- 33 Queen Square
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51.521481, -0.121676 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)
- Sign on the corner of the building, starting with ‘THIS CORNER STONE’
- Last word of the fifth line
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Honourable
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Historical background
The Cabmen's Shelters
// In a time when horseless carriages had not been invented, there was a law in Britain, forbidding drivers to leave their cabs on the streets. This deprived them of the opportunity to relax and have a snack between trips. Tired cabmen gathered at pubs where someone could look after cabs for a small fee, and had a rest there, not always keeping sobriety. In 1875, cabmen were decided to be taken care of, and a special charitable Fund was founded, which sponsored the building of 61 ‘Cabmen's Shelters’ in London. ‘Shelters’ nicknamed ‘Green Cabbie Huts’ had a length no bigger than a horse and a cart and stood on the busy roads. Despite the small size, they had a small kitchen, a lounge room for 10-12 people, and sometimes a toilet. There it was inexpensive to get hot food and drinks and read a newspaper. Alcohol, gambling and profanity were strictly prohibited.
With the advent of cars ‘Green Cabbie Huts’ gradually lost actuality, and most of them were demolished. But thirteen of them survived, one of the ‘huts’ had to move from Leicester Square, which was transformed into pedestrian, to Russell Square. It is still possible to buy cheap coffee and snacks to take away there. But to be lowered inside to take a rest, you, as before, have to be a cabman!
Present in routes of categories Lion-Pro, Griffin, Lion-Mini, Atlas
Passed by: 50/52 (96%).
By categories:
- Atlas: 5/6 (83%)
- Griffin: 3/3 (100%)
- Lion-Mini: 12/12 (100%)
- Lion-Pro: 30/31 (97%)