Dr Who, Ancient Egyptians and a Glass of Wine
Suggest an evening that involves wandering around an old fashioned museum with a glass of wine and I am probably already interested - but throw in allusions to Dr Who and various other science fiction shows and we have a near certainty that I'll want to turn up.
The last RAF “Seaplane Tender” visits London
About a week ago, I had a press release from the RAF Museum in North London announcing a small bit of significant history was about to occur – but failed to mention the date. I however, then kept forgetting to…
First Day of the East London Line
“I apologise for the cramped conditions” was how the first train on the newly extended East London Line was introduced to its excited passengers. For yes, the majority, if not indeed the totality of the passengers were highly excited. A…
A Jack in the Green Procession in Southwark on May Day
UPDATE: There have been some slight changes to the route – the details below have been updated based on an email on Saturday morning. Had an email over the weekend confirming the route for the Jack in the Green procession…
St George’s Day Pageant in London
This lunchtime, an ancient pageant to celebrate St George’s Day was renewed as St George was paraded on horseback through the streets of London, coming to a rest for a short while outside the front of St Paul’s Cathedral. This…
My personal choices from the City of London Festival
Details for the annual City of London Festival have been published and while the majority of the events are art based, there are some which either appeal to me or might be worth flagging as above average in interest. My…
Vintage Motor Cars at the RAF Museum
If you’re the Bonhams auction house wanting to sell large items – such as maybe, a collection of cars, then you need somewhere to put them on display. A large shed is ideal – and if it contains an equally…
Visiting the Markfield Beam Engine
After a few years of restoration work, a Victorian steam pumping station was brought back into life late last year, and today was one of the periodic steaming days where the engine is powered up and surrounded by wreaths of…
Nigel Farage on Have I Got News for You
Had tickets last night to watch Have I Got News for You being recorded with two comedians I can’t honestly say I have ever heard of (Lee Mack and Kevin Bridges), along with the bombastic leader of the UKIP party,…
Outdoor music at Somerset House this Summer
I know almost nothing about contemporary music, but am on the mailing list for Somerset House for what’s happening in general at their venue. Having received a note about their Summer Series, what follows is just a notification that a…
Military Flypasts over London (and surrounds)
Collating details as they are published of the various military aircraft flypasts over London and local area, as I do – and it is about as ready as it is likely to get. Apart from the big flypast in June…
A Walk Along Industrial North Greenwich
The dominant concrete grain silos in North Greenwich are shortly to be demolished to make way for human silos in the form of modern blocks of flats.
Walking though Brunel’s Tunnel under the Thames
Yesterday, along with several hundred other equally excited people during the day, I finally got a chance to walk along a bit of train tunnel - yes the famous Brunel Thames Tunnel
How similar are Europeans to Americans?
Wandered over to an interesting talk last night entitled Europe and America – Worlds Apart? that took took a statistical look at the differences between the two population blocks. A lot of people, myself included will presume that Americans are…
Brunel’s Thames Tunnel Open to the Public
Warning – tickets are SOLD OUT. You can try turning up in the hope that people have spares, but that is about it. The Brunel Museum will however resume their floodlit tunnel train trips in a few months time. In…
How to Get Tickets to Have I Got News for You
As a regular attendee of the recordings of HIGNFY, I am quite often asked how to get tickets, so I have on occasions written up the details - but over time, the pages end up inaccurate thanks to changes made by Hattrick TV, so here is the updated version.
Free Entry to London’s National Trust Properties
One weekend in March, the National Trust is opening up almost all of its buildings to the public free of charge. You need to download a voucher to gain free entry to the buildings, and that then gets you into…
Curiouser and curiouser at the British Library
Put actors, Christopher Lee and Michael Sheen on a stage together with writer Will Self and self-confessed Tim Burton luvvie, Mark Salisbury and you have a Wonderland of Alice to enjoy. As part of the round of interviews and publicity…
Zainer’s imperfect impressions: 15th century printing methods
In the absence of a Ye Dummies Guide to Mechanical Printing, how do historians study the birth of mass printing methods that emerged from the development of Gutenberg’s movable type printing press? Study the mistakes of course! Despite the justifiable…
Book tickets for Trooping the Colour
For 2024 booking details, go here. — The annual Trooping the Colour ceremony occurs in June at Horse Guards Parade – and while you can watch it on the telly or parts of it from The Mall, it is…
The 2010 Open Garden Squares Weekend
The details for the gardening version of London Open House Weekend have been announced – where us mere mortals are allowed to wander around those closed off garden squares that act as glorified roundabouts in the posher parts of London…
Big Gun on Display at Woolwich
Earlier this week I had an invite to go down to Woolwich to watch a BIG GUN being hoisted into public display. Sadly, unable to attend due to prior engagements such as earning a salary, I missed the chance to…
Treasures of Lambeth Palace Library Exhibition
It’s looking to be a good summer for fans of old documents, with the maps exhibition at the British Library, and now it has been announced that the Lambeth Palace Library is opening up its collection as well. The library…
The annual Towpath Tidy event
The annual Towpath Tidy 2010 is scheduled for 1st to 14th March – where volunteers turn up to help with basic manual labour to clear paths of rubbish or overgrowing plants. Last year, some 1,700 volunteers joined 635 members of…