B=Bermondsey. Very few people will know about the existence of Bermondsey. It was once a London Borough, and is now just a district, consumed into the huge Borough of Southwark, in South London. It had its own council, Bermondsey Borough Council, responsible for refuse collection … | Continue reading
I watched a report on the BBC about statistics for England and Wales regarding the numbers of people born outside those countries, but resident in them as of late 2021. (Scotland was not included as it had not participated in the survey.) I looked up some of the details available … | Continue reading
It didn’t do to get to the club until late, so we went to the local pub for drinks before taking the bus into the West End. You had to be eighteen of course, whether to buy drinks in the pub or be allowed into the club later. We were only fifteen, but wearing smart … Continue rea … | Continue reading
A=Ambulances An obvious choice of course. Until I retired in 2012, I spent over one-third of my life working in emergency ambulances as an EMT in Central London. Up to the time I left in 2001, being an ambulanceman defined me. From having to work shifts, to being a union organise … | Continue reading
My recent serial Four Lives concluded yesterday with the 30th episode. As usual, I like to look at how it was received, and the stats it generated on my blog. This serial was written mainly from the point of view of four very different women, not that easy for a 70 year-old man. … | Continue reading
This is all 30 episodes of my recent serial in one complete story. It is a long read, at 24,536 words. Marian. It was pouring all the way home, and the walk from the bus stop had soaked her feet. All she could think about was getting in, and putting on some cosy pyjamas. There … … | Continue reading
I watched this Australian film recently on television, attracted by some great reviews, and the fact that it had won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. (Although I will avoid plot spoilers, I have to state from the outset that this film contains unsettling images … | Continue reading
This is another moan from me about messing around with the time by putting the clocks back and forward. This is 2022. Farmers have headlights on their vehicles, and computer-guided ploughing. Kids in most areas get taken to school by car, or go on a school bus or coach. In cities … | Continue reading
Originally posted on Loren Berg's Blog: My friend Antony sent me a link to this blog post from Loren Berg. Some funny cartoons to cheer up a dismal Sunday in Beetley. Loren Berg's Blog View original post | Continue reading
This is the final part of a fiction serial, in 867 words. After serving five years and one month of his nine-year sentence, Lee Fowler was given parole. There were the usual restrictions. He had to report to the local police station, and attend meetings with his probation officer … | Continue reading
The weather continues to act strangely in Eastern England. It has been unusually warm, reaching 22C on Saturday, despite cloudy skies. My shorts have been on since last weekend, and it seems as if Autumn is on hold for now. Maybe we will go straight into Winter? ————————————————— … | Continue reading
Originally posted on beetleypete: Dear Love As well as qualifying as one of my significant songs, this post is also something of a film review in miniature too. As well as the music, I can recommend the film ‘Big Driver’ that includes this song on the soundtrack. Earlier this yea … | Continue reading
David is a blogger who was a licenced Black Cab driver in London for a very long time. It takes years to pass the test to become one, known as The Knowledge, and is not for the faint-hearted. The iconic Black Taxi (also seen in other colours) has been a feature of London’s street … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-ninth part of a fiction serial, in 917 words. As Lee aproached the end of his fourth year of imprisonment, Marian was preparing for her wedding. Once her and Michael had bought an attractive two-bedroom cottage in Arkley, not far from where Michael had been liv … | Continue reading
The Photographer C.A. Matthew took many photos of daily life in East London during 1912. His photos of Spitalfields were discovered by modern-day photographer Adam Tuck, in 2012. He set out to recapture the same locations one hundred years later, and rather than try to ‘merge’ th … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-eighth part of a fiction serial, in 762 words. Lee fowler considered himself to be a tough guy, but he soon found out that life in prison was tougher than he had ever imagined. For one thing, the other inmates were not women, and Lee had only ever brutalised an … | Continue reading
Between 1860 and 1900, many photographers tried to capture the plight of the poor living in big cities. Despite the boom of the industrial revolution and the expansion of the empire, most ordinary people lived in awful conditions, facing financial poverty every day of their lives … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-seventh part of a fiction serial, in 805 words. As soon as she arrived at court the following Monday, Marian was met by the solicitor, who was waiting outside. “It’s good news. Fowler has changed his plea to guilty. As well as the defence being sure that you wo … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-sixth part of a fiction serial, in 752 words. By Thursday afternoon, Marian was on edge. Nerves mixed with boredom, four days spent sitting around in court and wondering what was happening. Both the solicitor and the barrister were occupied in the courtroom, an … | Continue reading
Some images from an exhibition held at The Museum of London eight years ago. They took photos of certain areas in 2014, then ‘merged’ them with photos of the exact same spot taken throughout history. (All the photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.) Gloucester Road Undergroun … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-fifth part of a fiction serial, in 743 words. Marian was up early to drive to Lyndsey’s house on the other side of London. A nagging headache reminded her she had drunk two bottles of wine the night before, so she took two paracetamol along with three cups of e … | Continue reading
When I was 17, I met two brothers at the office I was working in. Through those brothers, I met a large group of people, some of whom played together in a band. Two years later, I moved out of my parental home and shared a rented house with four of them. Since then we … Continue … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-fourth part of a fiction serial, in 728 words. The meeting at an office in London was not only with the solicitor, but also the prosecuting barrister. Both men were upbeat about the chances of a conviction, but after the usual pleasantries, they were also adama … | Continue reading
This is the first time I have logged on to WP since Thursday, and I am just back online after a busy weekend away. I will be starting from scratch, as I cannot hope to catch up with all of your posts. The next episode of the serial will appear at some stage later today, … Continu … | Continue reading
I will be offline from Friday for a few days. So there will be no episode of the serial ‘Four Lives’ until next week. Sorry to leave everyone reading it in the lurch, but I hope you all have a marvellous weekend! | Continue reading
In the summer of 1914, life continued as normal in England, with few people aware that the world was about to be plunged into the carnage of WW1 on the 4th of August. A policeman stands guard outside the National Gallery in London. It had been closed after a suffragette damaged a … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-third part of a fiction serial, in 795 words. Inspector Banerjee contacted Marian a couple of weeks later. She wanted her to meet with a police appointed solicitor who was to instruct a prosecution barrister, but only once they had a trial date. To make life co … | Continue reading
There used to be a local man walking a small Lurcher. The dog is named Stanley, and he is very friendly. Recently, I saw Stanley with a lady, and it turned out to be the wife of the man I used to see regularly. She told me the sad news that her husband has been … Continue reading … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-second part of a fiction serial, in 771 words. After the police car had brought her home to Hackney, Marian was unable to get any sleep until she had told Ros everything that had happened. After sleeping through most of the day the first call she made was to Am … | Continue reading
In the year 1880, a leading South London churchman commissioned a photographer to take photographs of street traders in the district of Greenwich. He used the photos for lectures on the condition of the poor working classes in London at that time. Weighing scales. This boy is hav … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-first part of a fiction serial, in 744 words. At no time did Marian feel she was not being believed, but the questioning was no less intrusive. “Why did you go to the pub with a stranger? “Why did you give him a lift home?” “What were you doing outside his hous … | Continue reading
I found some more photos taken in Victorian London by John Thomson. They were commissioned for the book, ‘Street Life In London’, shown below. A signwriter in his studio. A ‘Sandwich-Board Man’ advertising as he walked around. Cheap lodgings and food available for the down and ou … | Continue reading
This is the twentieth part of a fiction serial, in 783 words. Two police cars arrived quite quickly. Marian had given the name of the road she had seen on the sign, and said she was parked behind the closed-down shop. By the time they got there, her dress was torn at the cleavage … | Continue reading
During the school summer holidays of 1954, photographer Thurston Hopkins went out with his camera to capture the antics of young children on the streets of the capital. This boy is hiding in a drain access. He has removed the metal cover, and is standing on the step inside. Dress … | Continue reading
This is the nineteenth part of a fiction serial, in 868 words. On the short drive to the pub, Marian had to marvel at how Lee had such relaxed confidence around a stranger. Surely that was something you had to be born with? He was so completely different to Steve, in every way. Y … | Continue reading
The leaves are falling, but there is little variety in the colours as yet. Despite a few very cold mornings, we have enjoyed some lovely late sunshine in Beetley this week. As of today, we have not yet felt the need to turn on the central heating. ————————————————————————————— Re … | Continue reading
A man and his son both riding Penny Farthing cycles, 1890. A young lady proudly photographed with her bicycle, 1890. The first electrically-powered taxi in London, 1897. Businessmen on a horse-drawn bus in Westminster, 1900 Three forms of transport crossing a bridge in London, 19 … | Continue reading
This is the eighteenth part of a fiction serial, in 891 words. At eight the next morning, Marian answered the phone to Denise. She found it hard to believe the woman was up so early. “They let him out. I got a phone call late last night, and they want me to go in and … Continue r … | Continue reading
My blogging friend Carolyn sent me a link to this unusual short film on You Tube. It is a remastered cine film that has been colourised and enhanced to High-Definition. Short scenes around Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and a main line station. Despite the often strange ‘pi … | Continue reading
This is the seventeenth part of a fiction serial, in 813 words. Denise sounded excited. “Two women came. They seemed really concerned when I told them about Lee’s history and what Daisy had said. They want to talk to her too, but we have to go to a special room in some place in W … | Continue reading
This is the sixteenth part of a fiction serial, in 824 words. Denise was only wearing a vest and panties when she opened the door, and her hair was completely flat on one side. Marian could smell alcohol on her from last night, and noticed that she was already smoking a cigarette … | Continue reading
The British photographer Tony Ray-Jones died in 1972 at the age of 30. In his short career, Ray-Jones helped transform British photography, his work influencing a whole generation of later photographers, including Martin Parr. Their photography was celebrated in a combined exhibi … | Continue reading
In 2010, journalist Claire Cohen wrote a newspaper article comparing old photos of London with the same locations then. The old photos had been discovered in the archives of English Heritage, and she asked photographer David Crump to take images of the identical places to compare … | Continue reading
This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 765 words. Over the phone that evening, Marian told Ros what had happened with Denise. “To be honest, I’m excited. Once I find out where Lee is working, I can send the stuff to his boss, then get Denise to complain to the Social … | Continue reading
Many photographers seek out situations where the subjects are not posed, or perhaps completely unaware of the camera. These are generally known as ‘Candids’, and there are many to be found on the Internet. Here is a selection, covering a long period of London’s history. 1873. A f … | Continue reading
This is the fourteenth part of a fiction serial, in 801 words. By the time Denise was halfway down the third can of lager, Marian was well and truly stuck to the seat of the greasy sofa. But she had found out quite a lot. Lee was working on a no-hours contract for a security … Co … | Continue reading
My thanks to Gavin for his guest post about the changing attitudes in society. Major turning points in society. We all see the wonderful pictures Pete sends us, and you laugh or cringe at the noticeable societal changes. Less smoking is a classic. On the other hand swear words ar … | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 804 words. (Contains some swearing.) Before going to stay with Amanda, Marian decided to pay Denise Fowler a visit. Lyndsey had suggested doorstepping her, and provided the address on a council estate in Hatfield. The estate was … | Continue reading