Telecom news

• Clapham Common incident exposes gaps in London Underground staff training, RAIB finds

  08-05-2024 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  London Underground staff were not trained to handle a situation in which people smashed a window to get out of a carriage at Clapham Common tube station, according to a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
  The damaged train in depot after the incident (c) TfL/RAIB
  The incident saw a tube train stop after an alarm was pulled, and then passengers tried to break out of the train after reports of smelling smoke. The report found that station staff were not equipped to deal with a
  
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• South by Southwest (SXSW) is coming to London

  08-05-2024 15:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  America’s world famous festival, South by Southwest (SXSW), will be coming to London next year.
  SXSW has been running in Austin, Texas, for nearly 40 years and attracts some 300,000 people to the festival. London is unlikely to garner such attendance numbers in its first year but could well grow into one of London’s larger annual festivals over time. The risk could be that it crowds out other similar concept events in London all year round as the organisers choose to join the SXSW br
  
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• You can now rent Tube stations for private events

  08-05-2024 14:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Transport for London (TfL) has started allowing some of its tube stations to be used for private events.
  Tube stations and similar locations have long been used for filming everything from heritage films to adverts and even Star Wars movies, but they’re very rarely used for events – until now at least.
  TfL is now offering to hire out several tube stations, some of its river piers, and the cable car for events.
  Charing Cross platforms (c) ianVisits
  That includes the closed ticket hall
  
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• Ham House’s rare opening of their cabinets to show off their interiors

  08-05-2024 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  This weekend, loads of highly decorated doors will be unlocked for a rare chance to see what’s behind their ornate panels.
  An ebony cabinet, made in around 1675, decorated with floral marquetry, in the Long Gallery at Ham House, London | (c) National Trust Images/John Hammond
  These are a rare collection of wood cabinets that are opened just twice a year for visitors to explore their unique artisanship during the Cabinets Unlocked showcase. The collection of cabinets, held at Ham House near
  
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• The London Eye is now a permanent London attraction

  08-05-2024 11:10 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  It’s been a fixture of the London skyline for so long that it can be a surprise to learn that the London Eye is technically a temporary structure – but not anymore. Last night, Lambeth Council granted permanent planning permission for the London Eye, removing the temporary status which would have needed to be renewed in 2028.
  Photo by Ismail Merad on Unsplash
  The updated planning permission now includes a clause that 1% of the attraction’s annual turnover will be paid towards t
  
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• A visit to the John Lewis and Waitrose heritage centre

  08-05-2024 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A small village not far from London contains over a century’s worth of information about that most British of retailers — John Lewis.
  It’s here in Cookham for a reason, as this is where John Spedan Lewis bought land to set up a country retreat for staff. However, plans drawn up in 1927 for a large estate never came to fruition, but the company still owns the land. Although the country club never arrived, a pottery was set up by Spedan Lewis to provide work for ex-servicemen, an
  
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• Overnight delivery for the Natural History Museum’s new Diplodocus skeleton

  08-05-2024 07:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Late at night last week, a huge skeleton of a Diplodocus dinosaur was delivered to the Natural History Museum, but when it goes on display, you won’t call it Dippy.
  Long lorry delivery of the bronze Diplodocus cast arriving at the Natural History Museum (c) The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
  Although you won’t call it Dippy, the newly delivered Diplodocus is a brand new bronze cast that’s based on Dippy, which itself was a plaster cast donated by Andrew Carnegie
  
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