Grave of Joseph Grimaldi, "King of Clowns"

Joseph Grimaldi: King of Clowns.

Next to the former St James's Anglican Chapel, in the small churchyard, you will find the grave of Joseph Grimaldi. 

His name may be familiar to some, while others will have no idea who he was. Those with coulrophobia will probably be terrified, for Joseph Grimaldi changed the role of the clown, in pantomimes and plays, earning him the title 'King of the Clowns'.

Born in 1778, Joseph Grimaldi came from a family with a long history as entertainers and performers. 

His first appearance on stage was at the age of 3, when his father took him onto the stage at Sadler's Wells Theatre.

As soon as Joseph was old enough he became an actor, working at Drury Lane Theatre and Sadler's Wells Theatre, quickly becoming one of the most popular actors of his day.

In 1806, Joseph Grimaldi was hired for a role in the pantomime 'Harlequin and Mother Goose', at Covent Garden Theatre. It was here that Grimaldi created a new style of clown, a style that we still know today. He used white face paint, with red paint around his lips and on his cheeks and he painted his eyebrows thick and black. To finish the transformation he wore bright, oversized clothes and got up to all sorts of mischief on stage. So good was his performance that he upstaged the Harlequin. The name 'Joey' passed into the modern language to mean a clown.

Joseph Grimaldi worked at Sadler's Wells Theatre for over 40 years, as a performer and part-proprietor. 

In 1823, Joseph was forced to retire due to poor health. His joints were giving him problems and, along with a respiratory condition, he could no longer perform as he wished.

Following the death of his wife he fell into debt and became an alcoholic, which didn't help his depression. He died in 1837, penniless and alone.

He was buried in the churchyard of St James's Anglican Chapel.

Cheapside Plane: Possibly the Oldest Tree in the City of London

Walking through the Square Mile there are plenty of green spaces, filled with plants, shrubs and trees, which bring nature to this hub of London life. One tree in particular, though, stands out. 

On Wood Street, Cheapside, stands a 70 foot London Plane (Platanus × acerifolia), on a small plot of land surrounded on three sides by buildings. So how old is it and how has it survived fire, redevelopment and war?

Research shows that this tree has stood for over 275 years, although it could be much older. Regardless, this still makes it, quite possibly, the oldest tree in the City of London.

The tree stands on a small plot that was once part of St Peter Cheap, one of the churches that did not survive the Great Fire of 1666. 

Historic Vessels, Trinity Buoy Wharf

'Diana' built in 1890.

Not only is Trinity Buoy Wharf home to historic buildings and home to various artists and sculptures, but it also home to some historic vessels. These vessels are of national importance, so it is important that they are preserved.

DIANA

'Diana' is a rivetted steel/wrought-iron Thames Lighter built in 1890 by unknown London builders. She is typical of many hundreds of 'barges' used on the River Thames, canals, tributaries, docks and the  Port of London for the transport of cargo, aggregates and supplies between wharves, warehouses and ships.

Usually towed singly or in large groups by river or dock tugs, they were also hand rowed by one man going with the tide, this is known as ‘barge driving’ and is still celebrated in the annual Thames Barge Driving Match.

'Knocker White' built in 1924.

KNOCKER WHITE

'Knocker White' is a Dutch-built tugboat, but was originally the steam tug 'Cairnrock'. She was built by T.Van Duijvendijk’s yard at Lekkerkek near Rotterdam, for Harrisons (London) Lighterage Limited, in 1924. The steam engine came from Crabtree & Co. while the boiler came from Blair & Co. Limited They were fitted at Fellow’s & Co. Limited’s dry dock, Great Yarmouth. 

In the early years of the vessel’s history, the 'Cairnrock' was used to tow Harrisons’ floating steam-powered coal elevator 'Wotan' around the lower reaches of the River Thames. The tug was designed for general towage work and had the ability to 'drop-down' her funnel for up-river work, that required passing under the bridges.

'Knocker White' built in 1924.

In 1960, the tug was acquired by Alfred White and then passed to W E White and Sons (Towage) Limited, in 1962. It was at this time that the tug’s name was changed and the original engine and boiler removed. Two 'Petters' marine diesel engines were fitted with their associated fuel tanks. Alterations were also made to the wheelhouse, with an external forward companionway, that provided separate access to the main cabin. The original funnel was replaced by another drop-down funnel, made in around 1943, which was removed from the steam tug 'Pinklake'.

She is now preserved as a museum ship.

'Lightship LV95', built in 1939.

Government Code & Cypher School (and a hidden message)

During World War I the British Army and Royal Navy both had separate intelligence agencies. Military Intelligence 1b, MI1(b) and Naval Intelligence Department 25, NID25, respectively. NID25 was initially known as Room 40, or 40 O.B., with O.B. referring to 'old building'. 

Following the conclusion of World War I the Cabinet's Secret Service Committee recommended that a peacetime codebreaking agency should be created. Lord Curzon, chairman of the Cabinet's Secret Service Committee, tasked Hugh Sinclair, Director of Naval Intelligence, with creating the new department.

Hugh Sinclair merged staff from NID25 with MI1(b), with the new agency consisting of between 25-30 officers, with roughly the same amount of clerical staff. Victor Forbes, of the Foreign Office, chose the cover-name 'Government Code & Cypher School (GC&CS).

The Government Code & Cypher School moved into Watergate House, Adelphi, with the Admiralty's Alastair Denniston, previously an NID25 officer, as its operational head. 

Its public directive was "to advise as to the security of codes and cyphers used by all Government departments and to assist in their provision". However, it also had a secret directive: "study the methods of cypher communications used by foreign powers".

Although officially formed on November 1, 1919, the Government Code & Cypher School produced its first decryption on October 19, 1919.

In 1921 the offices moved to the Broadway Buildings, opposite St James's Park, in the same building as the SIS, and came under the supervision of Hugh Sinclair. At the time Hugh Sinclair was Chief of SIS and Director of GC&CS.

On February 14, 2019, HM Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a City of Westminster plaque to mark the centenary of GCHQ.

However, keeping with the codebreaking, communications and cypher work of GCHQ, the plaque contains a hidden message, which most people don't even realise. 

Can you uncover the hidden message?

If you can't figure it out, there is a clue below. 

Various characters, on the plaque, have a dot or dash beneath them. 

If you find them all it reveals the message... 

Highlight the space between the quotation marks, below, to uncover the answer.

"1 HUNDRED YEARS"

So, did you work it out, or did you cheat?

Harold Stabler's Decorative Tiles on the London Underground

Hertfordshire.

Every station on the London Underground may appear to have a uniform style, internally, but, depending on when the station was built, it will have its own aesthetic. Exteriors, again, depend on the architect, the year it was opened and its location.

Baker Street, for instance, has tiles carrying the profile of Sherlock Holmes.

However, unique to five underground stations are relief tiles that are randomly placed, not all at eye level, depicting coats of arms, animals, buildings and even a portrait. The tiles are the same colour as the surrounding tiles, so as not to break up the uniformity of the style, but, once you spot them you can't stop looking for them.

Thomas Lord (1755-1832), English cricketer.

There are eighteen distinct tiles, spread across five underground stations. Although some have been repaired or replaced, the originals are easy to spot as they are usually marked with Stabler's signature 'S', somewhere on the tile.