Can't imagine why whopper would have anything to do with blinking ... but to clarify for those who don't know, local Wapping folklore at least has it that convicted pirates were left after execution until three tides of the river had washed over them, leaving them bloated. Thus - a wapper, which became whopper. And a whopper as in a tall story because it refers to a whopping lie. Puts me off Burger King just a tad more, though ...

I'm not emotionally attached to this story so if it turns out not to be true I'm happy enough to shrug and turn away - but it's a colourful area for stories of all kinds. Unfortunately now it's been rebuilt and fussed over some of the more Dickensian murky areas have been changed out of recognition. When I was first living there the spice warehouses were still standing, and on a windy day the air would be rich with cinnamon.

Oddly enough, now I look out of my windows and see the Welsh hills (locally: "mountains" - some of them are, technically) I don't miss it at all.

Anne