Distance from London – where is it measured from?

The answer to this question is one that I got wrong, and publicly too. I was soon contacted by people who said I was in error, and gave me the correct answer. Oh, the shame of it.

Scroll down for the answer.

Here’s where I publicly got it wrong. Last week I was on the BBC Surrey Radio breakfast show to talk about Surrey Heath Museum’s #hugamilestone campaign.

Me, on the show, talked about how milestones measured the distance from London, and that the milestones in Surrey Heath are measured in miles from Hyde Park Corner. See photo.

James Cannon, one of the breakfast show presenters, asked me where’s the modern centre of London, the point used to measure distances from London?

Me again, two places I said, – burst of laughter from James – at Hyde Park Corner and the London Stone used by the Romans to signify the centre of London. I even said that the London Stone was in the wall of a Bank of China building. Wrong again. It was, but no longer.

  

Anyway. I guess you’ll want to know the answer. That’s if you don’t already know.

It’s HERE, at Charing Cross. See photos of plaque and Charing cross below.

Early rising to be on BBC Surrey Radio

This morning I was briefly interviewed on the BBC Surrey breakfast radio programme with presenters James Cannon and Suzanne Bamborough.

How come? Well, BBC Surrey followed up on Surrey Heath Museum’s #hugamilestone campaign. They interviewed our wonderfully creative Museum curator – Gillian Barnes-Riding, and then asked the Milestone Society for a spokesperson. It’s they who suggested me, being both a member and a Surrey Heath resident.

The interview was around 7.25 am at the BBC Surrey Studios in Guildford. This meant being woken up at 5 something. Aaaaarggghh. Got to Guildford in plenty of time, and was revived by a good cup of tea.

Here’s the whole of BBC Surrey’s piece on Milestones, and a photo of the two lovely presenters.