Lotus 1-2-3 dates back to the early 1980s and was early spreadsheet software which was important in the development of IBM computers. Anyway, that’s a story for elsewhere to be told by people who know much more about it than me. The only reason I’ve posted this is that I remember using this software at school, and remember the packaging of the box. I really do need to get out more. And, I’m realising that I’m definitely ageing slightly if I’m seeing software that I once used in a museum.
Tag: London
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London – Benugo at London Liverpool Street
Benugo opened their new outlet at London Liverpool Street railway station a couple of years ago, carving the space out of an area where people used to sit on steps looking down over the concourse. That view of course remains, but there’s a pleasant seating area now, which helpfully has power points along it for those who need to charge devices.
The service was certainly interesting, a staff member looking at their phone and not noticing I was there until I started to do this strange fake cough to get their attention. The staff member was perfectly competent and unusually conversational, although they started to talk about politics. Unfortunately, their world view wasn’t quite the same as mine, I’m not very nationalist and am discomfited about the current political landscape for numerous reasons. Anyway, this blog isn’t a place for politics (I have Facebook for that), and perhaps nor was Benugo.
But, putting that to one side, I quite like talking about politics, so I’ve carefully avoided giving any indication of who served me. And, it’d be obtuse to complain of a staff member just trying to engage with customers. Anyway, the coffee was reasonably priced, tasted of a decent quality and the environment was surprisingly calm and peaceful.
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London – Science Museum (Fire Damaged Stones from St. Paul’s)
I sometimes look at exhibits in museums and feel that I find them unusually interesting, although I assume that so did a curator at some stage. In this case, it’s some old bits of stone. There’s a slightly tenuous link in my mind to the Science Museum, but these are fire damaged stones from St. Paul’s Cathedral. The building was destroyed in 1666 during the Great Fire of London, being replaced in the late seventeenth century by the current cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
There was talk of repairing the previous Cathedral following the fire, with some remedial repairs being undertaken. But, it was felt that a modern and new design was needed, although demolishing the building was challenging since the stone had become fused together by molten lead. So, the authorities had a great idea to use gunpowder to blow the remaining parts of the cathedral up, making the removal much easier. Anyway, to cut a long story short, after several deaths, many noise complaints and damaged neighbouring buildings, Wren had enough of the chaos and brought battering rams onto the site to attack it that way.
I’m not quite sure at what stage the museum’s bits of stone were taken away from the site, or where they’ve been over the centuries. But, they’re very lovely, as I like history in science museums, as they can be a bit science orientated otherwise…
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London – Science Museum (Guinevere)
I remember seeing this on the television in the 1990s, one of the original machines used to draw National Lottery numbers randomly. It was brought into use in 1994 following the introduction of the lottery by the then Prime Minister, John Major.
The machine was kept in use until 2004, at which point it was replaced by a shinier machine, although they kept the name Guinevere. It entered the Science Museum’s collections in 2006 and is one of those things that I’m pleased someone thought to keep. The museum reminds visitors that devices have been used for many hundreds of years to produce random results, with this being a more modern version of the technique.
I’m not sure why some of the balls appear more faded than others. I heard some other visitors also overly excited to see Guinevere, perhaps the machine had been helpful to them in the results that it produced…..
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London – Science Museum (Slide Rule)
I definitely need to get out more, since I now find myself posting about slide rules.
But, it’s an interesting slide rule, as much as these things can be. It was made by William Cary of The Strand in London in 1815 and is a slide rule for weights, measures and currency conversions. It’s made from wood, but the front is made from paper, with these apparently being popular in the early nineteenth century (I didn’t know that, the Science Museum web-site helpfully told me this little titbit).
It makes me pleased to have a smartphone though, I can’t imagine having to traipse this sort of thing around and it has limited entertainment value….
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London – Science Museum (King George III’s Mural Arc)
This sizeable instrument was designed to be used in King George III’s private astronomical observatory in Richmond. Designed by Jeremiah Sisson of The Strand in London in 1770, it’s still owned today by the Crown Estate Commissioners. It’s nearly three metres in height and over four metres wide and it was used to make astronomical measurements. Sisson might have been a fine maker of instruments, a skill he had inherited from his father Jonathan Sisson, but he wasn’t as successful financially.
The museum’s blog mentions that one of the challenges was moving it from storage into the museum itself, as it weighs around 450kgs and needed a sling around it when it was being hoisted into place. It was also restored so that it looked like new and Sisson’s signature could once again be seen, although personally I prefer to see these things in their dilapidated state as it feels that bit more authentic.
There are some old books which give lots of detail on how the mural arc was originally used, but it’s all a bit complex for me to understand. It’s an impressive piece of apparatus though, with an interesting heritage.
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London – Tower of London (Traitors’ Gate)
This notorious water gate was added to the Tower of London in the 1270s, at the instruction of King Edward I. It takes its current name from around the 1530s, based on the stories that traitors were brought into the Tower via this gate.
Above is the gate from the River Thames side.
This is the gate from the inside of the Tower of London, looking out to where the water would have lapped up against the wall. I’m unsure how much of this has been rebuilt relatively recently, the stonework doesn’t quite match that from the late nineteenth century, so there must have been some minor reconstruction over the last century. Not to mention that the stonework here is from different periods anyway.
The steps down into an area where various machinery relating to the gate has historically been located, although it has since all been removed.
There was an article in the press in February 1866 which reported that “one of the most famous antiquities in London has just disappeared.The gate, through which condemned prisoners passed from the Thames into the Tower, has for some time past been in the course of demolition, and has in the last few days been entirely removed”. This relates to the element of the gate that still remains walled up, so it is no longer possible to get to the gate from the River Thames.
The story that the gate was used by Anne Boleyn when she was transported to the Tower of London also appears to be false, she was brought in at the Byward Tower. However, it remains nearly certain that this gate was used for political prisoners and it still has a slightly haunting feel to it.
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London – Tower of London (Salt Tower and Hew Draper Graffiti)
There is quite a lot of graffiti on the walls of the Salt Tower, much of which was created by those who were imprisoned here, although a little unfortunately seems to be rather more recent.
This is one of the most impressive pieces of graffiti I’ve seen though, credited to the brewer Hew Draper of Bristol, who conveniently dated it to 30 May 1561. By this time Draper had already been imprisoned in the tower for fourteen months, for the alleged crime of sorcery. The information panel notes:
“The sphere is surrounded by the signs of the zodiac. The grid on the left shows the planetary influence over every hour of every day of the week”.
A photo of the same graffiti, taken in 1898 by Sir Benjamin Stone, when the tower was used by Yeoman Warders for their accommodation. The fate of Draper isn’t known, with the Tower’s records not giving any information on whether he died or was freed. Missing records are hardly rare, but this hasn’t stopped some people suggesting that Draper managed to spirit himself away to avoid punishment. This graffiti was mentioned in the media as early as 1810, so it appears to have puzzled and intrigued many generations.
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London – Brewdog Tower Hill
I’m slowly working my way around Brewdog locations in the UK, although I have some way still to go. I’m a martyr to my completist urges…..
This is the Tower Hill location, just a short walk away from the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It’s a large venue, but unfortunately a combination of an early evening visit just before Christmas meant that it was also not inconsiderably busy.
I opted for half a Jet Black Heart and the staff member had real problems pouring it, some considerable fobbing meant he spent some time trying to get it to settle. He seemed to know what he was doing, but I’ve never seen a bar have sprays of water to clean down the side of glasses from where the beer was overflowing. I don’t know enough about the brewing and dispenses processes, but they seemed to be struggling a little here with some of the beers. The beer also didn’t taste quite right, the flavours were there, but it didn’t seem rich enough.
Some highlights from the food menu.
Behind the bar, which at the time was quiet, although that didn’t last long.
The beer fridge, with some interesting options. Beers can be taken away, or consumed at the bar for a surcharge of around £2 per can or bottle.
And some more photos of the interior. The service at the bar was friendly and efficient, despite it being relatively busy. I was impressed that customers were being served in turn, so the bar staff seemed aware of what was going on.
A growler filler on the bar.
Anyway, onto TripAdvisor to see what drivel people have posted there.
“I visited Brewdog last week, ordered a pint of Punk EPA. When I got back to the table I realised there was a fruit fly in my beer. Took it back and barman told me it must have flown in there on way to table, put in his finger to scoop it out then offered the same pint back to me!”
I liked this one, although as a customer I’d have just taken the fly out myself. Although bar staff taking things out of the glass with their finger isn’t ideal…..
“1) drunken local men peeing in the sink in the bathroom. A sign would be helpful or an attendant to make sure these neanderthals can find their way to the urinal, and to teach them the difference between their backside and their elbow
2) another drunken man crawling around the floor on all fours wearing a leather BDSM mask. Perhaps part of a stag-do, but it was still off putting when you’re with children.”Fortunately my standards are higher than that, goodness knows what was happening in the pub on that night….
“This is the worst place to drink in the whole of London. Rude, overbearing staff with shocking customer service skills and bad attitudes all round. I would rather gouge my eyeballs out than ever revisit this place.”
This one is from Google, where the reviews are normally more sensible. I can safely say that very few people would consider this pub to be the worst place to drink in the city. Certainly nobody would who has visited some of the rougher pubs that are in the city.
All in all, it’s probably a much more sedate and calm environment during other times of the year, but the staff seemed on top of everything even when it was busy. The prices aren’t the cheapest, but the atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable.
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London – Tower of London (Cradle Tower)
The Cradle Tower was built between 1348 and 1355 on the instructions of King Edward III, who wanted it to be used as his private water gate to enter the Tower of London. The exterior of the gate is in the photograph above, with two rooms either side of the entrance, where porters were accommodated. The King used the gate frequently and it was protected by a drawbridge and two portcullises, of which the traces of one are still visible in the stonework.
The gate, from inside the Tower of London.
A fireplace in one of the porter’s rooms, which had a view to the front so they could see if anyone was trying to enter that they either needed to welcome, or repel.
The other porter’s accommodation has been turned into a recreation of what the room may have looked like in the late sixteenth century, when it was used to imprison John Gerard. He was a Catholic priest, at a time when this wasn’t acceptable to the Monarchy, who was tortured in a bid to get him to reveal the names of other Catholics, but he never gave anything away. In association with John Arden, who was imprisoned nearby within the Salt Tower, they managed to escape from the Tower in October 1597, in a quite spectacular fashion via the moat and River Thames. Gerard faced intimidation throughout much of his life, and he did well to survive to the age of 72, dying in July 1637.
Also imprisoned here was Anne Askew, who was punished for being a Protestant, the reverse of what Gerard suffered from just a few decades later. She may have been the only women tortured at the Tower of London for her Protestant beliefs, as well as the only female burned at the stake. The story is enormously gory, she was imprisoned here in June 1546 and was tortured on the rack, with her joints being forced apart, so her shoulders and hips were dislocated. She still didn’t reveal any information and she was burned at the stake at Smithfield, at the age of just 24. She was brave even at that point, screaming only when the flames were nearly at her head, but despite the efforts of others, she refused to recant.
There was a large fire at the Tower in 1841, with the Cradle Tower used to throw vast amounts of explosives from, in a bid to minimise the damage to the site. The media reported at the time that, “it is stated that no less than 9,084lbs of powder and ball cartridges were thrown into the moat by the tower”.
The upstairs of the tower is inaccessible to the public, but is less interesting historically as it was entirely rebuilt in the nineteenth century, although the upper portions had been derelict and damaged for at least a century before that. There was a report in the media in 1961 that the tower had been cleared of the armoury that was being stored there, which was being moved to the new armouries museum.
