Walking with Keilyn: 'Cart & Horses', Stratford, to... "Rain stopped play"

Keilyn outside the Cart & Horses.

Thursday February 22, 2024.

Having taken Erin to the Wallace Collection and parts west, on Tuesday, I had promised to take Keilyn to Stratford and parts east, today. As I and some friends had taken Keilyn to see Iron Maiden, at the O2, last year, I had promised to take her to where Iron Maiden had first performed... The Cart & Horses.

Rain was meant to be light and fleeting, but ended up being heavy and perpetual. Still, it didn't put us off.

Our day started with my uncle Martin, and my mum, picking us up and driving to Croxley station, as they were heading to the British Museum and various places, for the day. We shared the semi-fast Metropolitan line train to Finchley Road, where Keilyn and I disembarked and boarded a Jubilee line train to Stratford, leaving mum and Martin to head off to Euston Square.

Keilyn at West Ham station.

We arrived at West Ham station, where Keilyn had her photo taken with a West Ham roundel, before we continued to Stratford, grabbing a snack and hot drink, but not before Keilyn had her photo taken with 'Robert', a steam engine, that  Keilyn had last stood next to in 2015.

Keilyn with Robert the steam engine.

As we wandered up The Grove, the rain, which had been threatening, began to get heavy, so we took shelter in a closed shopfront recess for a few minutes, whole we waited for the Cart & Horses to open its doors.

Keilyn ready to enter Hallowed Ground.

As soon as we saw the doors open I took a photo of Keilyn outside the pub, in her double-denim and Iron Maiden t-shirt, before we headed inside and out of the rain. A few moments later we had drinks (Pepsi for Keilyn and a Trooper for me) and Keilyn was off to the jukebox, busy searching for Iron Maiden tracks. I, meanwhile, was busy looking around at the photos, wall art, merchandise, signed posters and the like.

Trooper Beer.

Since my last visit, in 2018, the pub has had a major refurbishment. The stage, which had stood on the left, as you entered the pub, had now been moved downstairs, where the live music was now performed. And, as such, was off limits to the casual patron. I did get a photo of Keilyn where the stage had been, though.

Keilyn, where the stage used to be.

However, the barmaid, Ruta (not sure of spelling, so sorry if it is wrong), did say that once her colleague arrived she would take us downstairs to see the stage. While we waited Keilyn busied herself at the bar, by completing a Heavy Metal wordsearch, while also working out what merchandise she wanted to buy. 

Bank of England Museum Late: The Christmas Special, 2023

A solid gold bar.

Thursday December 21, 2023.

It was a remarkably mild evening as Emma, Erin, Keilyn and I made our way from Watford to London, for the evening. Our plan had been to catch a fast train from Watford Junction to Euston, but problems with the overhead power cables saw us take the London Overground, instead. We changed to the Northern line, at Euston, and continued on to Bank station. This route put an extra twenty minutes-or-so on our journey, but we still made it in plenty of time.

Our reason for travelling to London, late on a Thursday afternoon... to see the Bank of England Museum and, hopefully, receive a bauble filled with shredded bank notes. The queue was already at the corner of Threadneedle Street and Princes Street, so that's where we joined it. The time was just after 16:30.

We have joined the queue.

We chatted to other people in the queue, plus those who stopped to ask what we were all queuing for, as we passed the time. Slowly, very slowly, the train of people began to move as 17:00 arrived and the doors to the museum opened. All the while Erin was keeping her eyes peeled, in case she spotted the ghost of Sarah Whitehead, who is said to haunt Threadneedle Street. We saw no sign of her.

Keilyn standing in an alcove, outside the Bank of England.

However, due to the capacity of the museum, only small groups were able to enter at a time. 

By now the queue behind us had travelled the length of Threadneedle Street and up Princes Street, around onto Lothbury and then across the road to Throgmorton Street. One of the museum staff had estimated that there were nearly 2,000 people in the queue, at one point.

Ghosts, Hauntings, Murders and Superstitions

Below are some of the more unknown hauntings and murders of London. 

There are some gruesome details, below, so only read on... if you dare!

Downing Street

This street is said to be haunted by the ghost of Spencer Perceval, who was shot dead outside the Palace of Westminster on May 11, 1812. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated... so far.

Ministry of Defence

This building is haunted by the ghost of a headless lady. The hooded figure of a lady was stopped by a Policeman, who asked, "what are you doing in a Government building?" She pulled back her hood to reveal an empty space where her head should have been.

Charing Cross railway station

It was here that a rather grisly murder was discovered, on May 10, 1927. Porters reported a dreadful smell coming from a trunk that had been deposited in the left-luggage office, four days earlier. When the Police opened the trunk they discovered the body of a woman, who had been hacked into five pieces, with each piece then wrapped in brown paper. The killer was caught, tried and then executed at Pentonville Prison on August 12, 1927. The case became known as the 'Charing Cross Trunk Murder'.

Adelphi Theatre

On December 16, 1897, the actor William Terriss was stabbed to death, outside the stage door, by Richard Prince, an actor that Terriss had had dismissed from the Play. He died in the arms of his leading lady and his last words were reported to be... "I shall return." His ghost has been seen outside the stage door and within the theatre, where he has been seen knocking on dressing room doors. His ghost has also been seen at Covent Garden underground station.

Savoy Hotel

This is a very superstitious hotel where there is no room thirteen. Also, if you are in a group of thirteen a statue of a cat, called 'Kaspar', is placed on your table to be your fourteenth 'guest'. 'Kaspar' is a two-foot high model of a cat, cut from a single piece of London Plane. Plus, if you die, while staying at the Savoy Hotel, they will pay for your funeral.

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

The theatre's most famous ghost is the 'Man in Grey'. Unlike many ghosts that appear during the hours of darkness, this apparition appears during anytime of the day. Plus, instead of solitary accounts of sightings, entire casts have witnessed his appearance. He is usually seen in the upper circle, before he makes his way down the aisle and disappears into a wall.