2010-07-17 - "Gimme Shelter"

or alternatively.. **Gimmie Shelter, the Handsome Cabmen's Shelter ride.

Sat 17th July, leaving 8.30PM prompt.

**I came up with an idea for a ride to celebrate and honour the taxi folk of yesterday. I'm not talking about the grumpy, foulmounthed and overweight cabmen of today though.

Looking like overgrown garden sheds, these distinctive buildings can still be found on the streets of London, offering shelter for the drivers of hansom cabs and hackney carriages (taxis) since 1875.

Because cab drivers weren't allowed to leave their vehicles when parked at a stand, it was difficult for them to get a hot meal while at work, so The Earl of Shaftesbury (God bless 'im) and a few philanthropic chums decided to create a cabbie's charity in 1874.

Entitled the Cabmen's Shelter Fund, the charity set out to construct and run shelters to provide cabbies with 'good and wholesome refreshments at moderate prices.'

The surviving shelters can be seen at:

Chelsea Embankment - near the Albert Bridge
Embankment Place
Grosvenor Gardens - west side of north garden
Hanover Square - north of central garden
Kensington Park Road - outside numbers 8-10
Kensington Road - north side
Pont Street
Russell Square - west corner (previously in Leicester Square)
St George's Square, Pimlico
Temple Place
Thurloe Place, Kensington - opp the Victoria & Albert Museum
Warwick Avenue - Clifton Gardens
Wellington Place, St John's Wood

Now the ride will hopefully have 1x pub stop at a Sam Smiths and 2 x tramp beer stops. So I suggest you bring a couple of cans of your favourite fun brews.

Please bring all relevent spares and clothing for an evening of riding likely to finish soon after midnight. We will be pedalling at a brisk social pace for the first half to make sure we get to the pub stop before last orders.

The first section of the ride has many twists and turns through back streets and the last small section of the ride will be in heavy traffic so if we clump together it will be fine.

Dropout has been the master behind the route, so together we look forward to shwing people around some back roads you may never have been down.

i cut and pasted from here http://www.urban75.org/london/cabmans-shelters.html

So whos in?

1.owenreed
2.Dropout

1 Attachment

Hey, what about the one on Rosslyn Hill, round the corner from the Royal Free Hospital?

I knew this would happen, so we are only encluding the pretected listed II wooden sheds

i would be in if i wasnt at latitude.
oh well :(

1.owenreed
2.Dropout
3.Crumb

What about the one on Lupus Street, Pimlico? Oh, Owen...

Hey, what about the one on Rosslyn Hill, round the corner from the Royal Free Hospital?

taken from taxinewspaper.co.uk

Afeature in a recent edition of
TAXI featured the locations
of the 13 cab shelters still in
existence along with their
hours of opening. Following
this, I received a letter from a cab driver
who regularly uses the café at what I
have always known as ‘The George’ in
Haverstock Hill.
Writing on behalf of fellow regulars,
who, he pointed out, “Revive their
weary minds (and tummies) on a daily
basis at the ‘Wharrie cabman’s shelter
often referred to as the George rank’.
He went on to describe the food on
offer as the usual cabman’s fare
including a freshly cooked selection,
tea, cakes etc, etc, served up by Gail
and Agi. The Wharrie is open from 7
am to 4 p Monday to Saturday and, in
the opinion of the letter writer and his
fellow regulars, should be added to the
list of surviving cab shelters bringing
the total up to 14!
While I am happy to advertise the
George rank or the Wharrie and tell the
readers how good the food on offer is,
I cannot concede that it is a cab shelter
in the true sense of the word.
There was a cab shelter erected in
Haverstock Hill in 1875 and may have
stood somewhere near where the
George rank is today, but, if it had
survived until today it would have been
‘timber framed, tongue and grooved
timber panels; felt-clad timber roof; 7
bays by 3 bays; entrance to centre of
north side; windows to upper wall in
second, fourth and sixth bays. Stump
of fleche to roof and decorative rafter
ends to eaves. It would also be a
Grade II listed building.
Unfortunately, the Wharrie Cabmen’s
Shelter falls well short of this and I
can’t see how it could be considered
number 14 on the list of surviving
shelters; unless, of course, someone
knows different.
Nevertheless, the George is a wellknown,
well-used watering hole for
cabbies that has served the trade for
many years. It doesn’t have to be a true
Cabmen’s Shelter to satisfy the needs
of all the drivers that use it.

...although it is a listed building it is not the same as all the others...

What about the one on Lupus Street, Pimlico? Oh, Owen...

Yes we will go to that one douchéfag, it's plotted on the map under St. Jonhs square

pont st shack is the best thing ever.
its the only thing i miss on my fauxgetarianism diet.

I used to get bacon rolls from the one in Hanover Square on the way to the tube in the morning - awesome.

The one at Russel Square does Thai food till 3am at the weekend

I used to get bacon rolls from the one in Hanover Square on the way to the tube in the morning - awesome.

you catch the tube? loser.

hehehe

anyway... list

1.owenreed
2.Dropout
3.Crumb

i might be in depending on whether i will be around, yo. also whether i can sleep anywhere that isn't on the streets pweeze?

1.owenreed
2.Dropout
3.Crumb
4.cake - assuming I still have two inflated lungs.

1.owenreed
2.Dropout
3.Crumb
4.cake - assuming I still have two inflated lungs.

I'll bring a pump...

I'll bring a pump...

Ta luv.

It's a Hansome Cab not a handsome cab.

stupid question but AM or PM? I only ask as there are already 2 other rides that day, trying to see what I can fit in.

With a face like mine I don't need to spell handsome.

stupid question but am or pm? I only ask as there are already 2 other rides that day, trying to see what i can fit in.

oooopsssss

8.30 pm

oooopsssss

8.30 pm

I guessed that was probably the case, pubs at 9 in the morning would be a little extreme (must remember to organise the morning piss-up ride)

I'll maybe come along with this, I'm organising the Lee Valley Ride that day, but should be done by late afternoon, unless I have a post ride BBQ. I also need to save myself for the Football ride the next day, but we will see.

Hey, what about the one on Rosslyn Hill, round the corner from the Royal Free Hospital?

Well if we were going for a broad interpretation, we should also include the 'George on Haverstock Hill, taxi kiosks on Chelsea Bridge, Warterloo Road and Blackheath as well as Tom's 24-hour Diner, Clapham Common.
But seeing as two of these include 'hill' and the rest are Sarf I'm happy to let my lazy legs fall back on the original remit of 'illegally-parked, antique, green , garden sheds'.

Didn't realise this is next week. sweet!

pont st shack is the best thing ever.
its the only thing i miss on my fauxgetarianism diet.

fauxgetarian... is that that a posh version of cheating veggie?