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small thoughts from the big city

The brass bands play and the feet start to pound…we’re going underground.

This picture made me smile.

Balham tube station changes line....

Balham tube is on the common or garden and perhaps a smidge grotty Northern line. Computer malfunction or more likely post-New Year (hung over?) operator error appears to have relocated it temporarily onto the far posher and recently lavishly developed Jubilee line. I think its fair to say that Balham has come up in the world in recent times (hey, I live there!!) and probably has further “aspirations” but changing tube lines is surely beyond even this Hyacinth Bouquet of neighbourhoods.

My simple pleasure at this simple error is made greater by the fact that I discovered it on london-underground “Going Underground” blog . If you have any tube type itch that needs scratching this is the place to head to. It has a mole-like nature, happiest when deep below the London streets and only occassionally and reluctantly coming above ground, blinking in the daylight. It’s clearly the work of a slight obsessive, but it’s also amused by, and amusing about, all things underground and so comfortably transcends the nerdy. Time Out made london-underground one London’s Top 50 websites. I’d put it well towards the top of that list. It has a great and unusual persective on the city.

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A brief guide to retail London*

* in the Seventeenth Century.

I enjoy reading Lucy Inglis’s website Georgian London which as you can imagine is a geographical and time specific blog. She has a fascinating perspective on our wonderful city and she writes very nicely too. Lucy brings an expert’s knowledge and a fan’s enthusiasm to her in depth exploration of a wonderful London niche.  You can also follow Lucy on twitter.

Today’s post is an overview of what shopping was like in the time of Samuel Pepys. I hadn’t realised that water was brought in from the surrounding areas in hods (hence origin of hod carriers) for sale to the Londoners. I also love the image of the Welsh milkmaids traipsing around London with their cows and asses (for the cow milk intolerant) and milking on demand for the London household. Much more fun than Ocado.

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