London Oddities # 3: Queen Caroline's Sunken Bath
Queen Caroline was the Princess Di of her day, married to her unfaithful husband King George IV who when he decided to leave her, made him very unpopular throughout the kingdom. She was already a Brunswick Princess before her marriage to him, it is said the marriage was arranged so as his large gambling debts could be paid off. She arrived in England in 1795 and George was shocked to see that she was no oil painting. She gave birth to a daughter in 1796 by which time George was back to his old ways of having mistresses. Caroline moved from the Royal palace and move to Montague House on Blackheath in 1797, doing the same as her husband by having orgies and suchlike.
In August of 1804 she decided to leave England for good and live in exile abroad, this is what George had been waiting for. So as to have no reminder of his wife’s pleasurable parties he ordered the demolition of Montague House saying he wanted it raised to the ground. Obeying his wish the house was demolished though the bits beneath the ground were overlooked, and it was not until 1909 that the sunken bath was discovered. It can still be seen inside Greenwich Park along the eastern wall near the Charlton way entance.
London Oddities # 4: The Coade's Lion
As you cross over Westminster Bridge going south, outside what was once County Hall now the Marriott Hotel you will notice a friendly lion with a smiling face, better known as the Coade Lion.
It was made by Mrs. Eleanor Coade at her stoneworks factory that once stood where the London Eye stands today. Lots of stone works were produced from here and are all around London, the beauty of this stone work is it never ages or discolors.
Like all good mysteries, nobody knows the secret of how the stone was made, the secret died with Eleanor who lies buried at St Mary's Church Lambeth.
London Oddities # 5: Crocker's Folly
Entrance to where the station should have been opposite the pub.
As they were building the underground for the new Metroline, a strong rumour was making the rounds that a new station was going to be built in Aberdeen Place St Johns wood,
that would service the Middlesex Cricket Club at Lords. So to get ahead of the game Mr Crocker had a hotel built opposite where the station entrance was being cut out. Unfortunately for him the plan was changed by the railway department and the new station was relocated where it still is at the Finchley road,
a few yards from Lords in the opposite direction. Of course this meant that no passing trade was coming by his new hotel and all his money on the venture was fast disappearing. Poor Mr Crocker, in his desperation took his own life by jumping from the top floor window. The hotel is now a public house and aptly named Crockers Folly.
Crocker's Folly
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