06/06/2026
32 Days to Go: Looking Back at Our Outings 🧡
Today’s countdown post is a special one, focusing on these incredible photographs from our charity outings back in the early 1960s.
Looking at the snapshots, Stanley Roth tells us the 1961 outing left from the old Norwood Orphanage and headed down to Brighton. By 1962, the other photographs capture the outing leaving from Beaumont Square in East London, which was when the charity started its tradition of going to Southend. Sadly, the historic Norwood Orphanage building was pulled down later in the 1960s, but the deep bond our charity shares with it goes right back to our roots in 1928.
We recently had a brilliant chat on the phone with Stanley, who kindly shared these memories with us. At 90 years young, Stanley is a true legend of our trade. He received his badge in 1957 after passing The Knowledge on a bicycle in just nine months—a feat that is mind-boggling to think about! He then went on to spend a remarkable 63 years as a full-time London cabbie before retiring in 2020.
When you stop and think about a 63-year career behind the wheel, the sheer volume of people Stanley has spoken to, the stories he’s heard, and the history he’s witnessed inside his cab is just incredible. It’s a lifetime of human connection that very few professions ever get to experience.
To complete the Knowledge of London is an amazing achievement in itself, but Stanley didn’t stop there. He went on to qualify as a Blue Badge Guide—a real "real" guide, as he puts it! His guiding knowledge extended far and wide, covering the deep history of Oxford, Bath, Canterbury, Cambridge, and Stratford-upon-Avon. He explained that this rigorous qualification allows you to take people right inside iconic sites like Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London to share their history firsthand.
Honestly, I could have listened to Stanley for hours as he shared his local historical knowledge about London. He is such an interesting man, still continuing to research and study deep into his retirement, exploring how our brains retain the Knowledge, and I can't wait to catch up with him again.
The link with Norwood is at the very heart of our charity. Stanley vividly remembers those days; he even knew a former trainee house mother at Norwood who recalls those very same outings leaving the grounds before the building was eventually demolished. He has since taken her back to the site to visit the commemorative fountain that now stands where the orphanage used to be.
Stanley modestly told me he didn't think he deserved a mention since he "only" did two outings, but I have to disagree. Every driver, every memory, and every connection like Stanley's is a vital part of our story as we head toward our centenary in 2028.
Thank you Stanley for sharing your photographs and your memories with us. 🧡
