Dick Whittington and His Cat
Dick Whittington and His Cat is the English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423), wealthy merchant and later Lord Mayor of London. The legend describes his rise from poverty-stricken childhood with the fortune he made through the sale of his cat to a rat-infested country. However, the real Whittington did not come from a poor family of common stock, and there is no compelling evidence supporting the stories about the cat, or even whether he owned one.
Another element in the legend is that Richard attempted to flee his service as a scullion one night, heading towards home (or reached Highgate Hill in later tradition), but was dissuaded by the sound of Bow bells, which promised he would be mayor of London one day.
Since the pre-Victorian era, the story has been a favourite subject of British pantomime, especially during Christmas season.
The Pantomime
The first recorded pantomime version of the story was in 1814, starring Joseph Grimaldi as Dame Cicely Suet, the Cook.
Ella Shields (Camden Theatre, 1907), Sybil Arundale (Theatre Royal, Birmingham, 1908), Helen Gilliland (Lyceum, 1925) are among the actresses who have played the principal boy.
The production Dick Whittington was the 2018 winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family. Dick's cat has been given the names Thomas, Tommy, Tommy Tittlemouse (1890) or Mouser (1908).
The pantomime has introduced an arch villain, King Rat (or the King of Rats), as well as the usual pantomime fairy, the Fairy of the Bells, personifying the London bells. An early record of King Rat and fairy occurs in an 1877 production at Surrey Theatre. This production pitches the archvillain King Rat against the Fairy Queen, for whom the fairy Beau Bell serves as messenger. King Rataplan (Rat-a-plan) occurs even earlier, alongside "Queen Olivebranch" who assigns Cupid to uplift Dick Whittington from poverty, in a Charles Millward script for the Theatre Royal, Birmingham production of 1870.
In some versions, Dick and his cat Tommy travel to Morocco, where the cat rids the country of rats. The Sultan rewards Dick with half of his wealth.
The pantomime version remains popular today.
About Whittington Park
Whittington Park is a popular park in the north of the Islington, named after Dick Whittington.
With 4.09 hectares (or 10.11 acres), Whittington Park near Upper Holloway Station has had a big refurbishment recently. At the Holloway Rd entrance is a flowering bank and the park's trademark Dick Whittington's legendary cat, made out of plants. The park has a sporty feel with a green gym (fitness machines), sports pitches and ping pong tables. There are huge children's playgrounds filled with exciting play equipment, sand pits and a newly created pond to support wildlife.
Accessibility
Use interactive maps ( https://www.islington.gov.uk/parking/where-to-park/parking-for-disabled-people ) to identify nearest disabled parking bays and distance from public transport routes. A Disabled Access Guide is available at Disabled Go. (https://www.accessable.co.uk/ )
Opening times
All parks with gates open by 8am daily. All of our parks are open 365 days a year (including Christmas and New Year's Day).
Closing times
Closing times vary throughout the year, but it's usually at sunset. You can find monthly closing times below:
- January - 5pm
- February - 6pm
- March (GMT**) - 6pm
- March (BST*) - 8pm
- April - 8pm
- May - 9pm
- June - 9pm
- July - 9pm
- October (BST*)- 7pm
- October (GMT**) - 5pm
- November - 5pm
- December - 5pm
*GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) - times stated are valid until the clocks go forward one hour in March and from when the clocks go back one hour in October.
**BST (British Summer Time) - times stated are valid from when the clocks go forward one hour in March and until the clocks go back one hour in October.
About the Cache
You’ll be looking for a magnetic nano-micro cache, Geo-Versand model, This german model is dark green and contains only a log strip for you to sign your find. BYOP.
The cache is inside the Whittington Park. The park is widely accessible and wheelchair users will have no problem finding it.
The park is a nothorious muggle area, especially during weekends. Use stealth when looking for the cache.
Please, replace the cache at the same location so that the hint can always remain accurate.
About Hampstead_Twins
We are Hampstead locals and have recently discovered GeoSearching activity. As we are delighted with the place where we live and with the stories we find in every corner of this locality, we decided to share some curious facts about our neighbourhood and encourage GeoSearching activity in the region. We hope you enjoy.
If you found any errors, had any ideas for improvement while doing the route or even just want to talk with us and encourage more caches like this one, feel free to send us a message. We will respond to everyone as soon as possible. Let’s get in touch.
What’s next?
Did you like what you saw here? If you haven't already, how about trying to find a small cache in the heart of Hampstead Village? Look for Captain Hook's grave cache and have fun!