Rats, London and Folklore

This Thursday (11th September) at South East London Folklore Society, Paul Cowdell will be talking on 'Rats, London, and Folklore: 'You're *how* far from a rat?'. He says: 'I’ll talk about my research into urban beliefs about rats and previously-recorded folklore about rats as well as the natural history of rats and their environments. I’ll look at how rats are used to represent the Other, and how beliefs about rats change from rural to urban settings. What distinguishes London’s ratlore from that of other cities, and what it might tell us about Londoners’ attitude to their home.'

It happens at The Old King's Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49, Borough High St, London, SE1 1NA. Nearest stations are London Bridge and Borough. It is just off Borough High Street , a map is here.Talks start at 8.00pm. £2.50 / £1.50 concessions. All Welcome.

Another SELFS-related event on 30th October sees Scott Wood leading The Dark Arts Walk. Join Scott outside The Hobgoblin Pub, opposite New Cross Station, at 7pm for a walk taking in New Cross and Deptford's strange and ghostly folklore and history. Ghosts and ghost hunters, witchcraft and the devil, an exploding chip shop and boozers from beyond the grave.

The walk will take approximately an hour and a half and will end with a pint at the Dog & Bell, Prince Street. This walk is part of the Artful festival and is in conjunction with "Stories from another London" magazine One Eye Grey.