The Centre

The difference between a leisurely Saturday rail journey and a middle of the week commuter rush hour one is great.  Mine took just over the hour, encountered no problems and allowed me a seat to myself with few around me all the way.  How different from the tired sardines crushed together as the train waits somewhere along the line because a door will not shut or someone has thrown themselves selfishly in front of the train or a signal has failed yet again.  Occasionally lorry drivers like to drive 15ft tall lorries under 14ft high bridges, sometimes staff do not turn up, on odd occasions a passenger will be genuinely taken seriously ill, anything to disrupt a service involving hundreds of trains along the line.  Once the line gets so far out of London it becomes two lines only for many areas with a few 'loops' at stations on the way.  Any traffic problem and the whole lot between London and Colchester falls apart.  No wonder people grumble yet I can understand why the rail company feel no guilt.  For one many faults are not off their making on the other they are only in it for the money and it is the public and the passengers (sorry 'customers') who suffer.

Now the grime has been cleared away and a hundred or more years of smoke removed we can see the wonderful Victorian iron roof (I take it to be iron) that stretches overhead.  Even better now the glass has been cleaned.  Such huge cavernous spaces were wonders indeed in Victorian times and I can see why.
At Paddington a similar cross like structure exists and this was to allow for a crane to carry the small coaches from one line to another without going all the way out and in again.  Sometimes horses were used to pull them into position.  I wonder if this was a similar situation at Liverpool Street in times past?

Sir Henry Wilson was a man who disagreed with General Haig from the start.  He was very much a French loving General who supported Lloyd George and the other War Cabinet members in their belief in French superiority.  In 1918 when he took over as the top man in London he suddenly found himself agreeing with Haig and insisting to Lloyd George, now Prime Minister, that Haig was the best man for the job.  Funny how things change when the job is yours.  He unveiled this and other memorials but was very much a supporter of the anti IRA faction and as such he was blown up two days after the unveiling and killed.

The one thing difficult to discover in London is a cheap eatery yet on Saturday I walked into one.  This place, going by the clever name of 'EAT' gave me a bacon and egg roll with coffee for £4:45 and I thought that not only did it save my life but for London this was cheap!  The place was clean, the staff friendly, the service excellent and if back there I will look in again.  Well done 'EAT!'

  
Mansion House is the place where the Lord Mayor of London is supposed to live.  Personally I suspect he lives in another more acceptable mansion elsewhere and uses this for his London business only but that's by-the-by.   Once a year the Chancellor of the Exchequer is paraded around here before he gives his annual speech about how he will rob the poor and feed the rich as George Osborne has done for the last six years.  As the only way to get a proper picture of the pretentious structure is to cross the road I didn't bother.  I blame the knees.

Opposite the Mansion House is the Bank of England (begun by a Scot) here watching the choir who are positioned over the place that caved in due to the Blitz bomb in 1941.  The bank is a solid edifice but not an attractive one.  In keeping with the people at the top it says "Keep away, I'm too important for the likes of you!"  I stayed away caring not a jot.

   
Looking the other way we find this, the result of a drunken architects bet surely?  I suggest the bet was he could design a building so daft yet get both a buyer and permission to erect it in the heart of the City of London, and here it is.  I blame alcohol!

The Royal Exchange, founded in the 16th century and rebuilt several times, this Greek temple impersonation dates from 1840, was the commercial heart of London for many years, at least for the 150 years when Lloyds of London used it.  Today it is a mixture of classy (overpriced) shops and is of course closed on Saturdays!  

In front stands a classy memorial to the 'Men of London' who served in a variety of regiments, mostly Royal Fusiliers or the London Regiment, and who gave their lives in the Great War.

James Henry Greathead was as you know the man who along with Peter W. Barlow developed the Tunneling shield used in the creation of much of London's underground and tunnels under the Thames.  He was railway engineer on much of London's railways and worked in Liverpool and Ireland also.  The plinth he stands on hides a ventilation shaft for the underground beneath him.

Wot mean you 'Is it finished?' No there are more London pics to come!
Hello?  hello?  Operator, I've been cut off!

City Churches

While I dozed on the high speed express hindered by nothing more than signal problems, people throwing themselves in front of trains and lack of drivers/guards my mind considered St Michael, Cornhill.  This is because many moons ago I came across the excellent Great War Memorial found at the door.  

And what a door!  
St Michael stands on what was in Roman London the Basilica, the centre of Roman administration.  The name Cornhill comes from the hill itself, difficult to see in today's world, and the Corn Market that stood here in the distant past.  A church stood on this spot long before William the Conqueror arrived which was unfortunate as that Great Fire, so often mentioned, came along and burnt it to the ground in 1666 leaving only the Tower standing.  Christopher Wren is said to have rebuilt the church but this is disputed, and he had dozens of others on the go so maybe his men did the work, who knows.  The work on the tower ('in the Gothick manner') was also said to be Wrens but this was completed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. 

 
Again it's a case of looking upwards as I suppose the worshiper was meant to do but it does harm the neck muscles after a while.   All London churches have connections to the various guilds, this one was connected to the 'Drapers' and in Victorian times they were forced to spend money on the building or hand it over to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.  There is no surprise that they chose the building and instructed Sir Gilbert Scott, indicating how much they had, to improve the church.  His work saw the improved door facing Cornhill with carving from John Birnie Philip above the entrance showing St Michael disputing with satan.  

 
The Lord himself is seen just above the door ratheroffering a sign of peace we cannot know he ever offered, but it makes sculptors happy.  As you may expect the door was firmly shut to passersby and while the church boasts that it opens on Sunday, one of the few that do, and appears to open during the week while I stand outside the door remains firmly shut.

Nothing for it but to admire the war memorial once again.  This statue can be found elsewhere, I have seen photographs occasionally of such Roman soldiers on guard at memorials, yet it speaks of the vast money available after the war from parishioners and the Drapers to commemorate their dead and that reveals something of the effect the war had on the people contributing.  That war affects us to this day!

"The names were recorded on this site of 2130 men who from 

 offices in the parishes of this united Benefice volunteered to serve 

their country in the Navy and Army.  Of these it is known that at 

least 170 gave their lives for the freedom of the world." 

The church was not damaged during the Blitz and while marks on the walls indicate possible war damage, often found on London buildings, this Masons Mark stands out on this stone.  I wonder what date this comes from, the time after the Great Fire most likely but possibly one of the renovation periods perhaps.  The narrow passage to the right of the entrance where this can be seen is one of many found in the City, maybe one day I will go back and photograph these.  

This, as you may guess, is St Mary Woolnoth, another that closed its doors to me.  This baroque looking building was erected in 1727 by Nicholas Hawksmoor, he has been busy aint he?  This was not the first church structure here as Roman and pagan finds show this spot had a religious use in times past.  The Norman's as you know built in stone within ten years of arrival to cow the natives and remind them who was the power in the land.  Until then the Saxons would have created a wooden church as that was the readily available building material and stone was expensive.  The 'Woolnoth' in the name may be a reminder of a Norman gent living here in the 12th century who was probably the local Lord of the manor.  
Between 1897 and 1900 the Underground reached this area and 'bank' station was built part of which included escalators reaching under the church.  Public disquiet stopped the railway company's planned demolition of the church and steel pillars were inserted to keep the building safe.  
However during an air raid at 8pm on the 11th of January 1941 a bomb managed to break through into the booking hall not far beneath the roadway.  Further the explosion made its way down the escalators onto the platform killing and wounding many.   Figures vary but some claim 51 died while total casualties (dead, wounded and missing) were 111.  Others claim 111 were the dead, I go with 51 as most fail to understand the word casualties.  This information was I understand withheld at the time and released only after the end of the war.

Among those connected with the church in times past were William Wilberforce who spent a great many years fighting against the slave trade worshiped here and John Newton a man who once ran a slave ship but accepting Jesus as Lord gave evidence against the trade, evidence that led finally to Britain opposing it stoutly.  Newton became incumbent here between 1780 until 1807 the year of his death.  His previous Parish had been at Olney and while preparing for the Wednesday night meetings he would often attempt to find a new song.  One night he produced 'Amazing Grace' a song that has summed him up perfectly and become a favourite worldwide.  The music as we know it was added much later by one William Walker long after Newtons death. 

Like many churches in this area the front door is hidden down narrow passages and while a wee bit wider here we find St Stephen Walbrook hiding quietly behind the Mansion House.  The 'Walbrook' is one of London's lost rivers which have long since been 'culvertised,' indeed this one since the 16th century, and even today while the stream still flows it was added to the sewage workings of the 19th century when a massive improvement was undertaken.
The church itself like most others around here goes back into the mists of time.  Burnt down by the Fire Christopher Wren spent almost £8000 rebuilding the place in splendid style including a central dome not unlike the one he placed in St Paul's.  Little damage occurred during the blitz and this was soon repaired.
However the church's fame in recent years comes from one Chad Varah who became rector in 1953 and remained here for fifty years.  Varah's fame spread after he conducted a funeral for a 13 year old suicide who had misunderstood her periods thinking she had a venereal disease.  From this time on he offered an emergency service for desperate folks known to us as the 'Samaritans.'  Here he led volunteers in a full and frank teaching regarding the problems of London life including frank sex talk, which shook some early volunteers, and the great London need of loneliness.  These have not changed much over the period.  
A man of mixed blessings he had a finger in many activities although his theology was a bit skewwiff from what I can make out however his concern for others was great.  By 2004 Varah's connection to the Samaritans ended as he felt it was not the organisation he had created.  Varah and his wife Susan continued their many 'good works' until their deaths, his at the age of 96 in 2007.

One church that was open on Saturday was the tourist attraction that is St Paul's.  I avoided this as I canny stand tourists!

Look!  A church with an open door!  'St Vedas-Alias-Foster' who else?  Somewhat typically this was a church of the Anglo Catholic tradition which being over the road from St Paul's saw the sense in remaining open when tourists flocked to the eating places next door and sought a moment of quiet.

Sadly I thought this somewhat disappointing as this type of collegiate design does not reflect churches as we should know them.  However being badly damaged during the blitz, only a shell remained, the contents were rescued from other blitzed churches which did not recover from the war damage.  Therefore it is a good example of salvage as well as a rebuilt church.  As I said this was open, the only one I found, and it appears to me that if any church in the City of London can get the volunteers to keep it open a small £1 'donation' charge could provide a decent income during the summer at least.  The use of freewill donations may bring cash but not a great deal.  Some of course resent being charged to enter a church but many of these fail to notice the 'donation box' at the back.  
St Vedas as you may know was a leader of the church at Arras in the 6th century and he was the one credited with rebuilding the church after years of Roman and tribal fighting.  The King of the Franks, called 'Clovis' was converted by him it is said.  
This church may have originated with the Flemish weavers who arrived during the 12th and 13th centuries.  Wool was King then and the English with masses of sheep wool to export brought Flemish weavers here to develop the economy.  The Lord Chancellor, and now the 'Speaker' of the House of Lords sits on the 'Woolsack' an idea that may have begun in the 14th century when Edward III caused his Lord Chancellor to sit on this to remind everyone of the importance of wool to the economy.   
Strangely the church was damaged and left a shell by the 1666 fire but was repaired satisfactorily without recourse to Christopher Wren which indicates they probably did not have the money to employ someone of his stature.   

Lovely glass windows with a Victorian appearance possibly because some glass was saved after the blitz and reused in the renovation during the 1950's.  

 
This somewhat miserable looking tower standing between modern blocks of concrete and glass is one of the most famous churches in the world.  'St Mary'le'Bow' the church where it is said that if you are born within the sound of its bells you are a 'Cockney.'
The church stood here in Saxon times, a wooden structure surrounded by wooden houses all of which suffered great damage from the Tornado that arrived in 1091.  600 homes destroyed, church rafters embedded in the ground, London Bridge demolished and yet only two were killed on that occasion.
Considered to be the second church in importance after the nearby St Paul's and at the risk of repeating myself I have to say the building burnt down during the Great Fire and Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt this one first as it was of such importance.  The 'Bow belles' the word 'Bow' comes from the arches on the old building, the bells recorded in 1926 can still be heard on the BBC occasionally and I think I am right is saying that when 'Big Ben' is out of order for any reason these bells are used by the BBC to tell the time.  Hearing these bells via the BBC when being born does not make you a Cockney!  The Germans attempted to stop the bells by dropping bombs on the church but these were reinstated by 1956 and the church continued as always.  It was of course closed when I passed.

She must have been a strong woman!

Look Up!

One thing I took time to do was look up at the many adornments found on London buildings.  The folks in the past who wished to show off their cash did so by lots of twiddly bits on the structure and a variety of carvings supposedly reflecting their business.  Time has passed and many of their places are now occupied by another but the residue cannot be taken away without harm to the look so they remain happily in place.
Salisbury House was opened in 1901 and runs from the side street into Finsbury Circus and along 'London Wall.'  The position on which it stands was occupied by the 'Bethlem Hospital' better known as 'Bedlam' from 1676 to 1815.  A variety of occupants now fill the offices.  

Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury,  KG, GCVO, PC, FRS, was, as you know, Prime Minister three times between 1885 and 1902.  He led the nation Tony Blair style into the Boer War amongst other things and led the Conservative Party from the House of Lords, not something that would go down too well today.  In 1902 he passed on the PM job to one Arthur Balfour, his nephew by the way.  Hmmm...  
He himself died a year later in his 70's.   I suspect the office block was named after he.                          

This 15 foot lighthouse stands high up on the corner of a building in Moorgate.  It was possibly while the occupiers were known as the 'Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation' that the Lighthouse appeared.  In times past it appears a light actually shone from the top!  The company has long since been swallowed up by one and that by another until today they are part of 'Aviva' and have long left the building.  

It is clear the ocean had an influence on the man asked to add flowery bits to the building.  Poseidon glowers magnificently at the buses shoveling fumes up his nose and he does not appear happy about this.

Why horses?  In Greek mythology Poseidon the god of the sea had a horse as his sign, go figure!  Interestingly and on a different subject, some say he was also god of earthquakes, remember 'Troy?  That was taken by a 'wooden horse' and some say the city thought to have been Troy was destroyed in an earthquake several times.  2 + 2 leads to speculation.
Today the building belongs to 'Habib Zurich' a bank based in Pakistan.  It was closed so I didn't ask for money.

I remain perplexed as to what the bare breasted lassie has to do with Lloyds building.  The Globe makes sense but the Owl or the Beehive must be obvious to someone, not me.  

Another large office block that I suspect but canny find evidence for was built about 1900 ish.  It shows the pretentious lust for Empire that lusted within the London heart before the Great War.  This doorway is full of it, the flagpole being one of the few remaining but I suspect at that time a great many more were able to fly their flag on important occasions.

  
This magnificent Phoenix rises from the fire above a building whose whereabouts I forget.  He manages to possess two flagpoles alongside him and must be an impressive sight when the flags fly.
While the buildings change the companies that use them it is good that such things can be seen still and these are fabulous creatures, even if a bit over the top somewhat.

    
The thing about 'looking up' is to look 'up' at buildings on the other side of the street otherwise you cannot see items properly and are better aware of the surroundings thus avoiding lampposts and other obstacles.   On the side wall of the Mansion House I saw this fading notice.  Clearly in times past poster posters and other miscreants did not consider this a building to respect.

'Popes Head Alley' intrigued me as I wondered if at one time the alley possessed one on a stick, an old London habit.  However it was the 'Popes head Tavern' that stood there, a place of refreshment that goes back into the mists of time, certainly the 1400s saw a tavern here.  Samuel Pepys stopped playing with Mrs Fitzimmons for a while and had his first "Dish of tea" alongside "Cakes and other fine things" at the tavern.  It of course suffered under the Great Fire but was rebuilt on the same spot.

It appears that at one time there were many 'Church Courts in London and much confusion was caused by their appearance.  So in the fullness of time these were renamed to stop people landing miles from where they ought to be.  This one does not appear on Google Maps and neither does St Margaret!  It's a funny old world innit?

 
When William the conqueror arrived in 1066 there were many Jews who arrived alongside him.  The main role given them was money lending as this was banned among 'Christians' at the time.  After Williams enthronement the commercial life of the nation was encouraged by Jewish money lending.  Times have not changed that much as this system, not just with Jewish money has continued and developed greatly in the last 35 years, note the economic collapse!  Jews were useful as money men but also the English fear and lack of understanding of those who are different soon raised its head.  Jealousy gives way to lies and bad propaganda and the Great Synagogue was closed because of the trouble brewing for the Jewish population.  The London area where they lived was called 'Old Jewery,' a magnificent coincidence!  The Pograms saw riots and mass murder in several places and Edward I, the barbaric thug of a King, threw them out of the land in 1290.   Jews remained banned until Oliver Cromwell allowed them to return in 1656.  Famously many arrived in the East Eng during the 19th century and were again objects of racist abuse.  Charles Dickens chose 'Fagin the Jew' as his leading bad character because he disliked Jews.  He would go down well in UKIP today.

 
Along Wood Street we find this huge concrete block that is the main police HQ.  Naturally the door was shut!  It appears that all police stations are closed or only work part time, just like criminals!  The idea being we are all on social media and able to contact the Rozzers any time we like.  Not if we are old constable, or sick, don't carry a phone or a hundred other reasons.
This concrete block of a building which towers above is a result of the Blitz.  The whole area bar one church tower was flattened and rebuilt in a white brutalist dull style.  Not a street to loiter in.
Just to the side of the PC home lies a small lane called 'Lovers Lane,' hmmm...

The Tower of Sta Alban is all that remains of a church that may have stood here since Offa King of Mercia, he of building a Dyke fame, began dedicating churches to Alban and some claim this was one of his.  Certainly a church was here in the days of King John and any building was destroyed during that Great Fire, so many buildings we see were burnt out over a great area.  During the Second World War the Luftwaffe took a dislike to the church and most of it was burnt out.  The shell was demolished in 1965 and the area renovated.  The Tower remained and I just read is a private dwelling, good luck to him mate!  I hope the bell has gone.

  

Near the Thames

The Church of St Magnus the Martyr was, like the rest, closed when I and many other tourists passed by.  This was rather unfortunate as with many tourists it could have brought in cas...been helpful for the church and in a position to speak of the history of the church and the role it had in London in times past.  For one thing outside the front door the roadway once led on to London Bridge as was and many a foot has trod this way before.  This was an important church in the past.  Today 'Adelaide House' another money machine this time for lawyers, engulfs the surroundings making it difficult for the church to breathe.

Not a great picture but with the church door to the left as you pass through you get some idea of times past and the throng that once used this path daily.  The first stone bridge was built in 1209 (that's A.D., not a.m. by the way) and the bridge existed on this alignment until 1831.  Arguments rage over who St Magnus was as several contenders could be the one.  It is best to let them argue and look at what lies around.

The Romans built the wharf here early on and Londinum sent a Bishop to the Council of Arles in 314 and some like to think this church existed then.  It certainly did in the 1100's and was rebuilt by Christopher Wren at a cost of nearly ten thousand pounds after it was destroyed during the Great Fire.  It was an important church partly because of the position and that possibly encouraged greater spending on a rebuild. Fishermen had their shops just to the south of the church along the riverside and as such the church became the Guild church of the 'Worshipful Company of Fishmongers.'  Billingsgate Fish Market used to stand right behind the back end of the church, today two tallish buildings fill the space.  Evidence for the Roman wharf was found in 1931 close to the church and this blackened portion of timber piling is now stationed outside the church door.  This dates from the year 75.

The River Thames still carries a lot of traffic however much of it now appears to be tourist boats staffed by chaps touting for tips it seems to me.  In 1966 when employed at my first job of work I scribbled out paperwork for lorries carrying a thousand cases of whisky to London Docks headed for various parts of the world.  At that time both sides of the river before Tower Bridge would be lined with tramp steamers while cheery cockney dockers pinched as much as they could from each consignment.  Working on the docks was a poor show, each man having to be called out from the crowd of jobseekers by the foreman every morning and work was not guaranteed.  Constant strikes, sometimes these were understandable, did not encourage sympathy for the East End men.  It was in 1966 I saw the first containers being put to use and it was interesting to note that all 1000 cases of whisky reached their destination unopened, something that did not always happen otherwise.  We used Southampton, Liverpool and Glasgow docks but the British Road Services drivers disliked London most of all which tells you something.  The opening of new docks with few workers at Felixstowe and elsewhere killed such docks and now they contain expensive flats and tourist sights.  The barges today may well have a variety of uses but I know that much of London's sewage gets carted away in similar barges to landfill sites further down towards Kent.  In the past many were used to unload ships that could not get docked at the Port.

What mean you 'That's boring?'  

In itself it contains much that is boring but it does represent all those steps that once were arrayed along the Thames enabling those using the River Taxi's to cross from one side to the other.  Those little rowing boats plied their trade for centuries until in the 19th century they decided to build more bridges.  Much trouble ensued as the 'Taxi' drivers lost their income and folks walked across for nothing, there again who has ever met a happy taxi driver?  The river was crisscrossed by such taxi's while sail and steam boats and many other craft made their way up and down stream.  It is no surprise that on occasion there were accidents especially in the recurrent smog.

In the far distance squashed in amongst other buildings stands the Tower of London.  This was begun not long after William the Conquerer took over and the Keep, the 'White Tower' in the middle went up in 1078.  Since then the fortification has seen several changes but basically the tower itself stands as Willie built it.  Once it towered over London in similar fashion to his Barons wooden, then stone, castles towered over the rest of the population.  The resentment felt by the locals was palatable, especially in London a place which has never been keen on outsiders telling it what to do.  Willie and his men had a  good way of dealing with rebels, they slaughtered them, that kept them in the their place somewhat. Today the Tower appears a little squashed but no vast skyscrapers are built too close I notice. 

Had I the energy I would have wandered around to see the ancient ship stuck away permanently in the far dock.  I did see it up close about 25 years ago but I suspect the area around is now full of the cafes' and eateries that abound in tourist traps.  That tourist boat looks gey full to me, I suspect it is a tourist boat but could be a special party.  Later I learned some of those folks who row kayaks around the UK or the world were returning home and some boats were heading out to welcome them.  Row around the UK?  Are they daft?

This rather gentle Art Deco style office block is Adelaide House, the building that engulfs St Magnus. The building was one of the first to be steel framed and covered with very expensive Portland Stone and when erected became the highest office block in the City of London.   The name comes from King William the IVs wife Adelaide, this because she opened the new London Bridge in 1831.  She didn't see this building however it arrived in 1925.

On the front stands this lass holding a globe for reasons not stated.  She stands on a coat of arms from an Australian state, several line the front for reasons unknown.  If you wish to know why ask one William Reid Dick who chiselled her out and he will explain, although he may be dead by now.

What's that doing here?

Nothing.  However after wandering around London the heart cries out for greenery and plant life.