Comments on: Petticoat Lane market and Ras Prince Monolulu

By: John Keogh

John Keogh — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:54:01 +0000

I remember seeing Prince Monolulu on TV in the 50′s. It has often occured to me that he would done rather well at the Battle of Bosworth, when Richard 3rd called out , “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” Then along comes Monolulu with his catchphrase, “I gotta horse!” Thanks for an interesting article. JK.

By: Ray Stephens

Ray Stephens — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:11:13 +0000

I remember Prince Monolulu also coming to the East Lane Market, in South London, when I was a child in the early 1950′s. If I remember correctly, he occasionally called at our prefab to take me, and my younger sister, to stand with him at the opposite corner to East Lane and Minnow Street, whilst he sold his betting tips. A great character. I asked my mother about it, but she doesn’t remember!!

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:54:51 +0000

Prince Monolulu pops up (very) briefly in this short doc about London markets, narrated by Sid James. It’s about 2:35 mins in, don’t blink or you’ll miss it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMHjsmCjL78

By: Jo' Williams

Jo' Williams — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:24:56 +0000

My Mum is 104 and although blind now, still has a fantastic memory of times past. We were chatting about horse-racing and she referred to Prince Monolulu and remembered his catch-phrase “I gotta horse”. “In Dahomey” was before her time but when she was 19 she remembers going to see a show “Blackbirds” up the West End where all the cast was black. She remembers still how fantastic the show was and how the singing and dancing was amazing. They were still doing the Cakewalk when she was in her teens, and of course, also the Charleston and the Black Bottom. Mum’s local market was Chapel Street but her evenings were spent dancing “Up West”. Nothing changes, eh?

By: Ess Dee

Ess Dee — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:05:45 +0000

Fascinating! And Mr. Woodger, great photos in the URL you posted – love the one of Prince Monolulu with a group of Pearly Queens! I’d love to see a post about the Pearlies here…I’m American, and first heard of them from a family friend (sadly, long dead now) who had been a vice cop in London before WWII and then served in the RAF as a fighter pilot and then a bomber pilot. After the war he immigrated to Canada and then the U.S. He had incredible stories. I wish I’d recorded him, but this blog has given me far more insight into the world he grew up in. Kudos.

By: Mim Scala

Mim Scala — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:15:25 +0000

Mim Scala I swear this is true The Prince would occasionally come to The North end Road Market in Fulham and would inevitably wind up in Scala’s after selling tips written on brown Paper. 1953 I came home from school and there he was in the kitchen with my dad he had his feathers on and everything. He told us to back Pinza in the Derby as Mr. Sassoon was a personnel Friend of his and it was a cert . The whole market backed it for a famous win
I cant remember the price but my Half crown was on XX Mim

By: Vincent Carmody

Vincent Carmody — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:58:56 +0000

Today is the second day of the Listowel (Co. Kerry) racing festival (7 days). One of the highlights for us at Listowel Races as teenagers back in the 1950s was the arrival in town of Prince Monolulu. Apart from his colourful dress and personality it was the first time most of us would have seen a black or coloured man.
Many years ago a very well known short story from Listowel, the late Bryan McMahon wrote a ballad in honour of the race week, sung to the air of Master Mc Grath or Erin Go Brath one of the many verses went,
“They came from Castleisland, they came from Tralee,
And a black- looking devil, he came from Fiji,
We’d a Dutchman, a German, a Chink and a Pole,
Sure ’twas more like Geneva than lovely Listowel.

By: Helen Hodges

Helen Hodges — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:51:40 +0000

As a 10yr old in 1960 I met Prince Monolulu when he came to open a refurbished pub called The Three Horse Shoes in Coventry. Themed lounge being racing. Myself and the publicans daughter Sheila Quinney were photographed with him for the Coventry Evening Telegraph. What a character.

By: carole sprackling warren

carole sprackling warren — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:10:49 +0000

Hi Peter,very surprised to see your post.My grandad was John Edward Shea,he had fine thin straight hair slim build and had a moustache , he died in 1954,but just before that he went to live at Luxbourgh lodge [the old marylebone workhouse],my mum was Lily,we lived at Euston.You must be getting on a bit rememberig that…C.W.

By: peter sullivam

peter sullivam — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:45:42 +0000

I LIVED AT 83/85 CLEVELAND ST FROM 1950 TO ABOUT 1964 WE LIVED ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND PRINCE MONOLULU LIVED DOWN STAIRS HE ALWAYS SAID ONE DAY I WOULD BE PRIME MINESTER HI CAROLE WHO WAS YOUR GRANDAD.