Thank you. Brings back memories of my late mum, who took me to cafe's, fancy hidden resturants, quaint pubs, and green taxi shelters. She made my childhood a fantasy wonderland. ❤
Dear Rob, I just want to apologise that it has taken me nearly two weeks to watch your latest superb video. Every time I tried to view it my dear wife insisted I watch another 'hilarous' cat video on Instagram. Fortunately she is at her work's Christmas party tonight, so I was able to pour myself a single malt whisky, relax on the sofa and view your latest RUclips gem. Even our cat waited until I had watched it before demanding it's dinner. What a perfect Saturday.
Although I've never been to London, I love how these Taxi Shelters have been adapted to the realities of the 21st Century (electric car chargers, bike racks, take-away bistro menus), letting them continue to be a thriving and vital part of their local neighborhoods. Thanks, Rob, for another wonderful video!
Thank you Rob that was so interesting. I almost feel ashamed, worked in London for 25 years and never bought anything from a cabs shelter. Next time i am in town I will make sure i do, we need to all try to keep our history alive.
@@Robslondon I'd heard they were set up as a ''teetotal' place, too ''The horse world of London'' 1890's}where the Cabbies could get a hot drink of tea, and to be out of the rain and cold wind as opposed to brandy to keep the cold out. Horse troughs served the horses who need a lot of water per day.
My father in law was a cabbie. His two daughters remember him taking them into a shelter when they were kids. Believe it was the Victoria shelter. They are both in their 60's now and it is such a fond memory. RIP Harry Smith. A good man who's thought of often.
My dad told me of these way back in the 80’s, he used to drive low loader lorry’s into London, usually in the middle of the night, as they were very wide and heavy loads, I used to ride with him as a ‘second man’ and back in 87 the winter was very hard and we got stuck in London in the middle of the night, the only place to get a hot drink and a sausage sandwich at 3:00am was a cabbies shelter, it was about -5 outside and we were both frozen to the bone, I can still fill the warmth of that cuppa. My Dads too old to drive now but he sometime comes out in my lorry now, and we’ve always tried to use cabbie shelters as much as we can. Things like these need to be preserved. Love your videos. ❤
It wasn’t only cabmen who sheltered in these cabins. On cold nights I admit I would sneak a break and sit inside in the warmth with both hands around a hot mug of tea, when I was supposed to be working my beat. Sometimes the Sergeant would pop his had round the corner of the door to make sure there were no policemen inside. When this happened, the cabmen would crowd around to hide the miscreant.
These days if you need a constable then look around the back of fast food restaurants. As a Wimpy Bar worker in my youth in pre metric days I often handed a burger out of the back door to young policemen.
An absolutely classic episode of Rob's London - slightly unusual, slightly quirky, but packed full of insight and history that truly deserves to be kept alive! I subscribe to God knows how many RUclips channels, but there are only about five where I actively look forward to the next video - and yours is one of them, Rob. 👍👍👍
My Grandfather was a London Cabbie in the Auxiliary Fire Service during WW2. I tried to do some research on his old number and the cabs he drove. Unfortunately, it seems all old records from that period in time were destroyed. This is really interesting and useful information for anyone who’s interested in the history.
I have long wanted to have a cup of tea at one of these shelters. Next time I am in London, I shall do so! Wonderful idea, and much appreciated by cabbies for 150 years!
Agreed Wendi. They are protected, but none are currently in any museum; they're still working buildings. If ever one should cease to be though then it should be taken to a museum straight away!
When last in London I saw one of these unique structures and wondered what they were. Thank you for enlightening me. They have quite a story to tell, and their service to the community is first rate. I'd say whatever was expended in constructing, operating, and maintaining them was money spent. Thanks, Rob, for another well-research, well-written, well-illustrated, and well-produced tutorial.
I love visiting London ever since I first visited as a student in 1996. I learned about these cab shelters well after that though and the last time I was there in 2018 I finally made it to one. The Embankment shelter. It was a definite pleasure. The woman running it was super sweet, I got a great bacon butty, it was super cheap, and it was easily one of the best cups of tea I had in London. I have a great respect for the great London cabbies fit all they do and know and how great their company is. There are a lot of things I still want to do the next time I’m in London but I wouldn’t mind making a mission to try and hit all 13 of these one day. Thanks for a great video!
Beautiful comment antkneecampy, thank you. Yes, I've always found the staff to be very friendly in all the shelters; a good bunch of down to earth people. I managed to do all 13 in one day when filming but it was tough going! (As you an see, the tour starts in the morning ends in the evening!) Think I covered about 14 miles as I did it on foot... I'll use a cab next time! Cheers and stay well ;-)
The best London taxi shelter film on RUclips by a country mile. Hopefully your subscribers will share your videos on as many social media sites as possible. Your channel is one of the very best and i predict great things for you Rob.
Wonderful documentary, so many details! I love the green paint colour - My paternal grandfather was from London, and the house he built in a suburb of Montreal after WW1 was painted that colour green, and brings back great memories from my childhood in the 1960s.
Thanks Rob for another highly interesting look at London life. Most people, especially tourists, walk past these shelters and probably never wonder what purpose they serve. You made reference to the shelter in Ripon, Yorkshire. It was constructed in Norwich in 1911 by Boulton and Paul - the company that also built huts for Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1910-13. It’s recently, at great cost, been restored. Another obscure link to Norwich lies with the aforementioned book Black Beauty. Written by Anna Sewell a native of Norfolk, in 1877, it was published by the Norwich printers Jarrold & Son - my first employer! At the risk of being an annoying pain in the rear, with reference to the Kensington Park Road shelter you mentioned that the Earl of Shaftesbury who opened the refurbished shelter was an “ancestor” of the seventh earl. I know you meant to say descendant.
Many thanks Mark. I had no idea the shelter was built in Norwich. And yes, Anna Sewell was from Norfolk; I’d love to visit her former home which I believe is now a museum? Black Beauty did its bit for the cab trade, new laws were introduced after that heartbreaking book was published. Stay well.
Thank you so much for this interesting history. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and we had these from 1898, modelled after the London examples. A few still survive.
Hello Rob. My gggrandfather, Henry Kemp, ran a Cab in the latter half of the 19th c in London; his two sons (Henry jr and George) went on to run pubs: the King's Head at Mile End and the Cock (and others) in Whitechapel. I'm Australian (Melbourne-born 1948) and am very proud of them. George's son, George Wm, my grandfather, a solictor's managing clerk, emigrated to Melbourne in 1912. I've spent thousands on Ancestry work and have something of a feel for my lineage of which i find a mixture of emotions. One brother did very well, but sadly my ggfather died young. I knew his son, my grandfather for about 12 years and fondly albeit dimly recall that i liked his voice/accent! He left virtually nil to his elder son my late darling Dad, so my own research into pubs and taxis has been limited, although i found a 'Kemp's Yard' somewhere in the East End. I was in in England for a year in 1975 - so am way out of touch with how things are now. How i would like to have another 'lifetime' to research some more and really see what i did not back then. Thanks for your works - catching and stimulating.
Thank you Rob. I’ve now watch a few of your videos and consequently now subscribed to your channel. You present the videos in a very relaxing manor with none of the faff found in other RUclips videos. I’ve just watched the one on the cabby cafe’s. Interesting to see electric taxis once adorned the streets of London. With a new error of London electric taxis round the corner, maybe these cabby Cafes will be reinvigorated for the taxi drivers?
Damn it Rob now I really want to put, "enjoy a mug of tea and a sausage roll from a genuine London Cabbie Shelter" on my bucket list. You are really going to keep me busy in my retirement! Thanks again for another fascinating look at London and it's history.
Thanks for the video, informative as ever. I passed the Temple Place shelter recently and was fascinated to see that the windows discreetly bore the text "Universal Exports - "Our services cover the globe". Universal Exports is of course the cover company for MI6 in James Bond. I wonder if the shelter has or will feature in an 007 film?
I absolutely love your snapshots and tours around london. I lived in streatham and Norwood as a child and we moved out in 1969.However it's lovely to go back and visit the city through your eyes
@@Robslondon honestly I watched this video and was amazed with how little useless fluff there was. It was direct and to the point. Have you considered doing a londons deepest video or widest. Sorry if you already have I’ve litrally just found your channel earlier today and just watched your tallest things in London video
Hi Rob, thoroughly enjoyed this one as usual. I imagine if they had the glass windows today they would go the way of so many telephone boxes! . A brilliant idea for the cabmen but still feel sorry for the poor horses left out in the elements 💕🦆
This episode was so good I watched it twice. This is the real history of London. Once again Rob thanks for all of your hard work 😀 Happy Holiday's to you and yours!
Just found your channel and immediately subscribed. I lived in London for 3 years and I never spotted one of these. I will be on the lookout when I next visit.
Really interesting post. I don't have a favorite as they all have such different stories. I didn't realize how far back they went. I am sure the first lot of cab drivers were thrilled to come in out of the rain. There should have been something for the poor horses. Always enjoy your posts so much.
Thanks so much Lesley. Agree about the horses; there were suggestions made that they should have stables at each shelter too, but the space required sadly wasn’t practical.
thank you rob dear for another super video. i'm always utterly blown away by how very many strands you weave into your wonderful videos. i'm particularly happy about this one because my dear brother-in-law is a cabbie in a small town in northern greece - and he uses a cabbie shelter. i've just bought one of your adorable cabbie shelter mugs from your etsy shop as a present for him! ❤❤❤
Thank you so, so much hellie_el that means a lot to me. I used to work as a London cabbie myself; please send my best regards to your brother in law from me, one cabbie to another 🇬🇷 Thanks again and stay well.
@@Robslondon hi ya rob! i've already received the sweet cabbie shelter mug, and it's just lovely! 💚💚💚 i'll pass along your regards to my brother-in-law when i give him the mug. ❤
Bob, I'm back in the UK for this video. Yet another superlative presentation, excellent daytime and nighttime photography, good background music set at the right pitch. Thanks for all the effort and time you take in creating your videos.
Heyas Rob, now you shown all the shelters together I now realise the one i mentioned to you is the Hanover Square one, thanks. Well I never, once again Mancs was one of the first cities outside of London to have a cabbies shelter, and its never mentioned on local Mancs history pages. I need to dig into it more. I live in the Seymour Grove area (Old Trafford) and my brother sent me a pictoral postcard link to Seymour Grove/Trafford Bar/White City amusement park when Handsom cabs, new fangled trams and trains were prominent transport. Luckily a lot of the buildings have survived and the area's are still green leafy suburbs. Enouhh of my ramblings, Cheers DougT in Mancs
Many thanks Doug! Remember, Mancs was THE first to have a shelter 😉 and I really wanted to tell people that. I think it deserves a plaque; an important piece of working class history. Cheers mate and stay well.
The narrator of Wells's War of the Worlds takes refuge in a cabman's shelter in Chapter 8. I remember being told that it was the Warwick Avenue one that Wells had in mind, but I just compared the text with a map, and it's a bit ambiguous. Later - I think I've resolved the ambiguity. What was confusing me was that Wells says the shelter was on Harrow Road. Harrow Road makes a right-angle turn just south of Little Venice, and its continuation in its original direction is Warwick Avenue, just a bit south of the Warwick Avenue shelter (more obvious on a 1890's map than on Google). I suppose that in the middle of a Martian invasion, one might pass from Harrow Road onto Warwick Avenue without noticing the name change.
All the time I Ioved in London and never knew so much information, or that you could purchase from the hatch as a punter! Born and raised Londoner too! Next time I’m visiting I shall remember this!
I'm from the North West of England and whilst I've been to London several times, I've never seen or heard about these shelters before. A really great informative video
We have your cab shelter mug (as well as the Elizabeth line one and the cockney rhyming slang one), so it was extra interesting to find out the history of the shelters! I hope to someday get a coffee from one ☕ It was also nice to see some of the Christmas decorations already - in these short dark days I'll take some cheer wherever I can find it! Thanks for all the hard work you put into these videos 👏🫖🌟
Such a lovely comment Deborah, thank you- and thank you too for your custom with the mugs! Yes, I didn't plan to have the video 'Christmassy' (there will be a Christmas special...) but London looked beautiful, with the lights being rather appropriate as the Cabmen's Shelter fund was established during Christmas :-) Thanks very much again and stay well.
My Great Grandad was a handsome cab worker in London in the 1900 and I have a wonderful photograph of him sitting with his pals looking very proud . Thank you for a really interesting video I didn't realise the little huts you see around London were used for shelter and no doubt my Great Grandad Stanley would have used them !
Super Rob,in Bradford my home town had a cab shelter in 1879,the growlers you mentioned is what us we up north call pork pies.Some of these cab shelters look pretty much like the later horse drawn tram,thanks for super video as always.Cheers Nick
@@Robslondon . The pleasure is mine Rob. I always look forward to your videos. The way you tease out historical facts and information in a succinct way is very refreshing. I wish more people, (especially the younger ones), would view your work.
Another very interesting video Rob. So much history, to such a small piece of furniture. I never knew Manchester had cab shelters either. Will definitely pay one a visit, the next time I'm down.
Thanks so much Paul! Yes, I didn’t know about the Manchester connection either until I researched this video; I think there should be a plaque there as it’s an important piece of working class history. Stay well 😉
I love these cab shelters, now I know more history about them thanks to you..Next time in London I'll check out cab shelters as well as the pubs, cheers Rob😊
Another eloquent and fascinating foray around a too often under appreciated piece of living history, adorning our capital's streets. As a now too occasional visitor to London, I was surprised by just how many of these cabbies' shelters I recall. A distinguished, enduring feature of the city: sometimes overlooked amongst multitudinous street furniture and millions of hastening feet... not to mention the constant road traffic. I'll see those small green structures with fresh eyes and fascination, when I next walk those roads. I'm curious about how many police boxes -of Dr Who's tardis fame- were preserved. I'd guess few to none, as -unlike the cabbies' shelters- they serve no contemporary purpose. Thank Rob, for your thoroughly excellent, engaging entertainment.
Such a lovely comment, thank you so much 😊 Very kind of you to say. There is a police box/tardis 😉 outside Earl’s Court tube station. A few smaller police phone kiosks can be found too, there’s one near the Guildhall I can think of…. Stay well and thank you again
I remember seeing the one near Pimlico station all the time when I was there in 2005. Never appeared to be open, but i didn’t really understand what it was at that time. Hopefully I’ll get back to London and I’ll make it a point to visit as many of these as I can to get a cup of tea (and maybe a bite to eat). Thank you for this great video!
I really enjoyed this - thank you for rhe depth and detail. I have recently had to leave London and am really feeling homesick. Your videos provide such a remedy! Thanks again, I love your work.
Bless you, that means a lot to me, thank you so much. Glad I can help in some small way. I’ll have a Christmas special out soon so please be sure to stay tuned for that, I think you’ll like it! Thanks again and stay well.
Thank you. Brings back memories of my late mum, who took me to cafe's, fancy hidden resturants, quaint pubs, and green taxi shelters. She made my childhood a fantasy wonderland. ❤
A simply beautiful comment ☺️ Thank you for sharing that.
Dear Rob, I just want to apologise that it has taken me nearly two weeks to watch your latest superb video. Every time I tried to view it my dear wife insisted I watch another 'hilarous' cat video on Instagram. Fortunately she is at her work's Christmas party tonight, so I was able to pour myself a single malt whisky, relax on the sofa and view your latest RUclips gem. Even our cat waited until I had watched it before demanding it's dinner. What a perfect Saturday.
David, thank you so much! A lovely comment; made my evening 😉 Thanks for your support and stay well.
Although I've never been to London, I love how these Taxi Shelters have been adapted to the realities of the 21st Century (electric car chargers, bike racks, take-away bistro menus), letting them continue to be a thriving and vital part of their local neighborhoods. Thanks, Rob, for another wonderful video!
Lovely comment; much agreed and thank you!
Thank you Rob that was so interesting. I almost feel ashamed, worked in London for 25 years and never bought anything from a cabs shelter. Next time i am in town I will make sure i do, we need to all try to keep our history alive.
Thank you so much Jason- and there is no need to feel like that, they’re quite well hidden! Stay well mate.
@@Robslondon I'd heard they were set up as a ''teetotal' place, too ''The horse world of London'' 1890's}where the Cabbies could get a hot drink of tea, and to be out of the rain and cold wind as opposed to brandy to keep the cold out.
Horse troughs served the horses who need a lot of water per day.
What a brilliant history lesson
My father in law was a cabbie. His two daughters remember him taking them into a shelter when they were kids. Believe it was the Victoria shelter. They are both in their 60's now and it is such a fond memory. RIP Harry Smith. A good man who's thought of often.
Beautiful comment Richard.
My dad told me of these way back in the 80’s, he used to drive low loader lorry’s into London, usually in the middle of the night, as they were very wide and heavy loads, I used to ride with him as a ‘second man’ and back in 87 the winter was very hard and we got stuck in London in the middle of the night, the only place to get a hot drink and a sausage sandwich at 3:00am was a cabbies shelter, it was about -5 outside and we were both frozen to the bone, I can still fill the warmth of that cuppa.
My Dads too old to drive now but he sometime comes out in my lorry now, and we’ve always tried to use cabbie shelters as much as we can. Things like these need to be preserved.
Love your videos. ❤
Beautiful comment and memory Kevin, thank you so much- enjoyed reading that 😉 Best wishes to your Dad.
It wasn’t only cabmen who sheltered in these cabins. On cold nights I admit I would sneak a break and sit inside in the warmth with both hands around a hot mug of tea, when I was supposed to be working my beat. Sometimes the Sergeant would pop his had round the corner of the door to make sure there were no policemen inside. When this happened, the cabmen would crowd around to hide the miscreant.
Ha ha ;-) Nice comment, thanks for sharing.
The British equivalent of the doughnut shop!
These days if you need a constable then look around the back of fast food restaurants. As a Wimpy Bar worker in my youth in pre metric days I often handed a burger out of the back door to young policemen.
Well, I did not know about these cab shelters. What an interesting history. Thank you.
I'd love to have a cup of tea from one of these little shelters. Someday...
Hope you manage to before long robbicu- their tea is honestly really good 😉
Sunday evening cooking the roast whilst watching a new RobsLondon video... what more can a man want 👏
Thank you so much 😊 Cooking our roast at the moment too! 😉
An absolutely classic episode of Rob's London - slightly unusual, slightly quirky, but packed full of insight and history that truly deserves to be kept alive! I subscribe to God knows how many RUclips channels, but there are only about five where I actively look forward to the next video - and yours is one of them, Rob. 👍👍👍
Bless you, that means a lot to me tragicyouth. Hope you're keeping well and thank you as ever for your wonderful support :-)
My Grandfather was a London Cabbie in the Auxiliary Fire Service during WW2. I tried to do some research on his old number and the cabs he drove. Unfortunately, it seems all old records from that period in time were destroyed. This is really interesting and useful information for anyone who’s interested in the history.
Thank you so much Chris. Very sad though that those records were lost; full respect to your Grandfather.
I have long wanted to have a cup of tea at one of these shelters. Next time I am in London, I shall do so! Wonderful idea, and much appreciated by cabbies for 150 years!
Nice comment, thank you!
I lived in St John's Wood for a very long time and walked by that shelter every day. Seeing it makes me so happy. And nostalgic! Thank you.
Lovely comment, thank you!
These wonderful little gems need preserved for all time. I hope one of 2 are in a national museum.
Agreed Wendi. They are protected, but none are currently in any museum; they're still working buildings. If ever one should cease to be though then it should be taken to a museum straight away!
When last in London I saw one of these unique structures and wondered what they were. Thank you for enlightening me. They have quite a story to tell, and their service to the community is first rate. I'd say whatever was expended in constructing, operating, and maintaining them was money spent. Thanks, Rob, for another well-research, well-written, well-illustrated, and well-produced tutorial.
Lovely comment Paul, and you're very welcome! Stay well.
I love visiting London ever since I first visited as a student in 1996. I learned about these cab shelters well after that though and the last time I was there in 2018 I finally made it to one. The Embankment shelter. It was a definite pleasure. The woman running it was super sweet, I got a great bacon butty, it was super cheap, and it was easily one of the best cups of tea I had in London. I have a great respect for the great London cabbies fit all they do and know and how great their company is. There are a lot of things I still want to do the next time I’m in London but I wouldn’t mind making a mission to try and hit all 13 of these one day. Thanks for a great video!
Beautiful comment antkneecampy, thank you. Yes, I've always found the staff to be very friendly in all the shelters; a good bunch of down to earth people.
I managed to do all 13 in one day when filming but it was tough going! (As you an see, the tour starts in the morning ends in the evening!) Think I covered about 14 miles as I did it on foot... I'll use a cab next time!
Cheers and stay well ;-)
did my PHD thesis on these . Amazing buildings
Wow! What a great subject choice!
Fabulous, your research is so thorough, I hope your channel is thriving because it deserves to, one You Tubes little Gems. ❤
That means a lot to me Kerry. Thank you ☺️
So good I'm going watch it again right now. Thanks.
Thank you!
There must be a good walk connecting all the cab shelters. Sounds like a little project for me 😀
You can do them in a loop… took me about 7 hours though 😂
The best London taxi shelter film on RUclips by a country mile. Hopefully your subscribers will share your videos on as many social media sites as possible. Your channel is one of the very best and i predict great things for you Rob.
Thank you 🙂
I don’t know how you come up with these ideas🤷♂️but please don’t stop 👍🏻👏🏻
I’ll keep going Russel, don’t you worry 😉 Cheers and stay well.
I'm a tour guide.That was great Rob.Thanks
Thank you very much Ian 😊
That was delightful in every respect. Thank you.
That means a lot to me Andy, thank you.
Just found this channel, it's good stuff. "Liked and Subscribed" as the youth say.
Thanks Dan, it’s nice to have you here!
Such an interesting story. Your research is so thorough and the videos are so well-illustrated. Thank you.
Thank you Roderic!
Roderick your a very generous kind man.
Really interesting video much more informative than any other mentions of these shelters .
That's really kind of you to say, thanks Anthony.
Wonderful documentary, so many details! I love the green paint colour - My paternal grandfather was from London, and the house he built in a suburb of Montreal after WW1 was painted that colour green, and brings back great memories from my childhood in the 1960s.
Ah, that’s lovely! Thanks for sharing, Barbara ☺️
Thanks Rob for another highly interesting look at London life. Most people, especially tourists, walk past these shelters and probably never wonder what purpose they serve. You made reference to the shelter in Ripon, Yorkshire. It was constructed in Norwich in 1911 by Boulton and Paul - the company that also built huts for Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1910-13. It’s recently, at great cost, been restored. Another obscure link to Norwich lies with the aforementioned book Black Beauty. Written by Anna Sewell a native of Norfolk, in 1877, it was published by the Norwich printers Jarrold & Son - my first employer! At the risk of being an annoying pain in the rear, with reference to the Kensington Park Road shelter you mentioned that the Earl of Shaftesbury who opened the refurbished shelter was an “ancestor” of the seventh earl. I know you meant to say descendant.
Many thanks Mark. I had no idea the shelter was built in Norwich.
And yes, Anna Sewell was from Norfolk; I’d love to visit her former home which I believe is now a museum?
Black Beauty did its bit for the cab trade, new laws were introduced after that heartbreaking book was published. Stay well.
Thank you so much for this interesting history. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and we had these from 1898, modelled after the London examples. A few still survive.
Lovely comment, thank you! Did you see one of the Aussie shelters in the video? I included a brief picture 😉🇦🇺
@@Robslondon oh, I will have to go back and look. Awesome.
Hello Rob. My gggrandfather, Henry Kemp, ran a Cab in the latter half of the 19th c in London; his two sons (Henry jr and George) went on to run pubs: the King's Head at Mile End and the Cock (and others) in Whitechapel. I'm Australian (Melbourne-born 1948) and am very proud of them. George's son, George Wm, my grandfather, a solictor's managing clerk, emigrated to Melbourne in 1912. I've spent thousands on Ancestry work and have something of a feel for my lineage of which i find a mixture of emotions. One brother did very well, but sadly my ggfather died young. I knew his son, my grandfather for about 12 years and fondly albeit dimly recall that i liked his voice/accent! He left virtually nil to his elder son my late darling Dad, so my own research into pubs and taxis has been limited, although i found a 'Kemp's Yard' somewhere in the East End. I was in in England for a year in 1975 - so am way out of touch with how things are now. How i would like to have another 'lifetime' to research some more and really see what i did not back then. Thanks for your works - catching and stimulating.
Such a wonderful comment and family history Julie, thanks so much for sharing.
A wonderful story. Treasure your 1975 memories of London. It has changed a lot and not for there better.
Thank you Rob. I’ve now watch a few of your videos and consequently now subscribed to your channel. You present the videos in a very relaxing manor with none of the faff found in other RUclips videos.
I’ve just watched the one on the cabby cafe’s. Interesting to see electric taxis once adorned the streets of London. With a new error of London electric taxis round the corner, maybe these cabby Cafes will be reinvigorated for the taxi drivers?
Lovely comment Frankie, thank you so much. It's good to have you here. Stay well and thanks again.
What a nice subject. I have walked past them thousands of times but rarely think about them or the history.
Thank you so much robbojax. Hope you’re keeping well.
A very pleasant little documentary.
Thank you Patrick 😄
I can't wait to watch your video on London's first electric cabs.
I’ll see what I can do Ian 😉
Damn it Rob now I really want to put, "enjoy a mug of tea and a sausage roll from a genuine London Cabbie Shelter" on my bucket list. You are really going to keep me busy in my retirement! Thanks again for another fascinating look at London and it's history.
Ha ha! Cheers Paul, hope you get to tick that box soon ;-)
Interesting, well researched and perfectly presented. Makes a very pleasant change for RUclips.
That means a lot to me, thank you
Another excellent Sunday evening video.
It’s an absolute pleasure. Thank you for watching.
Thanks for the video, informative as ever. I passed the Temple Place shelter recently and was fascinated to see that the windows discreetly bore the text "Universal Exports - "Our services cover the globe". Universal Exports is of course the cover company for MI6 in James Bond. I wonder if the shelter has or will feature in an 007 film?
Thank you- and a brilliant spot! 😉 I’m intrigued…
I absolutely love your snapshots and tours around london. I lived in streatham and Norwood as a child and we moved out in 1969.However it's lovely to go back and visit the city through your eyes
Lovely comment Lynn, thank you so much. Stay well.
Brilliant!!!
😄 Thank you!
Your videos are really delightful, great historical insights into life in London
That's very kind of you to say Bik, thank you my friend.
Excellent, just Excellent!
Bless you Andrew, thank you! 😊
What lovely little structures! I wish I had one in my back yard.
Now there’s an idea 😄
Your videos are always so interesting and well researched, produced and narrated.
This one is no exception.
I really appreciate that, thank you.
Definitely the most in depth video about cab shelters on RUclips!
Thank you Rachel!
Well done mate. I’ve lived in London my whole life and always wondered what they were! Very deep and very original video. Thank you.
Thank you so much, lovely comment 😉
@@Robslondon honestly I watched this video and was amazed with how little useless fluff there was. It was direct and to the point. Have you considered doing a londons deepest video or widest. Sorry if you already have I’ve litrally just found your channel earlier today and just watched your tallest things in London video
Brilliant little video, loved this bit of London history.
Thank you so much Tony 😊
Fascinating video. I'm putting these on my bucket list for my trip to London this fall. Thanks so much!
Ah, wonderful! Thanks for the kind words; hope you have a great time here 😉
What an excellent video,first time watching your channel it’s great!
Thank you so much Stuart 😊
Great Rob! Always a joy! Can't wait for the episode on the electric 'humming bird' cabs!
Ha ha, cheers Wayne 😉
Hi Rob, thoroughly enjoyed this one as usual. I imagine if they had the glass windows today they would go the way of so many telephone boxes! . A brilliant idea for the cabmen but still feel sorry for the poor horses left out in the elements 💕🦆
Thank you Pam; you echo my thoughts exactly. Stay well 😉
This episode was so good I watched it twice. This is the real history of London. Once again Rob thanks for all of your hard work 😀 Happy Holiday's to you and yours!
Such a lovely comment Johnny, thank you! Cheers for the views (they really do help, believe me), and happy holidays to you too! Stay well ;-)
Fascinating! Thank you for the education about these as with all your videos.
Thank you! It’s a pleasure
I think the design inspiration is a railway carriage. Much shorter, obviously and making them deliberately mobile on wheels is genius.
Nice comment.
Appreciate all the research that went into this Rob. As an ex King's College student, the Temple Place one would have to be my favorite.
Thank you pj_naylor…. Good choice 😉
Just found your channel and immediately subscribed. I lived in London for 3 years and I never spotted one of these. I will be on the lookout when I next visit.
Thank you so much Alliejay; it’s great to have you here 😄
Great content. I love it once again. Thank you Robert. 👍👍👍😍😍😍
Hey Sharon; thank you as always 😉 Hope you’re keeping well.
DELIGHTFUL!
Thank you ☺️
I commute passing by the Russell Square, Shelter daily. I really should start getting coffee from them.
Please do! Well worth it 😉
Really interesting post. I don't have a favorite as they all have such different stories. I didn't realize how far back they went. I am sure the first lot of cab drivers were thrilled to come in out of the rain. There should have been something for the poor horses. Always enjoy your posts so much.
Thanks so much Lesley.
Agree about the horses; there were suggestions made that they should have stables at each shelter too, but the space required sadly wasn’t practical.
As always interesting video with an impressive amount of research.
Thank you 😊
thank you rob dear for another super video. i'm always utterly blown away by how very many strands you weave into your wonderful videos. i'm particularly happy about this one because my dear brother-in-law is a cabbie in a small town in northern greece - and he uses a cabbie shelter. i've just bought one of your adorable cabbie shelter mugs from your etsy shop as a present for him! ❤❤❤
Thank you so, so much hellie_el that means a lot to me.
I used to work as a London cabbie myself; please send my best regards to your brother in law from me, one cabbie to another 🇬🇷 Thanks again and stay well.
@@Robslondon ❤️❤️❤️
@@Robslondon hi ya rob! i've already received the sweet cabbie shelter mug, and it's just lovely! 💚💚💚 i'll pass along your regards to my brother-in-law when i give him the mug. ❤
Excellent! Very informative and entertaining.
Much appreciated! Thank you 😊
Stunningly well-researched. Thank you.
Thank you so much. It’s a pleasure.
Bob, I'm back in the UK for this video. Yet another superlative presentation, excellent daytime and nighttime photography, good background music set at the right pitch. Thanks for all the effort and time you take in creating your videos.
You’re a gentleman Butch, many thanks indeed. Hope you’re having a good time back in this cold climate! 😄
Honestly Rob, your videos are just so amazingly interesting, full of history and little gems of human stories. Thank you. Take care 😊❤🇬🇧
Thank you Maz
Heyas Rob, now you shown all the shelters together I now realise the one i mentioned to you is the Hanover Square one, thanks. Well I never, once again Mancs was one of the first cities outside of London to have a cabbies shelter, and its never mentioned on local Mancs history pages. I need to dig into it more. I live in the Seymour Grove area (Old Trafford) and my brother sent me a pictoral postcard link to Seymour Grove/Trafford Bar/White City amusement park when Handsom cabs, new fangled trams and trains were prominent transport. Luckily a lot of the buildings have survived and the area's are still green leafy suburbs. Enouhh of my ramblings, Cheers DougT in Mancs
Many thanks Doug!
Remember, Mancs was THE first to have a shelter 😉 and I really wanted to tell people that. I think it deserves a plaque; an important piece of working class history.
Cheers mate and stay well.
Another grest one Rob, fascinating snipits of our capital city. I used to live very near a busy shelter, the best bacon rolls you'll get. 😊
Thank you! 😄
The narrator of Wells's War of the Worlds takes refuge in a cabman's shelter in Chapter 8. I remember being told that it was the Warwick Avenue one that Wells had in mind, but I just compared the text with a map, and it's a bit ambiguous. Later - I think I've resolved the ambiguity. What was confusing me was that Wells says the shelter was on Harrow Road. Harrow Road makes a right-angle turn just south of Little Venice, and its continuation in its original direction is Warwick Avenue, just a bit south of the Warwick Avenue shelter (more obvious on a 1890's map than on Google). I suppose that in the middle of a Martian invasion, one might pass from Harrow Road onto Warwick Avenue without noticing the name change.
Oh wow! I’d didn’t think of that connection 😄
Yep, that was brilliant. I want to go on a little mission to visit them all.
Great work Rob. Keep it up fella. 👊🏼👍🏼
Really appreciate that Richard, thank you. Stay well mate and enjoy your visits 😉
All the time I
Ioved in London and never knew so much information, or that you could purchase from the hatch as a punter! Born and raised Londoner too! Next time I’m visiting I shall remember this!
Ha ha! Go for it 😉
@@Robslondon thanks guvnor😀
So freaking interesting!!! thank you for the research you put into your videos.
Thanks so much Raymond! Really kind of you to say.
Good piece Rob. A feature of London's streetscape that's rarely commented on.
Thanks very much, really appreciate your kind words 😉
I'm from the North West of England and whilst I've been to London several times, I've never seen or heard about these shelters before. A really great informative video
Much appreciated, thank you!
I haven't visited but passed a few when I lived down south.
Excellent video.
Really appreciate that Lorna, thank you. Stay well.
Thanks Rob for sharing this history. I knew about them but haven't seen one. Next time I visit London I'm going to seek one out for a cup of tea!
Thanks Deb; and yes- please do! Well worth it 😉
Truly fascinating. Who would think, these all-but-invisible, little green huts, were so interesting. Top notch video!
That's so kind of you to say piepowered, thank you :-)
As ever, another great video, thanks for your insight into something you see but never think about, keep it up 😊
Much appreciated Robert, thank you!
Excellent video, next time I am in London I will pay a visit to one of these shelters. Your videos are always so great! :))))))))
Many thanks indeed! Hope you enjoy getting a cup of tea from one 😉
Thank you for highlighting these lovely buildings, I will look out for them now.
It's a pleasure, thank you for watching.
Thanks Rob very interesting I’ve used a few of these on my trips to London
Cheers Nigel 😉
We have your cab shelter mug (as well as the Elizabeth line one and the cockney rhyming slang one), so it was extra interesting to find out the history of the shelters! I hope to someday get a coffee from one ☕
It was also nice to see some of the Christmas decorations already - in these short dark days I'll take some cheer wherever I can find it!
Thanks for all the hard work you put into these videos 👏🫖🌟
Such a lovely comment Deborah, thank you- and thank you too for your custom with the mugs!
Yes, I didn't plan to have the video 'Christmassy' (there will be a Christmas special...) but London looked beautiful, with the lights being rather appropriate as the Cabmen's Shelter fund was established during Christmas :-)
Thanks very much again and stay well.
My Great Grandad was a handsome cab worker in London in the 1900 and I have a wonderful photograph of him sitting with his pals looking very proud . Thank you for a really interesting video I didn't realise the little huts you see around London were used for shelter and no doubt my Great Grandad Stanley would have used them !
Lovely comment Hilary, thank you so much. There’s a high chance he would’ve used one of them, yes 😉
Enjoyed this very much Rob, such hard times they endured and the poor Horses too.
Thank you Anne. Yes, it’s heartbreaking to think of those times…. Stay well
Going in…….already know it’s going to be brilliant.
Thank you! Enjoy 😉
I found another video that just popped up and greatly enjoyed over breakfast! Having a past connection to cabs, it was great! Thank you Rob
Cheers! ;-)
Super Rob,in Bradford my home town had a cab shelter in 1879,the growlers you mentioned is what us we up north call pork pies.Some of these cab shelters look pretty much like the later horse drawn tram,thanks for super video as always.Cheers Nick
Brilliant comment Nicholas, thank you… pork pies? I love that 😄 Do you know what the reasoning was behind it?
The “NAAFI growler” was also British Army slang for a hot steak and kidney pie from a vending machine, at least back in the ‘70s - 90’s.
Brilliant video, fascinating story.
Thank you 😊
Another informative video. Thanks Rob.
It's a pleasure Edward, thank you.
@@Robslondon . The pleasure is mine Rob. I always look forward to your videos. The way you tease out historical facts and information in a succinct way is very refreshing. I wish more people, (especially the younger ones), would view your work.
That's very kind of you Edward, thank you. @@edwardoleyba3075
Nice video! I never noticed these historic shelters.
Thank you! 😊
Fantastic- I've been walking past these since 1987, and occasionally wondered why they were there - now we know! Thanks.
It's a pleasure :-) Thanks for the kind words
Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year, Rob! 🎄🥳🎉
Keep up the great and informative marvelous history videos...
Thank you Phil, same to you my friend!
Happy birthday for tomorrow Robert love uncle kev x
Just found your message Kev! Had to search for it- thank you ;-) xxx
Another very interesting video Rob. So much history, to such a small piece of furniture. I never knew Manchester had cab shelters either. Will definitely pay one a visit, the next time I'm down.
Thanks so much Paul! Yes, I didn’t know about the Manchester connection either until I researched this video; I think there should be a plaque there as it’s an important piece of working class history. Stay well 😉
I love these cab shelters, now I know more history about them thanks to you..Next time in London I'll check out cab shelters as well as the pubs, cheers Rob😊
Ah, cheers Dave hope you’re keeping well! 😉🍻
Another eloquent and fascinating foray around a too often under appreciated piece of living history, adorning our capital's streets. As a now too occasional visitor to London, I was surprised by just how many of these cabbies' shelters I recall. A distinguished, enduring feature of the city: sometimes overlooked amongst multitudinous street furniture and millions of hastening feet... not to mention the constant road traffic. I'll see those small green structures with fresh eyes and fascination, when I next walk those roads. I'm curious about how many police boxes -of Dr Who's tardis fame- were preserved. I'd guess few to none, as -unlike the cabbies' shelters- they serve no contemporary purpose. Thank Rob, for your thoroughly excellent, engaging entertainment.
Such a lovely comment, thank you so much 😊 Very kind of you to say. There is a police box/tardis 😉 outside Earl’s Court tube station. A few smaller police phone kiosks can be found too, there’s one near the Guildhall I can think of…. Stay well and thank you again
Been to the shelter at Russel Square last holiday: nice people and a good selection of teas. Recommended.
I second that 😉
I remember seeing the one near Pimlico station all the time when I was there in 2005. Never appeared to be open, but i didn’t really understand what it was at that time. Hopefully I’ll get back to London and I’ll make it a point to visit as many of these as I can to get a cup of tea (and maybe a bite to eat). Thank you for this great video!
Thank you so much! As you probably guessed watching the video, the shelter you saw was the one on St George’s Square 😉 Hope you make it back here soon
I really enjoyed this - thank you for rhe depth and detail. I have recently had to leave London and am really feeling homesick. Your videos provide such a remedy! Thanks again, I love your work.
Bless you, that means a lot to me, thank you so much. Glad I can help in some small way.
I’ll have a Christmas special out soon so please be sure to stay tuned for that, I think you’ll like it!
Thanks again and stay well.
Absolutely loved this video Rob, thank you.
I grew up literally down the road from the Warwick Avenue shelter, so that has to be my favourite.
Lovely comment Slycockney, thank you 😉 Hope you’re keeping well