Category: Blog

Fishing in France is becoming increasingly popular, thanks to the astounding number of well-stocked lakes. Anglers looking for something different can choose from a diverse selection of intimate pools, inland “seas”, easy lakes… and others that are best left to the experts!

Accommodation varies greatly too, from basic campsite quality to luxury villas. Between the port of Calais and the south of France, there are hundreds of lakes. As the most popular species, carp attracts anglers from England, Germany, Belgium and Holland, as well as from across France.

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Whether you’re an experienced angler looking for some thrills, or a beginner on their first fishing holiday, France is a beautiful destination, where you’ll enjoy the picturesque scenery as much as anything else!

 

1. Brocard

Brocard is located within the scenic woodlands of the Champagne region. Created for anglers by the famous fish farming Bachelier family, the complex consists of two lakes, known simply as Brocard Large and Brocard Small.

The larger lake measures a mighty 39 acres and has an abundance of wildlife. It boasts a great stock of carp up to more than 50 lbs and sizable catfish. If you’re looking for larger than average carp in natural surroundings, this is the ideal place.

Measuring around 29 acres, the smaller lake is long and thin. It also has a lot of incredible carp and catfish up to 110 lb.

The complex is a four-hour drive from Calais, passing through some of the most picturesque countryside in France – a reliable self-drive van is crucial. Take your camping gear if you’re going to Brocard, as there are only two communal cabins. One has table and chairs and the second has showers and toilets. There’s hot water 24/7 and charging points for mobile phones. Open all year round, Brocard often has special offers if you go out-of-season.

 

2. Salles

If you’re looking for a wild, natural lake, Salles is ideal. The 42-acre lake is lined with reeds and is a truly beautiful place. A four-hour drive from Calais, it boasts six double swims, well-spaced around the lake. If you’re taking a party of 12 anglers, you can book it exclusively.

It’s not good for people who are daunted by large stretches of open water, but it offers a great opportunity to fish in an authentic carp-fishing lake, where the fish are up to 57 lbs.

Although the lake is wild, thankfully the facilities aren’t! Accommodation includes a wooden cabin for two people or a mobile home that sleeps four. Cooked meals are available and there’s a modern sanitary block. It’s open all year round and boat hire is on offer too.

 

3. Jonchery

Jonchery is a very popular location for carp fishing, as it features a stunning 30-acre lake. Nestling deep in the Champagne region, around three hours and 40 minutes from Calais, the complex has a fantastic reputation. It has been a prime fishing venue for many years and is known for providing enjoyable carp-fishing holidays.

With six large double swims, the action is usually prolific, thanks to a stock of carp that weigh 40 lbs plus – including around 350 large, healthy mirrors and other common species. You can pre-book swims for up to 12 anglers.

Facilities include toilets, showers, a living area with benches and a table and a kitchen with appliances including a freezer, refrigerator, cooker, dishwasher and microwave oven. Breakfast and evening meals can be ordered. Jonchery is open all year round and out-of-season special offers are available – check online.

 

4. Barringtons

This family-friendly fishing complex in Montier-en-Der is a four-hour drive from Calais. An eight-acre lake, situated in a natural landscape within a rural setting, is a “get away from it all” kind of venue that is ideal for parties of four to six anglers to hire exclusively – it can be booked for smaller parties too.

Accommodation is a wooden cabin at the lakeside, with a twin bedroom and a sofa bed, so it can sleep up to four people and is suitable for a family. When you book the lodge, you can use the seventh swim to the side.

There are more than 120 fish in the lake including mirror, common and grass carp, some of which are mature and fairly large. Fishing here is a tranquil experience, thanks to the scenic setting.

Guests can order the optional food package in advance. Boat and tackle hire is available, including day chairs and bed chairs. The complex is open all year round and there are special offers available out of season – between November and March.

 

5. Beaurepaire

Known for having plenty of massive carp, Beaurepaire is two-and-a-half hours’ drive from Calais. Described as a “well-kept secret” by anglers who have fished there, it isn’t one of the busiest venues, which is surprising. The seven-acre lake is in a beautiful natural gravel pit, with a good stock of carp, many of which are more than 60 lbs.

Ideal for a party of up to six anglers, it’s possible to hire the lake exclusively, although individual bookings are accepted too. The water can vary in depth at different periods throughout the year, becoming up to three metres deeper if the nearby River Aisne floods during the winter. As a result, the landscape, including the banks, can look different, depending on the time of year.

The exciting thing about fishing here is that the number and size of the mirror and grass carp is largely unknown. There may be some huge individuals lurking in the lake, as some were reputedly supplied in 2003 by a company who added gravel to improve the fishing experience. Over the years, more fish have been added and there are thought to be upwards of 350. The Beaurepaire complex is open all year round.

You don’t have to be a fantastic angler to enjoy driving over to France and experiencing some of the best fishing in Europe. You don’t get many holidays each year, so if you enjoy fishing, why not try something different across the Channel? Contact H&H Van Hire for information on our reliable self-drive vans for hire.

While London is mostly known as a city with fabulous shopping locations and tourist attractions, you may be surprised to learn it’s also home to some great fishing spots. The city has some hidden gems! Many are established at traditional venues, which differ from the large commercial fisheries dotted up and down the UK.

Read on to find out more about London’s top five fishing destinations.

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5. Walthamstow Reservoirs, Tottenham

This anglers’ paradise is located in Tottenham, on the longest river in England, the River Thames, between Tottenham Hale and Blackhorse Road.

There are ten reservoirs in total, all of which are frequented by bird watchers looking for herons and cormorants. Anglers can fish for freshwater coarse fish in reservoirs one, two and three, where they can catch bream, chub, mirror and common carp, eel, pike and perch.

In reservoirs four and five, you can use a fly-fishing rod to catch (and release) brown and rainbow trout. Anglers can spend £15 per adult on one day’s fishing and there is a three-rod limit. An evening session costs £8 per person. Regular anglers can purchase a season’s pass.

Make sure you have the correct storage box for your angling gear and bait. In the cold weather, it’s important to make sure your gear remains dry.

 

4. Perch Pond, Wanstead

Although it’s known as Perch Pond, the lake contains more than just perch. You will also find a selection of coarse fish, including bream, dace, gudgeon and roach. Located on Warren Road, in the Grade II listed Wanstead Park, Perch Pond is one of the most historic ponds in London.

Constructed between the 1720s and 1740s, it first appeared on a map in 1735. It was established alongside several other ornamental bodies of water in the early 18th century and is known as a local beauty spot, as well as a top destination for anglers.

Perch Pond is home to carp of up to 30 lbs. Managed by Redbridge Council, as with all managed lakes, anglers must return the fish after catching them – only barbless hooks are permitted.

 

3. Shadwells Pool, Barnes

Located at Queen Elizabeth Walk, in southwest London, Shadwells Pool is a well-established lake with plenty of carp and a wide range of coarse species, including eel, roach, rudd and tench. The estate lake has good cover in the form of woodland and trees. It spans 1.5 acres and has a choice of 55 pegs, with several suitable for disabled anglers.

There are certain rules governing Shadwells Pool: anglers may use only two rods and night fishing isn’t allowed. Fishing can begin at dawn, but must finish at dusk. Anglers may use no more than 1.5 kilos of ground bait and 0.5 kilos of boilies. Only barbless hooks are allowed and all anglers must have a landing net and unhooking mat.

The water is owned and managed by Barnes and Mortlake Angling and Preservation Society and membership is required in order to fish there.

 

2. Tooting Common Pond, Wandsworth

Tooting Common Pond is a well-established and well-stocked lake that rewards anglers with a great day’s fishing. The venue is popular among local anglers, thanks to its diversity of species, including bream, carp, gudgeon, perch and roach.

Carp are plentiful and there are proper pegs in place – an unusual bonus at a park lake. The water is fairly shallow and the pond is easy to access, making it a popular destination for anglers of all abilities. The vegetation is well managed, providing plenty of overhangs as useful places for the fish to congregate.

Experts recommend floating baits including small pellets, sweetcorn and maggots in summer to attract the carp, and worm to attract the perch. In order to fish at Tooting Common, anglers will need to apply for a fishing permit from Wandsworth Council and will then need to purchase a day ticket.

Keep bait and smaller fishing tackle secure with a portable storage box that has handy compartments and trays to separate the different types of bait.

 

1. Burgess Park, Southwark

Burgess Park was created in the middle of a built-up area to provide recreational facilities for local residents. The fishing lake was redesigned during 2012 and 2013, creating a scenic environment for anglers, who can pass the time of day surrounded by the reed beds, bulrushes and water mint.

The most common species found here is carp, but there are also abundant supplies of tench, bream, rudd, roach, perch, catfish and dace. There are several different sub-species of carp, such as common, ghost, mirror and koi.

Anglers must have a rod licence in order to fish at Burgess Park. They also need to buy a day ticket from Southwark Council. You must have a landing net of 36 inches minimum and also an unhooking mat, as there’s the chance of catching large carp. There’s an area at the side to erect a shelter. All fish caught at the lake must be returned to the water.

Looking for a Christmas gift with a difference for the angler in your life? You could purchase a day pass for Burgess Park and a marine dry box to store their fishing gear – they’ll be blown away!

If you’re planning a fishing trip in London with friends, it pays to hire a van between you as a cost-effective and convenient way to travel. H&H Van Hire’s self-drive, six-seat crew van will comfortably carry passengers and equipment – you will reach your destination in comfort and safety. Give us a call on 020 7916 6616 for more details.

To honour the brave men and women who lost their lives in times of conflict, to preserve the freedom of future generations, the H&H Van Hire team will be observing the 2-minute silence – we will remember them.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the War Office during World War I was transporting thousands of troops and supplies from Britain to mainland Europe. The transport system was the key to determining the outcome of the 1914-18 war, as getting supplies from Blighty to the main conflict zones on the Western Front wasn’t easy.

While railways had the capacity to carry people, equipment, rations, munitions and medical supplies, it was a different matter getting them off our island to the troops in the trench warfare zones in France and Belgium. War supplies would arrive at the British ports on the south coast and were taken by ferry across the Channel.

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Dangerous transport run

After arriving at one of the Channel ports in France, supplies would be loaded on to trains and transported to the main supply areas behind the British lines. At this point, the new objective of taking them to the heart of the combat zones was a bigger challenge for the War Office.

There were around two million British soldiers serving on the Western Front, requiring some 1,000 tons of supplies daily, such as food, blankets, bullets, bandages and artillery batteries. The main problem was that the supplies must be taken across seven miles of rough and exposed ground to reach the front.

Anyone embarking on the transport run would be targeted by long-distance artillery shelling. While horse-drawn vehicles and pack mules were used for transporting some supplies (and even dogs would carry small items around the trenches), it was too hazardous for them to carry the main equipment and munitions on a 14-mile round trip.

 

Motorised vehicles

The items in the railway storage areas had to be transported to the troops in large, reliable, motorised vehicles. It was a dangerous job for both the mechanics, who kept the vehicles properly maintained, and the drivers who risked their lives to undertake the hazardous missions.

At the start of the war, the War Office had requisitioned more than 1,000 civilian lorries to bolster the military vehicles already lined up for transporting people and goods. The lorries were taken by ferry across the Channel.

In addition, London buses were also requisitioned and remained in service as transport vehicles until the war ended in 1919. Still more vehicles were needed, so the war office ordered thousands of HGVs from British and American manufacturers.

 

Somme campaign

When the Somme campaign began in July 2016, the weather and road conditions caused new challenges for the drivers. Poor road surfaces and torrential rain made the journey even more precarious for the over-laden HGVs, with their solid rubber, narrow tyres. They frequently got bogged down in the mud and it was hard to free them again.

The mechanics and drivers had to keep the transport links going, as they were supplying the British artillery with a total of 28 million shells for the Somme conflict. The drivers were carrying 20,000 tonnes of supplies daily along the 12-mile long front, so it was a continual challenge to keep the army up and running.

One of the most common heavy goods vehicles used during the Great War was the US-built FWD Model B truck. It was used by the Americans, the British and the Russians. Many of the trucks were of such a high quality that they were used again during the second world war.

Built by the Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company to military specifications, most of the 17,500 trucks were taken into military service. More than 14,000 were used by the American troops, 3,000 by the British and around 80 by the Imperial Russian forces.

 

Interviews with veterans

The research project, Voices of the First World War, compiled a series of historic interviews with veterans and posted them online. One such interview was with Walter Williams, who answered an advert in 1915 to join the Army Service Corps as a driver. He said in those days, the drivers were highly valued, as it was a rare skill.

He passed his medical examination at the recruiting office in Oxford Street, Weston-super-Mare, before being sent to Aldershot Barracks for basic training. This was followed by learning to drive three-ton lorries.

Walter recalled he had been used to driving a Ford car with two simple pedals. He thought to himself, “We’ll never get used to driving these lorries!”

However, he soon mastered the HGVs and was ready to be shipped out to France. Walter was luckier than some of the drivers, in that at least he received basic training and a crash course in lorry-driving. Other new recruits received no training whatsoever.

 

Driving test

Fellow veteran Tom Bromley enlisted in the ASC’s Motor Transport Section in London – and eight days later was in Rouen, France, where he had to sit a driving test, without any training. “It was a sort of test course,” he recalled, going up and down hills. He struggled with even the basics, such as changing gear and steering! After he failed the test, he remembered the officer in charge was annoyed with him and “said some rude things”.

London bus driver George Gwynn remembered when the government asked the drivers of London General Omnibus Company if they would take their buses to France to transport the troops in October 1914. “The next morning, 300 of us turned up at Westminster and said we’d do just that,” George responded.

 

Officers’ transport

While the troops travelled in the buses and lorries, it was a little different for the officers, who had the relative comfort of being transported by car. Private Alfred Stammers’ job was to drive officers round the Western Front: something he described as a “baptism of fire” for the new officers.

He picked them up at night, at Bray on the Somme, driving them towards the frontline. They stayed there all night to learn exactly what was going on. Alfred recalled how smart the officers looked when they first arrived, adding, “They didn’t come back spick and span.”

In 1917, the Allied Labour Corps (made up of new recruits from British Empire countries, including India) was launched. Its purpose was to keep the supply chain going for the rest of the war, until the conflict ended on 11th November 1918.

People across the world are preparing to commemorate the end of World War I, with special services at churches and cenotaphs on Remembrance Sunday, 10th November. Lest we forget.

Towering a lofty 525ft tall and offering spectacular views across the capital, Sky Garden is London’s highest public garden. The amazing giant glass dome of 20 Fenchurch Street is home to three storeys of beautifully landscaped public gardens.

As one of London’s most exclusive visitor attractions, it includes an open-air terrace and observation decks. The building is a commercial skyscraper, comprising 38 storeys. Offices occupy most of the floors, but the Sky Garden, bar and restaurants at the top of the building are open for public visits.

© offcaania / Adobe Stock

Unique design

With an unusual and distinctive design, getting wider towards the top, the skyscraper is a unique landmark in the City of London’s financial district.  It is known as the “Walkie Talkie” due to its shape. Celebrating the diversity of plants, the garden is said to be inspired by the gravity-defying forests found in some regions in the wild.

It offers 360-degree views across London, with the public garden space under the glass roof creating a number of micro-landscapes. The garden’s design is based on the “evolution of plants” and the space is divided into various zones, including the shade-tolerant forest, flowering plants and a transition zone.

Right at the top is a terrace of fig trees and tree ferns, providing a shady, cooler space, while beneath that is a display of ancient cycads. A colourful lower terrace is full of bright, flowering plants to delight visitors’ senses all year round.

Building’s history

The previous building at the site was 299ft tall and had 25 storeys. Dating from 1968, it was formerly occupied by Dresdner Kleinwort and was one of London’s first tall buildings. It was demolished in 2008, after planning permission for the new building was granted in 2006.

Designed by Uruguayan architect, Rafael Viñoly, the Sky Garden is London’s highest public park. Two express lifts access the gardens and the large viewing area, with 14 double-deck lifts serving the building’s main office floors.

To the south side, the building is ventilated to improve energy efficiency and reduce solar gain, whilst the west and east faces have built-in solar shading. There are two entrances – the main northern entrance and a southern entrance.

Construction

Contractors began the groundworks on the site in January 2009 and it was completed by June the same year. Building work began in January 2011. In December that year, the core of the tower began to rise. The concrete core and structural steelwork were completed by December 2012.

Fire protection was applied to the steelwork and was completed by March 2013. In April 2014, the construction of the shell and floors was complete and the first tenants began moving in the following month. The finishing touches were applied by August 2014 and the building and Sky Garden officially opened in January 2015.

The Sky Garden was the key to gaining planning approval for the building, which is located outside London’s main cluster of skyscrapers.

Booking a visit

Anyone wishing to visit the landscaped gardens, open-air terrace and observation decks will need to book in advance. Access to the Sky Garden is free, but due to limited space, the public must book through the website.

The Sky Garden not only creates a relaxing place of leisure, it also offers visitors a rare chance to see a different view of London. On the 43rd floor, the viewing gallery enables you to gaze out at Tower Bridge, The Shard, the iconic skyscraper known as The Gherkin at 30 St Mary Axe, The Leadenhall Building and the River Thames.

With a capacity for 450 guests, the Sky Garden also offers a selection of large, flexible spaces to host corporate events and exhibitions. The leafy indoor garden is an ideal place to feel inspired indoors, which is great if it’s raining outside!

If you’re planning on visiting London’s spectacular Sky Garden, H&H Van Hire’s self-drive minibus hire is an ideal way for groups to travel. Please contact us for further information and to make your booking.

Princess Diana was one of the most popular and best-loved royals of all time, with her kind and caring personality and down-to-earth interactions with her fans changing the face of the royal family forever. It’s hardly surprising she was nicknamed the “People’s Princess”, as she endeared herself to everyone she met.

The former Lady Diana Spencer, who would have been 58 on 1st July, tragically lost her life in a car accident in Paris on 31st August 1997, when she was only 36.

Diana’s life and family

Having been in the media spotlight since her wedding to Prince Charles on 29th July 1981, she had always handled the attention graciously.

During her 15-year marriage to Charles, which sadly ended when the couple divorced in 1996, she gave birth to two sons, Prince William in June 1982 and Prince Harry in September 1984. She remained the Princess of Wales and threw herself into humanitarian work for the rest of her life.

After Diana’s divorce, she was often photographed in the company of Dodi Fayed, the dashing son of Egyptian billionaire, Mohamed Al-Fayed, who at the time was the owner of Harrods’ department store in London.

Harrods’ memorials

Dodi also lost his life alongside the princess in the devastating car accident, at the age of only 42. They had been driving along the Pont de l’Alma underpass when the accident occurred.

After having enjoyed a holiday together in the French and Italian Rivieras on Dodi’s family yacht, the Jonikal, they had stopped in Paris on their way to London.

Mr Al-Fayed, a wealthy business magnate, had bought Harrods from the retail group House of Fraser in 1985. After the fatal car accident, he erected a memorial to his son and Princess Diana in Harrods.

The monument was designed by the store’s architect, Bill Mitchell, who was a close friend of Mr Al-Fayed’s who had worked at Harrods for 40 years.

The first memorial is displayed on the lower ground floor of the Knightsbridge store, at the bottom of the Egyptian escalator. The tribute features portraits of Dodi and Diana, with an inscription.

A second memorial, called “Innocent Victims”, was unveiled in 2005, again created by Mitchell. This time, it featured a bronze statue of Dodi and Diana on the beach, sheltering underneath an albatross’s wings. The second statue was displayed on the top floor.

New memorial statue

In January 2018, it was revealed that the Innocent Victims statue was being returned to the Al-Fayed family, who sold Harrods to the Qatari royal family in 2010 for a reported £1.5 billion.

Harrods’ bosses said that because the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry were planning a new official statue to commemorate their late mother at Kensington Palace, the time was right to give the Egyptian tycoon his memorial statue back.

They said they were proud to have celebrated the lives of Diana and Dodi by welcoming people from all over the world to visit the memorial for the past two decades, but now the public were being invited to pay their respects at Kensington Palace, it was fitting that Mr Al-Fayed should be able to have his memorial returned for his own private tribute.

Anniversary approaches

After the fatal car accident, thousands of memorials and floral tributes were placed around Kensington Palace, while an estimated 2.5 billion people all over the world watched the television broadcast of the princess’s funeral on Saturday 6th September 1997.

Fans of the royal family will be preparing to remember the People’s Princess, as the 22nd anniversary of her death will be marked on 31st August.

Harrods, a Grade II Listed art-deco building, enjoyed a £20 million refurbishment in 2016, when a new entrance and 16 sets of eye-catching double escalators, were installed. The store also features a stunning large glass dome on the roof.

No trip to London would be complete without a visit to Harrods. Why not hire a modern minibus from H&H Van Hire for your convenience? It’s a popular and cost-effective option for groups of travellers so that everyone can arrive together and save on costs by clubbing together for the hire fee. Please contact us for details of our nine, 14 and 17-seater minibuses.

The Bank of England is one of Britain’s most historic and famous financial institutions. Founded in 1694 as the English government’s bank, it is the eighth oldest bank in the world today and has become a major tourist attraction in its own right.

As one of Britain’s most important banks, it is authorised to issue banknotes in England and Wales, and regulates the issuing of banknotes by commercial banks in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Its Monetary Policy Committee is responsible for managing Britain’s financial policies.

© Claudio Divizia / Shutterstock.com

Gold vaults

The Bank of England’s headquarters has been at Threadneedle Street, in London’s main financial district, since 1734. The gold vaults hold around 400,000 bars of gold, with a total value of more than £100 billion!

It hasn’t offered consumer banking services for many years, although it does carry out some public-facing services, such as exchanging old banknotes.

Visiting a bank may seem a strange destination for visitors – but on the contrary, it provides a fascinating day out, as it is so much more than just a financial centre. The Bank of England’s museum is a treasure trove of factual and fun exhibits for people of all ages to enjoy.

The imposing frontage of the building dominates the City of London, with its museum, off Bartholomew Lane, being something of a hidden treasure.

The museum’s attractions

Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in November 1988, the museum traces the bank’s history from when it was first established 325 years ago, to its important role today.

Visitors can stroll around a reconstruction of an 18th-century banking hall, designed by Sir John Soane, the leading English architect of the era. There were no windows in those days for extra security, so the bank was a dark and dingy place. Soane had designed a domed roof to help let in as much light as possible.

You will be invited to learn more about how the bank moved to Threadneedle Street in 1734 and expanded over the years, until it filled the whole of its current site by 1833. It functioned largely unchanged until after the Great War, when architect Sir Herbert Baker designed and rebuilt it.

Having worked in New Delhi earlier, he was influenced by the architecture in India and the façade’s grand imperial style is tribute to this. The current building was finally completed just before World War II broke out in 1939.

Prior to the opening of the Bank of England, banking was run largely by goldsmiths, who loaned money to the Crown and to merchants. Goldsmith notes preceded modern banknotes. Visitors can walk through three rooms detailing the bank’s early history and look at fascinating artefacts, such as parts of old banknotes from 1694.

Famous customers

Among the exhibits are sections detailing some of the bank’s famous customers; including the great explorer, sea captain and military leader, Admiral Horatio Nelson; the composer George Frideric Handel; and American president George Washington, who held stock at the bank.

Although the bank has never been robbed in 300 years, it was protected at night by the military (known as the Bank Guard) after the Gordon Riots of 1780, when people tried to enter the building from an adjacent church.

As a result, the church was knocked down, although the graveyard remained. It has since become a garden, which is now within the bank’s walls and is open to the public at various times throughout the year.

As well as the historic exhibits, the museum emphasises the bank’s important role today. Visitors can watch interactive videos to see how it carries out its day-to-day duties. There are attractions for children too, including a giant hot air balloon, which serves the dual purpose of teaching kids about monetary inflation.

There are story-telling sessions and also informative talks for adults on topics such as the building’s history and the economy.

Anniversary celebrations

The bank has some special celebrations taking place this year in honour of its 325th anniversary. To highlight the bank’s key moments and unique history, the exhibition features 325 exhibits for 325 years.

The focus is firmly on the place and people, rather than the bank’s technical side, giving it a human feel. Themes include life at the bank, with some of the temporary exhibits later being incorporated into the bank’s permanent exhibitions.

Audience research is being carried out during the anniversary celebration to see which of the exhibits grab the public’s attention.

Glimpse of history

Each section provides a glimpse into history and focuses on the bank’s work at various periods in time. Some of the historic objects have never been exhibited before. One of the key focal points is a unique new artwork commission, which will be permanently on display.

The exhibition is aimed at showing more diverse aspects of the bank’s history, introducing some of the key characters who have figured over the years. There is particular emphasis on the role women have played at the bank, in what was an essentially male-dominated field when it opened 325 years ago. Initially, women were only investors, but later on, they became staff members too.

While planning the exhibition, the organisers have unearthed some lesser-known stories, and plans are in the pipeline to fill in any gaps in the bank’s history with future exhibitions in the museum.

If you’re planning a trip to London to visit famous attractions such as the Bank of England, a minibus from H&H Van Hire is the ideal way to travel. Contact us today for details of our modern nine, 14 and 17-seater minibuses.

The British Museum is one of the most famous and important museums in the United Kingdom. Located in Great Russell Street, London, it attracts an estimated six million visitors every year to view its seven million fascinating exhibits. The museum is open seven days a week and admission is free.

Established in 1753, it first opened to the public in 1759. Initially, it housed the collections of the Ulster-born scientist and doctor Sir Hans Sloane, who lived in London and gathered a massive array of curiosities. He didn’t want his collection of 71,000 objects from all over the world to be broken up after his death.

In his will, he bequeathed everything to King George II, for the nation, for the sum of £20,000. The king gave the royal assent on 7th June 1753 to establish the British Museum. Sloane’s collection included all kinds of artefacts from all over the world, collected during the time of the British Empire.

© Claudio Divizia / Adobe Stock

Lindow Man

There were 40,000 printed books, 337 volumes containing drawings, prints and dried plants of natural history specimens, 7,000 manuscripts and antiques from Egypt, Sudan, Greece, Rome, the Far East and the Americas.

During the next 250 years, the museum expanded and amassed some of the most popular and significant historic finds in the world. These include the oldest mummy, the Lindow Man. The preserved body was unearthed in a peat bog on 1st August 1984 by commercial peat cutters working at Lindow Moss, in Cheshire.

The accidental find caused a media sensation. Scientists estimated the body dated from between 2 BC and 119 AD. Lindow Man had been in his mid-20s and appeared to be of noble birth, as there was no sign he had done manual labour. Much debate ensued over the cause of his death, with some suggestions it had been violent and may have been ritualistic.

Rosetta Stone

The British Museum also houses the Rosetta Stone, which dates from Egypt in 196 BC. It is believed to have been on display in a temple at Sais, near where it was found in 1799, on the outskirts of the Egyptian port of Rosetta. It was discovered by French soldiers of an expeditionary army who had been deployed to Egypt.

The stone is inscribed with a decree, issued by King Ptolemy V, in three different languages, including hieroglyphs. According to reports, it was “captured in Egypt by the British Army” in 1801 and was presented to the British Museum in 1802, where it has been displayed ever since.

By the end of the 19th century, the museum was such a popular visitor attraction that it was given its own tube station. Construction began in 1898 and it officially opened in 1900. However, it closed in September 1933 after Holborn Station opened, less than 100 yards away from the museum.

Museum expansion

Over the years, the museum gathered such a large number of artefacts that a second site opened in the 1880s. Many of the items were moved to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, which was originally known as the British Museum (Natural History).

In addition, a huge number of books and manuscripts were moved to a third site, the British Library, based on Euston Road. Antiquities there include the sole surviving manuscript of Beowulf – the old English epic poem dating from 975 to 1025 – and the Lindisfarne Gospels, produced between 715 and 720.

Electric lighting

The museum was one of the first buildings to have electricity. Up until the late 19th century, it had to close early in winter when nightfall came, as it was lit by natural daylight. Candles, gas lamps and oil lamps weren’t permitted due to the fire risks.

Electric lighting was pioneered in the Front Hall, the Reading Room and the Forecourt in 1879, enabling parts of the museum to stay open until 7pm, even in winter. By 1889, the electric lighting system had advanced and was used in almost all of the public areas.

Famous cat

The museum is known for some typically British and rather endearing touches, such as the tradition of having a museum cat. There have been many cats living there over the years, the most famous being Mike, who was the resident feline from 1909 to 1929. He became so famous that when he died, his obituary appeared in Time Magazine and the Evening Standard.

The museum is also famous for having been a film set an amazing 15 times! Among the most famous were the thriller Day of the Jackal in 1973 and the comedy adventure, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, in 2014.

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English actor Bob Hoskins, best known for his gangster-type characters in blockbusters such as The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa, started his career playing a removal man in a BBC educational series.

The star was 33 when he won the role of Alf Hunt, who had literacy problems, in the long-running drama series, On the Move. Watched by 17 million viewers, the show was broadcast in the early evening slot every Sunday during 1975 and 1976.

 

Adult education

Hoskins inspired thousands of adults to overcome their fears and learn how to read and write. George Auckland, who led the BBC’s adult education programming following the success of On the Move, recalled how there were queues outside every UK adult literacy centre on a Monday morning.

He described Hoskins as the “best educator” Britain had ever produced, judging by the number of adults he encouraged to go back into the classroom. The critics loved his realistic portrayal of Hunt, who was depicted as struggling with homework and often frustrated by his apparent lack of progress.

Mark Lawson, a journalist for The Guardian, wrote at the time that the actor gave Alf a “vulnerability and poignancy” that way surpassed the requirements of a public information series. The magazine GQ praised the “light touch” that Hoskins exhibited with “both a removal van and a personal pronoun”.

It was On the Move which led to Hoskins’ next role, playing sheet music salesman Arthur Parker, in the musical drama, Dennis Potter’s Pennies from Heaven, on the BBC in 1978. He shot to fame in the cult series and then launched his movie career.

 

Early life

Born in October 1942 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, Hoskins left school at the age of 15, with one O-level. He took several manual jobs and coincidentally was a lorry driver himself as a young man. Little did he know that his real-life job would be a good grounding for his future acting career.

He had an interesting youth, spending six months in Israel, working on a kibbutz. Back in the UK, he got into acting by chance. He had gone to auditions for Romeo and Juliet in 1968 at Stoke-on-Trent’s Victoria Theatre just to support his friend, who was trying out for a role.

Hoskins was persuaded to audition too and won the role of a servant. This was the start of his long and illustrious career, as he was a respected stage actor before successfully auditioning for the role of Alf Hunt.

 

On the Move

On the Move began with the catchy title song, sung by 1970s pop band, The Dooleys. They crooned, “On the move, we’re on the move again,” over the opening credits.

The lyrics had a dual meaning, as not only was the removals van on the move, but Alf was on the move too, in terms of improving his level of education. “Life is an open book, if you open your eyes and look,” urged the narrator.

Each episode of the series featured Alf and his friend Bert, played by Donald Gee, driving round in their furniture removal van, with its familiar giant arrow painted on the side. They would stop for a coffee and chat about Alf’s lessons at adult literacy night classes.

The programme appealed to far more viewers than simply its target audience, as 17 million people watching an adult education series was virtually unheard of. The UK’s national campaign to tackle illiteracy received a welcome boost from the series.

 

Hollywood star

After finishing Pennies from Heaven, Hoskins went on to have a successful Hollywood career, starring in his first blockbuster, The Long Good Friday, in 1980, alongside Helen Mirren. He played Harold Shand, a gangster striving to become a respectable businessman, whose world was shattered by a series of unexplained murders. He was nominated for a BAFTA Best Actor Award for his portrayal of the man battling unknown assassins.

His next massive hit was Mona Lisa in 1986, in which he played small-time gangster, George, who is the driver and bodyguard for high-class prostitute, Simone, for whom he starts to develop feelings.

One of the high points of his career was playing private investigator, Eddie Valiant, in the 1988 movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He had to take a mime training course to prepare for the film, as the cartoon characters with whom he interacted were added to the shots later.

Hoskins won a British Evening Standard Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his epic performance.

 

Later life

In his later career, he continued with his television work, putting in an Emmy Award-winning performance in the drama series, The Street, in 2009, playing Paddy Gargan, a publican who stood up to a gangster.

His career on television and in the movies displayed amazing longevity, lasting for more than four decades. He died in 2014, at the age of 71.

Although he will always be remembered for his gritty gangster roles, he will also be greatly admired for helping to inspire thousands of adults to learn to read and write, thanks to his honest portrayal of removal man, Alf Hunt.

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The TV sitcom, Steptoe and Son, was one of the biggest hits of the 1960s, with the humour revolving around a father and son who ran a rag-and-bone business. It has been voted the 15th best sitcom of all time in a BBC viewers’ poll.

More than half a century after its launch, Steptoe and Son remains a legendary British comedy, with its timeless humour transferring to the modern generation with ease.

 

Show’s background

Scriptwriters Alan Simpson and Ray Galton, who had been friends since 1948, achieved fame thanks to their association with comedian Tony Hancock. They were involved in several radio variety series in their early years, but their big break came in November 1954, with the launch of Hancock’s Half Hour on the radio.

Hancock’s subsequent television series featuring their scripts ran from 1956 to 1961 and assured their status as sought-after scriptwriters. During 1961 and 1962, they wrote ten one-off Comedy Playhouse plays for the BBC. One of the 30-minute plays was called The Offer.

It is believed they were suffering “writer’s block” when they looked out of the window and saw a rag-and-bone man collecting householders’ junk. This inspired them to write The Offer about a father and son who ran a rag-and-bone business.

The play was the most popular in the Comedy Playhouse run and was the only one to spawn its own TV series afterwards. The BBC liked the idea, because it was cheap to film, with most of the action being set in one room.

Initially, Galton and Simpson weren’t keen to do a full series, as they were enjoying writing about different topics for one-off comedy plays, but BBC bosses persuaded them to write a sitcom and Steptoe and Son was the result. It was first broadcast on 4th January 1962.

 

Plot and characters

The two main characters, Harold Steptoe and his father, Albert, live in a squalid house in West London, which is literally filled with junk they have collected, with the intention of selling it on. English actor and comedian Harry H Corbett was 37 when he successfully auditioned for the role of Harold.

Like the character played by Hancock in his television series, Harold Steptoe was a pretentious, would-be intellectual, who had a somewhat fatalistic outlook on life. As well as being a black comedy, Steptoe and Son was a socially realistic drama with its portrayal of living in poverty in the 1960s.

Harold is described as 37 years old and a former serviceman. After leaving the army, he has lived with his widowed father. Albert is rather selfish and guilt-trips Harold into staying and driving the horse and cart, while collecting items to sell for the rag-and-bone business.

Albert is a senior citizen, a first world war veteran and the son of a rag-and-bone man. He was one of 14 children and had been widowed for 26 years at the start of the series. He was satisfied with his life and was stubborn, foul-mouthed and narrow-minded.

Harold thought of himself as above the rag-and-bone business and felt his intellectual side was stifled by the squalor of his everyday life. He was trapped by his circumstances and was continually dissatisfied with his lot.

Albert was played by Irish comedian and actor Henry Wilfrid Brambell, who used his middle name Wilfrid as his stage name. He was only 50 when he was cast in the role. However, the character was portrayed as much older and came across as a finicky and rather seedy old man – a brilliant piece of character acting by Brambell.

He even had to wear a set of “rotten” dentures, as Albert had a poor attitude to personal hygiene. As the two actors playing father and son were only 13 years apart, Brambell was made to look much older.

The two characters had a love-hate relationship and often argued, but as father and son, they cared about each other’s well-being. Although they didn’t always have a happy relationship, they depended on each other in many ways.

Although other family members popped up from time to time, the series was essentially a vehicle that exhibited the two lead characters’ comic abilities. Like a lot of today’s sitcoms, it had poignant moments, as well as comedy.

 

Funny moments

Most of the plots revolve around Harold and Albert’s attempts to make a fast buck. In one episode, a photographer and his agent ask Harold if they can use his yard as the background for a gritty urban photo shoot. Harold agrees and dons a velvet smoking jacket and sunglasses when the models arrive, to try and look more suave.

However, they think he’s blind and start getting undressed in front of him as they prepare for the photo shoot. On finding out he can see, they start calling him a pervert! Needless to say, Harold’s suggestion that he can pose with the models also doesn’t go down too well.

In another episode, Harold decides to re-decorate their house. However, Albert doesn’t like any of the colour schemes that his son suggests. To teach him a lesson, Harold puts a partition in the living room and they each have their own half. He then goes a step too far by adding a coin-operated turnstile in the hall.

His scheme backfires when the house catches fire and father and son need to escape. Unfortunately, the firemen get stuck in the hall when they don’t have any change to operate the turnstile!

 

Bloopers

Like many shows, Steptoe and Son had a number of unintentional comic moments, which would be likely to appear on a “bloopers” compilation programme today.

In one episode, Albert and Harold were fighting over who would have control of the television, as they both wanted to watch different channels. However, a close-up shot of the TV as they argued showed it was a box with an empty shell and nothing inside!

In another scene, Harold and Albert are arguing, when Harold tips a jug of orange juice over his dad’s dead. A shot of Albert’s forehead shows that an existing cut has mysteriously disappeared. The make-up department had apparently forgotten to put it on before filming! However, these blips only endeared Steptoe and Son to viewers even more.

In total, there were eight series of Steptoe and Son, comprising 57 episodes. The original run ended on 26th December 1974. All of the series were released on DVD between 2004 and 2009.

It was also the basis for an American series called Sanford and Son and a Swedish series, Albert and Herbert, both of which had the same format. Steptoe and Son will surely go down in history as one of the all-time British comedy greats.

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The ceremony of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is a major visitor attraction. It is one of London’s most famous ceremonies, with immaculately turned-out guards, stirring music and military precision drills combining to create a stunning spectacle.

The ceremony takes place when The Queen’s Guard hands over the responsibility of protecting Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace to the New Guard. It normally takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 11am on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

© Sammy / Adobe Stock

It begins with a march by a detachment of the Old Guard, accompanied by bandsmen, from St James’s Palace, while a march of the New Guard, also led by a regimental band, sets off from Wellington Barracks. The ceremony takes around 45 minutes.

The Queen’s Guard is provided by Foot Guards from the Household Division, which has five regiments. They are particularly fascinating for visitors, thanks to their easily recognisable scarlet tunics and tall bearskin hats. Music is supplied by a corps of drums, the regimental band, or pipers on occasion.

Christopher Robin

Alan Alexander Milne, better known as Winnie the Pooh author AA Milne, also famously wrote a poem about the ceremony, which he simply called “Buckingham Palace”.

The author had created the stories of Winnie the Pooh, about the likeable anthropomorphic bear, for his son, Christopher Robin Milne. The boy in the stories was also called Christopher Robin and he had many adventures with his pal, Winnie the talking bear.

The real Christopher had named his toy teddy Winnie the Pooh, after seeing a black bear called Winnie at London Zoo. The orphaned wild baby bear had been rescued from a hunter by a Canadian veterinarian, Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, while on manoeuvres with the army during World War I.

Colebourn found her a home for life at London Zoo when he had to go to France with his regiment and she was much loved by the visitors, including young Christopher Robin.

Changing guard poem

Milne wrote the Buckingham Palace poem about Christopher Robin going to the changing of the guard ceremony in 1924, when his son was four years old. It was first published in a collection of his poems called When We Were Very Young.

The poem began with the famous lines, “They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace – Christopher Robin went down with Alice.”

Over the years, some people speculated that the Alice in question may have been the character Alice in Wonderland, from the 19th century novel by Lewis Carroll. However, the character Alice in the poem was reportedly based on Christopher’s real-life nanny, who was employed to look after him.

His nanny’s real name was Olive Brockwell and she looked after Christopher until he was nine years old, at which time he was sent to boarding school. He always called her by the nickname, Nou. The poem went on to say, “Alice is marrying one of the guard – ‘A soldier’s life is terrible hard,’ said Alice.”

The poem ended with Christopher asking Alice, “Do you think the King knows all about me?” to which she replied, “Sure to, dear, but it’s time for tea!”

It’s unclear whether the poem was based on a real-life visit to see the changing of the guard. It was common for nannies to take out the children they looked after, so it would have been a possibility for Olive to have taken the young Christopher.

When he wrote his memoirs as an adult, Christopher dedicated them to his nanny, saying how he had “adored” her. He wrote, “Alice to millions, but Nou to me”. There was no evidence to suggest that Olive had married a Guardsman in real life, however, as the fictional character had in Milne’s poem.

Gramophone record

In 1941, Milne’s Buckingham Palace poem was made into a record, sung by child star Ann Stephens and set to music by the BBC’s Harold Fraser-Simson, an English composer of light music. Stephens was only nine years old when she recorded the song.

She also recorded other popular children’s songs of the era, including Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Her gramophone recordings were sold in aid of charity and in 1945, she visited Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, for which she had raised £8,000.

Stephens’ recording remained a classic for many years and it often featured on the BBC Light Entertainment programme, Children’s Favourites. It was set to a military beat with a drum roll, which provided an oddly likeable backing to Stephens’ rather squeaky, childish vocals.

Watching changing of the guard

Watching the changing of the guard ceremony in London is free of charge and tickets aren’t required, although visitors are advised to arrive no later than 10.15am to ensure they have a good view. During the ceremony, police officers are always present to ensure the event runs safely and smoothly.

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