Historic London Taxi Tours is administered by Victor Gale. Victor is a Licensed London Taxi Driver, and a qualified Taxi Guide. Victor has three grown up children, Simon, Luke and Carla.

Victor was born in Parsons Green in Fulham in a hospital next to the now famous White Horse Pub. The White Horse is colloquially known as the ‘Sloaney Pony’ because of the clientele that frequent the pub who are young upper and middle class West London professionals, ‘Sloane’s’.

Fulham is located in South West London next to Chelsea and Putney, surrounded on three sides by the River Thames. Prior to the 20th century Fulham was, with its rich soil, known as the market garden of London. With the population explosion in Victorian London the last farm in Fulham closed in 1910.

Victor grew up on an estate that was built in the early 1950’s on land compulsory purchased from the famous private Hurlingham Club. The land was previously part of the Hurlingham Club Polo field where the first game of Polo was played under the Hurlingham Rules in 1875. Polo had not been played at Hurlingham since before the Second World War, but the Local Conservative Council allowed a Polo event to be played in Hurlingham Park in June 2009, the first Polo event for 70 years.

Victor was educated at St Mark’s School in Fulham. This school was located on the grounds of Fulham Palace. Fulham Palace has been the residence of the Bishop of London for over 1300 years. The Bishop of London vacated the Palace in 1975. The Palace is now managed jointly by Hammersmith and Fulham Council and the Fulham Trust. The Palace is now a museum and a venue for corporate events etc.

In 1966 Victor was Confirmed in a ceremony conducted by the then Bishop of London, at All Saints Church Fulham. All Saints Church has many former Bishops of London buried in its grounds. All Saints Church is famous because it stands on the north side of Putney Bridge.

Whilst on the south side of the bridge in Putney is another beautiful church, St Mary’s. St Mary’s church is famous for the ‘Putney Debates’ in the English Civil War, seen as foreshadowing the arrival of parliamentary democracy. They may have influenced the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the USA.

On leaving school Victor qualified as a Mechanical Engineering Production Engineer. Engineering was in decline in London in the 1970’s and Victor left light engineering early to become an Industrial Engineer in a service industry. In current management terms he would have been called a ‘Best Value’ Manager. Victor has a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Studies (DMS).

In the early 90’s Victor developed a family hobby into a small business. The hobby was Gymnastics Coaching. Victor set up a number of small clubs in different areas in London and Surrey. With a total of over 300 children attending. In 2005 Victor passed these clubs over to his son Luke who now manages the clubs under the name of South Western Gymnastics Club. Luke has expanded the number of locations the club trains at, and Victor retains an advisory role. See www.swgc.org.uk. Victor's other son Simon and daughter Carla both coach gymnasts at Tolworth Gymnastics Club competing at international standard. See www.tolworthgymclub.co.uk. Simon is also the Mens Coach to the All Ireland Gymnastics Squad.

In 1998 Victor decided to again do something completely different. He decided to undertake the World Famous Knowledge of London and become a Licensed London Taxi Driver. Whilst still managing his Gymnastics Club Victor completed the Knowledge in just three years, passing every appearance (#). This is the shortest time one can take to complete the course.

Victor has a love for Sport, History and Travel. Victor was his school swimming champion, he represented his school and played at a high standard of amateur football, he was a Surrey League Squash player, and he has completed three London Marathons. Currently Victor likes to spend summers cycling over the Alps following the roads of the ‘Tour De France’ in the mountains. In winter he likes to Ski.

Victor also is a fourth generation Fulham Football Club supporter. Fulham FC is the oldest professional Football in London formed in 1879. It is owned by the owner of Harrods, Mr Mohammed Ali Fayed. With the investment of Mr Fayed Fulham FC have obtained and retained Premier League status. This is in contrast to the 1980’s when the clubs famous Craven Cottage ground next to the River Thames was threatened by property speculators seeking to build flats on the beautiful prestigious site.

Victor has plotted his family tree and most of his family came to Fulham if the 1860’ and 1880’s. Primarily from rural areas, Broughton in Hampshire, Salisbury in Wiltshire, Brentford in Middlesex, Stowmarket in Suffolk, Stamford in Lincolnshire, Bolton in Lancashire, and from County Cork in Ireland. The picture shows Victor outside the Tallyho! Pub in Broughton in Hampshire that is ancestors owned between 1835 and 1901.

Victor loves London and its history and would only be too pleased to pass on what he knows to you.

(#) An ‘Appearance’ is when a Knowledge of London student sits before an examiner. At an Appearance an examiner will pick a random landmark (point) in London. The student will then have to name the road that ‘Point’ is in. If the student gives a correct answer the examiner will pick another random point. If the student again gives a correct response the student will then be asked to describe verbally the successive roads taken between the two points if one was driving the route. This process is repeated 5 or 6 times during the Appearance.