Black Cab Hire Tours

12/10/2026

A concert hall called ‘Albert’ !!!

In 1851, Prince Albert proposed for a concert hall to be built opposite Kensington Gardens. Plans were put forward but nothing materialised.

Plans were revived again after his sudden death in 1861, with work starting in 1867. It was completed in 1871, with Queen Victoria pronouncing it as ‘The Royal Albert Hall’, after her late husband. Up until 1968, there was always problems with music echoing when being played there, until its famous ‘mushroom-type’ diffusers were installed in the ceiling.

The Albert Memorial opposite was completed 1876, with a gold embossed statue of the prince with figures from the world of culture wrapped round the base.

11/10/2026

Why was this grand arched gate used at two different locations?

Marble Arch built by John Nash in the 1820s, based on the Constantine Arch in Rome it was initially a grand entrance to Buckingham Palace.

However it was relocated as the courtyard of Buckingham Palace was enclosed by the east front, and stone by stone Marble Arch was moved and rebuilt on its current site on the north east corner of Hyde Park. This was carried out by architect and master builder, Thomas Cubitt so as to provide a grand entrance to The Great Exhibition of 1851, which was held in the park.

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05/10/2026

How did a coffee house grow into the world’s insurance marketplace hub ?

In the 1650s, coffee houses in London quickly became popular with merchants and traders to exchange ideas, information and to do business.

One such coffee house was run by Edward Lloyd from the 1680s, first on Tower Street and then moving into Lombard Street. This quickly became a meeting place for ships’ owners, captains and merchants. Soon becoming the centre for owners to buy shipping insurance from businessmen.

Now, over 300 years later it is now grown into the global insurance market institution known as ‘Lloyds of London’.

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28/09/2026

What links The Beatles to the composer Edward Elgar ?

In 1929 a house in St John’s Wood was bought by ‘The Gramophone Co’. to support the new industry of electrical recording. It then merged with ‘Columbia Graphophone’ to create ‘Electrical and Musical Industries’ (EMI) and so in 1931 the sound studios on Abbey Road, was opened.

Sir Edward Elgar performed there with The London Symphony Orchestra at the opening. Since then, the studios have become world leading in musical sound creation for musicians and artists.

The Beatles produced most of their songs there. Their last album was named after the road. The album cover features the fab 4 walking over the zebra crossing, which has been imitated by tourists ever since.

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18/09/2026

10/09/2026

Probably the most recognisable bridge in the world!

Completed in 1894 taking 8 years to build, Tower Bridge designed and built by Sir Horace Jones and Sir John Wolfe Barry was essential for East London to link up to the south across The Thames.

The problem was to create a crossing that still enabled cargo ships to dock upstream towards London Bridge in the Upper Pool of London.

So Jones designed this unique drawbridge style construction with turret-like piers that were deliberately styled to complement the Tower of London nearby.

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10/09/2026

Hello Everyone,

As well as being on Facebook, I’m now branching out onto Instagram! I’ve also undertaken a slight rebrand - you can look me up on both platforms Brian Smith.

I am taking bookings for your London Tour needs, please get in touch for any further information; otherwise please feel free to enjoy my London landmark posts!

Brian (the cabbie)
BlackCabHireTours

07/09/2026

What happened when a footbridge became a ‘wobbly’ bridge ?

The London Millennium Footbridge was opened in June 2000. The first bridge to be built in central London for over 100 years.

On its opening it saw around 100,000 crossings. Its popularity caused the bridge to start swaying under the footfall pressure, giving rise to its nickname ‘The Wobbly Bridge’ so after 2 days of it opening, it had to be closed.

It was reopened 18 months later after engineers worked out how to ‘dampen’ the swaying of the bridge.

For enquiries regarding my tours, please DM me.📲

24/08/2026

What links The Beatles to the composer Edward Elgar ?

In 1929 a house in St John’s Wood was bought by The Gramophone Co. to support the new industry of electrical recording. The company then merged with Columbia Graphophone to create Electrical and Musical Industries (EMI) and the musical sound studios on Abbey Road, in 1931, was opened.

Sir Edward Elgar performed there with The London Symphony Orchestra at the grand opening. Since then, the studios have become world leading in musical sound creation for musicians and artists.

Most notable of these were The Beatles, who along with producer George Martin, recorded 190 of their 210 songs there. Their last recorded album they created was named after the road. The album cover features the fab 4 walking over the zebra crossing, which has been imitated by tourists ever since.

For enquiries regarding my tours, please DM me.📲

17/08/2026

The Court, The Prison and The Pub !

The Central Criminal Court building, commonly known as the ‘The Old Bailey’ was built in 1907 and opened by King Edward VII. A Court (Sessions) House has been situated on Old Bailey since the 1530s.

The existing building replaced the infamous Newgate Prison that had stood on the site for over 700 years. One of my photos shows part of the prison wall that is still standing today.

Today, directly opposite is The Magpie and Stump Pub which, in one form or another, has been there for over 300 years. It was a popular place for people to view public executions outside the prison and where the condemned, would receive in their cell ‘a last pint’, delivered from the pub.

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