Fisher Bicycles
10 Unusual Items Kept In The Museum Of London
1. Roman Bikini
At a Roman villa in Sicily there is a mosaic which shows a group of young girls wearing what look remarkably like bikinis. In the Museum of London there is the bottom half of the kind of bikini shown in the mosaic. Made out of leather and dating from the first century ad, the trunks,which were found in a Roman well uncovered in Queen Street, were probably worn by a female acrobat.
2. Twelfth-century Ice Skates
Made of bone, they are polished on the undersides where they have been used on the ice. William Fitzstephen, in I 190, wrote of young people who ‘equip each of their feet with an animal’s shin-bone attaching it to the underside of their footwear; using hand-held poles reinforced with metal tips, which they periodically thrust against the ice, they propel themselves along as swiftly as a bird in flight or a bolt shot from a crossbow’. These skates are ton temporary with his description.
3. Oliver Cromwell’s Death Mask
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, died on 3 September 1658 and was buried in Westminster Abbey after what the Royalist John Evelyn described as ‘the joyfullest funeral that ever I saw for there was none that cried but dogs’. He was not allowed to rest there. When Charles II returned to the throne, Cromwell’s body was dug up and given a posthumous execution at Tyburn. The death mask clearly shows a wart over the right eye, one of those Cromwell insisted should be visible when, allegedly, he asked the painter Sir Peter Lely to portray him ‘warts and all’.
4.Sermon Glass
The hour glass, from St Alban’s church in Wood Street, was designed to allow a preacher to judge how long his sermon should be. When the sand had run through the glass it was time to come to an end unless he was inspired to turn the glass over and continue.
5.Cockfighting Spurs
In December 1762, James Boswell visited the Royal Cockpit in St James’s Park and described how ‘the cocks, nicely cut and dressed and armed with silver heels, are set down and fight with amazing bitterness and resolution’. The Museum of London has a collection of cockspurs dating from the time when Boswell saw the birds fight and they give some indication of how vicious the sport was. Boswell was ‘sorry for the poor cocks’ but he admitted that, ‘I looked round to see if any of the spectators pitied them when mangled and torn in a most cruel manner, but I could not observe the smallest relenting sign in any countenance’. Cockfighting continued quite openly in London until the 1840s.
6.Queen Victoria’s Drawers
The Museum of London has several items of clothing worn by Queen Victoria during her reign, including a bonnet and her accession dress, but it is safe to assume that the one she would have least liked to see on display to the public is the pair of her drawers which the museum owns.
7. Acrobatic Flying Corset
These were worn by the flying dancer Azella in the 1860s. Advertising herself as The Female Leotard’, in reference to the famous trapeze artist who gave his name to the leotard, she was a French acrobat who performed in London music halls in the 1860s.
8. Psycho the Automaton
Psycho was an automaton built by the English magician John Nevil Maskelyne in the 1870s to participate in his shows at the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly. Psycho picked up playing cards from a rack in front of it and was worked by air pressure and a hidden bellows.
9. Stanley Green’s Placards
For several decades until his death in 1993, Stanley Green bicycled from his home in Northolt to Oxford Street, where he walked up and down, carrying banners proclaiming his eccentric beliefs. Green was concerned that over-indulgence in protein-rich foods like meat and dairy products was resulting in a nation of lustful sex- maniacs. ‘Less Passion from Less Protein’ was his motto and one that appeared on his placards and home-printed pamphlets, examples of which are now preserved in the Museum.
10. Mickey Mouse Gas Mask
Intended to be less sinister and distressing than the standard gas masks, Mickey Mouse gas masks bore little resemblance to Disney’s cartoon character but were manufactured in bright, primary colours to encourage small children to wear them. A government advice leaflet confidently proclaimed that, ‘Toddlers soon learn to put on their own masks. Let them make a game of it and they will wear their gas masks happily.’
About the Author
Formerly a practising lawyer, Clara Ros is now a professional travel writer who specializes in cruises, luxury travel and soft adventure trips. Clara Ros has traveled worldwide – five continents, plus. So if you need to rent apartments London, Clara is the right person for advice.
HiFi 29 Bike Series | Gary Fisher Bicycles.flv
|
|
Fisher Price Little People Bike Bicycle W Hitch Flowers $3.00 |
|
|
Gary Fisher free style BMX bike bicycle $225.00 |
|
|
Fisher Price SMART CYCLE Bike Bicycle 2 BONUS CARTRIDGES Scooby Doo Diego NEW $15.50 |
|
|
Fisher Price Baby Toddler Child Bicycle BIKE SEAT + Bell Helmet $25.00 |
|
|
Fisher-Price Rock Roll ‘n Ride Trike 3in1 bike bicycle tricycle NIB $49.99 |
|
|
Loose Kenny Ride Bicycle Cop Police Patrol from Fisher Price Rescue Heroes $6.99 |
|
|
VINTAGE FISHER PRICE * LITTLE PEOPLE * ORANGE TRICYLE BICYCLE BIKE SCOOTER L@@K $3.98 |
|
|
Vintage1989 Gary Fisher HK-II Mountain Bike 17.5″ Bicycle Shimano True Temper $1,599.00 |
|
|
Gary Fisher Original Bicycle Seat 1980′s..RARE…Good Condition $15.00 |
|
|
Fisher-Price Handy Manny Construction Bicycle Shop Play pack NIB!! $13.95 |
|
|
BM-12001 Mountain Bike Bicycle Gary Fisher Bumper Sticker Decal $3.75 |
|
|
Hot New Gary Fisher Bike Bicycle Logo T-Shirt size S M L XL XXL XXXL Mens Womens $18.99 |
|
|
FISHER PRICE LOVING FAMILY FURNITURE – BICYCLE $9.99 |
|
|
Fisher Price Little People Bike Bicycle Tricycle Halloween $4.50 |
|
|
Bell Bicycle helmet Fisher Price KIDS 5 yr plus Boys pattern Fit system $2.50 |
|
|
Fisher-Price Loving Family Girls Bicycle with cat in a basket on handle bars! $7.99 |
|
|
Fisher Price Bike Bicycle Baby Toddler Carrier Seat $20.00 |
|
|
Fisher-Price Loving Family Set of bicycles Bikes with baby carriers! Nice 1990′s $9.99 |
|
|
VINTAGE 06 GARY FISHER BIG SUR GENESIS BICYCLE 18 INCH FRAME ROCK SHOX DUKE RACE $379.00 |
|
|
Vintage Fisher Price Loving Family Dollhouse Bicycle Bike with Baby Seat $10.00 |
|
|
Fisher Price Barbie Ride On Trike Tricycle Toddler Girl Toy Bike Bicycle NEW $42.37 |
|
|
JM Fisher Estate Vintage 14K Yellow Gold Bicycle Bike Movable 3D Charm Pendant $109.99 |
|
|
Fisher Price Barbie Trike – Ride On Tricycle, Toddler Bike Toy Bicycle for Girls $44.99 |
|
|
VINTAGE FISHER PRICE * LITTLE PEOPLE * ORANGE TRICYLE BICYCLE BIKE SCOOTER L@@K $4.00 |
|
|
GARY FISHER CRONUS PRO 56cm ROAD BICYCLE WITH EASTON EC 90 SLX WHEELSET $1,600.00 |
|
|
Fisher Price Barbie Ride On Trike Tricycle Toddler Girl Toy Bike Bicycle NEW $39.95 |
|
|
Fisher 1 1/4″ Mouintain Bicycle Stem, Classic, ATB Steel, 25.4 mm Clamp 140 mm $0.99 |
|
|
RARE NRFB Fisher Price Smooshees Beth & Her Bicycle $93.49 |
|
|
BEAUTIFUL GARY FISHER TASSJARA 21-SPEED MOUNTAIN BICYCLE L@@K $269.95 |
|
|
Fisher Price LOVING FAMILY Dollhouse REPLACE BICYCLE WAGON & BABY SEAT SET CUTE! $7.11 |
|
|
Old School Gary Fisher 1996 Catalog NOS Mountain Bicycles Joshua Z Supercaliber $29.00 |
|
|
BM-12004 Mountain Bike Bicycle Trek Gary Fisher Specialized Bumper Sticker Decal $3.75 |
|
|
Bicycle Hub Bearing PHIL WOOD Klein-fisher Bracket 6003 $5.95 |
|
|
Gary Fisher Bicycle Frame OS Series Monotube Cromoly $200.00 |
|
|
Gary Fisher Bike T-Shirt Jersey Polo Shimano Maxxis MTB BMX Bicycle GT Kona Haro $16.99 |
|
|
Gary Fisher Bike T-Shirt Jersey Polo Shimano Maxxis MTB BMX Bicycle GT Kona Haro $23.99 |
|
|
Gary Fisher Bike T-Shirt Jersey Polo Shimano Maxxis MTB BMX Bicycle GT Kona Haro $16.99 |
|
|
Gary Fisher Bike T-Shirt Jersey Polo Shimano Maxxis MTB BMX Bicycle GT Kona Haro $16.99 |