In this episode, the 19th in Danny Hurst´s fascinating Monopoly London place names history series it is the turn of Leicester Square. Danny shares the origins of its nickname “Fester Square”, the connection it has with Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and why it is home to a toilet cubicle named after the director Kevin Smith.

He also explains the connection to leotards, the ballet, Karl Marx, the Chinese community, several important artists and much more. As well as providing a breakdown of the origins and significance of each of the statues located in Leicester Square.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Leicester Square is the place with the most mispronounced name.
• Since 1937, Leicester Square has been the place for film premiers.
• The square is home to the largest cinema in the UK.
• Micheal Cain got his name from Leicester Square.
• The director Kevin Smith has a toilet cubicle named after him in one of Leicester Square´s cinemas.
• Next time you visit, look up, Danny explains why.
• Don´t use the Underground to travel between Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Winter meant Christmas and Christmas meant Monopoly. ´

‘This house had a drawbridge at the back used to receive corpses from grave robbers.’

‘This is the shortest journey on the Underground.’

 

EPISODE RESOURCES

Shop for all official versions of Monopoly here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/785DC233-0A69-4DF8-98E9-4F50CC50A59E

Leicester Square mispronunciation story

HOST BIO

Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can.

CONTACT AND SOCIALS

https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst
facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638

https://twitter.com/dannyhurst 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

Podcast Description

"History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake." James Joyce.

That was me at school as well. Ironically, I ended up becoming a historian. The Unusual Histories podcast is all about the history you don't learn at school, nor indeed anywhere else. Discover things that you didn't know that you didn't know, fascinating historical luminaries and their vices and addictions, and the other numerous sides of every story.

We start with the Monopoly Series, in which we explore how the game came to be, the real-life connection between the cheapest and most expensive properties, the history of each location, how proportionate the values were then and are today, what the hell a "community chest" is and whether free parking really does exist anywhere in London. 

If you love history; or indeed if you hate history, this is the podcast for you…