Museum of London

4.8.11
I was intending to do a guided walk today, but the weather put me off - heavy rain! So I decided it was a museum day! I wanted to visit the Museum of London as they were having an Exhibition of London Street Photography. I also thought it would be good to learn more about the origins of London. Entry is free (they encourage a small donation). Obviously, no photographs are allowed of the Exhibition of London Street Photography, but it is well worth a visit. It is drawn from the museum's collection of street photography from the nineteenth century to the present, detailing the changing nature of life in London and the shifting role of photography in public places.

          Below are some of the items which caught my eye!  

 

The Lord Mayor's coach

                             

                                

The Famous Square Mile guided walk

21.7.11
I hadn't done a guided walk for a while, so was hoping for the rain to hold off - and it did! We started off our walk outside Monument tube station next to the monument erected in memory of the fire of London in 1666 which started in Pudding Lane, right next to where we were standing. It was designed by Christopher Wren in 1677 - you can climb all 377 steps to the top, but it was not for me! It stands exactly 60.6m from the bakery in Pudding Lane where the fire started and it is exactly 60.6m high.
It seems like everywhere we went today was burnt down in the Great Fire of London. It also seemed like all the churches which were rebuilt as a result of the Great Fire were all designed by Christopher Wren!

We walked from there past Old Billingsgate Market, now relocated to near Canary Wharf.

 

From here we walked into an oasis of calm inside an old ruined church - destroyed in the Second World War and made into a garden.

Our guide, Tom, telling us about the area.

It seemed a long way away from the hustle and bustle of the City. 

I just had to take a picture of the beautifully painted bollard above - it is in the colours of the City and they are to be found all around the City of London.

I found the architecture of this area quite fascinating - one minute very modern then suddenly victorian next door.

Lloyd's of London

Lloyds was designed by Richard Rogers with all the external stainless steel ducting on the outside of the building so that all servicing and maintenance could be done from the outside to avoid disturbing business being done on the inside. You either love it or hate it! I have to admit to quite liking it!!
This post-modernist structure strikes a particular contrast with the oldeworlde Leadenhall Market next door.

from the Harry Potter film!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

This market serves food and drink to city folk and has a fishmonger, butcher and cheesemonger. It is a Victorian glass and iron market hall designed by Horace Jones in 1881. The market has recently gained fame from being filmed as Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone!

 

I couldn't help taking a picture of these amazing looking meringues on one of the stalls here!

Our final stop was the Guildhall - right in the centre of the Square Mile - which has been the City's seat of government for nearly 800 years. It is the only secular stone structure to have survived the Great Fire of 1666. It did suffer damage then and also during the Blitz of 1940, but was rebuilt.

I did some exploring of my own after the tour had finished and have included some of the photos I took.

St. Paul's

National Trust House - Sutton House - Hackney

17.7.11
Today we decided to visit a National Trust property. Sutton House is a Tudor house situated in the heart of Hackney. The DLR wasn't working so we hopped on a bus! I haven't been on one in London before!! You certainly get better views and meet a wide and diverse mix of people.
The house was built in 1535 by Sir Raplph Sadleir, a diplomat in the court of Henry VIII, and has had many owners, including being occupied by squatters just before the National Trust took it on and restored it. It has a great deal of beautiful oak panelling and original fireplaces. There is a gallery which now serves as a community space, displaying local artists' work. Today, it was a inspiring display of photographs of various aspects of Hackney.

There is, of course, a charming cafe where you can sit outside if the weather is fine. It was raining so we sat surrounded by second hand books for sale - I bought 2!

Museum of London Docklands

16.7.11
After a gap of three weeks, due to holiday and illness of hubby, I am back in London and visiting the above museum for the first time.www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Docklands/
It is well worth a visit - free admission, though they do charge for special exhibitions, such as the present 'Captain Kidd's experience'. The 11 permanent galleries tell the stories of London’s Docklands, the River Thames, and London’s past as one of the world’s great trading cities. There is a pleasant cafe with comfy chairs.

  

                      

Harry in the sailors' pub

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                           

                                 The front of the musuem

In the evening we went out for dinner. Talking of meals out, where have we been and liked? Well, so far I have really liked  Gordon Ramsey's pub/restaurant 'The Narrow' as mentioned earlier. I also enjoyed going to 'Gaucho' on the Riverside which serves Argentinian steaks. They bring you all the different types available on a wooden board for you to discuss and choose what you want. It is pricey - but you get what you pay for! Good service and the atmosphere was good.
Last night we went to 'The Royal China' also situated on the Riverside near Canary Wharf. It is a chinese restaurant which supposedly serves 'prestigious and authentic' chinese food. It was indeed very tasty and there were many chinese people eating there which one assumes is a good sign! Again, not cheap, but nothing is round here!
I have visited a couple of restaurants which I found sadly lacking! 'La Strada' serves italian food and the atmosphere is fine, but the food we were served was almost inedible! I would not eat there again. Another chain restaurant we visited to celebrate Katherine's birthday was spanish serving different types of tapas 'La Tasca'. The food was ok but almost lukewarm. Again, I wouldn't go there again.
I do like eating out here, especially as you can walk to so many restaurants!

Tower of London Guided Walk

23.6.11
This was really a tour round the exterior of the Tower, packed with historical detail, rather than a guided walk.
Unfortunately, the weather was absolutely dreadful! It rained the whole time, and this was driving rain and wind! Not pleasant for standing around listening - fascinating though it was!

I managed to learn a fair bit about the history of the Tower - there was too much of it to go into here, so I will just pick out a few highlights.

William the Conqueror and the Normans invade England in September 1066 and commence their strategy of building castles. A timber Motte and Bailey castle is first built on the site of the Tower of London. In 1078 a stone built, fortified, Tower was commissioned by William the Conqueror replacing the timber tower - it was called the Great Tower which was later re-named the White Tower. It was completed in 1097.

Over time the buildings were developed and extended until it became what it is today. Many famous prisoners were held in the Tower and also executed there. Animals were kept at the Tower - even a polar bear and an elephant! They were finally moved out in 1834 and London Zoo was created.
Among the last prisoners to be held there were the Kray twins for four days in 1952 for failing to report for national service!

White Tower

Waterloo block - the Crown Jewels

The crown jewels have been here on public display since the 17th century, with only one attempt being made to steal them - obviously unsuccessfully!

If you are interested in armour, there is a spectacular display of royal armour and their horses inside the White Tower. Well worth a visit.

         

Henry V111's horse

The ravens are a famous sight at the Tower of London. Legend has it that Charles 11 was told that if the ravens left the Tower, the kingdom and the fortress would fall. Ravens have always been kept at the Tower since that time (their wings are clipped so that they can't fly away!).

I don't think I have even been as wet as I was at the end of the day!

Covent Garden and the South Bank

21.6.11
Today I went to meet my niece, Katie, for lunch so no guided walk. However, I did some exploring on my own. We had a good lunch at the Kitchen Italia - reasonable prices and tasty food. After lunch we went to Katie's office round the corner so I could see where she worked. Doesn't she look efficient!

Katie had to get back to work so I decided to have a wander round Covent Garden. I did some research on its history and discovered that it was originally the site of a convent - hence 'covent' - and its garden. The area was bought and developed by John Russell, the first Earl of Bedford, in 1552. He employed Inigo Jones to build the elegant Italian-style piazza. Inigo Jones was the first significant British architect of the modern period and the first to bring Italianate renaissance architecture to England.

After the fruit and veg. market was moved in 1974 property developers tried to take over the site and there was even talk of demolishing the market to make way for a road! Fortunately, local residents fought to save it and it was transformed into what it is today.






I decided to cross over the River at Waterloo Bridge and passed Somerset House on the way. William Chambers designed the house in 1775 on the site of an earlier Tudor palace. It had to accommodate the three principal learned societies - the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Society, and the Society of Antiquaries - as well as various government offices. In particular, he had to provide the Navy Board with quarters that would reflect the rising importance of the Navy at a time when Britain was almost constantly at war. It now contains three museums, is a venue for concerts in the summer, while the courtyard is turned into an ice rink in the winter.

 

I couldn't resist stopping for some photgraphs on the bridge to give some idea of the views.

Having crossed over I entered the area called the South Bank. Two of the City's newest landmarks are located here - namely the London Eye and the Tate Modern. There are many arts venues here - to name a few: the National Theatre, the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Hayward Gallery. I just wanted to walk along the river and take in the sights. There were some interesting people to see:
                                                                                                                                          

                                    

 I have no idea why they were dressed this way!I took one last look over the River at the Houses of Parliament and decided to take my tired feet home on the River Clipper. 

 

The Old Palace Quarter - Guided Walk

20.6.11
We are talking about the old quarter of St. James. Many years ago, along with the square mile of the City of London, this area was all there was to London. All around them was countryside.
The story of St. James' Palace really begins with Henry V111 when he brought his bride (second wife Anne Boleyn) here for their honeymoon. It was then a hunting lodge and had been developed from a leper hospital.
All that now remains of the original hunting lodge is the gatehouse - today the clock tower. Up till the time of Queen Victoria monarchs spent time here, especially after the Palace of Whitehall burnt down in 1698, when the Court was centred here.

St. James' Palace is still used sometimes as a royal palace. Prince Charles lived here after his separation from Princess Diana, although he moved next door to Clarence House after his grandmother died. Diana's body lay in state here the night before her funeral. Today there are some grace-and-favour appartments here.

The man who came up with the plan to create a new, fashionable 'West End' was Henry Jermyn, the Earl of St. Albans. St. James' Square was the first part of the new area to be completed. In 1684 a new church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was built and called St. James' Piccadilly.

inside the church

It was during the reign of Charles 11 that the area gained some notoriety as a place where the wealthy kept establishments for their mistresses. Two of Charles 11's mistresses lived near here - Barbara Castlemaine and also Nell Gwyn. These 'ladies' were the style icons of the day and were socially acceptable in public, if not in private!
The area also became something of a domain for the gentleman of the day, starting with the coffee houses, many of which later became gentlemens' clubs. There are still some there today - Brooks is one of London's most exclusive gentlemens' clubs, founded in 1764 by 27 men, including four dukes. It was a meeting place for Whigs. Across the road is 'Boodles' and further up the road is 'Whites' - the oldest of the clubs in this area. One of its most famous members is Beau Brummel who used to sit in the window so that passers-by could benefit from seeing his fashion choices! David Cameron's father was a chairman there. Members of the Royal Family usually become members of this club.

The area's shops are expensive and independent, individual and old-fashioned.

Fortnum and Mason is the most famous. Its fortune was built on candle wax! Apparently, William Fortnum was a footman in service to Queen Anne. She liked to have all the candles in the palace replaced each night with new ones - the resulting stubs were sold on by Fortnum and, eventually, he was able to open a modest shop with his landlord, Mr. Mason.

Another of the grand houses in this area is Spencer House built for the first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. The house is now owned by the Rothschilds and used as their headquarters during the week. It is possible to visit the house at the weekend and it is well worth it. The interiors were conceived as a showcase of classical design.

View of the house from Green Park