Images of the Pool of London

A visitor posted a comment about Mark Brown’s wharf and how he was working there when they made a film called Pool of London (1951), starring Bonar Colleano. It must have a lot of great footage of the river but I couldn’t find any trace of a video or a DVD of the movie. In [...]

Fish & Chips

Today’s Guardian contained an article about the fish and chip shops chosen as the best in Britain (awards are given every year). I loved this 1935 photo of a fish and chip van.

This year there were no winners in the London area but they did recommend Fryer’s Delight, near Gray’s Inn (Rumpole country). I shall [...]

More of Trollope’s journey to San Jose

“That night, or the next morning rather, at about 2 A.M., we reached a wayside inn called San Mateo, and there rested for five or six hours. That we should obtain any such accommodation along the road astonished me, and of such as we got we were very glad. But it must not be [...]

Mind the Gap

Like millions of other people, I have a soft spot for the London Underground (aka the “Tube”). Yesterday I watched a very interesting History Channel documentary on the development of the railway over the last 150 years.
Wiki has an extensive entry here that is well worth a read.
I came across these old photos. I believe [...]

Uncle Will

As I had hoped, posting old family photos on the blog has yielded some fruit. I was contacted by a distant relative who has a lot of information about the Lockyers. Ethel’s mother Emma was born a Lockyer (in 1861), the eldest of 13 children. William Lockyer (b. 1875) was one of her younger brothers [...]

Flowers and Views of the Holy Land

Tom brought back several items he acquired on his travels during WWI. One was a small book containing illustrations and pressed flowers from places in Palestine. Presumably it was a gift for Ethel. The book, with back and front covers made of wood, is called “Flowers of the Holy Land.” More interesting than simply a [...]

Routemaster update

London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson, decided hold a competition for the design of a new Routemaster bus. You can see photos of Routemasters old and new here. The winning designs look great.

Sam Peckinpah

I read an article about Sam Peckinpah, one of my favorite filmmakers, in today’s Independent (you can read it here).  London’s BFI is holding a season of his movies this month and a new documentary is also in the pipeline.

His films are certainly not for the squeamish – his style has been described as  “visceral” [...]

Dad in the army

These photos must have been taken in 1943-44. The single stripe is for the rank of lance corporal. By the end of the War, he made staff sergeant and was offered a commission to stay on, which he declined.
What strikes me most is how young and innocent they look.

Wallace & Gromit 1, The 39 Steps 0

Well, the Christmas viewing provided slim pickings. I did read that this might be the last time the TV companies invest such a huge amount of money in their Christmas programming.  Far fewer people actually sit down in front of the telly to watch programs the first time they are shown. It might be for [...]