#davidharry
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You can find sections of Roman London still standing in public free to visit in several places, here is one of my favourites.
On this site stands a surviving piece of London's city wall.
The landward wall was constructed between AD190-220 and ran a distance of 3km (2miles).
It was one of the most extensive works undertaken in Londinium
The Roman city wall was 2.7m (9ft) thick at the base and stood over 6m (20ft) in height.
This large, defensive boundary had an important influence on the City's devclopment.
It continued to be of importance through the post-Roman and Medieval periods when it was strengthened and extended in height. This section of the wall shows both the Roman and the Medieval parts of the wall. In the Roman section of the wall you can see four tile bonding courses and facing stones laid in roughly regular courses.
In the upper medical section, the facing stones are less regular. In places the rubble core of the wall is visible where the facing stones are now missing. #thelondonspy #davidharry #romanlondon #londonwall #romanbritain #toweroflondon #londonhistory #londonguide
On this site stands a surviving piece of London's city wall.
The landward wall was constructed between AD190-220 and ran a distance of 3km (2miles).
It was one of the most extensive works undertaken in Londinium
The Roman city wall was 2.7m (9ft) thick at the base and stood over 6m (20ft) in height.
This large, defensive boundary had an important influence on the City's devclopment.
It continued to be of importance through the post-Roman and Medieval periods when it was strengthened and extended in height. This section of the wall shows both the Roman and the Medieval parts of the wall. In the Roman section of the wall you can see four tile bonding courses and facing stones laid in roughly regular courses.
In the upper medical section, the facing stones are less regular. In places the rubble core of the wall is visible where the facing stones are now missing. #thelondonspy #davidharry #romanlondon #londonwall #romanbritain #toweroflondon #londonhistory #londonguide
The actor Oswald Laurence, who made the recordings for the Northern line in the late 1960s/ early 1970s. His wife Margaret used to come to Embankment station after his death to hear his voice. Tragically one day in 2012 they stopped using it. Heartbroken she asked and they were able to find it and put it back, where it is still used today. #londonunderground #embankmentstation #mindthegap #londonguide #tourguide #davidharry #thelondonspy #lovestory
A momentous moment in royal history shortly before a huge shock.
George V, Edward VIII, George VI and a very young Elizabeth Il plus Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother all together in 1935 at a thanksgiving service in St Paul's Cathedral. Little did anyone know what was to happen. George V would die within a few months, his successor Edward VIll would abdicate and his brother George VI would rule, and Princess Elizabeth would become next in line to the throne.
#abdication #georgev #edwardviii #georgevi #elizabethii #stpaulscathedral #royalthanksgiving #londonguide #tourguide #davidharry #thelondonspy #queenelizabeth #queenmother #royalhistory
George V, Edward VIII, George VI and a very young Elizabeth Il plus Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother all together in 1935 at a thanksgiving service in St Paul's Cathedral. Little did anyone know what was to happen. George V would die within a few months, his successor Edward VIll would abdicate and his brother George VI would rule, and Princess Elizabeth would become next in line to the throne.
#abdication #georgev #edwardviii #georgevi #elizabethii #stpaulscathedral #royalthanksgiving #londonguide #tourguide #davidharry #thelondonspy #queenelizabeth #queenmother #royalhistory
The Romans built this wall in about the year 200 around a rough square mile, which became The Square Mile of the Centre of the City of London. It was made of Kentish ragstone with layers of tile and still remains in a few places - if you know where to look. #romans #hiddenlondon #secretlondon #explorelondon #placestovisitinlondon #londontiktok #thelondonspy #davidharry
New Crane Stairs are an ancient set of steps dating at least back to 1682, which lead down from Wapping to the River Thames. I’m researching for a tour and giving towards the end of this month for a group of people from JP Morgan, and very happy to discover this #thelondonspy #davidharry #londonhistory #wapping #londonguide #riverthames #mudlarking #thames #docklands
Margaret thatcher is shown in this public sculpture by Tower Hill next to the Tower of London. The artist Edwin Russell created a rather unflattering caricature of her with her weighted handbag next to her because he didn’t like her I suspect, and no one knew until this culture was involved in 1992 that he had hidden her inside it! Nowadays, whenever you come out of Tower Hill station, please have a look for this tiny detail contained within the sculpture, which also includes the peasants revolt the black death, Boadicea, the founding of London, the Romans in London, and so many other stories in London’s amazing past . #thelondonspy #davidharry #margaretthatcher #maggiethatcher #toweroflondon #towerhill #londonhistory #caricature #londonguide #sundial #publicsculpture #easteregg
The story of WW1 in feet and inches. This chart shows the height requirements to join the British army changed as the popularity of volunteering for the war fluxed in the first year. Set at 5ft 3, it raised to 5ft 6 as so many volunteered, then dropped eventually to 5ft 2 as fewer and fewer signed up to the Bantam battalions. #thelondonspy #davidharry #tourguide #londonguide #worldwar1 #firstworldwar #conscriptions #thetrenches #imperialwarmuseum #lordkitchener
The rebuilding of the City after the Great Fire took over forty years, but the little shop on Cheapside, along with its three neighbours to the west, were some of the earliest new structures to be built as the City recovered. The site is small and each of the shops in the row consists of a single storey above and a box front below. According to Peter Ackroyd, in his London, the Biography, many trades have operated there since the stores were built in 1687. These included silver-sellers, wig-makers, law stationers, pickle- and sauce-sellers, fruiterers, florists and, as can be seen above, shirt-makers. The shop now sells greetings cards. #thelondonspy #davidharry #greatfireoflondon #woodstreet #londonarchitecture #cityoflondon #visitlondon #londonhistory #postfire #buildingregulations #cheapside #17thcentury #17thcenturyhistory
Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, had his shop at number 186 Fleet Street, which is now the Dundee Courier building.
On this site he is believed to have robbed and murdered over 150 customers, thereby making him the number one killer in London's history. It's well known that Sweeney Todd — the 'demon barber' of Fleet Street — is little more than a grisly myth, concocted in the pages of 'penny dreadful' serial The String of Pearls.
Of course, there never was a Sweeney's Todd's barbershop on Fleet Street. #thelondonspy #davidharry #sweeneytodd #fleetstreet #demonbarberoffleetstreet #cityoflondon
On this site he is believed to have robbed and murdered over 150 customers, thereby making him the number one killer in London's history. It's well known that Sweeney Todd — the 'demon barber' of Fleet Street — is little more than a grisly myth, concocted in the pages of 'penny dreadful' serial The String of Pearls.
Of course, there never was a Sweeney's Todd's barbershop on Fleet Street. #thelondonspy #davidharry #sweeneytodd #fleetstreet #demonbarberoffleetstreet #cityoflondon
This plaque is in Whitehall Court, close to No 10 Downing Street. It was where Mansfield Cumming, head of what became MI6, was based. British spies were experimenting with all kinds of invisible inks during the first World War. In 1915, one spy was quite excited to discover a rather handy way to create one. His secret ingredient? Semen. He reportedly declared “every man his own stylo” when presented with this novel method of concocting invisible ink. The only problem? If it wasn’t fresh, the letters would become rather pungent. apparently one spy who was stationed in Copenhagen had built up a supply of semen in a bottle, and his letters in particular were arriving with a nasty smell. Captain Cumming insisted that if this method was to be used, “fresh operation was necessary for each letter.” But life quickly became unpleasant for the unknown officer who discovered this DIY invisible ink. After he told his fellow spies about it, they ridiculed him so much that he had to be moved to a different office. Thanks to gizmodo for some details. Also the Cumming biography by Alan Judd. #thelondonspy #davidharry #mi6 #invisibleink #mansfieldcumming #whitehall #spytours #ww1 #secretink #spying #visitlondon #londonguide #espionage
Some supposed artist I assume has been screwing commemorative plaques onto park benches in Goose Green in East Dulwich for the last couple of years - they get removed by the council quite quickly. However, the previous ones that I saw included Prince Kropotkin, the famous Russian anarchist, and President Gaddafi of Libya . I think it’s hilarious, if slightly bizarre and I hope that the council keep these up this time as they are very very funny. ##thelondonspy ##davidharry ##publicart ##rudidutschke ##eastdulwich ##parkbench ##londonsightseeing ##londonguide
What is Mudlarking?
Flowing through the heart of Central London towards the sea, the River Thames was once the largest port in the world and vital transportation link between London, the British Empire and the rest of the world. The busy, congested port was filled with ships and boats of all sizes, from large ocean-going vessels, importing and exporting cargo around the globe, to small row boats with watermen transporting passengers from one side of the river to the other.
Over the past 2,000 years of human activity along the River Thames, countless objects have been intentionally discarded or accidentally dropped in its waters. For millennia, the Thames has been an extraordinary repository of these lost objects, protected and preserved in the dense, anaerobic mud. Mudlarking is the act of searching the riverbed for these historical treasures. Mudlarks comb the Thames foreshore, which is only accessible for a few hours a day at low tide, in their hunt for objects, untouched since they were lost hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Each artefact, whether ordinary or extraordinary, tells us something unique about London’s history. #thelondonspy #davidharry #riverthames #mudlarking #londontourguide
Flowing through the heart of Central London towards the sea, the River Thames was once the largest port in the world and vital transportation link between London, the British Empire and the rest of the world. The busy, congested port was filled with ships and boats of all sizes, from large ocean-going vessels, importing and exporting cargo around the globe, to small row boats with watermen transporting passengers from one side of the river to the other.
Over the past 2,000 years of human activity along the River Thames, countless objects have been intentionally discarded or accidentally dropped in its waters. For millennia, the Thames has been an extraordinary repository of these lost objects, protected and preserved in the dense, anaerobic mud. Mudlarking is the act of searching the riverbed for these historical treasures. Mudlarks comb the Thames foreshore, which is only accessible for a few hours a day at low tide, in their hunt for objects, untouched since they were lost hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Each artefact, whether ordinary or extraordinary, tells us something unique about London’s history. #thelondonspy #davidharry #riverthames #mudlarking #londontourguide
Down this tiny alleyway in the City of London is a tailors that is the only place where you can buy this special uniform.
The Company of Pikemen & Musketeers is a ceremonial unit of the Honourable Artillery Company (the 'HAC) and one of only six royally-warranted bodies in the UK. It is tasked by His Majesty The King to provide a ceremonial bodyguard to the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
The Company escorts the Lord Mayor's State Coach on the Lord Mayor's Show and provides carpet guards for dinners and banquets at Mansion House and Guildhall. It contributes to the colour and pageantry of many events in the City, regularly turning out for livery companies, ward clubs and at other events.
The Venetian red uniform members wear is identical to that worn by the
HAC in the reign of Charles I. The seniority of officers and noncommissioned officers is signified by the amount of lace worn on collars and cuffs. A pikeman's armour weighs about 18 lbs. In the 17 century pikes would have been 18 feet long, but for reasons of practicality 12-foot pikes are used today. Musketeers wear a buff sur-coat and are armed with a match-lock musket and rest. They wear a leather cross-belt from which are suspended 12 wooden powder flasks known as apostles.
The form of drill used is taken from a manual entitled Militaire Discipline, written by Colonel William Bariffe, a member of the HAC and first published in 1638.
To join the Company, members must have proven efficient service with the HAC's Reserve Army regiment. All must join in the lowest rank, regardless of any previous military rank held.
www.pikemen.org.uk. ##thelondonspy ##davidharry ##cityoflondon ##honourableartillerycompany ##uniform ##oldestregiment ##henryviii ##armyuniform ##pikemen ##lordmayor ##musketeers ##bodyguard
The Company of Pikemen & Musketeers is a ceremonial unit of the Honourable Artillery Company (the 'HAC) and one of only six royally-warranted bodies in the UK. It is tasked by His Majesty The King to provide a ceremonial bodyguard to the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
The Company escorts the Lord Mayor's State Coach on the Lord Mayor's Show and provides carpet guards for dinners and banquets at Mansion House and Guildhall. It contributes to the colour and pageantry of many events in the City, regularly turning out for livery companies, ward clubs and at other events.
The Venetian red uniform members wear is identical to that worn by the
HAC in the reign of Charles I. The seniority of officers and noncommissioned officers is signified by the amount of lace worn on collars and cuffs. A pikeman's armour weighs about 18 lbs. In the 17 century pikes would have been 18 feet long, but for reasons of practicality 12-foot pikes are used today. Musketeers wear a buff sur-coat and are armed with a match-lock musket and rest. They wear a leather cross-belt from which are suspended 12 wooden powder flasks known as apostles.
The form of drill used is taken from a manual entitled Militaire Discipline, written by Colonel William Bariffe, a member of the HAC and first published in 1638.
To join the Company, members must have proven efficient service with the HAC's Reserve Army regiment. All must join in the lowest rank, regardless of any previous military rank held.
www.pikemen.org.uk. ##thelondonspy ##davidharry ##cityoflondon ##honourableartillerycompany ##uniform ##oldestregiment ##henryviii ##armyuniform ##pikemen ##lordmayor ##musketeers ##bodyguard