To celebrate tomorrow’s launch of London’s Greatest Hits, our most star-studded hunt to date, we thought we’d take a quick look at the hidden history of some of London’s most famous landmarks, all key cast members of London’s Greatest Hits and deservedly world-famous.
None of the below snippets feature in the hunt, but just think – if this is what we left out, how good must what’s in there be….?
St Paul’s Cathedral: Always a progressive cathedral, St Paul’s used to appoint a Boy Bishop every December. This young lad would be chosen from among the choirboys and be allowed to run the entire cathedral for a month.
However, he was not allowed to interfere with one of the longest viewing corridors in London, which protects the view of St Paul’s Cathedral from King Henry’s Mound in Richmond Park. That’s a whopping ten miles away!
Westminster Abbey: Pretty much every King and Queen of England ever has had their coronation in Westminster Abbey, except for poor Henry III. He was only nine at the time and the French had taken control of London. This was rectified four years later, when it was decided his original coronation was not in-line with church dogma and should be re-done – this time at Westminster Abbey.
Even though Henry III went on to expand the Abbey, space there remained at a premium and in 1637, playwright Ben Jonson was buried standing up in Poet’s Corner to save space.
Downing Street: For security reasons, there is no outside door handle at 10 Downing Street. You can only get in if someone already inside lets you in.
Trafalgar Square: Every year Norway donates a Christmas tree to stand in Trafalgar Square. It’s in recognition of the help British armed forces gave their country during the Second World War. The statue of Charles I that stands nearby is there all year round, looking directly, and constantly, at the spot in Whitehall where he was beheaded.
Houses of Parliament: Like all Royal Palaces, the Palace of Westminster should provide a state funeral for anyone who dies within its walls; but they don’t like doing this, so if you do die there, chances are you’ll be carried outside and claims made you were found on the doorstep.
This probably wasn’t a concern for the first modern Olympics tennis champion, an MP on holiday from Westminster. He was entered as a joke by a friend and went on to win both the singles and doubles titles.
London Eye: The London Eye rotates twice as fast as a tortoise sprints and is over 100 times heavier than Big Ben.
London’s Greatest Hits is an all killer, no filler hunt around the city’s most iconic landmarks and their hidden histories. It’s available from 28th October 2010 only at London Treasure Hunts.
