LonelyPlanetmagazineeditorPeterGrunerttakesa glimpseinside
a secrettreasureonthestreetsof London:thecabmen’sshelter
Fare trade
used to thinktheywerepublictoilets,’
says shelterkeeperKatieSimmonds,
ofthe green-paintedhutsthathide
scattered inplainsightacrosscentral
London. These GradeII-listedbuildings
are, in fact, cabmen’sshelters.
From a peak of 47 openatonetime,today
13 of the ornate littlestructuresremain.They
were built with supportfromtheCabmen’s
Shelter Fund, setupin 1875 byCaptainGeorge
Armstrong, editorofTheGlobenewspaper.
During an era whentheTemperance
movement was influentialin Britishsociety,
Captain Armstrong’squestwastoprovide
London’s 4,600 hansom-cabdriverswithan
alternative to thepubwhentheywereseeking
refuge from thirst,hungerandtheelements.
Eleven of the 13remainingcabmen’s
shelters still functionascafés,withsitesamid
London’s richestpatchesofrealestatein
Belgravia; amongfour lanesof traffichurtling
past the Victoria&AlbertMuseumin
Kensington; andon a leafycornerof Russell
Square. Where atfirst the regulationsfor
users forbade alcohol,swearingandpolitical
discussions, nowtheremainingessential
rule is that onlylicensedLondoncabdrivers
who have passedtheKnowledge– orthe
occasional memberofthepublicinvitedin
by one of them –mayenter.
And so, with agenerous,banter-laden
welcome from cabbiesMick,GrahamandJohn,I find myselfsteppinginsideone of these
timecapsules.Thisisthecabmen’sshelter
Katieoperateson RussellSquare,and she
slidesa slabofherhomemadebreadpudding
inmydirectionasI squeezebehinda Formica
table.Topicsfordiscussiontodayinclude
Mick’sdecadespentdrivingfreighttrucks
acrosstheUSA,Graham’srowwithanUber
driveratHeathrowthatmorning,andJohn’s
effortstocorraltogether 120 cabstotransport
specialneedsanddisadvantagedkidsona
LondonTaxiDrivers’CharityforChildren
outingtoSouthend-on-Sea.
Katiehasbeentheshelterkeeperherefor
over five yearsand confirms:‘The most
popularfoodchoiceisa sausageandbacon
sandwich,madewiththebestmeatfrom
SmithfieldMarket.I’ve nevereveneatenone- I’ma vegetarian.’Foodanddrinkare
availabletoallpassersbyastakeawayviathe
servinghatchatthefrontoftheshelter.
Duringmyafternoonspentchattinginside
withthecabbies,a processionoflosttourists
poptheirheadsthroughthehatch,and
directionsareeagerlygiven.
‘It’s not just cabbies.All sortscomehere - peoplefromthenearbyuniversity,homeless
people,’says Katie.‘Somesay Londonhas
becomeharsh,but I just say it’s busy.You’ll
still find a communityin here.Camaraderie
hasa homeinthisbuilding.’
Seefacebook.com/russellsqcabhut;ltcfc.org.uk
I
Right: The hatch at the
Russell Square cabmen’s
shelter, through which
customers without
the Knowledge are servedPHOTOGRAPHS: PETER GRUNERT