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The Pudding Club was founded in 1985 to celebrate traditional British puddings. Each meeting offers a choice of 7 different puddings for an informal evening of sheer (over) indulgence, fun and British eccentricity! The weekly meetings are held at the Three Ways House Hotel in Mickleton village in the picturesque Cotswolds, UK. Attendance is open to everyone but pre-booking is required.
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Nurse Edith Cavell was executed on 12th October 1915, during World War I, for assisting over 200 allied soldiers escape occupied Belgium. There is an annual public wreath laying ceremony that takes place at her memorial, in London, on the anniversary of her death. This year's ceremony, organised by the Cavell Nurses' Trust, will be extra special as it will mark the centenary of her death. It will be held on Monday 12th October at 10.30am and is free to attend.
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David Barber, The Queen’s Swan Marker
Swan Upping is an ancient ceremony which counts the number of mute swans on the River Thames. This still relatively unknown tradition is an annual event, which takes place during the third week in July. Earlier this week Julie and I went to Oakley Court hotel to watch this spectacle and to partake of afternoon tea (seperate blog to follow).
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On Good Friday hot cross buns are distributed in the churchyard of St Bartholomew the Great. The ceremony known as the Butterworth Charity, was named after Joshua Whitehead Butterworth who created the trust in 1887. It was set up to provide the sum of six pence to twenty one needy widows in the parish and buns were to be handed out to children who attended the distribution. With the understanding that nowadays anyone who attends can have a hot cross bun I went to investigate further.
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Next to Platform 8, in Victoria Train Station, there is a small plaque to the Unknown Warrior. His final resting place is in the nave of Westminster Abbey. Although we do not know his name or his rank in the army, his tomb is a very poignant remember of all those who died during World War One but whose bodies have never been identified.
Each year on 10th November the London branch of The Western Front Association holds a ceremony to remember the arrival of the body of the Unknown Warrior at Victoria Station.
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As a vegetarian it might seem quite ironic that this morning I went down to Smithfield Meat Market to see the legendary Christmas Eve Auction. However as a City of London Tour Guide I had heard about the amazing atmosphere and I was curious to check this out for myself.
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The Blues and Royals at the Dismounting Ceremony - recognisable in their blue tunics and red plumed helmets
The Changing of the Guards ceremony is one of great displays of British pageantry. However it’s extremely popular, so why not avoid the crowds and as an alternative check out the lesser known but equally photogentic Punishment Parade?
The Dismounting Ceremony, to give it its official title, takes place daily at 4pm within the courtyard of Horse Guards. The tradition dates back to 1894 when it is said that Queen Victoria arrived one day without warning to find that her guards had failed to turn out when her carriage went passed, as they were drinking and gambling in the middle of the afternoon instead of guarding her palace. She then gave orders that the guards should be inspected daily for the next one hundred years. The tradition continues to this day although the timescale for this has passed.
There are two monuted guards at the entrance to Horse Guards every day from 10am to 4pm. The guards on duty belong to either the Lifeguards or the Blues and Royals, two of the most senior regiments in the British Army which make up the Household Cavalry.
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It’s uncertain where the name "Little Venice" came from and even though you’re unlikely to see any gondolas, it’s a title that well suits this area with its attractive waterways.
For most of the year Little Venice is one of the most charming and tranquil corners in London but on the first bank holiday weekend in May (Saturday 4th - Monday 6th May 2013) the area is transformed with the vibrant and colourful Canalway Cavalcade, a unique waterways festival. It is organised by the IWA (Inland Waterways Association). More information about the IWA can be found on their website here.
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Today I took some photos when I visited the Cenotaph and the Field of Remembrance in Westminster.