The Old Curiosity Shop

Continuing the two themes of "things I pass everyday but don't really notice" and Charles Dickens I blipped the Old Curiosity Shop on my way to work this morning.

"With its precarious overhanging upper storey, uneven floorboards, sloping roof and wooden beams, this 16th century [1567] building warrants its title as probably the oldest shop in central London. It also fits perfectly the image of Charles Dickens' creaking, half-timbered 'Old Curiosity Shop'. While some doubt has been cast over the assumption that the shop was the inspiration behind Dickens' novel of the same name, the building certainly does a very good job of convincing sceptics otherwise. At one time it functioned as a dairy on an estate given by King Charles II to one of his many mistresses. Made using the wood from old ships the building miraculously survived the flames of the Great Fire of 1666 and the bombs of Second World War."

Thank you to Diplomatic Diva's Delight for your kind comments yesterday. I was born in London and work in London and although I now live in Surrey I am very proud of our capital city and its sights and sounds. I will try and seek out some more unusual things that visitors don't normally see.