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Did You Know?

A collection of little-known facts* about London

In 2007 the skeletal remains of a polar bear were discovered by mudlarkers digging on the Thames shore. It is believed to be a remnant from the 17th Century 'Frost Fairs' when the River Thames froze over. Experts say it may have migrated south from the Arctic during the so-called 'Little Ice Age'.

Ironically, 1970s TV celebrity John Inman used to have a flat above a haberdasher's in Mincing Lane in the City of London!

@LDNStreetGames

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is named for its designer, engineer Sir Trevor Nelson. The column, which is hollow, is also a reservoir and doubles as a gravity-fed water supply for the famous fountains in Trafalgar Square should the electric pumps fail during critical state occasions. It was last used in 1981 as an emergency backup during the wedding procession of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer to and from St Paul's Cathedral.

*May not be actual facts

Your turn...

Most people think SPAGHETTI was invented in Italy or, more tenuously, imported from China by Marco Polo, however the truth is it originated in LONDON as late as the early 20th Century. Its inventor, Fred Stingemore, is perhaps better known as the first mapmaker to draw the London network of stations, prior to Henry Beck's iconic tube map. Stingemore used lengths of sticky cooked pasta to create smooth curves which he overlayed in a pattern and drew along (this was before bendy rulers were available). One day, at his draughtsman's desk, he accidentally spilled red ink across his patterns, and this inspired him to attempt cooked pasta strings with tomato sauce at his dinner table that evening. An early Heston Blumenthal! The idea was stolen by an American houseguest of Stingemore, Pastor Napolitano, who later popularised the foodstuff in New York by suggesting further toppings such as meatballs and olives.

The passageway at Green Park Station connecting the Jubilee and Piccadilly Lines is 'decorated' with over one million square white and blue glazed tiles. The pattern may look random, however if you look closely you will see that it is in fact a coded message containing passphrases used by Secret Service personnel and British agents in the field.