West End tour

This is Gillian, our lovely English tour guide.  She shared a bunch of awesome details about the West End. For example, the little hut pictured above is a cabbie shelter built in the late 1800's.  Cab drivers could stop at one of these around town and get tea and a snack.  The idea was that giving the cabbies free tea would keep them from getting drunk on the job.

Next is an original river boat dock.  The shores of the Thames are further away than they used to be because the city was built up over the stinky sewer sludge that lined the edges of the river.

This is formerly Of Alley because George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham would only sell his property if they promised to name all of the streets after him.  The thoughtful Londoners made sure to use every word.

And finally, we have "Farting Alley".  It's not the real name but the gaslight you see here used to be lit with gas from the sewer fumes from the nearby Savoy Hotel so the alley was kinda stinky.

Funny!