One Man's London Quotes

“We turn right along and walk along the side of the Parade to look at a long-barrelled cannon about 30 yards away. Known as ‘the Turkish gun’, it was made in 1524, captured during the Egyptian campaign against Napoleon, and installed here in 1801. It is a splendid piece of artillery but achieved notoriety when it nearly became the largest assassination weapon in the world. A couple of years after the gun had been placed here, a man with the appropriate name of Captain Despard formed a conspiracy to assassinate George III while he was reviewing troops here. The cannon, loaded to its full capacity with grapeshot, was to let fly at the Royal coach as it trundled across the parade ground. The conspiracy was discovered in time, which was just as well because it would have blown the coach into a thousand pieces. Have a close look at it and note, on the carriage, the sly crocodile sneaking up on Britannia on the banks of the Nile.”
― N.T.P. Murphy, One Man's London: Twenty Years On

“The Eccentric Earl Great Scotland Yard behind us was the site of the old Scottish embassy and still has a theoretical claim to be considered Scottish territory. This corner of Horse Guards Avenue just past the St Margaret’s boundary mark is really Scottish because we are walking on Scottish soil (though it is covered by English tarmac). In 1760, this site was bought by the Earl of Fife for his London house. The Jacobite Rising had taken place only fifteen years before and, as a result of the repressive measures taken after Culloden, the Earl had developed a deep hatred of England and the English. To avoid suspicion of disloyalty, he had to attend the House of Lords but resolved not to tread on English soil unless he had to. He ordered a shipload of soil and gravel to be sent to London, covered this area with it and had a house built on top. When it was completed he came down by sea, landed at the jetty and, except for his compulsory attendance at the House of Lords, spent his entire time in London here – on Scottish soil.”
― N.T.P. Murphy, One Man's London: Twenty Years On