Inside a cabbies’ hut
Well sort of. I read earlier in the week that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £69,000 (what a bargain) to maintain London’s remaining cabmen’s shelters.
If you know London at all you’ll have seen these shelters, though you may not have known what they are. 61 were built between 1875 and 1914, mainly, it would seem, with the aim of keeping cabbies out of the pubs. 13 remain – find a full list of their locations and a brief history, here.
The huts serve refreshments to cabbies, as well as a place for a sit down and a read of the paper. I assume they also have a radio in them tuned to LBC. Civilians like ourselves are not allowed inside! But a bit of net-trawling has shown me glimpses that I can share.
Probably the best is at the end of this short Cabmen hut video from the Guardian.
Also check out this lengthy article from The Cabbie Blog (my new essential read) for details of the design, including the brilliant detail that the colour of all the huts is Dulux Buckingham Paradise 1 Green. If I had a garden shed I’d feel a makeover coming on.
“Please note if you would like 4-5-6 sugars in your tea or coffee you will be charged 5p extra” – brilliant!
Oh hilarious! I hadn’t even noticed that. Thanks x
Thanks for the link and recommendation. The BBC are filming a piece next week about the Green Shelters for their News Website but I’m not sure when it will be posted for us to see.
Thanks David – great to hear from you. Do let us know when it’s up to see and we’ll update this post. Ros x