Danny Hurst
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dannyhurst.bsky.social
Danny Hurst
@dannyhurst.bsky.social
45 followers 2 following 410 posts
Podcaster, performer, historian, smartarse
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dannyhurst.bsky.social
London's original Chinatown was based in Limehouse in the East End. Chinatown in Soho only began to be established in the 1970s and is now one of the largest in Europe.

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January 1, 2026 at 10:02 AM
dannyhurst.bsky.social
Carlo Gatti established the King's Cross ice wells, his underground ice store house from where he built his ice selling empire.

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December 31, 2025 at 9:17 AM
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Since 1999, French street artist Invader has installed many of his distinct pixillated pieces around the world. 12 of them are found in Soho.

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December 30, 2025 at 7:37 AM
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The Dominion Theatre stands on the site of what was Meux and Co's Horseshoe Brewery, the scene of the 1814 London Beer Flood which killed eight people.

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December 29, 2025 at 6:33 AM
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The disused Queenhithe Dock is the oldest wharf in London and is believed to date back to the reign of Alfred the Great during the late 9th century.

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December 28, 2025 at 9:19 AM
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Cock Lane and its surrounding streets in Smithfield was the first legal area for prostitution in the City, which is reflected in its name.

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December 27, 2025 at 9:11 AM
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The Clermont Club at 44 Berkeley Square is an exclusive private members club founded by John Aspinall in 1962 and the original home of Annabels nightclub.

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December 26, 2025 at 9:37 AM
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The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree has been sent from Norway every year since 1947 to acknowledge Britain's support during World War II.

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December 25, 2025 at 10:01 AM
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Robert Lewis opened his cigar shop at 19 St James Street in 1727, though today it is named after James J Fox, whom the company merged with in 1992.

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December 24, 2025 at 8:30 AM
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Everyone knows the Spirit of Soho mural; on Broadwick Street since 1991, though few people really look at it properly.

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December 23, 2025 at 6:32 AM
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Now Gail's, 67b Shaftesbury Avenue was the Bartitsu School; the first ever martial arts school in the Western world, which ran from 1900-1902.

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December 22, 2025 at 6:45 AM
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Rowland Hill's statue is found on King Edward Street. Hill reformed the postal service in 1840, creating the penny post.

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December 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM
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Vanbrugh Castle, on Maze Hill on the edge of Greenwich Park, was designed and built by architect and restoration playwright, Sir John Vanbrugh.

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December 20, 2025 at 7:39 AM
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Ladbroke Square Gardens is one of the largest private garden squares in London and its surrounding streets follow the course of the old Hippodrome racetrack.

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December 19, 2025 at 6:28 AM
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The Ancient House in Walthamstow Village is believed to be London's oldest house, thought to date back to around 1435.

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December 18, 2025 at 6:13 AM
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The Faraday Building on Queen Victoria Street was built in 1933 and housed the world's largest international telephone exchange.

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December 17, 2025 at 6:10 AM
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Barbara Hepworth's Winged Figure has been mounted above the Holles Street/Oxford Street entrance to John Lewis since 1963.

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December 15, 2025 at 6:06 AM
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60-62 Bishopsgate was, from 1926 to 1970, the home of the Hudson's Bay Company and the golden beaver weathervane on top of the building was the symbol of this.

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December 14, 2025 at 8:27 AM
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Mulberry Gardens; the site of where Buckingham Palace now stands, was quite possibly, during the 17th century, the site of a mixed gay and straight brothel.

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December 13, 2025 at 8:10 AM
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The tradition of tombs in Poets Corner began in 1556 with that of Sir Geoffrey Chaucer, 156 years after he became the first poet to be buried here in 1400.

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December 12, 2025 at 6:06 AM
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Sir Thomas More, is believed to have grown up on Milk Street in the City and it was here where he was living when he wrote Utopia in 1516.

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December 11, 2025 at 6:23 AM
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The hand in the wall of the Bayward Tower at the Tower of London is missed by most visitors and nobody is sure of its origins.
December 10, 2025 at 6:33 AM
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Brunel's water towers, which once flanked the Crystal Palace, were destroyed in 1941 to prevent the Luftwaffe using them as navigation points.

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December 9, 2025 at 6:48 AM
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The Agatha Christie Memorial was unveiled in the West End in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of her play, The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the world.

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December 8, 2025 at 6:46 AM
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41/42 Cloth Fair is hidden in plain sight in Farringdon and is widely considered to be the oldest residential house in the City of London.

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December 7, 2025 at 8:34 AM