4 Ragged School Museum

A Journey Through The History of The Victorian East End

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FROM THE EDITOR

Ever since I can remember, I have always been passionate about travelling and exploring. When I moved to London almost three years

ago, I quickly got used to the fact that I constant-ly ended up in many unique and sometimes very original places. I have always felt that I have a sense of the explorer who likes avoiding touristic paths. This model of sightseeing led me to fasci-nating discoveries and uncovering many interest-ing aspects of London’s history and its heritage. I wanted to see more than just a Big Ben or the crowded streets of Piccadilly Circus, which I knew from postcards. After a few months in the Capital I had enough of these clichés, constantly present-ed in the mainstream media without leaving space for less popular places. I felt that this city, despite its rush and craziness has a lot more to offer.

Secret London is one of my most personal projects so far and definitely the longest journey I have ever embarked on. I am happy that you finally hold in your hands a collection of six places, which I have visited since early December of 2015. I would wake up early in the morning, pack my camera, audio re-corder and run to the underground station with my head full of questions for my amazing interviewees in all parts of London.

There were some days when I had to quickly move from one corner of the city to another, using any means of transport possible, including buses, DLR or cabs. I had a chance to meet extraordinary peo-ple, who shared their stories with me along with their passion and commitment to their institu-tions. These conversations took place in all sorts of environments, including for example the little Café Diana, the unique Museum of Fans or the real farm in the middle of Hackney.

Over the past few months whilst I have been inten-sively working on the content of this publication, I tried to keep these places as secret as possible, providing only some teasers on my magazine’s so-cial media platforms. And now here it is! I would like to welcome you to my own, subjective Secret London, composed of places, which are associat-ed with science, art, food industry or nature. I am happy and honoured to finally make YOU a part of this journey.

Michal Lachowicz, Editor in Chief

@SecretLondonMagazine

@secretlondonmagazine

8 Treasures of The Fan Museum

2 People With Passion, One Incredible Story

MAY 2016CONTENTS

Secret London4-5 RAGGED SCHOOL MUSEUMEmbark on a journey through the history of the Victorian East End

6-7 HACKNEY CITY FARMDiscover a real farm in the middle

of the city

8-9 TREASURES OF THE FAN MU-SEUM

Find out more about the history of this remarkable object and its

unique features

10-11 IN CONVERSATION WITH MRS. HELENE ALEXANDER

The Fan Museum's Director takes us on a journey into the world of

fans

12-14 ALEXANDER FLEMING LABORATORY MUSEUM

Read about the original lab where Fleming discovered penicillin in

1928

15-17 CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDENEscape from London's hustle and

bustle to the kingdom of medicinal plants

18-21 CAFE DIANAAbdul Daoud takes us behind the

curtain of his unique meetings with Diana

22 SECRET CROSSWORDCheck your knowledge about gems

described in the magazine

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Secret London/Mile End

Ragged School Museum A Journey Through the History of the Victorian East End

The fascinating thing about London is that al-most every corner has a unique historical background, reflected in monuments, plaques

or little museums in particular districts. If you start looking at this city from the perspective of an explor-er and step away from the known and touristic track, you will quickly notice how many secret treasures London hides.

One of them was waiting for me in Mile End, which I visited on a December morning. When I got out of the tube station and began to walk along the Regent’s Canal- I had this feeling that step by step I was leaving the comfort of the familiar and about to delve into the difficult Victorian times of London’s East End. After a few minutes, I stood at the door of the Ragged School Museum where I was welcomed by its director Erica Davies. Accompanied by creaking floorboards beneath my feet, I embarked on a jour-ney.

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© Michal Lachowicz

The morning sun was shining through the windows, lighting up rows of scratched desks with little chalk-boards placed on each of them. When I sat down and looked ahead I had a view of an old, yellowed map of the British Isles. I kept looking at the portrait of Queen Victoria and thought that there were only the two of us in the classroom, when suddenly I heard someone else’s footsteps. It was an actress, dressed as a strict Victorian teacher who entered the room. She had characteristic glasses on her face, wore a white shirt and long, burgundy skirt. We looked at each other, smiled and she quickly ran to hide herself behind one of the boards to surprise children, who were about to arrive.

It helped me to discover the darker pages of East London’s history. The museum, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, was established in 1990 in former warehouses located along the secret Cop-perfield Road on the side of the canal. It was here- from 1877 to 1908 where children from local areas, confronted with poverty, diseases and a lack of basic education were taught and therefore had the chance to make a better life. My curiosity, combined with shock and sadness, began turning into admiration for one man in particular- Thomas John Barnardo.

He was born in Dublin in 1845 and grew up with a strong sense of helping others. As a 21-year-old man, filled with enthusiasm, he came to London in order to study medicine. The knowledge and experience gained here, was supposed to prepare him to work as a missionary in China. However, what happened next proves that life itself writes the best scripts. Barnardo was overwhelmed by the scale of pover-ty, conditions of life below the human dignity and the number of deaths, especially among children, caused by cholera outbreak. He decided to change his plans and set a goal to reduce the problem.

Focusing his actions particularly on the youngest residents of East London, for whom educational pos-sibilities were simply unreachable, he created op-portunities for them in his Ragged Schools. The first one was opened in 1867 and the one in Copperfield Road 10 years later. Under Barnardo’s wings children could escape from harsh reality, feel safe, get a warm meal and receive clothes or school items. ‘’Nobody in the Victorian era was going to make a big tran-sition to being hugely successful in some major ca-reer,’’ says museum’s director, Erica Davies. ‘’The aim was to give children a basic education and skills, so that they could earn their living.’’

What I found unique about this place is that it not only educates visitors through exhibition or informa-tion but it also allows one to experience the genuine Victorian lifestyle. Erica says: ‘During the week we offer a Victorian lesson to schools, so three primary schools usually come here every day, from Monday to Friday. However, on the first Sunday of the month we offer this Victorian lesson to all guests. They can be people from six to sixty.’

Spiral, wooden staircase led me to the Victorian Classroom, which is at the centre of the activities and it reminded me of my own school years.

Actress dressed as a strict Victorian teacher

The author of the article at the museum

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https://vimeo.com/165241418

Watch the video!

Secret London/Hackney

Are you tired of London’s rush? Would you like to experience something else? Then why not to visit a real farm in the mid-dle of the city!

If you are tired of London’s rush and would like to swap the view of crowded streets for a more natural landscape there is one place, still

unknown to many Londoners, which provides such a unique experience. I arrived in Hackney with the goal to find an original farm, where for the past 31 years local people have experienced farming and had contact with various animals. My search ended, when I ventured down into a small street and found myself stood in front of the farm’s welcome sign.

I was only few steps away from getting into the story of this place and couldn’t wait to meet its manager Chris Pounds, who was my guide dur-ing these few hours spent among donkeys, chick-ens, pigs and sheep. However, before I started a deeper exploration of the farm I sat down with Chris, who took me on a journey through the his-tory of the farm. ‘’The farm is located on the site of old brewery,’’ he said. ‘‘30 years ago in 1984, a group of people got together. They heard about city farms, quite liked the idea and approached Hackney Council, which had a number of disused areas and this was one of them.

Hackney City Farm

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© Michal Lachowicz

So, they asked the council if they can have a lease on it for 100 years to establish a city farm.’’ The aim was to create a space, in which children from local, urban areas could experience farming, country life and learn how to grow vegetables. The beginning of the site’s history dates back to the early 1800s, when the area had been witness to the develop-ment of farming and market gardening, which re-sulted in regular delivery of fresh products to differ-ent parts of the city.

The late 1880s initiated a period devoted to brew-ing, which has been present here for the next 50 years. The following years entailed the creation of new branches of business, such as furniture makers or button manufacturers, which occupied the area. Thanks to the engagement of the local community, 1982 brought a new direction, which resulted in the formation of the farm. Two years later, the place had started to operate as Hackney City Farm, re-ceiving a one hundred years lease from the council.

It took many years of hard work to transform this initially derelict and neglected place into a thriv-ing farm. The process of bringing the site back to life required renovation of some outbuildings and adapting them to the needs of animals. There are a variety of creative opportunities to spend a day at the farm and everyone can become a part of its daily rhythm, for example through taking part in es-pecially designed pottery or mosaic classes.

What I found particularly found interesting is that if you feel any bond with particular animal, you can adopt chicken, rabbit or even a pig and support its life at the farm.

Chris said: ‘’You can come down, have a look and adopt any of the animals. Then you get some pho-tographs and a certificate, which tells you about the animal. You also get a chance to come and meet it a couple times a year. If it is a rabbit you can ob-viously sit with it on your lap or come closer and find out a bit more about the animal.’’ Animal adop-tions at Hackney City Farm start from only £15.

However, after 2 hours I had to leave the farm and come back to the busy high street. I had to move to another secret place but the mud on my shoes was a constant reminder about this unique place.

Every pen belongs to the particular group of animals

Chickens running freely all over the farm

“You can come down,

have a look and adopt

any of the animals. Then

you get some photo-

graphs and a certificate.”

- CHRIS POUNDS

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Secret London/Greenwich

The Fan Museum has opened its doors to vis-itors 25 years ago, in May 1991. However, this sumptuous opening had been preceded

by a five-year period of work, which current direc-tor- Mrs. Helene Alexander and her late husband Dicky have spent on planning. The unexpected windfall was one of the factors, which made this project possible and gave it at that time the status of the only museum in the world devoted to fans.

Impressive number of 1000 objects gathered by Helene launched the collection, and until today has increased over five times. The Fan Museum is located in two listed, historical buildings from the Georgian era placed on the Crooms Hill- in the neighbourhood of Greenwich Park. Through-out the years museum gathered not only the most diverse and representative collection on fans in the world, but also patronage of eminent per-sonalities such as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

The museum’s interior is divided into a few parts. On the ground floor, there is a green room, which holds a permanent exhibition about the history of fans, the way in which they are constructed, and materials of which they are made. I was personal-ly impressed by an Italian olivewood cockade fan, which not only was the first round one that I’ve ever seen but also had a beautiful, patterned dec-oration and little mirror in the middle of the guard.

Exhibits from Europe of 18th and 19th centuries par-ticularly dominate the collection. Due to conservation reasons, only a small part of it can be displayed to the public while the rest is carefully stored. However, there is a catalogue where you can see the museum’s treasures in the digital version on the website.

This variety of choice creates an opportunity to group objects thematically, for example by historical era, geographic location or visual features and then present them in a form of temporary exhibitions. The newest one was opened in January.

“I’m an art historian and I have found fans almost little pages of

THE history.”

- Mrs Hélène Alexander

Blonde tortoiseshell fan

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2 people with passion, one incredible story

TREASURES OFTHE FAN MUSEUM

Blonde tortoiseshell fan

2 people with passion, one incredible story

In order to find out a bit more about it, I went upstairs for my appointed meeting with the legend of this place- Mrs. Helene Alexander. Her office was one of these places that have a soul. There was a beautiful mirror, a lot of photographs, small charming cups on the cabinet and many other little things, including fans. I quickly forgot that the audio recorder was turned on and simply began listening to Helene’s stories.

She said: ‘’Great many of fans come from my per-sonal collection and I’m a very old lady, so I’ve been collecting them for a long time. I’m an art histori-an and I have found fans almost little pages of the history.’’ Then she adds: ‘’The folding fan came to Europe from the Far East- basically from China and was imported by people who were settling in Chi-na, such as the Portuguese who had the colony in Macau. They served for people to cool themselves.’’

Telescopic fans were invented at the end of the 18th century

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In the museum's 25th anniversary, Helene still has a spark in her eyes when she talks about anniver-sary celebrations and achievements of the place. She told me: ‘’The new exhibition is called ‘Treas-ures of the Fan Museum’ and it comprises some ex-tremely important and historical fans. For instance, we have got a magnificent fan, which was given to Princess Stephanie of Belgium when she mar-ried Rudolph, Crown Prince of Austria who com-mitted a suicide. She remained a widow for many years and then she married a Hungarian Count. It is from Hungary that we were able to get this fan.’’

This little place at Crooms Hill became an insepa-rable part of Helene’s life. She used to be the first president of The Fan Circle. She travelled to the US, in order to take part in assemblages of The Fan As-sociation of North America. I had to ask her about the most beautiful memory. She said: ‘’I suppose I should say that the Royal visit was very special and the fact that the Duchess of Cornwall agreed to become a patron. However, sadly it was after I lost my husband. The best moment for me was when my husband and I opened The Fan Museum.’’

Mrs. Helene Alexander in her office

© Michal Lachowicz

TREASURES OFTHE FAN MUSEUM

Secret London/Greenwich

ML: It's amazing that museum allows visitors to make their own fans and get involved through the workshops, that you organise here. Could you tell me how the public can attend them?

HA: Unfortunately we don’t have much space and we hope to eventually develop this more. At the moment, classes take place on Saturday afternoon. People can get a very close tuition. We are hoping to develop that a little bit more.

ML: This museum became a big part of your life. Is there any particular achievement or moment that you are the most proud of?

HA: Well, I suppose I should say that you roy-al visit was very special and the fact that The Duchess of Cornwall agreed to become a patron. However, sadly that was after I lost my husband. The best moment for me if you like, was when my husband and I opened The Fan Museum.

ML: Are you working on any new pro-jects at the museum right now?

HA: At the moment I work here as a director. We work towards a sustainable future for the muse-um. I’m lucky enough to have the most excellent curator, who really understands the objects and I think that we have every possibility of going on, because we have a board of trustees. The muse-um is not private but independent and is looked after by different types of remarkable people.

ML: Did your work in the Victoria and Al-bert museum, influenced this hobby?

HA: Not at all. I was already a collector and I worked at the V&A as a volunteer with the wonderful woman, who was a specialist in 18th century dress. She taught me a lot about museums. Sir Roy Strong who was a di-rector at that time, also taught me a lot of things too, for example what not to do in the museums (laugh).

Secret London’s editor- Michal Lachowicz with Mrs. Helene Alexander

In conversation with Mrs Hélène Alexander- director and founder of The Fan Museum

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© Michal Lachowicz

The

Hom

e of

Pen

icilli

n

Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum

Secret London/Paddington

Did you know that it was within the walls of legendary St. Mary’s Hospital, where in September 1928 Alexander Fleming made his breakthrough discovery of penicillin? Today his original lab hous-es a unique museum, which I explored together with its curator, no-table historian and Fleming's official biographer- Kevin Brown.

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© Wikipedia

In the past, when I heard about Al-exander Fleming- I only knew about him a few general facts, with discov-

ery of penicillin in the lead. However, when I began searching for a secret place, which could be associated with the science, I found out that it was in London, where he used to conduct most of the research and his greatest discoveries took place within the walls of the legendary St Mary’s Hospital.

Who would have thought that few min-utes from Paddington Station, on the left side of Praed Street, there is Alex-ander Fleming Laboratory Museum, hidden just behind the hospital’s forged gate? If you decide to stop in front of the blue plaque, look up and pay atten-tion to the window placed in the sec-ond storey above it. Behind it there is an original room, in which Fleming dis-covered penicillin, in September 1928.

I knocked on the door and heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I was just about to meet Kevin Brown- his-torian of the medicine, author of sev-eral publications, but first of all cura-tor of the museum and biographer of Alexander Fleming. When we finally got to the room, I felt like I have just come to the place, which Fleming left few minutes ago, in order to have a short break from doing his research.

I looked around and everything seemed like it was remained intact. In front of me there were three windows. Wood-en desk and a windowsill above it were covered with various objects- of all kind of sizes, shapes and even someone who is not interested in science will be able to recognize a few specific things.

There was an old, black microscope. Be-hind it, in a little scientific disorder, there were many kinds of test tubes, bottles made from brown glass, vials, beakers, mortar with pestle, one lonely tweezers and some books with leather covers.

‘’It is an actual room, where everything happened,’’ said Kevin. ‘’I think it is a unique selling point and the exciting thing about it. Now, what you see is a re-construction in the actual room of how it was back in 1928. A lot of the equip-ment was used by Fleming or his col-leagues and I think you have a sense of Fleming having just gone out and being about to come in to discover penicillin.’’

He adds: “Fleming occupied that lab from 1919 until 1933 and in it he made his important discoveries- enzyme lysozyme that is a natural antiseptic within the human body and penicillin.’’

It took the number of years before muse-um officially opened its doors for visitors.

Scientific equipment in Fleming’s original laboratory

Fleming discovered peni-cillin in the second storey room above this plaque

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© Michal Lachowicz

Secret London/Paddington

For a long time it was only in the realm of plans. In 1989, Kevin joined the team of the St Mary’s Hospital, where he was appointed an archivist and four years later- set up the museum. ‘’I think if it happened before it did,’’ he says ‘’you would have got a conven-tional museum just full of display cas-es. Whereas, by the time the museum was opened- as it is now, the idea was to have something more exciting but also it needed to have somebody who actually do the work of setting it all up.’’

The most interesting part of our meet-ing occurred when Kevin began de-scribing Fleming’s educational path, after his arrival in London, in 1895. 14 years-old Alexander put his first steps at the Regents Street Polytech-nic. “Then Fleming became a shipping clerk but he didn’t like it,” says Kevin. “When the opportunity came up to do something when he got a legacy from one of his uncles, he decided to study medicine and got a scholarship.”

With this kind of supportFleming began his scientific adventure with the St Mary’s Medical School, where he joined in 1901. The knowl-edge gained there, opened another op-portunities and allowed him to move one step closer towards the University of London degree in medicine. Between 1906 and 1908 Fleming had already an outlined vision of what he would like to do and his greatest ambition was to become a surgeon. However, plans changed and instead of possibilities associated with surgery, he received an offer from St Mary’s Hospital to en-gage in the issues of the bacteriology.

Another testing time came with an outbreak of the World War I, when Fleming together with his depart-ment went to Boulogne in France, in order to expand their research, through investigation of war wounds.

The cooperation with Almroth Wright resulted in new discoveries in bac-teriology. According to Kevin ‘’they demonstrated that that the use of strong antiseptics on battlefield wounds did more harm than good’’. When the war finished, Fleming re-turned to St Mary’s where he received a prestigious position as an assistant di-rector of the Inoculation Department. In November of 1921 he discovered lysozyme- an enzyme, which is a com-ponent for example of our saliva or tears but its antiseptic impact is very little.

The crowning moment happened of course 7 years later when Fleming dis-covered penicillin. However, he had to share his Nobel Prize in 1945 with two other scholars- Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, who developed the research on penicillin at the Oxford University and began testing in on patients during the 1940s. The first recipient was a policeman Albert Al-exander who injured his mouth while pruning roses. It led to a very serious infection and only the penicillin could help him. It actually did, but only for a while. Unfortunately supplies of the drug finished and he suddenly died.

Bottles with different substances such as the syrup of squill

Sign above theentrance to the museum

Times magazine from the same month and year, in which Fleming discovered penicillin

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Secret London/Chelsea

Chelsea Physic

GardenOf Medicinal Plants

Wel

com

e to

the

King

doo

m

~15~

© Michal Lachowicz

Secret London/Chelsea

It always amazes me how humans are united with the nature and how many species of plants help us on a daily basis during treatment of various diseases and

conditions. Who of us haven’t heard about miraculous healings, or diseases which were successfully cured thanks to the unique values kept in store by the nature?

In London’s Chelsea, I managed to discover a secret gar-den- known not only for its exceptional microclimate, but also for its pioneering actions in terms of plant ex-change. It is considered to be a cradle of medicinal herbs in Britain. One January morning, just a few months be-fore everything will begin to bloom, I opened the doors of Chelsea Physic Garden, where I discovered how strong the connection is between medicine and nature.

This remarkable collection of plants was established in 1673 by Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London. Among the oldest botanical gardens in Britain, Chelsea Physic Garden is placed in the second position- just be-hind the one at The University in Oxford, which creation dates back to 1621. The mission cultivated by Apothecar-ies was to set up a place, which not only would be a home for a variety of species, but also would fulfil educational functions by providing an outdoor experience for their apprentices. Under the guidance of experts, students were educated in the natural environment. Why this par-ticular area of London was chosen to create the garden?

First of all, it is located close to the river and this in connec-tion with sheltering walls- creates a mild microclimate. As a result, many tender species, that are originally from Mediterranean countries or Canary Islands, are kept alive. The largest in the country fruiting olive tree in the country (located here), can stand as a perfect example.

Editor of Secret London- Michal, explores The Cool Fernery full of non-flowering plants

Glasshouse with the flora of The AtlanticIslands

Entrance to the Chelsea Physic Garden

Established in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of Lon-don- Chelsea Physic Garden is the second oldest botanical garden in Brit-

ain and contains an impressive collection of around 5,000 species of plants. Many of them are known for their healing properties, presence in the his-tory or connection with an art. The unique microclimate created by shel-tering walls and location by the river, allows to keep alive many tender plants, that are originally known from the most exotic parts of our planet.

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Many people have contributed to the devel-opment of Chelsea Physic Garden since its es-tablishment, taking it out of different crises. Under the guardianship of John Watts, who was the first curator, the site got the first greenhouses warmed by an external stove. This pioneering solution, unknown anywhere in Brit-ain before, created comfortable environment, which allowed many tender plants to grow. Another eminent personality, who remained in the history of this place, is Hans Sloane whom you probably know from the name of tube station Sloane Square placed on the District Line.

He began his career as one of the apprentices in 1680. After finishing education several years later, he em-barked on a journey to Jamaica. It was a wonderful experience, which led to incredible medical discover-ies. During this expedition, Hans managed to obtain a mixture of plants and discover healing aspects of cacao, which in consequence made him very rich.

After returning to London with wide financial possi-bilities, Sloane bought the Manor of Chelsea- togeth-er with its secret Chelsea Physic Garden. To show his gratitude for the Apothecaries, he decided to rent them the site, requiring only a small sum of £5 per year. Golden years of this place came together with Phil-ip Miller, who joined the team as the Head Gardener in 1722 where he had stayed for the next 50 years.

At that time the Garden became an absolute lead-er in terms of plant exchange in the entire world. Throughout the 1800s Apothecaries have been fac-ing difficulties associated to securing the uncertain future of the place. Between 1815 and 1846, finan-cial resources were incomparably smaller. The posi-tive light that appeared at the Garden came with new solutions and ideas including sealed- unit glasshouse, which allowed to transport plants over far distances.

Other issues emerged along the way including, for instance, the risk of building a railway line running through the site. In the middle of the 19th centu-ry, financial problems deepened and the future of the Garden was again put under a question mark. However, the end of this period brought a new di-rection as the place was taken over by a charity.

As a result, new improvements were conducted, in-cluding the emergence of next glasshouses. The cul-minating moment took place in 1984, with the es-tablisment of Chelsea Physic Garden Company, which was a result of worries that the charity, which took over the site may leave. The money raised by friends and workers allowed to create a new chari-ty, save the Garden and made it accessible to visitors .

The Garden is divided into different sections , as-sociated with medicinal, edible, useful or British plants. I saved the last memories on my camera in the Cool Fernery full of mysteriously growing ferns.

Garden of useful plants (hygiene and cosmetics)

British native plants around the Tank Pond

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One of the trails with snowdrops

Secret London/Notting Hill

CAFE DIANAThere are many places in London that commemo-

rate Princess Diana. One of them is a little cafe lo-cated a few minutes away from the Notting Hill Station. Before she died in a tragic car crash in Paris, she used to come here once in a while for a cup of coffee and even became friends with the owner- Abdul Daoud.

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© Michal Lachowicz

In remembrance of People's Princess

She was cited as the most famous wom-an in the world, the Marilyn Monroe of our generation. But after Diana Prin-

cess of Wales' fairy-tale wedding to Prince Charles on 29th July 1981, her life had turned into that of a soap opera- witnessed not only by the media but also entire world.

Her unique aura, presence and style made her an established icon and led to develop-ment of remarkable stardom, which at some point became out of control. During the peak of her activity she was on the cover of almost every magazine, getting maximum attention. Diana’s legendary appearances at royal ban-quets, movie premieres or charity meetings had been widely reported on, as was her unique ability to connect with strangers in the crowds.

She was a great star, but also a normal and humble person- with a huge heart and a mis-sion to use her position in order to provide help for the ones who needed it the most. She wasn’t afraid of close contact with patients suf-fering from AIDS and broke many stereotypes thought of the disease. She also participated in many journeys to distant countries affected by various crises, such as Cambodia or Angola. On 31st August 1997- the world held its breath when tragic news from Par-is caused worldwide mourning.

Signed photograph, which Diana brought to the cafe in 1989

Editor of Secret London- Michal, in conversation with the cafe's owner Abdul Daoud

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Secret London/Notting Hill

Several minutes after leaving legendary Hotel Ritz, located on Place Vendome, Diana together with her lover Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul (the Ritz’s deputy head of security) were involved in a car accident in the Alma tunnel. The trag-ic events consequently resulted in the death of all passengers. Doctors had been fighting for Di-ana's life for a several hours before the follow-ing morning, when the world lost its Princess. Her funeral on 6th September gathered crowds on the streets of London, but also many eminent people during farewell in Westminster Abbey.

There are plenty of places in London, that com-memorate Diana’s heritage, including an original fountain in Hyde Park and various monuments or walks. In this way, she will be remembered forever. I, personally, managed to find a unique cafe- where her spirit is still present and I had an opportunity to feel it through words and memories of one man- Abdul Daoud. Café Di-ana was established by Abdul in 1989 near Kensington Palace, on the way to Notting Hill station. There are thousands of cafes in Lon-don, but what makes this one special is the fact that Diana used to be a regular visitor.

At the beginning Abdul didn’t know how he would name the place. He says: ‘’I bought this shop in 1988. I was doing construction works to create a coffee shop, but I still needed to choose a name. I didn’t know what to call it. One day, I saw police stopping the traffic and Princess Diana came out with her two sons. I wondered what was going on and then someone said that Diana is taking the two Princes to school. That inspired me to call this place Café Diana.’’

When I entered the café for the first time, it seemed pretty much like any other. How-ever, when I looked at the memorial wall, everything changed. It was covered with pho-tographs of Diana from various private and official events throughout her life. Some of them, for example the ones taken by Mario Testino, were so iconic- that I quickly recog-nised them from Diana's cover star days. I also noticed a real treasure- a beautiful photo orig-inally signed by Diana and dated from 1989. It was placed on the wall just above my head.

‘’There was a nice black and white picture by a photographer David Bailey,’’ said Abdul. ‘’My daughter really liked it and I just mentioned it in conversation with Diana. Few days later she came back with a signed photo and told me to give it to my daughter. I asked if she didn’t mind to hang it here on the wall and she said it was mine. So, after that I started to put pictures all around.’’ While sitting at the scarred table, Abdul took me back to the moment when he first met the Princess. ‘’Well, the first time she came in I was in the shop and I really didn’t know how to be-have. When I offered her a coffee my hands were shaking. However, as soon as she started talking to me, I felt that she was a very normal and hum-ble person but her presence was still one of the fairytale princess. She was so beautiful but at the same time very calm and during conversations she had this ability to make you feel like you'd known her for a very long time. She had that gift.’’

Diana’s usual order at the cafe was a cup of cof-fee and a croissant. Occasionally, she was accom-panied by sons- William and Harry, who loved eating their English breakfasts here. Every time when her sons joined her, she would ask Abdul for discretion. This provided a slither of the nor-mality she craved for. Her close friendship with the cafe's owner is visible not only in the way he speaks about Diana, but also warm letters that he had received from her throughout the years. You can see them among photographs, beautiful-ly framed and mainly dated back to the late 90s.

Entrance to the Cafe Diana

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Did you know that before Diana married Prince Charles and became a part of The Royal Family, she

used to live with her flatmates in a flat located in this building at 60 Coleherne Court- few steps away from the Earls Court station? It was purchased by her mother.

~21~

© Michal Lachowicz

SECRETCROSSWORD

It's time to check your knowledge about secret places de-scribed in the magazine. If you read everything careful-ly it shouldn't be a problem for you to guess what kind of words are hidden behind the clues below. Good Luck!

Across4. Where the oldest botanical garden in Britain is located?7. What is the name of the city, in which Alexander Fleming worked after the I World War broke out?11. What kind of job Fleming didn't find enjoyable after his arrival in London?13. Surname of an Irish man, known for his philanthropic activities for children during the Victorian times in London.14. Who photographed Diana on the autographed picture, which she brought to the cafe?

Down1. What is the name of the gardener who has worked in Chelsea Physic Garden for 50 years, during the place's golden period?2. What is the name of the street where Alexander Fleming Laboratory is located?3. What did Alexander Fleming study at The University of London?5. Ragged School Museum is located alongside one of London's canals. What is its name?6. Where did Hans Sloane discover healing properties of cacao?8. What is the surname of The Fan's Museum main patron?9. What occupied the site of Hackney City Farm in the past?10. What was the name of Mrs. Helene Alexander's late husband?

~22~

Philip Miller, Praed Street, M

edicine, Oxford U

niversity, Regents Canal, Jamaica,

Boulogne, Parker Bowles, Brew

ery, Dicky, Shipping Clerk, Guard, Barnardo, David Bailey