Another Nickel in the Machine is, to my mind, one of the most interesting London-centric websites on the net.  A fascinating compendium of stories and photographs  detailing the lesser-known history of the Big Smoke, from the Skiffle dens of 1950’s Soho to the African prince of Petticoat Lane, it’s easy to lose whole lunchtimes reading it! I managed to track down creator Rob Baker, and asked him a few questions about London and his work.

Your daytime job as a freelance television producer is a world away from the Another Nickel. Can you tell me what inspired you to start the blog?

Two or three years ago I had started to find new music via music blogs other than the more traditional sources I suppose and I thought I’d create my own music blog. It was named after a line in my favourite Frank Sinatra song ‘One For My Baby’ and refers to putting a coin in a juke box which would play some music that was ‘easy and sad’. The name fitted rather well for a music blog especially as I think I like ‘easy and sad’ music, although I’m not entirely sure what it is. Anyway, the name ended up completely irrelevant for a blog about the history of London, but it’s a bit too late to change now.

The thing that makes Another Nickel stand out from the crowd of London history blogs is the incredible amount of research you put into each post and the unusual facts and photographical evidence you uncover. How do you find out so much about such seemingly forgotten London characters as ‘Brilliant Chang’ and Alan Diment?

I read quite a lot about London and when I come across a character that is new to me I start trying to find more about him or her. Usually and interesting story or collection of facts come to light. Most of the stuff I write about was once popular or well-known but just forgotten about these days. In the end it isn’t too difficult to find information if you spend too long at the National Archives or spend too much money at second-hand bookshops and abebooks.co.uk.

What is your favourite area of London and why?

My favourite area, by a long way, is Soho, its given me so many stories for Nickel I have actually had to stop myself writing about the area recently. I fear for Soho these days and its probably best to visit it quick before it loses its louchness and becomes just another area of London.

Where are your favourite London haunts?

Wong Kei Chinese restaurant in Wardour Street although, unfortunately the waiters aren’t as hilariously rude as they used to be, but the Singapore Noodles still seem to taste the same. ‘The Heights’ bar at the top of the St George’s Hotel in Langham Place by BBC Broadcasting House. The bar is average really but oh the view, the view. The Olde Cheshire Cheese pub in Fleet Street and Battersea Power Station once known as ‘The Cathedral of Electrons’.

What have been your favourite posts on the site?

The Adam Diment post all about a swinging sixties author who completely disappeared in 1974 never to be heard of again. The hippy squat at Piccadilly, the London school strike and the Peasouper post were fun as well. Read more…

If you go down to Dalston on the first Sunday of February, you’re in for a big surprise… for on this date, at the Holy Trinity Church, the annual clown church service takes place.

Held in memory of Joseph Grimaldi, the world’s most famous British clown, clowns from all over the world, all resplendent in their individual make-up and costumes, attend the service.  This annual event has been held since 1946, moving from Islington, where Grimaldi is buried, to the Holy Trinity in 1959, which is now such an important building for  the clowning community that a stained glass window of Grimaldi has been installed in the church.

The service is open to the public, but you have to get there a lot earlier than the 10am start to ensure even a standing place, such is its popularity. Fear not, if you get there late – you might miss the slightly odd sight of clowns singing hymns, but it is traditional for a clowning show to be put on after the service for all the spectators waiting outside.

The church, although not home to the large amount of clown memorabilia that it once was (due to fires and damages it has now been moved to Wookey Hole in Somerset) still has some fascinating artefacts. For example, did you know that to become a proper clown, your must ‘copyright’ your make-up, and this is done by having a portrait painted on an egg? Every single clown, from the smaller children’s entertainers to the grand dames of clowning has been immortalised in egg form. There is a cool Flickr group of portraits here, and some of the eggs are on display at Holy Trinity.

Photos by Joelle Cleveland and  Mark Auer used under a Creative Commons License

I found a rather intriguing photo blog the other day. It documents shops that still have the dialling code 01 in London. You may wonder what’s so note-worthy about that, so I did a bit of digging and found this to help explain, thanks to Wikipedia.

The code 01 was introduced for London in 1959, when Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) came into being. For the next 30 years, it more or less became the accepted code for London. The three digits after the code indicated the borough, so for example 01 222 4567 was in Westminster and 01 964 4567 was in Wimbledon. In 1990, this was divided into 071 for inner London and 081 for outer London, and in 1995 this changed yet again to 0171 for inner London and 0181 for outer London. In 2000, numbers that were 0171 changed to 0207 and those that were 0181 changed to 0208.

Read popular UK phone number misconceptions as well, for further information!

Isn’t that quite cool?

Image via Wikipedia courtesy a Wikipedia Commons license.