How Quaint

This little scene brings me such joy. Here we have a piece of old England, a London Cabman's shelter from around 1875, nestled cosily in a leafy corner of the city, complete with a modern cab parked outside. Let's roll back the clock and consider the scene 135 years ago. 

Way back then, a fund was established to provide shelters for drivers of hackney carriages and handsome cabs in their hour of need. Life could be difficult for them especially during adverse weather conditions. They were strictly banned from leaving their vehicles unattended for fear of theft and this meant they couldn't seek refuge inside an Inn or cafe for a hot meal and a drink. And so approximately 60 of these green huts were built on the major cab sites around London and the specification stated they should be no larger than a horse and cart as they were part of the public highway.

They were run by attendants who would either provide hot meals on request or cook a cabbie's own food if he brought it with him. The huts seated about 10 people and newspapers were provided by kind benefactors or publishers who also supported this idea. There were strict rules in place and alcohol, gambling and swearing were not allowed. There are only 13 of the shelters remaining today, run by the cabmens' fund and they are Grade 2 listed buildings. 

Thankyou to Wikipedia for providing this information