Paul Draper

Fundraiser, volunteer, bellringer🔔, came out late 🏳️‍🌈, Olympic torch holder🔥, crash survivor💥 , full of trivia. All views and tweets are my own

[Paul Draper @PaulDraper84]

So proud to have read some of the names, I'll be volunteering tomorrow. The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt's very rare full public display ends on Monday, at the Tate Modern

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Thanks to those making trips from afar to view the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt on a very rare full public display at the Tate Modern. The quilt doesn't have a permanent home and remembers 384 lives lost, many others died rejected and unmourned

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Russia's first railway went from St Petersburg to the pleasure gardens at Pavlovsk, which were called Vokzal in homage to the London gardens. Going to Vokzal became associated with the first railway station, and Vokzal entered into the language a word for any railway station.

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Part 11.
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

Opened in 1661 as the New Spring Gardens, they boasted illuminated fountains, sculpture galleries, firework displays, music, and pageants and featured in Vanity Fair and other literary works of the time.

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Vauxhall Gardens inspired the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Such as their fame that Vauxhall ('Vokzal') became the Russian word for a railway station.

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Part 10.
Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

South London's oldest surviving gay pub, built between 1860-1862.

Many of London's top drag artists performed here, including Hinge and Bracket and Regina Fong. Diana Dors also appeared there. Lily Savage was a regular performer for eight years, with shows four times per week.

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So, why the name?

Credit for this explanation goes to:
https://t.co/fE8qHbP0Id

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Part 9.
An elephant and castle above Starbucks.

This building by the bus station used to be a pub, a popular name for public houses in London, it should be noted the castle on this elephant is in the shape of the piece found on a chess board or 'rook'.

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Part 8.
Vauxhall Cross Bus Station.

London's second busiest bus station after Victoria.

Solar panels in the two cantilevered arms provide a third of the electricity for the station.

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When Vauxhall Cars left Vauxhall in 1905 they maintained their connection with Faulkes de Breaute, moving to the site of his country seat in Luton.

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Part 6. Vauxhall cars.

The first Vauxhall car was built in 1903 at a factory on Wandsworth Road, where the Sainsbury's store now stands.
The car company's Griffin badge was adopted from the heraldic emblem of Faulkes de Breaute, after whom Vauxhall is named (see part 3).

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Part 5. The SIS Building.

Houses the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also known as Military Intelligence, section 6 (MI6).

Designed by Terry Farrell, it opened in 1995. It has had many nicknames, including Legoland, Aztec Temple, and Babylon on Thames, and of course, it has featured in many James Bond films.

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On 16 January 2013, two people were killed when ahelicopter struck a construction crane attached to the near-complete building and then crashed onto Wandsworth Road, hitting two cars and igniting two nearby buildings.

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Part 4. St George Wharf Tower.

Part of the St George Wharf development, 181 m (594 ft) tall, it was the tallest residential tower in the UK upon its completion in 2014, this titled has since been superseded.

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Part 3. Vauxhall.

It takes its name from one of King John's knights, Faulkes de Breaute. He acquired land here on his marriage to Margaret de Redvers and built a house called Faulkes Hall, which, over time became Faulkeshall, Foxhall and finally Vauxhall.

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Part 2. The oldest bridge and the River Tyburn.

At low tide and a little upstream of the current Vauxhall Bridge, oak post stumps can be seen. These are the remnants of a Bronze Age wooden bridge, dating from around 1500 BC.

From here, looking to Pimlico, you can see where the River Tyburn runs into the Thames.

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Part 1b. Vauxhall Bridge.

The bronze statues on the bridge represent female accomplishments.

These are the statues upstream, they represent Agriculture, Architecture (notice she's holding a model of St Paul's Cathedral!), Engineering and Pottery

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Part 1a. Vauxhall Bridge.

The bronze statues on the bridge represent female accomplishments.

These are the statues downstream (facing Westminster), they represent Local Government, Education, Fine Arts and Astronomy.

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It is decorated with eight bronze statues representing female accomplishments. More details on these on the next post....

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Part 1. Vauxhall Bridge.

Built in 1906, designed by Sir Alexander Binnie, was the first bridge across the Thames to carry trams. It replaced an 1816 bridge, which was the first iron bridge over the Thames.