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To follow are a series of blogs created by Coutours. These help stitch together the fascinating fabric of London into a series of interesting tales and stories to showcase London in all its glory. 

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The Platinum Jubilee: Elizabeth the Great

21/4/2022

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The Platinum Jubilee:  Elizabeth the Great. 


Calling Queen Elizabeth II a GOAT may just go down as badly as a popped balloon. 
GOAT is the latest flavour saying of celebrities, calling each other GOATS - which stands for ‘Greatest of All Time.’ Justly I would say, if the acronym should be attributed to one individual, there is none other than our gracious Queen Elizabeth II. 

For seventy years, the Queen has held the reign, held the stage. Served and comforted her people - been the figurehead of our nation and survived fourteen Prime Ministers, two World Wars, countless scandals and a ruly mop of relatives, remaining supremely serene after decades of being in the public eye.  Seventy years of service produces several thousand books, films and television series.  Volumes of her life. Few Britons have known a year of their lives when the Queen was not in it.
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Past months have been the planning of the Platinum Jubilee and collective worry at signs of frailty in her appearances at court.  Our Queen is 95, and we marvel at pictures of her behind the wheel at Balmoral, and especially when riding a horse.  With her we mourned her beloved Prince Philip who died earlier this year.  The image of our Queen, sitting alone in a pew in Westminster Cathedral at his funeral, will forever stay with us forever.
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Image courtesy of The Metro

Leading up to The Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II is currently the longest reigning monarch on the British Throne, joining an elite club which includes King Louis XIV of France (1643 - 1715), Johan II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1858 - 1929) and Bhumibol, King of Thailand (1927 - 2016). 
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The Queen has five homes; Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Sandringham,  Windsor Castle and Holyrood Palace.  Holyrood Palace is her Scottish base when she travels there.  Much speculation is made about which is her favourite, and we secretly think Balmoral it may be.

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Image courtesy British Heritage.

No. 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair.  The birthplace of Queen Elizabeth II on the 21st April 1926, at 2.40 am. The home belonged to her maternal grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.  Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was the first child of King George VI (then still the Duke of York) and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Her sister, Princess Margaret Rose followed four years later.  The house no longer stands, having been demolished for redevelopment. 

How did these two young girls spend their childhood?  The Queen’s father was never expected to ascend the throne. His eldest brother, Edward became King Edward VIII - and then fell madly in love with a divorced American, Wallis Simpson. The relationship was vetoed by everyone, including the British Parliament and all attempts to marry were rejected which convinced the king that he should rather abdicate than spend his life without his true love.  Elizabeth’s father was crowned King which meant that the young first born princess would follow him as Queen.  The two young girls were raised by a governess, Marion Crawford or ‘Crawfie’ (later sacked for writing a book about her time in their house) and spent most of their time just being with each other.  The little family were devoted to each other and seldom sought outside company. The children did not attend a proper school.

‘Lilibet is my pride.  Margaret is my joy.’ King George VI
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If the Queen was the silent, reserved personality type, Princess Margaret was the complete opposite, and they remained close throughout their lives.  The Queen had a direct line to her sister. It is said they telephoned each other every day.  It must have been incredibly difficult for the Queen when she had to veto the relationship between Margaret and Group Captain Peter Townsend because he was a married man. Margaret, then just twenty two years and devoted to the older Townsend, was devastated.  Her life was to be one of little occupation, always second to the Queen - her marriage ended in divorce and she spent most of her time destined to be a socialite, flitting from party to party.  
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Image courtesy of The Washington Post.
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The young Princess Elizabeth joined her parents in the war effort, enrolling in the The Auxiliary Territorial Service, learning to service and repair trucks. Her sister was too young and continued her education, and despite calls for the princesses to take refuge in Canada, the Queen Mother said, ‘‘The children won’t go without me. I won’t leave without the King. And the King will never leave.’
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When the war ended, the two sisters left Buckingham Palace to celebrate with the crowds without anyone being any the wiser. 
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Images courtesy of the Alamy 

Prince Phillip. They met as children at a relative’s wedding, but the real spark moment came in 1939 when he gave the sisters a tour of The Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.  Was it love at first sight?  They would write to each other throughout the war and in 1943 he accepted her invitation to spend Christmas at Windsor Castle.  Three years later, Prince Phillip asked for her hand in marriage - he asked her first, which was not strictly the correct protocol, before asking her father.  

Prince Philip was of Greek and Danish origin and relinquished his titles prior to his marriage and was given the title of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh.  It is also believed he smoked his last cigarette the night before his wedding, much to the Queen’s delight.
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They were married at 10.30 am on the 23rd April 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Flanked by eight bridesmaids, she arrived in the Irish State Coach with her father, King George VI. Two thousand guests were invited to the ceremony, including many members of foreign royal families and heads of State.  It was a grand affair, her dress designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, who based his design on the famous painting, Primavera by Botticelli, as inspiration for the gown.   He also designed her going away outfit.  The dress itself was detailed and lavish, something achieved by the Queen using some of her ration stamps to help pay for it - it was soon after the end of the war. Two pearl necklaces and a tiara loaned by her mother, now Queen Mother, completed the outfit while her bouquet consisted of lilies and a single sprig of myrtle, a tradition started by Queen Victoria. 
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The ‘Thousand Mile Cake’. Image courtesy of The Huff.

The official Wedding cake was made from ingredients obtained from all over the world, which is why it was called ‘The Thousand Mile Cake.’ Four tiers high and adorned with monograms from both families.  Very fancy indeed.  

A marvellous occasion, made more so by the genuine love between husband and wife (not all royal marriages are made in heaven but rather around a table of politicians vying for the best international deal.) Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married for seventy three years until his death in 2021 at the age of 99. 

Their four children are Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.  The Queen is grandmother to eight and great-grandmother to twelve children, all a blessing and some rather trying, though the Queen maintains her dignity, even when the younger ones are behaving badly, as we have seen one too many times. ​
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Image courtesy of The Times.

The carefree couple spent their honeymoon at Broadlands.  

Imagine if you will, young and blissfully married to the man of your dreams, a trip to Kenya en route to Australia and New Zealand, and you hear of your father’s unexpected death.  Tragic in any circumstances, but for Princess Elizabeth, the loss of her father was more than just that of a daughter losing her dad.  His moment of death signified her moment of becoming Queen Elizabeth II.  It was the 6th February 1952. Her official title is Queen Elizabeth II, by Grace of God, of the United Kingdom and Ireland and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. Head of the Church of England. Quite a list of titles to bear upon slim shoulders!

Her Coronation took place on June 2nd 1953 at Westminster where a mere six years prior she had walked down the aisle to be married.  Rather than a wedding dress, now wrapped in robes, furs and finery befitting the new monarch. 

The Queen has survived 14 Prime Ministers and two World Wars. Of these, Winston Churchill was a favourite.   She wrote of his importance and that no Prime Minister would ‘ever for me be able to hold the place of my first Prime Minister, to whom both my husband and I owe so much and for whose wise guidance during the early years of my reign I shall always be grateful.’ When Churchill died, the Queen broke royal protocol by arriving at the funeral before his own family. Not only did he carry Britain through the war, but mentored a young queen through her first years on the throne.

Last year was not a happy one for her. The Covid Pandemic, Mexit and the loss of her beloved husband, her rock and confidant.
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Images courtesy of ABC.

She has shaken a million hands, hosted dozens of State Banquets and planted close to 1500 trees.

The Queen cannot vote, but shares a keen interest in the lives and politics of those she rules over.  
In 2012 she celebrated her diamond Jubilee and her Platinum Jubilee is close.  The country waits with bated breath, partly excited at the expectation of celebrations, royal pageants and parades.  Of bunting and picnics and souvenirs -  partly sad at the fact that it may be the last one for the Queen. 
But we shall not think about that.  Let us celebrate instead, the more personable aspects of this remarkable woman, this illustrious Queen Elizabeth.

Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Queen in London.

The Royal Standard is flown when the Queen is in residence. Lately it was announced the Queen has chosen to quit Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle and only return for official duties. 

Penny Juror, in her book ‘The Firm’ writes about how the Queen elected to reside at Clarence house after the death of her father, but Winston Churchill would have none of it and pressed the young Queen to take up residence at Buckingham Palace.  Perhaps there are too many bittersweet memories there?  The Queen standing at the gates as the coffin of Princess Diana passed by, is but one of them.  The night Michael Fagan broke into the Palace and entered her bedroom?  The many wedding parties on the balcony and how few have lasted?  No-one really knows, for there have been happy times too. Perhaps it is just too large and formal for her now? I suspect she enjoys the less formal lifestyle at Sandringham and Balmoral, where she can enjoy the countryside and drive freely across the highlands.
Did you know that the Queen does not have a passport?  All those stately trips and no need to stand at customs like the rest of us.

If the Queen were to do her own shopping and a few of the things she loves. Let’s begin with Jermyn Street in the heart of London.

Notice the Royal Warrants along the many shops around the area.  This means that the Royal family have ‘given their seal of approval’ to the establishment.
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Image courtesy of Alamy

Fortnum and Mason, Paxton and Whitfield, the specialist Cheese supplier and Floris are just a few shops on Jermyn and Piccadilly Streets with the Royal seal of approval. Floris has carried the Royal Warrant for over 50 years - her favourite perfume from them is ‘White Roses.’

Bond Street, New Bond Street and other shops in Mayfair are also favourites of the Queen and the Royal household. 
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The House of Fraser, Burberry, Purdey’s - it’s fun going around looking for the warrants on shop frontages and wondering what the Queen would like best from these stores.  Does she shop for birthday presents and such and arrive after hours for a private shopping experience, or send her trusted aides with a shopping list? What about online shopping? Is the Queen a closet Amazon junkie?  Somehow doubt that.
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Image courtesy Town and Country.

There are secret codes the Queen uses with her handbags. According to a Royal Historian Hugo Vickers, the Queen will change her handbag from one side to the other if she wishes to end a conversation with someone at a formal function.  If the bag is placed on the table, then it is time to leave, and who would want to keep the Queen waiting, so a beady eye is needed to read the signals and one could say, it’s in the bag.

The Queen favours Fulton Birdcage umbrellas. They are bespoke to her, clear domed plastic for better viewing and handmade to match the colour of her outfit on special occasions. 
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All the Queen’s clothing she no longer needs goes to her dressers.  Angela Kelly is her chief dresser and has designed many outfits for the Queen, particularly during the Diamond Jubilee.  She says: ‘ We are two typical women.  We discuss clothes, make-up, jewellery.  We say, ‘Would this piece of jewellery look nice with that outfit?’ Like regular friends, but of course all remain respectful of Her Majesty.
Then comes the favourite chocolates …

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Image courtesy of Charbonnel et Walker

Darryn MacGrady, former chef to the Queen said ‘She loves chocolates. That was her favourite and has to be dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate the better.’ Then who better to visit than Charbonnel et Walker, the famous chocolate shop that carries the Royal Warrant, first established in Bond Street in 1875.  Though the main chocolatier, Adam Lee did not divulge the Queen’s personal tastes, he did mention that she loved floral chocolates and we are guessing these just have to be the Rose and Violet creams, perfect for a Queen. 

Bellamy’s.  The Queen’s favourite restaurant - the only restaurant the Queen dined at in London until a private function at The Ivy in 2017.  Her 60th Birthday included a dinner at Claridges Hotel, but Bellamy’s holds the honour of having had the Queen pop in for dinner with Princess Anne and Princess Alexandra.

It is common knowledge, and a little bit of ‘show and tell’ from previous chefs or staff working at the palace, that the Queen prefers a simple way of eating.  Her meals are small and nutritious, but like everyone else, enjoys a Sunday roast, which may include venison if she is in the Scottish highlands. 
As we approach this very special milestone in the life of our Queen Elizabeth II, we feel as if we are honouring a family friend.  Always in the public eye, the Queen has never been anything but gracious, accommodating and calm. We have glanced into the corners of her private life and had much to say on the scandals and woes which would befall the best of us.  We however, do not appear on the front page of every newspaper in the world.  We cheer with her when she supports her Arsenal team, love the idea of a glass of champagne before bed, her beloved corgis and that she lives, at times, just behind the wall we often walk along. 

The Queen is an icon of Britishness.  She is our tea and crumpets,our country walks.  Fabric of our lives, her face on mugs and every pound note we use. We know her shoe size, her children’s love affairs and how much tax she pays.  We expect her to greet people she hardly knows, be the ultimate diplomat and seldom pass a personal opinion that may rock the establishment.

We have criticised her mothering skills, her reactions to certain situations and then we find her simply wonderful.  We all have an opinion of her and how she carries out her duties, yet seldom acknowledge that she is human too.
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She is an enigma, the legacy of British history, the central character.  She is the GOAT - the Greatest of All Time - to Queen Elizabeth, our gracious queen, long live the Queen.
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A Season of secrets and scandals in 1963

14/4/2022

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1963: A Year of Secrets and Scandals

In today’s world, the idea of our politicians having extra marital affairs is everyday and humdrum and at best ignored. However, there were times when the dangerous cocktail of sex and politics was exciting and heady. There was intrigue, exhilaration and sometimes a sense of sadness as those who literally loved and lost. History, and the streets of London are littered with tattered careers, torn relationships and shame.

Today we visit the lives, and disgrace of three very public British figures. A Duchess diminished, a politician disgraced and a member of the British Embassy, turned spy in a lurid tale of sex and espionage.

THE DUCHESS OF ARGYLL

The recent television series, ‘ A Great British Scandal’, tells the story of The Duchess of Argyll and her very public humiliation. 
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Born on the 1st December 1912, to a wealthy businessman, Margaret Whigham enjoyed a life of idle luxury and glamour.  Schooled in the US, she returned to the UK, and was declared a sought-after debutant with many dashing hopefuls asking for her hand in marriage.  Her engagement to Charles Greville, the 7th Earl of Warwick was short lived when her affections were turned by a wealthy American, Charles Sweeney.
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Image courtesy  of the Daily Mail

The great society wedding was witnessed by scores of enthusiasts lining the streets to the Brompton Oratory in 1933, hoping to glimpse the ethereal bride in her Norman Hartnell dress.  The fairly tale marriage, it seemed, produced three children, yet ended in divorce in 1947.  Margaret became engaged to banker Joseph Thomas soon after, though never married him.

In 1951 Margaret married her second husband, Ian Douglas Campell, 11th Duke of Argyll.  The union would give her a title and for the Duke, a source of income to maintain his country seat in Scotland, Inveraray Castle. It was his third marriage and it wouldn’t be his last.

Later in her life she wrote:

‘I had wealth, I had good looks. As a young woman I had been constantly photographed, written about, flattered, admired, included in the Ten Best-Dressed Women in the World list, and mentioned by Cole Porter in the words of his hit song "You're the Top". The top was what I was supposed to be. I had become a duchess and mistress of a historic castle. My daughter had married a duke. Life was apparently roses all the way.’

The reality came crashing in soon after.  The Duke was a difficult man, prone to aggression, addicted to pills and alcohol.  His time spent as a prisoner of war in a German camp had inflicted deep psychological wounds. Prone to emotional and physical cruelty, the marriage soon crumbled into loathing each other. 

Whilst on a trip to New York, the Duke, who suspected his wife of having many affairs, hired a locksmith to break into her home in Mayfair.  In her private drawers, he discovered compromising Polaroid photographs of her with two naked men, and the Duchess engaging in a sexual act, only her customary triple sting of pearls, draped around her neck. Even by today’s standards this was shocking.

The court case, in 1963, had the Duke sue his wife for divorce. It became a national drama, lining the papers, holding the nation captive with intimate accusations and scandalous details.  The Duchess had tried to convince the Duke that his legitimate children were not his own and he in turn, accused her of having up to 88 lovers, producing a list that included cabinet ministers and members of the Royal Household.  Most damning of all, were the photographs of the Duchess, fellating a ‘headless man’.  The public cry demanding the identity of this man hit fever pitch, though the Duchess never revealed his name.  

Things would be very different today, but back in the sixties, women were still considered the property of their husbands, and adultery, cause for divorce.  Margaret was vilified by the public, the press and the judge presiding over the case.
The Duchess, he said: ‘was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men.  Her attitude to the sanctity of marriage was what moderns would call ‘enlightened’ but which in plain sight was wholly ‘immoral.’ 

Her husband’s character was untouched, though the writer Norman Mailer called him ‘one of the coldest, nastiest men I’ve ever known.’

The Duchess of Argyll never recovered her reputation in London society. She tried her hand at writing a book which was ill received and resorted to opening her house in Grosvenor Square to the public for funds.  Eventually forced to leave her home, she took a suite at the Grosvenor House Hotel, though unpaid bills saw her evicted and she moved into an apartment, supported financially by her family, friends and first husband.

The Duke married again and died of a stroke at the age of sixty-nine.

The Duchess died penniless in a nursing home in Pimlico in 1993.

About that ‘headless man’.  The one subtle hint the Duchess did drop concerned  the Polaroid camera.  She claimed the only Polaroid camera in the country at the time, was loaned to the Ministry of Defence. Oh the intrigue!

Ordered to investigate another scandal, the Profumo affair, Lord Denning was also instructed to look into the issue of ‘the headless man.’  His findings revealed  Cabinet Minister, and son-in-law of Winston Churchill, Duncan Sandys, who worked in the Ministry of Defence. The other man proved to be Hollywood legend Douglas Fairbanks Jnr.

Sandys confessed to ‘perhaps’ being the ‘headless man’ and offered to resign but was persuaded to remain - guess the outfall of the Profumo scandal was enough to deal with in the same year. One resignation would be quite enough, thank you!
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THE PROFUMO AFFAIR
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 A Cabinet Minister, a Russian and a showgirl - this is how the Profumo Affair will go down in history.  Sex, politics and double agents, how delicious. 

The year was 1963, and there were two very distinct themes running through Post War Britain. On the one hand, the Cold War was of serious concern to the government.  The Russians were recruiting British spies, such as the ‘Cambridge Five’, and two of them had already defected to Moscow.  The British were trying to do the same.

On the other hand, there was ‘The Swinging Sixties.’  A time of possibilities, of living it up, challenging convention and having fun. Mary Quant, Cliff Richard and other young artists making it in the world.  Young people moving to the hub that is London, filled with dreams and career opportunities.  Sexual liberation.

Onto the stage stepped four main characters; the scene set in 17 Wimpole Mews in Marylebone.  

The main protagonist was Stephen Ward, successful osteopath, artist and close friend to many successful and influential individuals, including John Profumo, Lord Astor and Yevgeny Ivanov.  MI5 and MI6 kept close to him, aware of his influence on persons of interest and tried to get Ward to recruit Yevgeny as a double agent.  He loved the attention, loved the grandeur of it all and loved nothing more than to ‘fix’ people together, hence his nickname ‘The Fixer.’  Introducing men of importance to young, good-time girls was his affinity, the thrill of being part of a world of his own making.

John Profumo was The Secretary of War in the British Cabinet and a close personal friend of Ward’s. Through Ward, he was introduced to Christine Keeler at the Astor home of Cliveden. The man was besotted with 17 year old Keeler and began an affair with her, though it was short lived and he ended it.  Thought nothing more of it,  hoped it was the last of it, but months later the affair would come to haunt him.

Christine Keeler came from ‘the wrong side of the tracks’, literally growing up in a railway carriage and longed to flee to London to become an actress.  She found work as a dancer at Murray's Cabaret Club in Soho.  This was where she met Stephen Ward and became his protege.  He in turn introduced her to Profumo and the Russian attache, Yvegeny Ivanov. Swept up in the glamour and thrill of it all, she was ill equipped to realise the danger of her relationship with both men.

Other characters in the tragedy about to happen are Lord Astor, who was having an affair with Mandy Rice-Davies (which he will deny), also a client and good friend of Stephen Ward.  Mandy was another protege of Ward and Christine’s friend.  Both will at some point live with Ward, giving him money for rent, which they earned from their relationships with the men they slept with. 

Then there was Ivanov, and the two men Christine was also involved with - Aloysuis ‘Lucky’ Gordon and Johnny Edgecombe. 

Rumours of pillow talk between a senior Cabinet Minister and a club dancer began to circulate on Fleet Street, but journalists were reluctant to publish without proof and out of respect for the stature of the man involved.  It took an unrelated incident to throw the spotlight on the affair.  Though not in any way linked to the affair, Ward or any of the activities going on in Wimpole mews, the actions of Edgecombe and Gorden drew attention to the situation.

The two men fought and Edgecombe slashed Gorden with a knife.  Afraid of revenge, he sought help from Christine to obtain legal counsel.  Jealous of his new lover, she refused and threatened to testify against him in court. On the 14th December 1962, a desperate Edgecombe arrived at the mews where Keeler had taken refuge.  She was with Mandy Rice-Davies.  When she refused him entry, he fired a volley of shots at the door and was arrested.  The incident offered the press a juicy lead to investigate the real events happening behind closed doors and began digging deeper into the relationship between Keeler, Profumo and Ivanov.

The rumours reached Parliament - Labour MP George Whigg, confronted Profumo with the allegations of his affair and her relationship with Ivanov. Admitting to having met Christine, he denied there was any ‘impropriety’ in their friendship. 

Sparks ignited, the press were determined to unearth more evidence of their affair, paying individuals to share their knowledge and what they know about the relationship between the three principle players in the story - gladly supplied by Rice-Davies who claimed that Christine has in fact, slept with both Profumo and Ivanov.  Rather than deny the obvious, Christine admitted to the truth and a scandal of epic proportions found itself in the homes and headlines of sixties Britain.  The masses were braying for more.  Cold war concerns met the swinging sixties.

In June 1963, John Profumo, fully disgraced, resigned from Parliament.  He spent the rest of his life working for charity.

Committing perjury in court during a case against Lucky Gordon, Christine Keeler was sentenced for lying under oath.  She served four months and went on to marry twice and divorce twice.  With the funds for her story to the now defunct ‘News of the World’ newspaper, she bought a house in Marylebone and died at the age of 75 in 2017.

Yvegeny Ivanov was recalled to Moscow before the affair became public.

Mandy Rice-Davies went on to marry three times, and appeared in a number of films and television shows.  When Lord Astor denied his sexual relations with her, she was famously quipped as saying; ‘Well, he would, wouldn’t he?’ She died at the age of 70 in 2014.

Johnny Edgecome died in 2020 and Gordon in 1985.  Lord Astor died in 1966.

And Stephen Ward.  What happened to the catalyst, the protagonist in this play?  

Many believed him to be deviant, manipulative and a pimp.  Of using his status and contacts to further his own ambitions.  Was he that evil, or simply a mixed up individual?  Stephen Ward supported Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies when they had nowhere to live, introducing them to powerful men.  He felt like Peter Pan in Neverland.  He was a sexual voyeur and ambitious social climber but never a pimp and when he was brought to the Old Bailey two days after Profumo’s resignation, he hoped his close friends and associates would testify on his behalf.  All deserted him.  The charges of procuring women and living off their earnings was laid against him. His own lawyer was out of his depth and the prosecution too strong, leading both Keeler and Rice-Davies to give damning evidence against him.  Ward spent his last night at a friend’s flat, writing letters and taking sleeping pills.  He was discovered in a coma but died in hospital before being sentenced.

Kenneth Tynan, critic and writer, wrote ‘To Stephen Ward, Victim of Hypocrisy.’

His drawing of Christine Keeler was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery.
One of the biggest political sex scandals in British History is still remembered throughout the years. Innocent individuals who just wanted to have fun, unprepared for the consequences of timing and fate.
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JOHN VASSAL
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The Macmillan Government was a time of spies, spies and more spies.  Spies and sex scandals.  The early sixties revealed the Profumo affair, The Cambridge spies, The Duchess of Argyll affairs … and John Vassal, British government employee and Russian spy, who happened to be gay.

Born 20th September 1924 to a clergyman and a nurse, John left school at 16 to begin work in a bank.  His dream was to join the RAF but his rejected application led him to volunteer in the RAF Reserve, where he trained as a photographer, specialising in developing and processing techniques.  These skills proved to be vital in the work he would carry out for the KGB in the future.

Post war, he returned to London and joined the civil service. 

He wrote: ‘I was, however, keen to travel, and a senior official in the Admiralty, whom I used to see occasionally, suggested that I might like to apply for one of the posts abroad which comes up from time to time.’

With travel in mind, he applied for a post, still as a clerical clerk, to the office of the Naval Attache in the British Embassy in Moscow. His arrival in Moscow in 1954 was both exciting and lonely.  Feeling isolated, Vassal spent most of his time alone and it did not help that he was homosexual in a very conservative environment, proving more difficult to make friends.  Over time however, he came into contact with a fellow staffer, a Polish man named Mikhailsky.  They both shared a love of theatre, opera and ballet, and Miklhailsy was able to secure tickets for him.  Little did Vassal know that his new friend was in fact a member of the Russian Secret Service, ordered to befriend the Englishman and set him up as an agent for Russia.

Vassal was oblivious.  In April 1955, Mikhailsky invited Vassal to dine with him at a restaurant frequented by young men. Delighted, he remarked on one in particular and on introduction was told his name was simply ‘The Skier.’ Vassal was hugely attracted to the beautiful skier and continued to call him by this name.  Soon he was being invited to parties, hosted by the Skier - his social circle was increasing and without reserve he happily engaged, attending on a regular basis.

The Skier introduced him to a friend, a ‘fur clad, mystery man’. This stranger then invited him to dinner with friends at the posh Hotel Berlin.  A private room had been prepared for drinks and dining, filled with young men.  Feeling rather in the mood for a party, John had no idea that his drink may have been spiked, or that he had been drugged, but the ‘honeytrap’ was about to play out with dire consequences.

He remembered only being led to a bed, undressing and lying down with others joining him and a photographer taking pictures.

‘Not until 1963, nine years later, was it suggested to me that the wine I have been given must have been drugged.’ 

Faint memories of being a little out of control and staggering, as well as being helped to dress and his hosts ordering a taxi to return him home, was all he could recall, but more embarrassed than frightened as what had happened, he hoped it would be forgotten and resumed his daily life. The Skier then introduced him to a military officer who lured him to a flat in Moscow where they ended up in bed together.  A sudden knock on the door produced four figures, dressed in dark coats, ordering him to the next room. The Secret Service had business to attend to. The other man disappeared in a hurry. 

Shown the photographs from the fateful night at The Berlin Hotel, Vassal could not believe his eyes.  Compromising photographs, his life and career were compromised.  He was told that he had committed a crime, was guilty of a criminal offence and would be tried, jailed and never see his country again.  

Part of the ‘honeytrap’ is to frighten, then counsel and befriend, and mentor one’s victim to the point that they feel their captors are their only friends, or those who can help.  This happened with Vassal.  He would be allowed to return to his flat, on condition he would meet with a member of Russian intelligence the following day.  Then again on a regular basis, or he would be exposed to the Ambassador and be responsible for an international scandal.  Vassal did as he was told.  At first they demanded little from him, and his life seemed normal, attending functions and going to work, but soon they began to press him for more vital, military intel.  When his term at the embassy came to an end, he believed his nightmare to be over, but he belonged to the Russians.  He had to meet a KGB agent, named Gregory, in London, and this was a regular occurrence - meeting, swapping information, receiving money in return.

After a year with Naval Intelligence, Vassal began to work for the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Thomas Galbraith, as his assistant personal secretary. His ‘James Bond’  life was firmly entrenched and he continued to spy for the Russians until 1962, when on a September evening, he was accosted by two men as he left work. 

The defection of a senior KGB officer, Anatoli Golitsyn seemed to trigger their investigation of Vassal as a spy.  Vassal confessed to everything and was charged and sentenced to eighteen years in prison.  He served ten. Thomas Galbraith was forced to resign, another politician caught in a scandal.

His autobiography, entitled ‘Vassal: the autobiography of a spy.’ was published in 1975.  On his release he changed his name to Phillips, moved to St. John’s Wood and continued his working life in the British Records Association and a firm of solicitors in Grays Inn.  He died of a heart attack on a bus in November 1996.  

Pawn or pariah?  
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These are but three of the many British scandals involving people in power and their crazy, messed up sex lives. It is a messy world indeed, some just falling into more swamps than others, trapped by lust, greed, insecurities and wanting to be different, or special, or just loved?  What do you think?
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A Season of Secrets and Scandals, the Royal connection

7/4/2022

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Where would any self-respecting, country ruling Royal family be without a scandal or two, in or out of the closet? What were they thinking, one could ask?  Love them or hate them, we are intrigued, more so when a delicious scandal sheds light on their human, fallible and vulnerable lives.

Able to choose from a plethora of British Royal Scandals, we have chosen three of the most talked about in British history for this blog, but of course, even the current Royal Family have contributed a multitude of scandalous chapters to fill the history books.
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Presenting a vignette into the lives of two British Kings and a Lord, and how their actions played a part on the public stage , resulting in scandal, public outcry and abdication.

King Edward VII

‘We are here for a good time, not a long time.’ King Edward VII

Beloved Bertie, or Dirty Bertie?  The eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had to wait a long time to become King in 1901 - until his 59th birthday. A weak boy and poor student, Bertie may have been a victim of ADHD, but who knew back in those days?  Nothing seemed to fit, constantly distracted, his mother and father despaired for  their eldest’s inability to conform to their strict ideals of education and values.
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Image courtesy of the Alamy

The lost boy grew up to be a lost young man, with no purpose, no job and no real routine. Wafting about in the royal corridors.


Albert Edward (known as Bertie) was born on the 9th November 1841 and died on the 6th May 1910.  His reputation as a playboy, gambler and heavy drinker made him interesting, likeable and the focus of London society -  and party to a number of scandals which shook the nation, and the palace. 

At the tender age of nineteen, the Prince Regent, whilst on tour with the Grenadier Guards at Currugh, near Dublin, was ‘presented’, a gift from the lads, with Nellie Clifden, an Irish actress hired to introduce the young prince to the ways of the world.  He lost his virginity, his heart and gained the wrath of his parents. Little did they know it was simply the beginning of his adventurous journey with wine, women and song - and loads of food.  The Prince Regent would develop gargantuan tastes in almost everything he indulged in, from hunting to sex. 

So upset by his indiscretions with Nellie, his father insisted on having a serious talk with his son. He travelled to Cambridge where Bertie was a student.  Prince Albert, already ill at the time, died two weeks later.  An inconsolable Queen Victoria blamed her son for his passing, saying: ‘I never can, or shall, look at him without a shudder.’ 

The strained relationship between mother and son would continue for most of their lives, reconciling shortly before her death. 

The Prince fell into the lifestyle of the leisure elite, his mother and queen refusing him access to government papers, or participation in running of state and country.  The Queen simply did not trust him.  Frustrated by her indifference and lack of faith in him, Bertie soaked up the social life, visiting brothels in Paris (with champagne filled baths and beauties), and engaging in a number of high profile affairs which included Lillie Langtry, Lady Randolf Churchill. Daisy Greville, the Countess of Warwick, Tempest Schneider, Alice Keyser and Alice Keppel. 

At 21 his mother thought it was time to find him a wife.  The man must settle down, she surmised. Bertie married Princess Alexandra of Denmark on the 10th March 1863, which resulted in happy years and a proper family, but providing little in terms of Bertie’s lusty ambitions.  His affairs continued.  Their  parties continued, now at their London residence, Marlborough House. Simply everyone wanted an invitation to Marlborough House to party with the prince.  

A few years on, the Prince Regent was summoned to court, accused of improper behaviour with Lady Harriet Mordaunt. Literally caught in a compromising position by her husband when he returned early from a trip to their country estate.  Bertie denied it, his doctor declared her Ladyship insane and she ended her life in an asylum - not very nice. Quelle horreur!  Nor is there any acknowledgment of illegitimate children on his part.  The scandal did little to damage the Prince’s reputation but it did little to appease his mother, knowing her son was being called ‘Edward the Caresser’ in public.

What the Prince did love was pomp and ceremony.  He was a natural at it. Loved to dress well and appear in public, opening this and celebrating that, oh the adulation.  His mother, since the death of her beloved Albert, withdrew from society, Black clothes, black mood, just about everything black and was rarely seen, though Bertie thrived on the attention. 

 For a while life seemed relatively scandal free, until an infamous game of Baccarat in 1891, which was illegal, and the accusations of cheating by his friend, William Gordon Cumming.  Cumming eventually took the matter to court and for the second time in nearly 400 years, a member of the Royal Family, Bertie, was called to the stand.  The result was social death for Cummings and yet more embarrassment for the Prince. 

Queen Victoria died in January 1901. Finally Albert Edward was King Edward VII.  His popularity and public engagements brought about a modern monarchy and the Edwardian Age.  His last mistress, Alice Keppel, was allowed at court.

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Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Sadly, the years of excess had begun to take its toll on his health.  Nine years as King, he died at the age of sixty-nine.
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KING EDWARD VIII AND WALLIS SIMPSON
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‘You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance.’ Wallis Simpson.


Image courtesy of the Sun

There have been plenty of scandals amongst the Royals, yet the abdication of a King to be with a twice divorced, American woman, ranks right up there as one of the greatest of them all.

Did she really love him?  Was she hoping to be Queen?  Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in June 1896, Wallis Simpson had a difficult childhood and would be twice married before meeting the future king, Edward Albert Christian George, Prince of Wales. 

Still betrothed to her second husband, she was introduced to him by Lady Furness, his current mistress, at Burrough Court in January 1931.  His reputation as a playboy and astring of affairs had already angered his parents, his recklessness and debauched behaviour of great concern to the present Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin. 

‘After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months.’ King George V

The POW (Prince of Wales) was besotted with Wallis Simpson and it is believed they began their affair whilst Lady Furness was travelling.  He strongly denied this to his father, indignantly protesting that this was not the case, whilst showering her with money and jewels.  His parents met Ms. Simpson at Buckingham Palace in 1935 and refused to receive her in the future.  

The Prince began to neglect his duties, choosing instead to travel to Europe with Wallis, becoming slavishly dependent on her and weirdly seemingly to enjoy her abrupt and abrasive manners, her way of domineering him, indifferent to his position as heir apparent.  Once quoted as saying she will soon be Queen of England, their relationship was of such deep concern that they were even followed by the Secret Metropolitan police - all convinced the divorcee had the Prince firmly under her thumb. He was unrelenting, aware that when he did become King, he would also be Supreme Governor of the Church of England, further exacerbating the situation. 

King George V died in January 1936.  The newly crowned King approached Baldwin for a solution to marry Mrs. Simpson, offering to settle for a morganatic marriage where she would never be Queen Consort, taking a lesser title.  All were appalled at the idea, her unpopularity and hold on the king.  Baldwin, the Prime ministers of Australia, Canada and the Union of South Africa opposed any such union; the Government would be plunged into a Constitutional crisis and forced to resign. 

Wallis was forced to flee and hide in France from the paparazzi.

The Instrument of Abdication was signed by King Edward VIII on the 10th December 1936 in the presence of his three brothers, the Duke of York, Gloucester and Kent.  His statement the next day read: ‘I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King asI wish to, without the help and support of the woman I love.’

There have been plenty of scandals amongst the Royals, yet the abdication of a King to be with a twice divorced, American woman, ranks right up there as one of the greatest of them all.

Did she really love him?  Was she hoping to be Queen?  Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in June 1896, Wallis Simpson had a difficult childhood and would be twice married before meeting the future king, Edward Albert Christian George, Prince of Wales. 

Still betrothed to her second husband, she was introduced to him by Lady Furness, his current mistress, at Burrough Court in January 1931.  His reputation as a playboy and astring of affairs had already angered his parents, his recklessness and debauched behaviour of great concern to the present Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin. 

‘After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months.’ King George V

The POW (Prince of Wales) was besotted with Wallis Simpson and it is believed they began their affair whilst Lady Furness was travelling.  He strongly denied this to his father, indignantly protesting that this was not the case, whilst showering her with money and jewels.  His parents met Ms. Simpson at Buckingham Palace in 1935 and refused to receive her in the future.  

The Prince began to neglect his duties, choosing instead to travel to Europe with Wallis, becoming slavishly dependent on her and weirdly seemingly to enjoy her abrupt and abrasive manners, her way of domineering him, indifferent to his position as heir apparent.  Once quoted as saying she will soon be Queen of England, their relationship was of such deep concern that they were even followed by the Secret Metropolitan police - all convinced the divorcee had the Prince firmly under her thumb. He was unrelenting, aware that when he did become King, he would also be Supreme Governor of the Church of England, further exacerbating the situation. 
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Image courtesy of Fox News

King George V died in January 1936.  The newly crowned King approached Baldwin for a solution to marry Mrs. Simpson, offering to settle for a morganatic marriage where she would never be Queen Consort, taking a lesser title.  All were appalled at the idea, her unpopularity and hold on the king.  Baldwin, the Prime ministers of Australia, Canada and the Union of South Africa opposed any such union; the Government would be plunged into a Constitutional crisis and forced to resign. 

Wallis was forced to flee and hide in France from the paparazzi.

The Instrument of Abdication was signed by King Edward VIII on the 10th December 1936 in the presence of his three brothers, the Duke of York, Gloucester and Kent.  His statement the next day read: ‘I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King asI wish to, without the help and support of the woman I love.’
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What followed the abdication and their marriage, was a lesser title for him, the Duke of Windsor and a stint in the Bahamas, finally settling in Paris in 1952.  Social parties, dubious friends, vilified for their Nazi sympathising and careless visit to Germany, meeting Hilter. Churchill distrusted her motives, others commenting on her abusive behaviour towards her husband whom she regarded as weak and pathetic. 
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There were visits to Britain and the US, but the couple spent most of the remainder of their time in Paris. The Duke died of throat cancer in 1972 and his body was returned to Britain where he lay in state at St. George’s Chapel in Great Windsor. Wallis, now the Duchess of Windsor, was allowed to attend the funeral. 

The Duchess became reclusive, frail and suffered from dementia until her death in 1986, to be laid to rest beside her husband. 

Lord and Lady Mountbatten

‘Edwina and I spent all our married lives getting into other people’s beds.’ Lord Mountbatten.
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Images courtesy of the Alamy and the Times UK
The wedding of Prince Louis Mountbatten and Edwina Ashley on the 18th July 1922 was attended by crowds of 8000 people at St. Margarets, Westminster.  The darling of society and her dashing husband, a relative of the Royal family, were young and naive (and both rumoured to be virgins) about to embark on a rather scandalous marriage that would only last through the mutual affection and deep love they had for each other.

Edwina was having numerous affairs within the first three years of her nuptials. Once voted the 6th most beautiful woman in the world, she waved goodbye to her naval husband and hello to a string of lovers.

The housekeeper at their Mayfair home was quoted as saying: ‘Mr Gray is in the drawing room, Mr Sandford is in the library, Mr Phillips is in the boudoir, Senor Portago in the ante room … and I simply don’t know what to do with Mr. Molyneux!’  
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Her daughter Pamela Hicks, in her novel, ‘Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten”, writes, “she began to collect them in a way that raised many eyebrows.” Her life with her parents included many ‘uncles’ staying over, or simply passing through.

When Louis learnt of his wife’s initial infidelities, he was devastated. Not wanting a divorce, he agreed to an open marriage, both embarking on extra-marital affairs.  His longtime mistress was Yolo Letellier, a French woman said to have inspired Collette’s novella ‘Gigi’.  Rumours of both being bi-sexual began to circulate and that Lord Mountbatten had a preference for young men. 

All scandalous indeed, highlighted in 1932 by the printing of a newspaper article suggesting that ‘a lady of high social standing’ was having an affair with a black man. The woman, they implied, was Edwina Mountbatten and her lover was Leslie ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson, a jazz singer.  Buckingham Palace ordered the couple home to sue the newspaper, who later retracted the allegations and issued a formal apology. The rumours continued.
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Image courtesy of CNN

Leslie ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson


Interestingly enough, when Hutchinson died penniless, Lord Mountbatten paid for his funeral and headstone when he was laid to rest in Highgate cemetery. Not long after, Edwina had an affair with Colonel Harold ‘Bunny’ Phillips of the Coldsteam Guards.

In 1947, Lord Mountbatten was appointed Viceroy of India.  Edwina began a passionate relationship with the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, ten years her senior..  Whether the relationship was of a sexual nature is unclear but the pair were devoted to each other, visiting each other annually even after the Mountbattens returned to London.

Edwina died in 1960 and was buried at sea. Nehru sent a Frigate from India to lay a wreath on his behalf. 

Lord Mountbatten, one of the most impressive men of his generation, a highly decorated leader, rising to the highest position in the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord, was murdered aboard his yacht at Sligo in Ireland by an IRA Bomb in 1979.

It is cause to ponder upon these high profile Royalists all, as to what drove them to have affairs, and plenty of them, outside of their expected roles as public figures.  The risks of exposure are greater than for mere mortals, the tabloids poised for scandalous gossip, salacious innuendo.  Was it their position of power?  The idea that normal morals are for common folk and they are at liberty to live according to their own rules, defiant in their scandalous behaviour.  A King so obsessed with an American divorcee, he is willing to give up his duty; a couple living in an open marriage in full view of the world and a King, so frustrated at waiting for his moment on the throne, he plays entirely by his rules, social conscience be damned.

They may be alternative, foolish even, but partly true to who they really were, needing to belong, to be loved.  Right or wrong, these scandals have marked their place in history, and made history a little more enjoyable to reflect upon.

What other great scandals lurk within the city of London? 
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Americans in our midst

24/3/2022

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Let’s go on a walk through London highlighting some interesting facts about Americans and how their stories are interwoven with ours.
LONDON BRIDGE
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Image courtesy of the BBC 

Some Americans will have heard the children’s jingle, ‘London Bridge is falling down.’  The one we see here is not the original, not even the one that was around in the sixties.  That one was, in fact, falling down.  

Engineers discovered a serious deterioration in the vast, 1000 foot bridge, which took quite a hammering during the Second World War.  Serving the citizens of London well for over 130 years, the constant traffic took its toll.  The bridge was not only sinking from the constant weight of traffic, but crumbling too.

The plan was to build a new one, and the question arose as to what to do with the old London Bridge. A member of the Common Council of the City of London, Ian Luckin, suggested they put the bridge up for sale.  Why not make some money on the old girl, he offered his peers.

‘Not just a bridge’, he said. `It is the heir to 2000 years of history going back to the first century AD, to the time of Roman Londinium.” 

‘They all thought I was completely crazy when I suggested we should sell London Bridge when it needed replacing.’ 

It was a long shot and did not seem to appeal to the locals at all, but they did put the sale of the bridge into public view, hoping for any potential buyers. They got lucky. In 1968, a wealthy American Industrialist, Robert McCulloch paid £2.46m for the bridge. The industrialist from Moussourri owned the single largest tract of land in Arizona in 1963, intending to develop a city, Lake Havasu City.  What he needed was a major attraction, something to draw tourists and investors. London Bridge would be perfect. 

The sale went through and the careful dismantling of the bridge began, each block carefully marked for shipment and re-assembling. The operation took three years to complete.  First, the blocks were transported to the Merrivale Quarry, in Devon and from there, shipped via the Panama Canal to California and finally trucked to Arizona.  
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Now it spans the Bridgewater Canal, a testament to the genius, or folly of one man who wanted to bring London Bridge to the USA.

ALL HALLOWS-BY-THE-TOWER
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The All Hallows-by-the-Tower stands on ground that has revealed signs from Roman times and could well have been built as early as the 7th Century.  Firmly established as a church between the 11th and 15th centuries, its proximity to the Tower of London indicates there were strong royal connections.  It was declared a Royal Chapel by Edward IV but more importantly, it served as a temporary burial ground for the more eminent victims of executions at Tower Hill, such as Sir Thomas Moore. ​The church sustained damage over the years. Fortunately it escaped being gutted by the Great Fire of London in 1666, thanks to the quick action of Admiral William Penn. 

Image courtesy of Britain Express

Penn ordered his men from a nearby naval yard to blow up any still existing houses surrounding the church, creating a firebreak and saving the church. Admiral Penn was the father of William Penn of Pennsylvania, who was baptised in this church. The younger Penn was schooled in Chigwell, Essex, and the establishment was run according to very strict Puritan rules.  


Later he was to be drawn to Quakerism, and rejected the Anglican faith.  His beliefs saw him imprisoned many times, but his faith held steadfast.  The Quakers (Society of Friends) were seen as religious radicals and often subjected to persecution. Undaunted, he continued to profess his religious beliefs through public speaking, writing books and pamphlets, and even spent time in the cells of the Tower of London in 1669 where he wrote ‘No Cross, no Crown.’

His father’s death in 1670 left him with large estates in England and Ireland, though he continued to preach his sermons and write.  He married and had eight children, four of which died in infancy.  A prolific writer, he also became interested in American Colonisation, fostering a long found dream of a colony where all could live with religious tolerance. In 1681 he, and 11 other Quakers, bought the rights to East New Jersey, which he renamed after his father, Pennsylvania. 

When he sailed to America in 1682, his plans for a new government and the establishment of Philadelphia were well under way. He managed to secure a number of treaties, including those with the Delaware Indians, but not all was plain sailing and in due course he was forced to return to England.

His family connections offered Penn excellent relations with King James, and he enjoyed the good fortune bestowed upon him by the King.  He was able to exercise his faith without intolerance - helping secure the release of many Quakers held in London prisons.  The death of King James, and the accession to the throne of King William and Queen Mary, who were suspicious of his intentions, cast him from the Royal Circle, at times living in fear of his life.

Things deteriorated progressively in Pennsylvania.  In his absence they lost the colony which was ceded to New York.  He returned to the colony and tried to restore relationships, repair the broken treaties, but was eventually compelled to grant the lower countries their independence and grant Pennsylvania, a revised constitution.  Less than two years later, he was forced, once again, back to London. The rest of his life was an unhappy one. A severe stroke left him helpless and dependent until his death in 1718.
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Another famous American, John Quincy Adams, who became the 6th President of America, was married in this church on July 26th 1797.  His wife Louisa Catherine Adams,  was born in America and raised in London.  Her father, Joshua Adams would like to entertain visiting Americans and it was there that the young Louisa met John Adams, American minister to the Netherlands.  John Adams’ father, John Adams, was also a President of the United States of America.

ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

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Image courtesy of Visit London

In the East wing of the great St. Paul's Cathedral is a very special chapel.  Dedicated to all Americans, stationed in the UK during  WWII, who lost their lives in the line of duty.


The American Memorial Chapel was built in a section of the Cathedral destroyed by the Blitz, which makes it even more poignant.  In the centre of the chapel is a leather bound memorial book, a roll of Honour to the 28,000 Americans who lost their lives, from Aaberg to Zingele.  Many died in the D-day landings.

Americans visit to pay their respects and sit for a little while, in contemplation, in thanks, and perhaps to remember a family member who may have been one of the fallen. The Chapel was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and Vice President Nixon in 1958.  

Much thought has been put into the designing and construction of the Chapel.  If you look  at the three stained glass windows, you will find the State symbol of every State, and the wood carvings display the natural birds, plants and flowers indigenous to the country. Hidden in a wood panel are stars and a space rocket.

In 1959 President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself in command of the Allied troops on D-Day, visited the Chapel.  He said:

‘Each name inscribed in this book is a story of personal tragedy and a grieving family’ a story repeated endlessly in white crosses girdling the globe.’
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In the crypt of St. Paul's cathedral, is another memorial to a remarkable American, who lost his life at the age of 29, fighting for the British in the RAF.  William Meade Lindsley Fiske III, known as Billy Fiske was born in NYC in 1911.
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Image courtesy of Traveling Boy Blog

 ‘An American citizen who died that England might live.’

From a  young age, Billy Fiske, who spent time in France during his teens, excelled at Bobsleigh, a sport he picked up whilst there.  A mere three years later, he led the US Bobsledding team to victory at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz.  More gold medals followed at the winter Olympics at Lake Placid, and had the Olympics in 1936 not taken place in Germany, his team were sure to win again.

Billy Fiske was a principled man, boycotting the Olympic Games in Nazi Germany.  

He wanted to join the RAF and fly for Britain. This was illegal, to fight for a country not your own at the time, so he ‘used’  Canadian papers to find a way to join the war effort in England.  He was accepted. Based at Tangmere in Southern England, his diary reads; ‘ I believe I can lay claim to being the first US citizen to join the RAF in England …’

Young and fearless, he took part in the Battle of Britain, flying a Hawker Hurricane and received great praise from his squadron leader and fellow pilots.  He was a natural, they said, yet sadly, within days of joining his squadron, he was dead.  Shot down, he managed to land his plane but died two days later from his injuries.

Fiske is buried in a churchyard in Boxgrove. Beneath the plaque, placed in his honour and in recognition of his valiant efforts, in a small casket, are his RAF flying wings.

ST. SEPULCHRE-WITHOUT-NEWGATE
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St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate, is the largest Anglican parish in London. Built in the early 11th century, it lies close to the Old Bailey, which used to be Newgate prison.  Back in those days, the prisoners to be taken to Tyburn to be executed, would have their last time on earth, counted by the bell ringing of the church.  The bellman would enter the prison from the church via tunnel to pray for the doomed prisoners.  On the day of the execution, the bells would toll again, and the bellman would be present when they were loaded onto the wagons to begin their final journey. 


The church has survived many centuries and seen the reigns of many kings and queens.  Largely destroyed  during The Great Fire in 1666, the steeple survived and the restoration work took four years, carried out by Sir. Christopher Wren.


Image courtesy of Wikipedia 

​An Englishman, with strong connections to America, lies buried here.  Captain John Smith, of Pocohontas fable and fame.  A colourful soldier of fortune, a great adventurer, Captain Smith travelled far and wide.  Born in Lincoln, he saw war in Hungary, fought the Turks (and cut off quite a few heads) and set sail for America. 


Captain Smith established Jamestown in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement on the continent.  He was also the first to map out the coastline of Chesapeake Bay and the coast of New England.  

When Jamestown was established in 1607, Pocahontas was still a young 10 year old girl, the daughter of Powhantan, ruler of many tribes in the Chesapeake. Barely a few months after his arrival, Smith was captured by the Native Indians and brought before Powhantan, surrounded by men with clubs, and he feared his end had come.  Pocahontas approached Smith, leant her head against his body and all was forgiven.  Relations flourished between the English and the Native Americans and the chief began to call him his son.  Pocahontas was free to enter the town with her envoys and enjoyed learning more about the English language and culture.

But peace was not to last.  The drought of 1609 meant food was scarce and the English demands began to threaten the survival of the Native Americans.  Smith approached Powhatan, thinking all would be worked out.  There was a plot afoot to kill him, warned by Pocohontas. Her father’s tribe moved further away and little was heard of the young girl until she was in turn captured by an English group of men looking for food, and brought back to Jamestown as a prisoner, hoping to be useful in exchange for captured English colonists.

The plan was abandoned, and she was educated in Christianity, and denounced her tribal beliefs and family.  She married John Rolfe, had a child and they sailed for England where she was presented as visiting royalty.  Planning to return to America, Pocahontas, now known as Rebecca, became gravely in and died at Gravesend, where she is buried.
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Smith returned to England.  He died in 1631 and is buried here.  The story of Captain Smith and Pocohantas was not so much the romance as Disney would want you to believe. 

YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE PUB

Mark Twain, along with Dickens, PG Woodhouse, Samuel Johnson and many other literary greats are said to have visited this pub which dates back to the 16th Century.  The pub you see here was built after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

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Image courtesy of Coutours

TEMPLE CHURCH
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Image courtesy of Wikipedia

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Right up there with Westminster Abbey and the White Tower, as one of the oldest buildings in London, is Temple Church.  Dating back as far as the 12th century,  the circular church represents the church on the Mount in Jerusalem, the birthplace of the Templar Order. The church contains effigies of Crusaders, assisted by the Templars and are not actual graves.

Some may recognise the temple as an important film location in Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code.’ in 2006. Temple church as survived the crushing of the Knights Templar by Pope Clement in 1307, the Great Fire of London in 1666 and a bomb during  WWII. 

TWO TEMPLE PLACE

​A quirkier location in London you would be hard to find.  This is the home of the Astor Family, a prominent American family with a history as colourful as the interiors of the building. Today the building is managed by The Bulldog Trust, a charitable organisation and is hired out for exhibitions and events.

William Waldorf Astor was born in NYC in 1848.  He inherited a large fortune from his father and grand-father in 1890, built up over three generations in the property market.  William however, was not enamoured with America, the press in particular and had a constant fear that his family would be kidnapped for ransom.

His vision of establishing a home in England led to the acquisition of Cliveden in 1890. Other homes included Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, another in Brighton and a large home in Sorrento.

Requiring an office and a lavish London base, he commissioned architect John Pearson - with an unlimited budget.  Very specifically, his passions for art, literature, history and mythology needed to be reflected throughout the house. Some examples are:

The cherub with the telephone.

The columns in the entrance hall are carved to represent the Three Musketeers.

The Great hall features up to 54 characters, from Pocohantas, Ophelia, Marie Antoinette, Robin Hood and Maid Marion, all chilling together, alongside Cleopatra and Marc Anthony.  There are a number of them.

Astor bought a number of newspapers, The Observer amongst them and was known to be a great philanthropist.  He was awarded citizenship in 1899 and a Peerage under title of Heever Castle in 1916.

William Astor died at the age of 59 in the Bahamas.  He is buried in the Octagon Temple at Cliveden. Two Temple Place was opened to the public as a gallery in October 2011.


BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HOUSE

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Image courtesy of Britain Express

Benjamin Franklin lived in this house between 1757 and 1775, and this is believed to be the only surviving house that Franklin lived in, right in the heart of London. 

Dr. Benjamin Franklin was known as a philosopher, inventor, diplomat, scientist, writer and founding father of the United States of America.  He is the only statesman to have signed all four documents in the creation of this new nation; The Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Alliance with France, The Treaty of Paris, bringing peace with Britain, and The Constitution.  Quite the man.

Arriving in London, he took up lodgings in the house, run as a boarding house by Mrs. Margaret Stevenson. A few quirky rumours about Dr.. Franklin.
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It is said that Dr. Franklin liked to have ‘air baths’, in front of the window. It is believed that he also formed a relationship with Mrs. Stevenson and later her daughter in the time he stayed there. His role as an Ambassador to England from the United States was important, but he found plenty of time to continue to write articles, letters and contribute to the Craven Street Gazette.  He had a very full and happy social life, and did not seem to worry all that much about his wife and family back home!

TRAFALGAR SQUARE AND GEORGE WASHINGTON
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George Washington, also known as the ‘ Father of the Nation’ and First President of the United States. He was elected twice.  Soldier and statesman, Washington led the Patriotic Forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War.  He resigned the commission when the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783.


An excellent leader, he was also a man of conscience.  At first, he himself owned over a hundred slaves, but by the 1770’s he found this problematic and in his will, allowed for the release of                                        Image courtesy of Wikipedia
twelve, one a man named William Lee.  The other 123
​slaves were to be given their freedom on the death of his wife, Martha.  She released them all before her death.


The statue you see here in Trafalgar Square has an interesting twist. It is alleged that Washington, born in England and a citizen of Britain, vowed never to set foot on English soil again.  The statue standing here stands on Virginia soil. 

Despite this, the English had a great deal of respect for George Washington.  The King called him ‘the greatest man of the age.’

PICKERING PLACE

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Tucked away at the bottom of a narrow alley, plopped between vintage wines and elegant hats, lies Pickering Place.  Step into the smallest square in London and surround yourself with 18th century architecture, gas lamps and imagine the secretive duels which took place here.  It is said that even the dandy, Beau Brummel, took part in one here.



​Image courtesy of LondonxLondon.

Beneath these pavers are huge vaults belonging to Berry Bros.  The thickly painted panels used to line the front of the shop.  There is a plaque, placed by the Anglo-Texan Society in 1963, commemorates the Texan Embassy that rented a premises here, from Berry Bros between 1842 and 1845. Texas then joined the other states of America.  An outstanding debt/rent of £160 pounds was settled by the Society.


THE STAFFORD HOTEL


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We are blessed to have in London, two American Bars.  One in The Savoy, and one in The Stafford.  Personally I love this quirky, hat bedecked bar, and especially the story of Nancy Wake, who has no ties to any Americans, but lived there towards the end of her life and loved a gin and tonic at 10 in the morning.


The American Bar is so named for the American soldiers who frequented the hotel during the Second World War.

Image courtesy of TripAdvisor

They continue to keep the atmosphere similar to the early cocktail bars, and create cocktails celebrating key moments in US History - for example, ‘The Raven’, in honour of the American Poet, Edgar Allen Poe.

GROSVENOR SQUARE

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Image courtesy of Royist

‘Little America in London.’ Dating back as far as the late 18th century, this square has been associated  with Americans, living in or visiting London.  Between 1785 and 1788, John Adams, 1st United States Minister to the court of St. James’s and the 2nd US President stayed here, on the corner of Brook and Duke Street.


Talking of Brook street, Jimmy Hendrix lived there briefly in June 1969, which is a museum now.  

The beautiful green square in the heart of Mayfair belongs to the Grosvenor family, the Duke of Westminster.  During the war, General Dwight Eisenhower established a US Military headquarters at 20 Grosvenor Square,  Whilst running the operations for the D-Day landings, this square was known as ‘Eisenhower platz.’

The Duke of Westminster granted a piece of land in the square, in 1947, for the erection of a statue dedicated to President Roosevelt.  The statue was funded entirely by British Citizens, showing their support for the relations between Britain and the United States.  The statue, designed by Sir. William Reed Dick, was unveiled by his wife in 1948, in the presence of the Royal family and many other important dignitaries.

In 1960, the Brutalist building you see before you on the west side of the square, was commissioned as the new home of the US Embassy, designed by an American, Eero Saarinen, with the brief that it blended in naturally with the style of Grosvenor Square (not so sure about that.) 

Only six floors are above ground, the rest below. The exterior facade is Portland Stone and the Eagle above has a 35 foot wingspan, inspired by a carved, wooden eagle in the New England museum.  The embassy moved to Nine Elms in 2018.  It is the only US Embassy on land not owned by the US.

The Embassy has since been bought by the Qatari Royal Family and is scheduled to open as a five star hotel.

Another statue you will find in the square, is that of President Ronald Reagan, the 40th US President, also made from bronze as the one of Eisenhower.  This was unveiled on the 4th of July.

The obelisk is the Eagle Squadron Memorial. Consisting of a Portland Stone column, surmounted by a bronze sculpture of the American Bald Eagle, sculpted by Dame Elizabeth Frink.  

Before the US entered the war, many Americans wanted to volunteer for the RAF to fight against Nazi Germany.  This was illegal, as they could only fight for the US and many did so illegally, or using fake Canadian papers. More than 600 applied.  After Pearl Harbour and the inclusion of the US into the war, there were more than 80 Eagle Squadrons.  These were later quietly incorporated into the US military.

Sponsored by the Hearst Foundation, the monument was unveiled on the 12th May, 1986.  Inscribed are the names of the 244 American and 16 British fighters.

‘They came not as warriors in search of conflict, but rather as crusaders in the cause of liberty.  They became brothers in arms to their British colleagues …’

The beautiful pergola and created garden in Grosvenor Square, is a memorial to the British victims of September 11th, 2001, who died in the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Shanksville.  Beneath the memorial is buried, a half-ton steel girder taken from ruins of the One World Trade Centre in New York.

The garden, opened by the Princess Royal in 2003, contains flowers from Britain and the United States.  The flowers bloom in September. The white, Bianca rose, is prominent here.  The rose was part of the bouquet carried by Queen Elizabeth at the memorial and each family placed the white rose outside the Abbey.  On the first anniversary of the tragedy, more than 30 000 white petals were dropped from the whispering gallery in St. Pauls to honour the victims.

The inscription on the pergola reads: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’
​

Coutours has an American in London tour that includes this and much more. For further information on this private tour, please contact Emma. emma@coutours.co.uk
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When is a sandwich not a sandwich?

30/4/2021

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I am not a fan of a sandwich. Years spent working in a press office where sandwiches were brought on a platter and any uneaten left to harden and curl at the edges managed to turn me off. Saying that, there are three sandwiches I would push you out of the way to eat. So let me tell you about the best sandwiches in London.

First we must tackle that eternal question: when is a sandwich a sandwich? Is a flatbread a sandwich? Does a wrap count? Well, I am not a purist but I will say that as long as there are two pieces of bread type material holding in a filling of some description, we have a sandwich. Whatever you believe, there is no doubt the idea originated in the Middle East. The classic sandwich as we now know it, was ‘created’ for a lazy English person in 1762?
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As the story goes, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, had a serious gambling problem. Since this caused him to spend hours on end at the table, he requested his cook to make him something he could easily eat without leaving the table and suggested they put the meat between two slices of bread. Et voilà - the sandwich was born! Apparently, he loved the bread/meat/bread arrangement so much he asked for it constantly and as the dish grew in popularity amongst London’s high society, it took on the earl’s name.


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churchill and his clothes

23/4/2021

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How many of you think of Winston Churchill as a style icon? I think he looked rather dapper in his
pinstripe suits and hats but he did have a rather interesting impact on the history of fashion. So let’s
take a look at some of his most famous outfits and fashion choices!

​First up, the pinstripe suit; a classic that gained popularity in the 1920’s and has been in and out of
fashion ever since. Of course, when we look at its history, the most famous wearer of this particular
style was Winston Churchill (although there were a few bootleggers and those from the organised
criminal underground who also favoured this look!) Though he had a hard time holding onto money,
his clothes were always bespoke. More often than not, his suits were specially tailored by Henry
Poole & Co.
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Interestingly, tailoring gave us the word ‘bespoke.’ Once a client had chosen a fabric, it was then
‘spoken for’ or ‘bespoke.’


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Female Spies

16/4/2021

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​History is full of important figures, people who changed the world, heroes even. The 20th century knew a lot of struggle and during those extraordinary times, Britain needed extraordinary people. We all know the names of those in the spotlight, such as Winston Churchill, but who was fighting behind the scenes? Spies played a vital role in the Allied war effort, so let’s remember some of the most extraordinary female spies from the 20th century.

Mata Hari

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“Mata Hari” sounds quite exotic, doesn’t it? Of course, that was exactly the point it was chosen by Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. She was as much a “femme fatale”, as she was a woman living in a time when choices for a woman were limited. After marrying young and struggling with married life, she had to leave her daughter behind with her ex-husband because she was unable to provide for her. She moved to Paris in 1902 for a better life and took several odd jobs to support herself. This is where she first took to the stage as an exotic dancer and quickly made a name for herself.
She performed under the name Mata Hari, meaning “eye of the day” in Malay and danced nearly nude, with only a decorated breastplate and jewellery. As she spun stories about being a Javanese princess and performed draped in gauzy shawls, her fame grew. When the war started, her career was already in decline, but since she was still beautiful and well-known, she became a courtesan and took rich and powerful lovers of all nationalities.

As she continued travelling, she caught the eye of the Germans, who offered her 20.000 francs to become a spy. She accepted, but there’s little evidence she actually passed them any information. She was also approached by the French secret service and agreed to spy for them but was soon after suspected to be a double agent working for the Germans. Her trial took place in 1917 and she was found guilty, though no real evidence that she had passed any information was provided.
So was she really a spy? Did she seduce men left and right to pass on information to the other side? Or was she just a woman trying to survive in difficult times? It’s hard to say who Margaretha really was, as history looks back on her as the ultimate femme fatale, though she herself claimed she’d never been a spy.”
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Her legacy, however, is undeniable. French investigator Captain Pierre Bouchardon called her “a born spy”, though she herself claimed “I have always lived for love and pleasure.” She was killed by a firing squad, but showed grace and courage until her final moments, as she refused to wear a blindfold and reportedly blew the soldiers one last kiss before they opened fire.


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st stephen walbrook

11/3/2021

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​Of all the Wren churches in London, this is my favourite. If churches were a selection of cakes, this would be the Fondant Fancy, a small, light, pastel gem that is easy to miss as you wander around the City. You really need to ensure that you step back from this church to admire it. It is easy to miss its best asset if you stand too close. It has the most darling of domes – a small, perfectly formed verdigris cupola. The walls are high and fortress-like with high oval windows that provide both privacy and security.


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postman's park

4/3/2021

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It is sad and rather strange to think that, up until the late Victorian age, ordinary working people were never formally recognised if they gave their lives to save others. It was the aristocracy or officers in the armed forces who were commended for acts of heroic self-sacrifice. It is also quite unusual for an artist to create a commemorative wall of glazed tiles to recognise these everyday acts of heroism. George Frederick Watts, a recognised artist of the time, devised the idea of individual tiles to immortalise the bravery of ordinary men and women for future generations to see. Each tile was hand painted using their name and a brief description of their sad sacrifice.


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Maltby Street Market

25/2/2021

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Just south of Tower Bridge there is a little piece of secret London – a hidden market. There are no signposts and there are few visual clues. Look closer and you will see a trail of people wandering away into small back roads that lead you towards Bermondsey and into a street market called Maltby Street. You will also recognize the happy faces of people who have sampled the delights of the market and are heading off elsewhere, charmed and satisfied.


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    Author

    Emma Parker

    MY PROMISE

    As a tour guide and a lover of London, I will be writing a series of interesting stories about London; tales I have heard, places I have visited, tasty food I have eaten and delicious drinks I have enjoyed. Watch out for this every week or so. 


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