruit bats dangle from the ceiling, and the room is dominated by the vast, impressive fossilised skull of an auroch, a gigantic, extinct species of cattle. Other treats include a stuffed mermaid (possibly a Japanese Ningyo), preserved crows and rats in various poses and accurate, life-sized models of sea pigs (genus Scotoplanes). A flight of stairs leads the visitor down into what might just be the most wonderful collection of strange objects ever assembled under one roof, the modern equivalent of some 17th-century kunstkammer, a collection of objects assembled at a whim on the basis of their æsthetic or historical appeal with little to link one wonder to another and no attempt at explanation. The objects are assembled simply for their own intrinsic interest or grotesque appeal. The Little Shop is the brainchild of collector and proprietor Viktor Wynd, and this was precisely his intention: ‘I wanted to see how a contemporary wunderkammer might look,’ he says… As well as the Little Shop of Horrors, Viktor Wynd is also the man behind The Last Tuesday Society, which puts on talks and throws decadent masques and parties ” www.forteantimes.com/features/fbi/5455/viktor_wynd_and_his_little_shop_of_horrors.html
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jul 22, 2020 7:38:49 GMT
Inside Viktor Wynd’s Curiosity Museum
It was Lavendel who introduced me to the words kunstkammer and wunderkammer. They can cover just about anything. The exhibits in the Curiosity Museum are rather sinister and gruesome - I am not tempted to go inside. Anyone who wants more information can find it on the website at www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/museum-curiosities/
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jul 30, 2020 17:36:11 GMT
A big dollop of cream with a cherry on top!
This is the latest temporary art installation on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square - some of the previous ones are in earlier posts. I saw it for myself today - I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! It looks very out of place and I was not impressed. In addition to the cherry, there is a fly and a drone on the cream. The drone will transmit live videos of crowds in the square, which people will be able to view on their phones via a website. It is called The End, and is intended to highlight surveillance issues. The whipped cream is a sign of impending collapse!
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Aug 6, 2020 18:09:18 GMT
Handwashing stations
These small blue tents are a new, temporary feature of central London. They offer people a chance to use some hand sanitiser. I have seen them myself: they are staffed with people who looked very bored in the days when there were not many people about, and they have numbered diagrams on the sides showing people how to wash their hands. Here is the station at Piccadilly Circus, with one of the many ‘social distancing ambassadors’ who are manning the area:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Aug 17, 2020 18:08:45 GMT
The future of central London
The ghost town with empty streets is now just a faint memory. Superficially things are back to normal, but some shops in Regent St., Oxford St., Bond St. and Piccadilly are still closed, and there are not many customers in most of the shops there that have re-opened. The tourist magnets are quiet and the theatres are still closed. Continued home-working is partly responsible for the lack of footfall, but some restrictions are making people wonder whether coming to the West End for eating, entertainment and shopping is worth it. A friend told me that he gave contact details when he bought a coffee from Starbucks for example, and who wants to wear a mask for hours on end? Who wants to be watched by a “social distancing ambassador”? Extreme heat followed by torrential downpours hasn’t helped either. Will things ever go back to the way they were? I don’t think that they will. Bojo is the only person visiting these places it seems:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Aug 29, 2020 7:26:57 GMT
Central London demonstrations
Unite for Freedom, Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter are all said to be holding protests and marches in central London over the weekend and bank holiday.
It will be interesting to see how many of their supporters show up.
David Icke is scheduled to be speaking In Trafalgar Square.
I may go out to see some of the action.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Aug 29, 2020 18:14:59 GMT
Trafalgar Square today
A large number of people came - the DM’s estimate is that at least 10,000 conspiracy theorist packed the Square - with no masks and no social distancing! Unusually, there was no big screen. This meant that most people couldn’t see the speakers. Perhaps it was deliberate, but there was little notice that David Icke would be speaking outside Parliament at a particular time. I would have gone there instead if I had known about this. I don’t want to break the ProBoards rules about passing on false information about the virus, so will just give a link to the DM report with a video and many pictures: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8676875/Thousands-anti-maskers-believe-pandemic-HOAX-march-against-lockdown-London.html
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Tsar
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Post by Tsar on Aug 30, 2020 23:32:23 GMT
I heard about this. Imagine thinking there's a dystopia around the corner worse than this insane society.
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Post by Tsar on Aug 30, 2020 23:36:22 GMT
A big dollop of cream with a cherry on top!
This is the latest temporary art installation on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square - some of the previous ones are in earlier posts. I saw it for myself today - I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! It looks very out of place and I was not impressed. In addition to the cherry, there is a fly and a drone on the cream. The drone will transmit live videos of crowds in the square, which people will be able to view on their phones via a website. It is called The End, and is intended to highlight surveillance issues. The whipped cream is a sign of impending collapse! "Art" these days just seems to be an excuse to pump out grotesque, nihilistic garbage and justify it with pretentious, pseudo-philosophical language. I love when hipsters and arty farty types pretend there's profound meaning in this sort of rubbish.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Aug 31, 2020 7:12:45 GMT
London statues and street art
I agree that the cream with cherry in top looks very out of place - the Tate Modern would be more suitable. I much prefer classical and traditional styles and grey stone. Here is another temporary occupant of the fourth plinth:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Sept 1, 2020 18:42:07 GMT
The pile of plastic
Another temporary art installation that does not fit the surroundings - it is said to be a model for a new hotel!
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Sept 2, 2020 7:39:10 GMT
More about Saturday’s gathering in Trafalgar Square
As always, the organisers’ estimate of the number attending is high and that of non-supporters is low. 20,000 is in the middle!
David Icke did give a speech there after all - I m guessing that people who want to know exactly who will be where and when must follow or sign up to social media. The police confiscated the TV screen!
The DIF has full details of the speech, including a video. The ProBoard coronavirus policy means it is best not to put too much on here.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Sept 11, 2020 18:43:19 GMT
Rallies and the new rule of six Resist and Act and Unite for Freedom plan to hold follow-up rallies in Trafalgar Square on September 19th and 26th. David Icke may be there again. It will be interesting to see what happens, as gatherings of more than six people will be illegal as from next Monday. Will many people still come? Will they be permitted to assemble? Unite for Freedom protesters marching from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street at the August rally:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Sept 14, 2020 17:26:52 GMT
Low tide on the River Thames
The area of the South Bank between Westminster Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge attracts many visitors. The London Eye (now open, but with card payments only) is a very obvious feature, but there are many other attractions. There is even a ‘beach’ at certain times of day. When the tide is very low, it is possible to go down and walk along the foreshore. Recently I saw a few people lying on towels, sunbathing in swimwear. Some people were picnicking and children were building sandcastles. The sand was dry and golden. It was like having a day at the seaside! People also look for interesting historical items and articles of value. These scavengers are known as ‘mudlarks’. The modern treasure seekers often use metal detectors. There are of course many other places along the Thames where seaside activities and treasure hunts take place, but the South Bank is central, easy to get to and has spectacular views. Beach people and a treasure seeker near Blackfriars Bridge:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Sept 14, 2020 17:29:10 GMT
Treasures from the Thames
I walked around the beach near Blackfriars Bridge a few days ago hoping to find something good, but all I saw was a dead crab! Other people have found beautiful and interesting objects such as these: Found objects from the Thames. Top row: a 1687 tin halfpenny, a Victorian clay pipe, a gold ring, a Victorian ring. Middle row: a decorated medieval button, a Victorian clay pipe, an 1830 George IV farthing, a Georgian military button. Bottom row: a Hooper Brewery stopper, a sailor's bag lock, a French Jacob pipe bowl and a child's toy clay pipe bowl. Note: objects not to scale.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Sept 15, 2020 7:26:47 GMT
The Thames Museum project
A project to create a museum specifically dedicated to the archaeology and history of the River Thames is in progress: “The Thames is currently the UK's largest archaeological site. Much of what we know about London's history has been discovered through artifacts recovered from the river, from Mesolithic stone tools to Medieval toys, Celtic sacred offerings to remnants of The Great Fire. Unique, historically important artifacts are continually being found in the river, and the Thames Museum would be a place for academics, visitors and school children to research and learn from these important finds.” www.thamesmuseum.org/home-1.htmlJust as is the case with the proposed Brexit Museum, the site has yet to be chosen and the project is still in its early stages. I do hope that it comes to something. If it does, I hope to see a section for unusual photographs of the Thames, including this one from 1932:
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