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urbigenous.net
Urbigenous
@urbigenous.net
24 followers 47 following 36 posts
Formerly @urbigenous on Instagram and Twitter. 🏳️‍⚧️
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urbigenous.net
Much catchier than "Moustachioed Beefeaters". (Postcard from my collection, 1910s)
Sepia photograph of seven Yeoman Warders (aka Beefeaters) standing, or in one case sitting, in a passage under a building somewhere in the Tower of London in the 1910s, printed as the front of a postcard. All are wearing a uniform with the GVR insignia of King George the 5th with several medals attached, and all have a moustache.
December 8, 2025 at 1:55 PM
urbigenous.net
Hydrant cover, Church Rd, Highgate. In grand condition for a 97-year-old thanks to low footfall. Cast at Josiah Stone's, Charlton. I had to look up "BH"; if it's the same as you see on council maps, that means borehole. Nearby Highgate Wood is home to the origin of several of north London's brooks.
Photo of a cast iron fire hydrant cover set into the pavement. It's covered with small diamond shapes in relief to provide grip when being walked on. A rectangle in relief surrounds large relief letters reading "BH FH 1928". Above and below the rectangle is smaller relief lettering reading "J. Stone & Co. Ltd London S.E.".
August 16, 2025 at 10:40 AM
urbigenous.net
"Why should I pay someone when I can just do it myself?" Moselle Avenue, Wood Green.
The front of a small terraced house, the bricks of which have been painted red until ¾ of the way up (the middle of the upper windows), and the pointing of which painted over in bright white in an extremely wobbly way. Many of the vertical lines of pointing in the upper part are slanted to the left, suggesting someone clinging onto a ladder with their left hand and stretching to paint with their right. Oh dear
July 29, 2025 at 9:41 PM
urbigenous.net
The rewards of diligent study, from "The practyse of cyrurgyons of Mountpyller and of other that neuer came there", a 1540 pamphlet decrying quack surgeons.
Scan of a paragraph of text. Reads: And you ſhal haue moche more mony for your labours & paynes then you haue had in tymes past / & better name and fame. And at your endynge the glory of the kyngdome of God for your rewarde, to the whiche I pray God ſende us there to remayne.
July 25, 2025 at 9:43 AM
urbigenous.net
I'm a big fan of doughty workaday iron set into our pavements, especially when it makes reference to some extinct entity which placed it. This fire hydrant cover in Archway has boldly announced itself and the short-lived Hornsey Urban District Council (1894–1903) for the last 128 years.
A rectangular (portrait format) cast iron cover set into the pavement, decorated with raised alternating vertical and horizontal dashes for grip when being walked upon, and bearing the legend "HUDC FH 1897"
May 13, 2025 at 10:21 AM
urbigenous.net
Incidentally, the title page of this work has one of the best typographical errors ever.
Part of the text on the title page, where there is an error in the word "Fleet". It says: LONDON: PUBLISHED BY HODSON, FEEET STREET. AND SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 1850.
April 17, 2025 at 4:25 PM
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Polite society in 1646: No, London Dandy, you can't serve!

A London Dandy of 1646:
Woodcut illustration titled The Doings of a London Dandy of 1646. A man is shown, holding a cane, wearing (I'm not a fashion expert so forgive my inexact descriptions) a flat-topped conical hat with a big feather stuck in it and ribbons sticking out on the other side; a waist-length brocade jacket with only the four top buttons done up, over a waistcoat with floral decoration up the sides of the closure; under the jacket, a shirt with big frilly cuffs sticking out, also with some ribbons; pantaloons with ribbons at mid thigh on the side; a codpiece; pointed knee high boots with spurs, some kind of folded out ring at the top all the way around above the knees; and massive, I genuinely don't know any words for them, cuffs I guess? at mid calf level which must be about eight inches in diameter and have a frilly inner layer sticking up out of them, looking almost like he has his legs stuck through a pair of crowns. His other arm is resting on his hip and a cloak is hanging over it. He's also wearing a rapier on that hip. He has long hair, tied in front into a pair of pigtails with ribbons, a mustache over a soul patch, and a beauty spot on one cheek. He's also making a cunty little expression.
April 17, 2025 at 4:17 PM
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A bricked-up doorway always intrigues. What are the stories of the people who used it? Why did they stop? Muswell Hill.
Brick wall with a bricked-up doorway that has a mock Tudor stone lintel with spandrels, on which is carved "Southwood Hall"
April 13, 2025 at 8:15 AM
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I love the new look actually
Google Maps Street View photo of the former restaurant, with one end and most of the tower now covered in ivy
April 3, 2025 at 11:37 AM
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In a display of items excavated on-site is this medieval pipkin. I named my cat Pipkin, can you see why?
Photo of a pipkin, a medieval three-legged earthenware cooking vessel, with spout Photo of a very cute tuxedo cat sitting on an office chair and looking bright-eyed at the camera; he only has one front leg.
April 3, 2025 at 11:30 AM
urbigenous.net
Got to love an awkwardly phrased caption 😄
Part of a display caption, which reads: Bacchus and Venus These two statues stood on either side of the waterwheel at the end of Bourne Hall Lake until they were stolen in 2004. Since then, they have lived inside the Museum. Photo of the partial remains of two statues in Classical style, of the Roman gods Bacchus and Venus, made of artificial stone
April 3, 2025 at 11:25 AM
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I happened to be in Ewell yesterday so took the opportunity to check out the Museum of Epsom and Ewell at Bourne Hall. I love a good local history museum and it didn't disappoint. It's also all the more interesting for being housed in a modern building shaped like a flying saucer!
www.bournehall.org
Photo of some of the display cases in Bourne House Museum, on the upper floor of a "flying saucer"-shaped building, lit by sunshine through a large circular skylight Photo of some more of the display cases in Bourne House Museum, on the upper floor of a "flying saucer"-shaped building, lit by sunshine through a large circular skylight. In the foreground are both a set of replica 16th century church brasses for visitors to try making rubbings of, and a Second World War air raid siren Photo looking down from the upper floor at Bourne House, showing the social and library areas inside the "flying saucer" Photo of Bourne House from across the lawn outside, looking as if it has just landed on Earth
April 3, 2025 at 10:50 AM