STRAND

     The Strand derives from 'beach' in Norse. And, until Joseph Bazalgette built The Embankment, the Thames did run alongside The Strand. Now it’s around 200 metres from the river.

     There’s much to see so here I’ve just picked out a few highlights and been sparing with the text, leaving those interested enough to Google further. And there’s a map.

     It’s possible you might arrive at Embankment Tube. If so check out the “mind the gap” announcement on the northbound Northern Line platform - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QExoX4ls9OM

     The announcement, recorded over 40 years ago by actor Oswald Laurence, was replaced when a new digital system was introduced in 2012. Laurence died in 2007. But Transport for London reverted to the original announcement the following year when they discovered Laurence’s widow regularly passed through the station and listened to his voice.

     We start from Charing Cross and head east, beginning with this unusual Oscar Wilde sculpture (1) opposite the station. The quote is from Lady Windermere’s Fan.

     I have nothing to declare but my love of a quote; here are some of Oscar's ....

“Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.” 

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."

“Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.”

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”

“Work is the curse of the drinking classes.”

"I have the simplest of tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

“I think God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability.”

“I can never travel without my diary, one should always have something sensational to read on the train."

“I can resist everything except temptation.”

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”

“It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.”

“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike.”

“I don’t want to go to heaven. None of my friends are there.”

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”

“Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.”

“Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend’s success.”

“The nicest feeling in the world is to do a good deed anonymously - and have somebody find out.”

“This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes or I do.” Oscar's last words

Benjamin Franklin House, Craven Street (2)

Ship and Shovell, Craven Passage (3)

    Villiers Street is the far end of the tunnel.

Kipling House, Villiers Street (4)

Buckingham Street (5)

Zimbabwe House (6)

     The frieze of naked figures entitled The Ages of Man was created by Jacob Epstein. Unfortunately the stonework was not very resilient and one of the phalluses fell off, tragically killing an unfortunate passer-by. All other appendages were subsequently removed. There are several other versions of this story. This is the quirkiest, and not necessarily the most accurate.

     Keng-Gah and I once visited Zimbabwe House to apply for visas. We were shown into a very plush office where a smartly suited man with a twinkle in his eye quipped – “Visas are free for Malaysians. But we don’t like the British so you have to pay £35.”

8 & 10 Adam Street (7a)

     8 Adam Street was once the home of Sir Richard Arkwright - "father of the modern industrial factory system". With little regard for the welfare of his workers or cotton-picking slaves, Arkwright made a fortune from the spinning machines he developed at the beginning of the industrial revolution. They were indeed different times.

    Two houses away, at number 10, is a residence that looks very familiar. The fact this door is almost identical to a far more famous one (below) is just a coincidence. 

    Both entrances were installed around the same time, in the late 18th century. Then, the Prime Minister lived at 5 Downing Street. It was only after the houses were renumbered in 1787 that five became ten.

    10 Adam Street is now used as offices - and for selfies.

HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERS

The Nell Gwynne, Bull Inn Court (7)

Carting Lane Street Lamp (8)   

                        …. and that is why the locals used to call it Farting Lane.

The Savoy (9)

  

Savoy Steps (10)

     The Savoy Steps is where, whilst staying at the hotel in 1965, Bob Dylan filmed the video for Subterranean Homesick Blues. It has to be one of the cheapest music videos ever. You have to take my word for it that this is the spot. And the builders are still there. The guy on the far left may look like a workman, but it’s probably poet Allen Ginsberg.

 Simpson’s in the Strand (11)

     [Please be advised that Simpson's in the Strand is temporarily closed. It is our intention to announce a reopening date in 2023. We look forward to reopening our doors and welcoming you back in the coming year.]

     Rules (12) was established by Thomas Rule in 1798 and is London’s oldest restaurant. Renowned for classic dishes and beautiful interiors, they serve the best of traditional British food specialising in game cookery, oysters, pies and puddings. Since 1798 only three families have owned Rules. During the Blitz, Rules remained open and served rationed meals for five shillings.

     I think I have a new favourite restaurant – although I may have to re-mortgage the house if I make a habit of troughing there. My lamb chops were delicious and the crumble and custard to die for. It was surprisingly quiet but the bar manager Brian Silva said it’s more of a winter place, especially ‘in the season’ which I took to be grouse shooting and not football. Brian conducts cocktail masterclasses @ £95 per person. I didn’t mention I normally source my Shiraz at Tesco.

    They also do a Royal Cream Tea on the first floor at Rules, taken by the lattice windows. It’s where the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) used to dine with his mistress Lillie Langtree.

    I’m pretty sure once the pandemic is over I won’t just be able to drift in there and get a table.

 Somerset House (13)

St Mary-le-Strand (14)

King’s College (15) 

     Famous alumni are celebrated on the walls of King’s College …..

 

    When Desmond Tutu moved to London from his native South Africa in the 1960's he's ask policemen directions simply to hear them call him 'sir'.

    Finally, Bashir has been banished ….

     Strand Station (16)           St Clement Danes (17)        Bomber Harris statue (18)

    The disused Strand Tube Station (1907) once connected with the Piccadilly Line for theatregoers. A shuttle service ran during peak weekend hours on a short branch line to Holborn. During WWII it was used to store art works and since then has been appeared in numerous movies including Superman IV, Patriot Games, Fast & Furious 6 and Darkest Hour.

    St Clement Danes: King Harold Harefoot, the son of King Cnut is buried here. When I was a lad it was spelt Canute, and we used spelled rather than spelt. But Cnut is the original Norse.      The longer version was introduced as it was easier to pronounce and, as it turns out, less vunerable to embarrassing typos. Cnut’s grandfather was Harald Bluetooth, the inspiration for Intel innovation.

    William Webb Ellis, usually credited with the invention of rugby football, was once rector of the church and this is the St Clement’s featured in Oranges and Lemons.

    Since the end of WWII, when it was gutted by an incendiary bomb, St Clement Danes has been the Central Church of the Royal Air Force.  So at the front there’s an imposing statue of my dad’s controversial boss, Sir Arthur Harris. I’ll write more on Bomber Command (and my dad) when I get to the Bomber Command memorial in Piccadilly. There remains evidence of the bomb damage on outside walls.

 Australian High Commission (19)

Bush House (20)

The Old Curiosity Shop, Portsmouth Street (21)

    Built in 1567, this is perhaps London’s oldest shop. But it’s almost certain that it was not the actual shop that inspired Charles Dickens’s eponymous book. 

    It was once owned by Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, yet another of Charles II’s mistresses. 

    Since the 1990s, the shop has been selling handmade shoes by Japanese designer Daita Kimura, some with a decidedly Dickensian appearance.

The World Turned Upside Down (22)

     Mark Wallinger’s creation, located outside the London School of Economics, gives an idea of the actual sizes of Africa and the Pacific Ocean rather than the compressed views we’re familiar with on the standard Mercator projection.

Twinings Tea Museum (23)

Royal Courts of Justice (24)  

     As the location of many famous hearings, the Royal Courts of Justice often serves as a backdrop for the standuppers of TV reporters. But there seemed to be little of importance going on (the barriers are for road works) apart from a smattering of “Save the Beagle” protestors. So maybe these guys were on a training day. 

     Such are the vagaries of the English summer, the cameraman was using lights at midday.

 Temple Bar memorial (25)

      The original Wren-designed Temple Bar gateway still exists.  It was carefully dismantled in 1878, bought by brewer Henry Meux, and reassembled in Theobalds Park in Hertfordshire. It stood there until, in 2004, it was purchased for £1 and re-erected in Paternoster Square, one kilometre from its original location. Paternoster Square is next to St Pauls (from which I took the aerial shot) ….

     It is the only surviving gateway to the City of London of the original eight.   

    The other city gates, Aldgate, Aldersgate, Bishopsgate, Cripplegate, Ludgate, Moorgate and Newgate, were all demolished by the end of the 18th century.

February 9, 2023

    Since I took these photos a splendid new sculpture has appeared in Paternoster Square – with two spare stools …..

January 8, 2024

     The sculpture has changed, same sculptors, same message ....

February 23, 2022

     A nostalgic visit to the Beano exhibition at Somerset House. When I was a kid my comics were delivered (until his incident with the donkey) by our paper boy. I read The Dandy on Tuesdays and Beano on Thursdays.

    Some of the characters from my childhood (eg Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids; but not ‘Little Plum, your redskin chum.’) still feature.  As a sign of the times they are no longer are beaten with slippers or canes. And, of course, the cover no longer has a piccaninny eating a watermelon.

 September 2, 2021

    A quick return to the oldest restaurant in London for a splendid lunch with Paul and Steve. The final bill was a PB thanks in no small measure to our newly-acquired taste for Rules East India Club cocktails which, at these prices, did not come in short measures. The East India club was Paul’s choice. I didn’t know Paul was a cocktail connoisseur. And it turns out he isn’t. It later transpired he’d just opted for the one that appeared to contain the most alcohol. 

    I guess, because of its colonial inferences, the East India Club will soon be called something else.

    I didn’t take any photos of our three-course lunch (with wine) as that would just be showing off.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

    Reuters lunch at The Delaunay at Aldwych, sister restaurant to the Wolseley.  We were honoured, nay humbled, to be joined by our former colleague Andy Stenton. Andy must have created some kind of record by making a day trip (around 700 miles) from Glasgow to join us. When Andy said to me, “What have you been up to the last two years?”, my “walking the Monopoly board” sounded rather tame to his “housing asylum seekers”.

FEEDBACK  ......

    The Prince of Pudsey writes from Whitby ....

Great, thanks Mick

Sorrel and I once did a historical walk around Temple and Fleet Street 6 years ago, so will look

forward to that. How many more board sites to do?  You’ll be able to put them all in order and create a book for tours, it will put you in Rules more often, time to create your own one liners like Oscar. And add them in the book. People will pay for the experience of sitting with you for short times to subside your meals. Suggest book is £10 but Zimbabwe nationals and the Scots pay £350.

Regards Steve

PS London must be quiet, they are all here! Looking for houses to work from home.

Steve -

Thanks for the feedback. I think you meant subsidise rather than subside. Or maybe not? My initial Monopoly idea was to find nice places for lunch and combine a bit of sightseeing. But then all the pubs and restaurants closed and I ended up just walking the post-apocalyptic streets with my camera, hoping to find a Greggs or Pret (or public toilet). Apart from Park Lane and Liverpool Street Station, I've actually been everywhere. So the situation is I still have seven lunches to organise and eight reports to write before passing GO.

- Mick x

    Yeow Lim reports from Kuala Lumpur ....

G'day Mick,

    Oh...The Strand reminded me of Roxy Music's crazy lyrics in 'Do The Strand'. 

    Hope you are safe and well Mick. Indeed we have a change of the Premiership here, but is it more like old wine in a used bottle. It should be interesting to see how this dude pans out. The people who took up 'Malaysia My 2nd Home' (MM2H), were not happy as the government upped the financial requirements. It comes as no surprise as the government has dipped into the coffers once too often. This country used to be one of the five Asian Tigers, but it is toothless now, with a meow rather than a roar. Please continue to stay happy Mick. Always interesting to read about your travel adventure.

Cheers!

Love n Light,

YL

    ‘Do The Strand’ was a dance craze invented by Roxy Music in name only. It was inspired by the famous ‘You’re never alone with a Strand’ cigarette commercial which is regarded as one of the most disastrous tobacco advertising campaigns of all time. Only 0.3% of male smokers and 0.7% of female smokers ever bought a pack. It was later rebranded as Embassy and became Britain’s best-selling cigarette of the 1960s.

    According to Wikipedia, the record for most Embassy Number 1 Red cigarettes smoked in a day is held by Thomas Fahey, who smoked 280 on July 19th, 2020. His family must be so proud.