Are you a Cockney?

Simon Meyer, the St Mary-le-Bow Tower Master.

Photo: PA / The Telegraph

There are many people who claim to be a Cockney but, are they speaking the truth? According to London tradition, Cockneys are born within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow, a church situated in Cheapside and built after the Great Fire of 1666.

There has been many debates and studies about how to delimit the bell-hearing range. The areas reached were Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Stepney, Hackney, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Bow, Mile End, Poplar, Wapping, Limehouse and Millwall. Other investigations, less exaggerated, limited the area only to Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Stepney, Hackney and Hoxton.

But nowadays the Cockneys are endangered. Due to the noise pollution, the development of the city and the construction of high buildings, every day is more difficult to heard the chimes of St Mary-le-Bow.

Also, maybe a true Cockney may never be born again, because the only hospital inside the audible area has not a maternity ward.

Highgate Cemetery and Karl Marx

This picture shows the original grave where Karl Marx was buried together with other four people including his wife Jenny von Westphalen, their grandson Harry Longuet, their housekeeper Helena Demuth and one of their daughters Eleanor Marx.

This great philosopher, sociologist, economist and revolutionary socialist died on the 14th of March, 1883, only 15 months after his wife's death. Eleven people attended to his funeral, which took place on the 17th in the Highgate Cemetery. 

The thinnest house

To rent a house in London is becoming unachievable for most of the population. Nowadays, tenants cannot afford to rent a room and they are being forced to share them, sometimes with complete strangers.

The price is completely unaffordable in areas like Chelsea, Belgravia, South Kensington or Knightbridge. Specifically in this last district, in the number 5 at the junction of South Terrace and Thurloe Square, there is a property estimated to be worth over two million pounds.

It is not extremely expensive compared with other residences in the capital but this house is one of the thinnest apartments in the UK. The building is measuring just one meter at its narrowest point and 10 meters at its widest side. The property is actually triangular but looks rectangular due an optical illusion.

The origin of the tiered wedding cake

There are three things that cannot be missed at a wedding: the groom, the bride and the cake. 

In 1840, Queen Victoria decided to wear a white dress at her wedding with Prince Albert. Since then, the brides choose the white colour for their special day. The traditional wedding cake is also white to symbolize virginity and purity and to reflect the wife's virtues.

A wedding cake can have different flavours, forms and textures. But there is one thing that all of them have in common; they have tiers. To be exact, the traditional wedding cake must have three tiers. Why?

London’s most common second languages tube map

If diversity is wealth these are the ten richest cities in the world: Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Sydney, Paris, Los Angeles, Manchester, London and New York, the city with the largest immigrant population in the world.

Everyone says that London is a multicultural city. But, why? The English capital have 8.308 million residents. In 2011, the 44.9% of the population were White British while the 37% were born outside United Kingdom. For that reason, in the capital it is possible to hear more than 300 different languages.

The traditional fish and chips shares customers with the Bhapaa Aloo, Tandoori chicken, Crepes, Pizza, Paella or Dumplings. In London it is possible to eat and drink anything that you want without the need to travel.

But also, London allows the possibility to get in touch with a big variety of dresses, religions, fashion trends and cultural offers.

If you had the chance to live or visit London during the Olympic Games 2012, you probably noticed that every single one of the competing countries had some representatives communities in the city. 

Secret Cinema presents Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.

Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker have established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.

The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space....

Baileys or Bailey's

Baileys was created by Gilbeys of Ireland and it was introduced to the international market as the first Irish Cream on 1974. The idea was very simple. They put together Irish whiskey, cream and some herbs (obviously the recipe is a secret) and they made a millionaire business.  

Nowadays, the trademark is owned by Diageo, a British multinational. This company is currently the world's largest producer of spirits and one of the major manufacturers of beer and wine. Some of its products are Guinness, Kilkenny, Jonnie Walker, Cardhu, Smirnoff, Gordon's, Captain Morgan or Pimm's.

But, how is Baileys linked to London? Diageo is headquartered in London but this is not the important fact. The name of this alcoholic drink was inspired by the Millennium Bailey's Hotel, a building placed in the 140 Gloucester Road, Kensington. It was established in 1876 and it took its name after its owner, the Member of Parliament Sir James Bailey.

55 Boadway

Not always the artists and their work are well recognized. The best example from Art History is one of Michelangelo's masterpieces, the Last Judgment. This marvelous fresco, done between 1536 and 1541, was partially modified due to the Council of Trent. Paul III and the Roman Catholic Church had condemned, at that time, nudity in religious art. For that reason, the great mannerist painter Daniele da Volterra, known as Il Braghettone, was hired to cover the genitals of Michelangelo's work.

Coming back to UK, the American-British sculptor Jacob Epstein did some controversial pieces. In London, it is possible to see some of his works like Rush of Green and W.H.Hudson Memorial, both of them placed in Hyde Park, or Ages of Man. But it was on 1929 when censorship and social pressure influenced Epstein's work.

Above the entrance of the London Underground Ltd headquarters, popularly known as 55 Broadway, Epstein designed the sculptures Day and Night. His work was considered controversial and indecent because, according to the censors, the small figure, the Day, had a "big" penis. Epstein agreed to remove from the naked statue one inch and a half. This is the length that the censors thought was acceptable and decent. 

London Underground will move to its headquarters this year and 55 Broadway, placed in St James's Park, will be a residential building. Whatever the case may be, it is still possible to enjoy the interesting front of this building.

Did you beat the Blue Monday?

Christmas is over, all the mince pies and puddings are not in the table anymore but on our hips, the weather is horrible, our bank account is not as prosperous as it used to be and it is Monday.

If you felt miserable this morning, don't worry because your were not the only one. Today, and since 2005, is Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.

Cliff Arnall identified it as the Monday of the last full week of January. On his research he worked with variables like the weather, debt levels and failed New Year's resolutions. Even if you don't believe in pseudoscience, recent studies show that today people is muddier, sadder and more negative than usual. 

And what is worse, lawyers are calling this day Divorce Monday because it is the most popular day to start with these proceedings.

So, try to spend the day as best as you can and think in positive. Tomorrow it is going to be a better day.

Harrods

The 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge said that "Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas". But he forgot one thing, because Christmas is a time to spend money.

If you didn't finish your Christmas shopping yet, you are in time to visit one of the London's Big Five department stores: Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and, of course, Harrods.

And if, like most of the population, you don't have budget to shop in these stores, you can also enjoy the awesome windows that all of them have prepared for this special holidays.

Last year, Harrods Christmas set was inspired by the classic British steam train. On 2014, this emblematic store "celebrates Christmas with The Land Of Make Believe, a fantasy winter tale where magical mice arrive at Harrods to help Father Christmas transform the store ready for the festive season..." Designers like Zuhair Murad, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen have worked for the store this season.

Feeling like in Howarts

Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross

Everyone knows that London is one of the best settings for cinema. Awarded films, successful TV series and impressive documentaries have been filmed in the English capital. But, maybe, one of the best examples is J.K.Rowling's masterpiece, Harry Potter's saga. 

Many scenes from these magical movies were shot in central London. To see the most famous place to get into Hogwarts, you need to go to King’s Cross. In this station you'll find the mysterious platform 9¾. But Leadenhall Market, Borough Market, the Australia House, Westminster Underground Station or the Great Scotland Yard have been chosen to be part of the movies too.

Art by Squiddy Johnson

London is the capital of multiples races, colours, faiths, languages and cultures. It's the city of the musicals, the theatres, the pubs and the street art. Only a few cities in the world can compete with London in terms of the amount of graffiti they have. 

Everyone who has ever walked around London, even if it has been just a little bit, knows about the master of the street art, Banksy. But, obviously, he is not the only artist in the capital.

Today I want to dedicate this space to Squiddy Johnson's drawings. Because the graffiti is not only a male thing and she is the prove.

The Craft Breweries

"Founded in 2010 by Derek Lamberton, Blue Crow Media is an independent publisher dedicated to creating thoughtfully designed and carefully curated apps, maps and more." His last job, created in collaboration with DeskBeers, is The Craft Breweries. 

This exceptional map shows over 50 of London's craft breweries and includes some information, like year of foundation and location. Thanks to this work you can notice the fast grown of the craft beer in the city.

If you want one for yourself, it's available to buy it for £12.50 in their website, at Stanfords or Material Gallery.

Abbey Road

Abbey Road, the 11th studio album released by The Beatles, was consider by the critics as the band's best work and one of the best albums of the History. 

But Abbey Road is much more than that. Located in the borough of Camden and the City of Westminster, it is one of the most famous streets in London. The Abbey Road Studios, before known as EMI Studios, has become centre of pilgrimage for the fans of the Beatles.

St Mary's Hospital

We can find this relief in the main entrance of St Mary's Hospital. The centre, situated in Paddington, was founded in 1845 but opened its doors to patients in 1851. It's famous because of two important discoveries: 

C. R. Alder Wright, while he was working at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, was the first person to synthesize diacetylmorphine in 1874. Wright's invention became popular only after it was independently re-synthesized by Felix Hoffmann twenty four years later. That year, Bayer marketed this new medicine under the name "heroin", few days after launching the aspirin. The drug was used as a sedative for coughs and as a substitute for morphine.

Thomas Becket

Near this spot, in Cheapside, Thomas Becket was born on the 21st of December, 1118 .

Saint Bartholomew-the-Less

This palm is situated in the floor of Saint Bartholomew-the-Less. It's in the heart of London, between St Paul, Barbican and Farringdon. St Bartholomew-the-Less, which have this suffix to distinguish it from St Bartholomew the Great, is located in the Henry VIII Gate entrance to St Bartholomew Hospital.

The Golden Boy of Pye Corner

In the junction of Cock Lane and Giltspur Street is the figure of the “Golden Boy of Pye Corner”.

This small statue was originally established into the wall of the Fortune of War, a public house in Smithfield. This tavern was famous because of its tenant, Thomas Andrews, who, in 1761, was condemned of sodomy and sentenced to death. The King George III exculpated him. This decision stimulated the first debate about homosexuality in England. In the 19th century, the tavern was the main centre for the resurrectionists. The doctors at St Bartholomew´s Hospital used to go to The Fortune of War to find death bodies to practice their surgeries. The bar was torn down in 1910. 

Meanwhile, Monument, which was enclosed by Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the start of the Great Fire of London, The Boy remembers where the Fire was extinguished. In the sculpture we can read:

The Fire started in a bakery at Pudding Lane and finished in Pye Corner. The child is fat to enforce the moral suggesting that another great fire would happen any day soon. 

The Skateboard Graveyard

Hungerford Bridge connects Charing Cross Station with the south of the River Thames  It’s situated between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge, in the heart of London. 

In a first place, it seems like a normal bridge, except for the great views. But this platform hides a valuable secret in the London subculture: a skateboard cemetery call "Skateboard Graveyard”. 

When young skaters break their boards, they throw them into the platform. In that point, the skate will rest after a long and busy life. Even, they have created a website “to commemorate the «lives» and «deaths» of the skateboards”. The applicant can upload a description and the key dates of their skate. As well, they can have an obituary and know, in just a second, what is the physical situation of their board. 

This cemetery is located at this point not by accident. In the River’s edge, between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, the Queen Elizabeth Hall is placed. Under these pillars, for more than 40 years, appears the Southbank Skatepark. It’s a circuit with ramps, benches, columns and stairs that allows young skaters to perfect their technique with the roller skate, the bike or the skateboard