Author Archives: John Pullen

Big Ben in London is famous throughout the world, but there are aspects to the history of this structure that are not as well-known. Now, I’m sure there will be a lot of you who are saying we know what you are about to say and that is Big Ben is not the famous clockContinue reading “Big Ben? That Rings a Bell”

Like most people who use the train, you are likely to want to have the train come on time and to get a seat. Probably the last thing on your mind is how good-looking the locomotive pulling the carriages is? But that was the main criticism when the first train serve started up in London.Continue reading “Your Train is Too Ugly”

I should imagine many of us know exactly who we are referring to when we hear the words Tom and Jerry. I enjoyed their antics both as a child and an adult. A mouse and a cat in constant battles with each other and causing some terrible injuries on each other, but the next second,Continue reading “Tom & Jerry – A Cat & Mouse Tale”

There’s money in most things, if you know how to make it. And I suppose scrap metal merchants down the ages, always have an eye for a bargain or something which might accrue in value at a later date. This latter reason was certainly understood by Mr Rivett, a scrap metal merchant in the timeContinue reading “There’s Money in Royal Scrap Metal”

All of us probably have memories of our school days and of the teachers who had the most influence on us. Personally, I had two teachers who encouraged me to become a writer. It took some years and a number of other professions before I took their advice but I have to agree with theirContinue reading “The Teacher Who would be King”

To have a statue erected in your memory is perhaps one of the greatest compliments people can pay you. Having a statue planned for you and then finding no one was prepared to pay for it and even when built, everyone hated it, then maybe you’ve not led a life to be proud of. So,Continue reading “The Statue No One Wanted”

One of the biggest complaints about travelling on the London Underground is the noise in the carriages when the train goes over certain areas of the tracks. Exactly what can be done today and the associated costs and logistics I will leave to Transport for London or TFL. What I would like to highlight here,Continue reading “The Silence of the Tubes”

These days cremations are popular. But before they became acceptable, the dead were buried. Now, if we understand that in years gone by, London was made up of villages or particular areas with their own church and graveyard. These obviously still exist, but stay with me. Today, we not only have cremations but there areContinue reading “The Real Book of the Dead”

There are sayings which state that if you have very strange habits and you are rich, then you are an eccentric. However, if you exhibit the same traits and you are either poor or just not rich, then people will often say that you are mad. Today, when hopefully we are a lot more understandingContinue reading “The Pig Fat Lady”

The area of St James, just south of Piccadilly is known for a number of things including the home of many private clubs. Some of these have a long history, but they usually have one thing in common; they are exclusive. This means and has meant in the past that some were for gentlemen onlyContinue reading “The Most Exclusive Club in London”