The River Thames: London's Silent Witness

I have been flowing since before this island had a name, a silver ribbon winding through the shifting clay, birthed from the quiet springs of the Cotswolds and pulled relentlessly toward the grey embrace of the North Sea.

Humans have called me many names, but it is Thames that they now call me. They think they mastered me. They built their stone walls to hem me in, threw their iron bridges across my back like saddles, and dug deep into my belly to hide their trains. But I remember when I was wild. I remember when the woolly mammoth stepped heavily into my shallows to drink, and when the first frightened tribesmen built wooden huts on my marshy banks, looking at my currents with a mixture of reverence and fear.

I am a river of secrets, the great liquid spine of history.

For centuries, I have been London’s silent accomplice. I watched the Romans plant their wooden pilings into my mud, bringing the noise of a distant empire to my quiet shores. I carried the grand, gilded barges of Tudor kings and queens, listening to the whispered court gossip that drifted across my waters. I felt the heat and tasted the falling ash of the Great Fire in 1666, my surface reflecting a sky turned blood-red while terrified citizens threw their treasured possessions into my depths for safekeeping.

London Underground's Grade II Listed Telephone Kiosks

There are four stations, on the London Underground network, that have Grade II listed telephone kiosks on their platforms. These minimalist kiosks are of cast-iron and glass and were installed from 1968.

But, what makes these four so special?

Brief History

The humble telephone kiosk has been in existence, in varying forms, since 1884. At this point telephone boxes were usually wooden cabinets, sometimes called 'silence cabinets', which could be found in shops and stations.

When the General Post Office took over responsibility of Britain's telephones from the National Telephone Company, in 1912, plans to standardise telephone boxes were introduced. 

The first of these new designs, the K1, was of concrete construction and began appearing in 1921. This was followed by an updated K1 the following year.

In 1926 the iconic K2 design was introduced. This kiosk had a scarlet enamelled lion, crown, shield and unicorn motif, below the roof section, and was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It was made of cast iron and painted bright red.

The K3 design was an adaptation of the K2, but constructed with concrete.

The K4 was introduced in 1930 and used the design of the K2, but was expanded to include a stamp machine and post box. Only 5 examples of the K4 remain and are all Grade II listed. 

Elizabeth Line

The Elizabeth line, moving you across London... faster.

It has been three years, to the day, since the Elizabeth line became fully operational to passengers. 

In those three years it has gone on to become one of the busiest lines in the country, with services running from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and Shenfield, and has changed how people move in and around the city.

But, the construction of the tunnels, new stations, upgrades to existing stations, new trains, the signalling system and more were not without their issues: Budgets grew and timelines were missed.

So, let's take a look at how this incredible cross-London line came to be.

The beginning.

There had been schemes to create a line to cross London since the early 1900s, all of which were unsuccessful. Many felt that the idea was finished for good, but this was just the catalyst for what would become the Elizabeth line.

In 2005 the Crossrail Bill was submitted to Parliament, gaining Royal Assent in 2008.

Following gaining Royal Assent Crossrail Limited was set up to manage the design and construction of the railway. Between 2008 and 2009 the procurement process kicked in, with contractors being brought aboard, which enabled demolitions to begin and utility services to be diverted. Formal construction began in May 2009.

West Norwood Cemetery (South Metropolitan Cemetery)

The South Metropolitan Cemetery was the second of the eight private garden cemeteries and was opened in 1837, in the London Borough of Lambeth.

The main buildings were designed in the Gothic style, by Sir William Tite, and the cemetery covers an area of 40 acres. The crematorium opened in 1915.

In 1966 it was purchased by Lambeth Council who run it with the Diocese of Southwark.

It is home to over 65 listed monuments and is still in operation, partially.

When West Norwood Cemetery was built, in 1837, London faced a crisis. Her churchyards and burial grounds were full, so garden cemeteries, like this one, were created. The South Metropolitan Cemetery, as it was originally known, was the second of eight cemeteries opened between 1833 and 1845.

There are over 250,000 people buried in over 45,000 graves.

The River Effra still flows beneath the cemetery.

The Chapels and Catacombs

When the cemetery opened it had two chapels, both designed in the Tudor Gothic style. 

The main chapel was Church of England and had turrets, arched arcades, and catacombs, while the second chapel was for Christians not part of the Church of England. Following extensive bombing, during World War II, the chapels were severely damaged and ended up being knocked down. The Catacombs remained, but were heavily damaged.

"Which is London's longest Street?"

London has many streets and roads, but which is the longest?

There are a few contenders, depending on what criteria you are assessing it against.

1. A1 road, which passes through London, has a length of 410 miles (659 kms) and extends to Edinburgh, though it changes names multiple times.
2. Garratt Lane, Wandsworth, is also noted for its significant length at roughly 2.5 miles (4 kms).
3. Green Lanes, the longest thoroughfare, is sometimes cited as the longest, as this road runs for roughly 7.45 miles (12 kms) from Newington Green to Winchmore Hill, though it is not a 'street' in the same localised sense.
4. Streatham High Road is a major, very long, linear road stretching for 1.8 miles (2.9 kms) as part of the A23. 

However, Rotherhithe Street, Southwark, is generally recognised as the longest continuously-named street in London. It stretches for approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 kms), following the River Thames in a meandering semi-circle along a historical route.

So, let's explore London's longest street.

Starting at Rotherhithe Street's western end you enter a narrow pedestrianised path, sandwiched between the converted warehouses of Bombay Wharf and Hope Wharf, before you arrive at the historic St Mary's Church. 

There has been a church on this site since Saxon times, but this current building dates from 1715, with the stone spire being added in 1739. In 1876 restoration work was undertaken, where the north and south galleries were removed, the pulpit was lowered and new seating arrangements were made. The altar, in the Lady Chapel, and the two bishop's chairs, in the north aisle, were constructed from timber from the 'Fighting Temeraire'. Plaques inform you that Captain Christopher Jones, along with three of the part-owners of the 'Mayflower', were buried in the churchyard, in 1622.