Hello folks,
Look it's half past three already, and time has been against us. We're sorry to say there ain't gonna be a pod this week. You guys know already, the summer season is in full swing and Alex and I are both flat out busy. π§΅
And a carriage procession for c the State visit of Emperor Naruhito (with Charles in the first carriage) and Empress Masako with Camilla. Plus a lively escort of household cavalry.
Image: Mama Thames from the Rivers of London as realised by Westminster Reference Library and LookLeft LookRight Theatre for their, excellent sounding, event in 2015. I haven't been able to find the name of the actress. #BenAaronovich#ModernGoddeses#AncientGoddess#RiverGods
Finally we're good to go with this week's pod, a dive into Thames deities. Who is Isis? She claims the river through Oxford, but has she lost the rest, or is she muscling in? And Mama Thames has taken over from Old Father Thames, at least in the #RiversOfLondon series π§΅
Our story visits Egypt, Greece, and spans many centuries.
Images: Iris on the left is by Jeff Dahl, CC BY-SA 4.0. The statue on the right is Isis-Tyche-Pelagia. 1st - 2nd c. AD, from the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, pictute by Tilemahos Efthimiadis, CC BY 2.0.
Sorry we're adrift, but there is a pod on it's way. Promise.
It's crazy busy with work, we've recorded something and were going to get it up this eve, but there's a technical glitch going on. π€π» we'll be with you tomorrow.
PS. Can you guess what it will be?
Ep 176: You know the drill, cast your votes. Is it the moment they surreptitiously swapped the real World Cup trophy for the base metal replica? Or all the good stuff that Pickles enjoyed for a year, as a reward for (spoiler alert!) finding the missing cup. π§΅
This trophy is a replica. The original was put on display at #MethodistCentralHall And gets nicked. Was it the tall man with thin lips suspiciously lurking? Will we ever know? Did we get it back? Why did we make a replica?
What shall we balance on top the pedestal this week? It's either a watery choice of Mountbattons bath, or a drained dry dock being repurposed. If that makes no sense, listen in to Ep 175 to find more details. #LondonHistoryPodcast π§΅
Roughly the same view taken in 2013 by N Chadwick, via Geograph. South dock returned to use after WW2, but closed in the 70s. 1990 it reopened and is now one of the largest marinas in London. #SouthDockMarina
EP 175. #MulberryHarbour pheonix caissons being built in a drained South Dock during WW2. Image from IWM. Caissons in front, look for the men in black bottom right for scale. The water beyond is #GreenlandDock looking North West ish. #DDay#SurreyDocks
We're also talking harbours. Pheonixes, rhinos and sacrificial gooseberries. All engineered to create the #MulberryHarbours, protecting ships off the Normandy beaches. Image: Chriusha - spud pontoon nr Arromanche #DDay#6thJune1944
6th June is #NationalFishAndChipDay - We love a national day at LWL hq. Of course we chat about chips. But, this year is special. This year NF&C day has been moved from Friday to Thurs, to also commemorate D-day. And that's where the Mulberries and Gooseberries fit in.....π§΅