The hidden history on London's streets: How 'ordinary' garden fences and bollards used as ashtrays are reminders of Britain's heroic past - do YOU know what they used to be? | Retrui News | Retrui
The hidden history on London's streets: How 'ordinary' garden fences and bollards used as ashtrays are reminders of Britain's heroic past - do YOU know what they used to be?
SOURCE:Daily Mail
From 'ugly' garden fences in Tower Hamlets to weather-worn bollards repurposed as ashtrays near Southwark Bridge, these objects bear little resemblance to their former selves.
They're overlooked by the millions of Londoners and tourists who walk past them every day.
But many of the capital's most 'ordinary' street objects hold remarkable pasts, some responsible for saving hundreds of lives.
From 'ugly' garden fences in Tower Hamlets to weather-worn bollards repurposed as ashtrays near Southwark Bridge, the items blend into their surroundings and bear little resemblance to their former selves.
Having served as vital equipment in historic wars and battles, the objects became scrap material before they were upcycled into useful devices scattered across the city.
Elsewhere, some street objects in London are more than 20-million-years-old, while others were once owned and used by kings and queens.
The Daily Mail takes a look at some of the most invisible pieces of history in London, disguised as ordinary parts of the city. How many were you aware of?
'Ordinary' garden fences
Fences on Watts Grove Estate, just off Devons Road in Tower Hamlets, east London, which hold a remarkable past
A row of 'stretcher fences' on Watts Grove, which were upcycled after World War Two
Ignored by thousands of people everyday, London's historic 'stretcher fences' easily go unnoticed with their dull appearance.
But unknown to many locals - even those living right next to them - these railings form a vital part of London's World War Two story.
Used to carry wounded civilians during the Blitz, the fences were originally produced for the war effort and made out of metal, comprising of two bent poles lining a stretch of wire mesh.
After the war they became scrap metal, and were upcycled into fences guarding ordinary buildings and high-rise flats.
Less than 100 years later, the railings' heroic history has been widely forgotten, with many residents and tourists deeming the fences 'modern' and 'ordinary' in appearance.
Damage and degradation over the years have meant some local authorities replaced the historic railings with modern alternatives, with the number left in London gradually declining.
Historian and author Alice Loxton explained the 'modern' appearance of the fences puts them at greater risk of being forgotten about.
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Speaking to the Mail, Ms Loxton said: 'I think most people probably have no idea. I think they're such an amazing story that you could put a plaque there, and people would love that.
'They look like something much more modern, and I suppose because of that people are really surprised when they realise they've had this other past, this other story.'
She added: 'The problem is today we find it such a fascinating thing, but obviously when they were put in, they were leftover scraps. They were scrap metal, and after the war people weren't valuing things like ARP stretchers. They weren't valuable, they weren't exciting.
'It's a shame that more people don't realise, and I think in a much broader sense that's true of so much history around the country.
'You could actually walk past them for decades and decades of your life - you could walk past it on your commute, and never even think twice about considering the history they might have, and that's why it's so extraordinary.'
It is unknown exactly how many stretcher fences are left in London today, but they can be found near Devons Road (E3), near Borough High Street, (SE1), Oval (SW8) and Deptford (SE8).
Policeman's hook
The policeman's hook at At 4 Great Newport Street in Covent Garden, London
The tiny hook is attached to a black tiled building, and you'd have to look closely to spot it
Other overlooked street objects in London remain more of a mystery.
At 4 Great Newport Street in Covent Garden, near the junction with St Martin's Lane, you can find a tall, black tiled building.
Attached to the property is a small metal hook with the plaque 'Metropolitan Police' above it.
It is most frequently reported that the hook dates back to the days before traffic lights, when a police officer would hang up his coat while directing traffic at the busy junction.
The black tiles on the building only appeared in the 1930s, meaning the hook likely cannot be older than that.
London's first electric traffic lights were installed before that in 1926, and with St Martin's Lane being a major junction, it is possible the area had them in the late 1920s.
Therefore, whether the hook found there today was really used by officers pre-traffic light era remains somewhat of a mystery.
There are reports of anecdotes from policemen who claim a large nail was placed on the old building before the black tiles were installed, allowing officers to hang their coats in hot weather.
Tree trunks in Regent's Park
Tree trunks in Regent's Park look unexciting but have a very old secret
The trunks date back to between 20 to 100 million years ago
Regent's Park is filled with tall trees, bushes, plants and flowers.
But unknown to the thousands of locals who use it every day, a few tree trunks in the area date back millions of years.
The popular park was laid out near the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1839, the land in the Inner Circle of the park was leased by the Royal Botanic Society to grow rare plants and showcase curiosities. It opened to the public in 1846.
The society left the site in 1932 and it is now occupied by Queen Mary's Gardens.
However, the society left behind one small remnant - a little group of fossilised tree trunks.
The trunks amazingly date back to between 20-100 million years ago, according to reports, and are believed to be from coniferous trees laid down in Dorset.
They can be found by the public at Regent's Park's waterfall, at the intersection of two paths.
Bollard used as an ashtray
The bollard looks over the Thames in London and has been stood next to a rubbish bin
The cannon has been used as an ashtray to dispose of cigarette butts by oblivious locals and tourists
The bollard is actually an old French cannon dating back to the late 18th Century, likely taken from ships that fought in the Battle of Trafalgar (pictured) in 1805
Stood next to a rubbish bin and used as an ashtray by oblivious Londoners, the bollard next to Southwark Bridge has been ignored by most who pass it.
But unknown to many, the battered post is actually an old French cannon dating back to the late 18th Century, likely taken from ships that fought in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
After its victory over France during the Napoleonic Wars, Britain started to strip the French boats and reuse anything of value.
When the cannons were found to be too big to be retrofitted onto British ships, they were transported back to London and showcased in the form of street bollards - a reminder of Britain's victory.
Another original cannon stands in Borough Market and is considered a tourist attraction by the few who know about it.
While degradation over the years meant most originals in London were replaced by modern alternatives, the few that remain have been largely forgotten.
Historian Ms Loxton said the bollards are an example of the 'hidden history' that people miss everyday.
Old bath in Greenwich Park
An old bath in Greenwich Park doesn't look like much but was actually used by a queen
Queen Caroline of Brunswick (pictured), wife of King George IV
Sat in the corner of Greenwich Park in south-east London, you will find something seemingly unexciting - an old sunken bath.
The bath, which is in disrepair, once belonged to Queen Caroline of Brunswick, wife of King George IV.
During an 'extremely unhappy' marriage, which was deemed a 'disaster' from the couple's wedding day, George and Caroline refused to live together and she went to live in Montagu House in Greenwich without him.
She installed a glass house to the property, which featured a glamorous sunken bath, which were all the rage among the wealthy at the time.
Queen Caroline lived there until around 1814, when she moved to France.
A year later, George ordered for the destruction of Montagu House out of spite for Caroline.
The sunken bath was uncovered in 1909, and concealed again in the 1980s, before being dug out again in 2001, according to reports.
George detested Caroline so much that he wrote her out of his will and she was banned from their coronation in 1821.