When we were in the Philippines last year, we bought a lot of good luck charms/decorations in Binondo, the heart of Filipino/Chinese community.
We put them up in our hallway this year hoping they’ll bring us luck here in London.
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
Tag: London
It is amazing to see that England & Britain have some family owned and run businesses that from over 500 years ago are still trading today!
The UK’s Oldest Family Firms
Below is an interesting article By Lucy Wallis of BBC News.
Balson’s butchers shop pictured in the 1880sSome of the UK’s oldest family businesses have survived for almost 500 years. What have they been doing right to make them so enduring?
According to the Institute for Family Business (IFB), there are around three million family firms in the UK.
It says the 10 companies below are thought to be among the oldest. Each offers an example to other family firms hoping to keep going for generations.
RJ Balson & Son – Butcher – Established 1515
If Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon had visited Bridport in Dorset, they could have eaten meat sold by Balson’s the butcher.
Records show Robert Balson rented a market stall in 1515 in the “Shambles” – an open-air meat market where animals were slaughtered and blood would drip into the gutter on the street. A messy scene, the word shambles later came to be associated with disorder.
Descendants of Robert continued to rent a stall there. The family survived the arrival of bubonic plague in the town during the 17th Century.
In the Victorian era tragedy struck the business. Owner Arthur Balson, started living with a married woman and her young son Tom. During a game, Tom pretended to shoot Arthur with a gun, but did not realise it was loaded and accidentally shot Arthur dead in 1859. The business was taken over by Arthur’s younger brother Richard.
Balson’s is now run by Richard’s great-great-grandson Richard Balson and uses recipes handed down through the generations.
On sale are ox cheeks and Bath chaps – a west country term for pig’s cheeks.
Offering personal and attentive customer service has kept shoppers coming back over the centuries. Balson says he helps sort out his customers’ problems from behind the counter.
“Usually if they’ve got a problem it’s because they are not eating enough meat,” he adds.
R Durtnell & Sons – Construction – Established 1591
Richard Durtnell managed to raise £360 in 1802 to buy his new builders’ yardSince the financial crash of 2008 over 7,000 UK building firms have gone out of business, but Durtnell and Sons, based in Brasted, Kent, has remained in business since the reign of Elizabeth I. Spotting new ways of working has helped the company thrive and in the early 1800s, owner at the time, Richard Durtnell, made a crucial decision to bring together all the craftspeople he needed, such as glaziers and bricklayers, in one yard. As a result of this innovation, he became one of the first general builders.
“I remember as a child going to London, there was a lot of arm-waving out the window, ‘We built this and we built that,'” says Alex Durtnell, who recently took over the business from his father.
“Sadly there weren’t in-car TVs back then, so we actually had to listen to what dad was saying, and I thought: ‘How boring is that.’ Of course now I do the same thing with my children.”
C Hoare & Co – Bank – Established 1672
A painting of the Fleet Street banking house dated 1829With two branches in London, this independent bank can trace its origins back to the reign of Charles II when founder Sir Richard Hoare began trading as a goldsmith and banker. His clients included diarist Samuel Pepys and Charles II’s widow Catherine of Braganza.
The bank’s headquarters in Fleet Street was built in 1829, where they issued cheque books and “washing books” or early bank statements. Since then the company has changed with the times, introducing online banking in 2008.
During World War Two, the headquarters was caught in a Nazi bombing raid, and staff had to use water from the bank’s well to extinguish the flames of the fire.
The tenth and eleventh generations of the Hoare family run the bank today and the company says the secret to their longevity is adhering to their core values and ethos – “to treat others as we would wish to be treated”.
Mornflake – Miller – Established 1675
Brereton Mill in Cheshire was also owned by Mornflake (image circa 1885)William Lea started milling oats at Swettenham Mill in 1675 in Cheshire and 15 generations later the company is still trading.
“Obviously technology has moved on and we have new equipment, especially to keep up with the demand for our oats, but the general milling principle has stayed the same,” says current managing director John Lea.
Mr Lea says constant innovation, investment and commitment to consumers is the key to staying in business. Innovation became particularly vital during World War Two. With home-grown, sustainable food a necessity in the war, then-owner Philip Lea was ordered by the Ministry of Food to leave the RAF and return home to Britain to “feed the nation”.
As the family mills struggled to cope with the excess demand, a new mill and factory was built. It was one of the few construction projects not involving munitions to get the go-ahead during World War Two.
James Lock & Co – Hatters – Established 1676
Lock & Co’s shop in the 19th CenturyFollowing the great plague of 1665 and the great fire of 1666, wealthy residents from the City of London moved to the west of the city in search of clean air. Entrepreneurial shopkeepers spotted the exodus and opened up businesses in the emerging West End.
Choosing the right location was crucial to establishing James Lock & Co. With a shop close to St James Palace, the firm became milliners to the gentry and the military.
Over the years customers included Admiral Lord Nelson, Sir Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin, but its most famous product was the very first bowler hat in 1850.
While its mainstay is traditional headwear, such as fedoras and Trilbies, the shop also makes sure it keeps up to date with the latest trends. So as well as holding Royal warrants to supply hats to the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, Lock & Co says its hats have also been worn by Hollywood film stars and rappers.
Toye, Kenning & Spencer – Medals and regalia – Thought to have been established 1685
The metal work department of Toye, Kenning & Spencer in the 1930s“It is an immense responsibility to take on a family firm like this. I think it’s very kin to a stately home, stately factory even,” says chief executive Fiona Toye.
Using traditional techniques, the company makes insignia and regalia, such as the ribbons and medals presented to awardees of OBEs and CBEs, and have even helped renovate state chairs for the Kremlin.
Starting out as artisan silk weavers in London’s East End, adapting to change and appealing to new markets has been the key to business survival.
In the 1850s, soldiers in the Crimean war wore bright red coats with detailed trimmings so they could be seen by their battalions amidst the smoke of the battlefield and Toye and Co were making this type of regalia by the late 1870s.
By the 1860s the company had already spotted opportunities for making silk trimming for working men’s groups like friendly societies, so when the military turned to khaki uniforms from the 1880s, the company spotted another gap in the market with other societies like the Freemasons.
The company also made epaulettes, a sash and a hat for leading suffragette Flora Drummond – nicknamed “The General” – in 1908, and embroidered four ornate banners for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.
“Family firms are experts at evolving, ensuring they remain competitive over the generations and relevant in the modern world,” says Fiona Graham of the IFB.
With the high costs of manufacturing in the UK, the firm may have to adapt to change again by moving production of some of their lower value stock overseas.
Folkes Group – Property and manufacture – Established 1697
Specialising in commercial property development and investment, this West Midlands-based company is now run by Constantine Folkes, the ninth generation to run the business.
Folkes evidently feels that staying true to the family’s roots has been crucial to keeping the business going. He still lives in the area where the firm was first created.
Berry Bros & Rudd – Wine merchants – Established 1698
Established by widow Bourne as a grocer’s in the neighbourhood of St James’s, London, the business supplied the new and popular coffee houses in the area.
In the middle of the 18th Century the tradition of weighing distinguished customers on the company’s scales began. Among those weighed were Beau Brummell and Lord Byron.
In 1838, owner George Berry, became a special constable along with the future Emperor Napoleon III. During his exile in Britain, Napoleon III used the company’s cellars to conduct secret meetings ahead of his return to France.
The day after the sinking of The Titanic in 1912, the business received a letter from the White Star Line shipping company saying 69 cases of their spirits and wine had been lost on the ship. However the letter did not make any reference to the loss of life.
While preserving tradition, the company has stayed relevant in modern times by spotting new international opportunities, such as introducing wines from China to the shop in 2013.
Salts Healthcare – Healthcare products – Established 1701
Former locksmiths John and William Salt started the business in the early 1700s manufacturing surgical instruments, but the company seems to have been adept over the years at responding to gaps in the market and social change.
In World War One they made artificial limbs for injured soldiers and now specialise in ostomy and orthotic products.
Aspall Cyder – Cider makers – Established 1728
A document dated 1729 contains information on the purchase of applesTracing their history back to the Crusades as associates of the Knights Templar, Aspall Cyder is now run by Barry and Henry, the eighth generation of Chevalliers. According to their family tree, King Henry I can be counted as their great-grandfather, 26 times removed.
The business began when Clement Benjamin Chevallier, from Jersey, inherited Aspall Hall in Suffolk, but started to miss his favourite alcoholic drink.
Apple trees from Jersey were planted in the grounds and the brewery is still located at Aspall today.
As well as their long heritage, the company is not afraid to pioneer new techniques, producing vinegar as well as cider and apple juice.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson outside of 221B Baker Street
Sherlock Holmes Back from the DEAD
It was a much-anticipated series, Peter & I have waited for this episode since Sherlock plunged to his apparent death two years ago from a top of a building after combating arch enemy Moriarty. Surely they can’t make Sherlock come back from a scene like that?!!!
But it is Sherlock, of course he can like in the classic story set in the Reichenbach Falls, Switzerland, where Holmes appears to fall to his doom with his would-be nemesis Professor Moriarty.
Unlike the original story, this time we are given at least three possible ways on how he cheated death, it was left to the viewers to decide which was the true method. Many fans were not happy about this cop-out.
It was lovely to have Sherlock back.
Of course this is the 21st century iteration of the great detective and his trusty loyal friend and biographer.
This modern take on Holmes works well. His use of modern technology, smart phones, computers etc., compliment his almost computer like logic and ability in processing of information like his silicon counterparts.
This Holmes would not be out-of-place on the Planet Vulcan from Star Trek, give him pointy ears and call him Mr Spock’s separated at birth, younger brother. 😉
These new adapted stories are based on the Conan Doyle classics.
However, I was just a bit uneasy with the many references to homosexuality between the relationship of Holmes and Watson and even had an alternative scene with Holmes and arch-enemy Moriarty kissing. They are making it appear that Holmes is a closet gay.
Are we in this age to make connotations that if a man or woman choose to live alone, or share an abode with same-sex as friends(not flatmates), that they are de facto gay?
Peter is indignant that Holmes and Watson should be subject to such references.
Even Mrs Hudson believed that Holmes and Watson were lovers and was she surprised when John Watson told her that he was getting married. She asked whether it was with a woman!
I have read most of the stories by Conan Doyle and in no way is Sherlock sexuality or inclination is indicated. He had a weakness for cocaine when he was bored, but he was not into romantic or sexual relationships. He had his violin to de-stress!
Holmes appears too uncomfortable with ‘touchy-feely’ relationships. His cool logic and detachment used to solve complex crimes or problems, provided the main drives and pleasure in his life. Holmes was wary of women and could be ‘stand offish’.
Perhaps Conan Doyle had read something about Plato who said that his teacher, Socrates, used to say that he wishes he was through with love and sex so he can then think clearly using all his faculties.
Holmes acknowledges that his only female opponent Irene Adler is a special woman. The modern-day Holmes has only one real love affair when encountering the dazzling modern Irene Adler who was almost like a female Holmes. Their affair was one of the sweetest and romantic episode of the series ever.
I hope this adaptation of Sherlock Holmes will not go down the same avenue as ‘Torchwood’, another popular BBC show to start with, but went down the hill because of the rather overt and graphic homosexuality which hijacked and got in the way of the good stories sometimes.
Back to this new Holmes, Cumberbatch and Freeman are perfect as Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson respectively. We look forward to their further adventures.
Amongst the so many masterpieces which surrounded us at the National Gallery last Saturday was this painting by Tintoretto about the origin of the Milky Way.
This painting was certainly beautiful, eye-catching and dramatic.
The little blurb that went with the painting says that it was based on a Greek legend for the Milky Way.
Apparently Zeus had a child from one of his many affairs with humans. The child was Hercules, Zeus’ son from a liaison with a mortal woman called Alcmene.
Anyway Zeus grew very fond of Herucles, so much so that he decided to give the child godlike power and qualities. But giving power to a mortal was not straightforward with just a wave of a magic wand or incantation of magic words. It was rather tricky, the child needs milk from a divine being.
Obviously Zeus, being a male god and the supreme deity to boot made up his mind and to hell with consequences. Zeus does not do NOs!!!!
To cut the long story short, he sneaked in to his divine wife with the infant, who he let suckle to the sleeping Hera. Obviously Hera woke up from her deep sleep upon realising that she was breastfeeding an unknown infant. She was so surprised and then furious that she pushed the baby Hercules away, thus her breast milk spurted into space creating a rather milky environment which became the Milky Way!
That is the legend of the origin of the Milky Way, our galaxy!
The telephone is a good way to talk to people without having to offer them a drink.
– Fran Lebowitz
The Iconic Red Telephone Box
Not just one but four iconic red telephone boxes altogether. They are located just across the road from Trafalgar Square. We noticed that a lot of tourists were posing happily by the iconic boxes.
I must say they are so useful to run inside to use your mobile phone when the street is so hectic and noisy with traffic of cars and chatting pedestrians! LOL
Bravo red telephone boxes.
I guess the only other phone box from the UK that can certainly also be described as iconic is the Blue Police Phone Box immortalised by Doctor Who as his time/spacecraft the TARDIS.
Just wait for the little history from Peter. lol
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Jean @ Berkeley Square Telephone Box
Telephone Box @ Berkeley Square, London