Willie Rushton (1937-1996)

I think that my memories of Willie Rushton are of his narrating the Winnie the Pooh stories for Jackanory when was a wee'un.
It was only later when I became aware of I'm sorry I haven't a clue that I became of his place in radio history as joint inventor of Mornington Crescent and indeed his place in a groundbreaking generation of I was going to say comics but commentators I guess may be nearer the mark of the sixties satire boom and therefore as a bit of an iconoclast
I'm only an amateur player of Mornington Crescent myself so can only wonder at the likes of Tim Brooke-Taylor and Barry Cryer (a close friend of Rushton's) technical mastery of the game.I always get jammed into an opposing grommit somewhere around victoria :o(
He also gets a HUZZAH for his admittedly minor role in Those Magnificent Men in their Flying machines.
My Sundays aren't the same without I'm sorry i haven't a clue. Yes I enjoy Desert Island Discs and Ill listen to Just a Minute but even without Chairman Humph nothing comes close to ISIHAC.
There are other plaques sited in Tube Stations none of which commemorate a positive - the Kings Cross Fire in 1987 or the 7/7 terrorist attacks - Ruston's plaque at Mornington Crescent is a rather more smile inducing one.
There are quite a few comics blue plaques around - hopefully a few more to be viewed.

Albert Street - NW1

So a Prize winning Crystallographer, a peace activist and a storyteller walk in to a bar. Actually they probably don't but they do share one thing - a geograhical proximity to Camden High Street.
M and I visited Camden on Saturady as a breath of fresh air following the completion of my flat sale. We took the tube up to Chalk Farm and walked back through the Stables market without seeing a whole lot that really took our fancy. Yes there was some lovely reconditioned oak furniture but sadly at camden prices and some javanese masks that I would have loved but really need to be bought on the road. The Stables market is nice in that the worst of the tourist hordes dont make it that far from the tube station and lo and behold the closer we got to Camden tube the worse the crush of gawping lollygaggers became. We took a bit a a detour through the new reopened lock markewt and M picked up a new nurses watch complete with silicon holder so her late allergy wouldnt come into play. Once over the lock we headed west down Arlington St and thence on to Albert St one time home to John Desmond Bernal (1901-1971) Peggy Duff (1910-1981) and George MacDonald (1824-1905)interesting charactors al. I know bernal through my previous life with the MRC - portraits of their most prominent alumni peppering the walls but didnt know much of him - a controversial figure and outspoken supporter of Soviet Russia not to mention a Cambridge man he worked with both Aaron Klug and Max Perutz.
Next up at number 11 is Peggy Duffs blue - or rather brown plaque. She was a labour local councillor from 1956 until she resigned from the party in 1967 over Wilson's support for US involvement in Vietnam and their refusal to condemn the Greek colonels choosing to persue her political aims outside the party arena. She became the first secretary-general of CND and Noam Chomsky is and admirer.
Then at number 20 is George MacDonald the storyteller refered to earlier who in the latter half of the 20th centrury began a career that influenced Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis (particularly Lewis), E. Nesbit and Madeleine L'Engle with fairy tales like the Princess and the Goblin. He was as C.S. Lewis or rather Charles Lutwidge Dodgson a christian theologian, he came from a Calvinist background but rejected some of its harsher doctrines.

Joseph T. Clover (1825-1882)

Never heard of him? Nope me neither. His blue plaque is at 3 Cavendish Place at the southern end of Harley Street home of bespoke medical care to the very VERY wealthy.
He was born in Aylsham Norfolk - note to self another plaque to look out for!
He studied at UCL alongside Lister and upon graduation became house surgeon to James Syme and then Resident Medical Officer at the University College Hospital becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1850 before setting up at the Cavendish Place house as a GP. After several years of practice he became interested in the field of anaesthesia possibly inspired by his presence at Listons first anaesthatised operation in December 1846 and became chloroformist to the University College Hospital and the London Dental Hospital, his specialisation helping to fill the vacancy left by the death of John Snow whos story Ill have to recount another time. In 1871 he reported that hed administered chloroform 7000 times and other aneasthetics 4000 times without a fatality and was sought out by the royal family among others for his expertise. He invented several pieces of equipment to aid the process and to make it more controlled some of which lasted well into the 20th century.
As one whos had a couple of procedures involving general anaesthetic a big thank you to anyone involved in the process and gratitude that we dont live in a pre-anaesthetic age.

Long Melford

We took the cross country route to Southwold on Saturday it being the hottest October day since records began - an idea that a fair few others had it should be said.
We passed through Long melford which is a picturesque little Suffolk village which was used as a setting for the Lovejoy TV show.
On the way through the village a blue plaque was spotted. It was dedicated to Admiral William hanwell (1766-1830) who sounds like he had a rather checkered career to say the least. Funny to find an admiral in the Suffolk countryside. He was senior lieutenant of the Sheerness the flagship of Admiral Cornwallis. Cornwallis died of a fever and Lieutenant Hanwell promoted himself two ranks to Post Captain this was sshall we say rather infra dig and would not have been smiled upon if it werent in the backwaters of the Africa station but his promotion was confirmed on his return. He did take a couple of commissions in the dying days of the napoleaonic Wars but his career was in decline and he finished his career in a shore job superintending a prisoner of war depot in Norman Cross and retired as a rear admiral of the blue squadron.
Anyhoo we enjoyed a picnic on the beach and wander around the rather chi chi village again with a nautical plaque commemorating James II stay during the Dutch wars. Sadly no visit to the Adnams brewery as I was driving :o(

Catty come home

Well eventually after a couple of little hiccups Pyewackett is settling in - we got her on Friday night and she made a bit for freedom on the Tuesady night. Cue mass panic as we discovered her absence. We did a leaflet drop locally - a damn good way to meet the neighbours - and left bowls of food outside the conservatory moving the bowl in a little closer every evening. Wed moved the bowl right in to the conservatory by Sunday and I distracted her while M snuck through the garage and slammed the door on her.
Ma and I wandered down to town last weekend to indulge in Open House 2011 and enjoyed a walk around a half dozen Wren churches. Thats half a dozen of the 51 churches some which were demolished by the Victorians or in the blitz. So we visited St Lawrence Jewry, St Mary le Bow (within the sound of whose bells true Cockneys are born), St Mary Aldermary, St Stephen Walbrook, St Mary Woolnoth and my favourite and most authentic St Mary Abchurch.
Sadly of many of his churches thoughtfully demolished by the Victorians now theres very little to mark them except a plaque. The street plan of the mediaeval city remains as do many of the street names - Poultry, Milk Street, Ironmonger Lane, Wood Street, Bread Street not to mention Staining Lane and Mincing Lane. Not sure quite what once was for sale in Love Lane though salvation could presumably be found at Paternoster Row just round the corner from Gropec*nt Lane (now no longer used) the sheer number of plaques in the area marking the two pillars of mediaeval society - the church and the guild and the connections between the two as many churches were guild churches.
And so descriptive - St James Garlickhythe, St Margaret Pattens, St Andrew by the Wardrobe, St Benet Gracechurch, St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street.
The afternoons walk Alleys of the City and that really did stretch the term alley was rain shortened but was enjoyed and hey it was free ended at barts Hospital and Smithfields - formerly yet another place of execution - that final scene of Braveheart - the hanky drooping from Mels hand - the fletting glimpse of his lost love - that was Smithfield.

Hello Kitty

Sadly the house and its associated tasks are taking up a fair amount of my time at the moment - and theres noe nd in sight. The flat is no yet emptied while the garage here is full. Where did all this stuff come from?
Hey ho. A huge step from house to home this weekend with the addition of a small furry person called Pyewackett. She a refugee from a disintegrating home courtesy rather indirectly of Cambridgeshire County Council social services. Shes a lovely thing - a dark tortoiseshell and very affectionate but then again I get the distinct impression that she hasnt seen a whole lot of love she also needs a good going over by the vet after we found out that she has worms :o(
This posts hero is Sir Alec Guinness to mark the lastest butchering of the Star Wars franchise by George Lucas. Gotta love his whacked out space hippy Obi Wan Kenobi. I have to say that my favourites are his earlier Ealing comedies The Ladykillers, The Man inthe White Suit and the terrific Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) in which he plays no fewer than eight roles. I'm amazed that some whizz kid hasnt decided to remake it.
Its kind of a shame (although inevitable) that his serious roles - Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, The Bridge on the River Kwai have rather obsured a real talent for light comedy.
His plaque is on the corner of Upper St matins Lane and West Street.

Dr Grantly Dick-Read (1890-1959)

A moment of serendipity as M was wandering through my blue plaque photos and quoth "Ooh Dr. Dick-Read" to which I responded "Eh?" She went on to explain that he was the father of natural childbirth and therefore a name rather familiar to her.
His plaque is located at 25 Harley Street the heart (Wha-hey) of the British medical establishment ironically after his ideas were widely opposed and he was shown the door of the clinic that he and a fellow group of obstetricians had set up and his first book Natural Childbirth went down with the powers that be like the proverbial lead balloon. His ideas gained credence after the publication on his second book Revelation of Childbirth aimed at a more general audience.
In other news this is the first post from a new home. I sit supervising the artisans repairing the external brickwork, the latest installment of the ongoing draining of our joint bank account - next up rewiring tomorrow. OY! Still the house is coming together and is slowly recoming a home. Sadly the sale of my late domain is dragging on which is a real pain in the derriere. Hey ho