Joanne Major

Among the personages here attracting public notice, is an original, or would-be original, generally known by the appellation of ‘The Green Man.’ He is dressed in green pantaloons, green waistcoat, green frock, green cravat, and though his ears, whiskers, eyebrows and chin are better powdered than his head, which is, however, covered with flour, his countenance, no doubt, from the reflection of his clothes, is also green.

His rambles take him all along Piccadilly, Oxford Street, Regent Street... He has one questionable habit, which is a liking for tobacco...

One thing we need to get straight, you don’t use cheese to make these cheesecakes. They are more akin to a Yorkshire curd tart.

So, how to make the perfect cup of Georgian-era coffee? Mrs Maria Eliza Rundell, in A New System of Domestic Cookery, 1808, gives a recipe.

... but perhaps you don’t know who Dando was. He was an oyster-eater [and] used to go into oyster-shops, without a farthing of money...

They were an item of clothing that transcended any notions of class or status and worn throughout most of the eighteenth century by all women, from nobility down to fishwives. These petticoats had a variety of uses. Usually tied at either side of the waistband, they had a gap in the side seams which allowed access to a pair of pockets worn underneath.

There are many tall tales told about Mary (Moll) King, a shrewd businesswoman who was the proprietor of King’s Coffee House in London’s Covent Garden. Several sources say she was a thief, stealing watches from ladies’ pockets and held in Newgate before being transported on more than one occasion.

It is said that Courtoy arrived in England with many gold Louis d’or coins, which he invested with the Bank of England. Thereafter, he commenced trading on Oxenden Street as a hairdresser and peruke (wig) maker. His trade took him into the best houses in London and he was soon very well known.

Etienne Daly has been researching the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle for a decade now. In that time, he has uncovered some fascinating facts to add to those already known.

The time for assembling is generally from ten to twelve o’clock, or even later, as many persons visit several of these places in one evening.

This is a fascinating story that proves fact is stranger than fiction. Grab a drink, sit back and enjoy!

Around early July 1819, a pretty woman thought to be in her early 20s turned up at a lodging house in George Court off Aylesbury Street in Clerkenwell. She told the owner that she was a stranger in London, having just arrived from the country.

If you're thinking that Princess Caraboo’s story sounds far-fetched, you'd be right!

Legend says Catherine worked at Liverpool's Black Jack Tavern which had a skittles alley. That was the origin of her nickname: Skittles.