Did You Know?

The above is an early print of The Monument in London.  It was built by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Great Fire of London which started in a Baker's Shop in Pudding Lane on the 2nd September 1666.

The conflagration raged for several days and by the time it was extinguished it had destroyed four-fifths of the City of London including St. Paul's Cathedral and eighty-seven churches.

The Monument has 311 steps to the viewing platform from which there is a wonderful view over London. Standing at 202 feet, it is the tallest isolated stone column in the world.  The viewing platform was encased by iron railings after it became a favourite attraction for people wishing to commit suicide.

The top is capped by a gilt bronze flaming urn to represent the fire but did you know that Christopher Wren originally intended to put a statue of King Charles the Second on the summit?  The King was not amused fearing that people would think he had instigated the inferno.  He declined the offer telling Wren "I didn't start the fire!"  The Monument stands on the site of the first church to be burned down.

The Top Hat.  Did you know that this caused pandemonium when it was first invented? Today it is worn regularly at weddings, grand occasions and the like.  It was an offence in England to wear one and nobody knows for sure whether this law has ever been repealed so, technically, it could still be an offence.

In 1797 a London haberdasher  named John Hetherington came up with the idea of the Topper.  He was so pleased with it that he decided to take a drive through London to show it off to all and sundry.  People found the sight of his hat very shocking, many booed him and it is said that several ladies actually fainted, crowds gathered and a little boy had his arm broken in the crush.

John Hetherington was arrested and charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of the King's peace in that "he did appear on the public highway wearing upon his head a tall structure which had a shining lustre and was calculated to frighten timid people."  Hetherington was found guilty and was fined the sum of fifty pounds which was an enormous amount of money in those times.  It was not until later that his new headwear caught the public imagination.

So, poor Fred Astaire "putting on his top hat" could have been breaking English law!

 

It is done all over the world - people hailing taxis (cabs).  Did you know that in England it is actually illegal to hail a taxi whilst it is in motion?  You are supposed to go to a taxi rank where cabs are waiting for passengers.

There are some strange rules and laws relating to cabs and their drivers.  Drivers are supposed to carry out a sort of rudimentary medical examination of any passengers that they carry.  They are certainly required to ask them before they board whether they are suffering from any diseases such as the smallpox or the plague!

If a passenger dies whilst in a cab then the driver is breaking the law because it is illegal to carry corpses.  Ever left something in a taxi by accident?  Then blame the driver.  It is his responsibility to search the cab when the passenger alights and hand back anything that has been left in the cab. It is not the responsibility of the passenger.

Until 1976 the law still required cabs to carry a bale of hay on the roof (to feed the horses) although, of course, nobody abided by this.  Likewise they are no longer required to carry a sack of oats or a nosebag.

It is against the law for a cab driver to make any insulting gestures.  If he drives too slowly he can be prosecuted for "loitering" and if he speeds through the traffic he can likewise be prosecuted for "furious driving."

I hope that you have enjoyed these three Did You Knows.  If you have I can come up with some more at another time.

These stories have been written in my own words but acknowledgements go to Christopher Winn and Nigel Cawthorne for the information taken from their books.