Historical | Not Just a Granny

Archive for the ‘Historical’ Category

Hatfield House and Henry Moore #moorehatfield

Posted in around the UK, Historical, It's my life, Travel, tagged Henry Moore at Hatfield House, old Tudor Palace and Queen Elizabeth I, Royal Upstairs Downstairs on BBC2 on April 19, 2011| 3 Comments »

Hatfield House. This is the follow on to my previous post about the Henry Moore exhibition that I was so lucky to attend on Monday 18th April.

hatfield house, henry moore at hatfield house

Hatfield House as viewed from the entrance via the Old Tudor Palace

Stepping back in time through the enormous heavy wooden doors I got goosebumps running up and down my spine, my legs and arms! You know that feeling you get when your scalp crinkles….thats what it felt like! Awesome!

the entrance hall of Hatfield House

Enter through the portals of time and into a world of Courtiers and Knights, intrigue and gossip, servants and coachmen, Lords and Ladies, upstairs downstairs and in my Lady’s chamber. A chapel here, a staircase there, chandeliers, coats of armour, Knights in shining armour,

my Knight in shining armour 🙂

brocaded chairs, a crimson and gold brocaded throne,

a gold and crimson throne.....waiting for a Queen perhaps?

ornate clocks that tick away 400 years or more, a carved wooden crib; echoes of a baby’s cries. Enormous hallways filled with portraits of the ancestors, old coats worn hundreds of years ago hang incogruously from pegs on the walls, a chequered marble floor within a hall that towered above with the biggest fireplace I have ever seen.

the fabulous fireplace in the Great Hall

The walls and ceiling adorned with intricately carved figurines and paintings, fabulous portraits, ancient clocks and gilded tapestries. A musicians gallery, intricately carved.

the musicians gallery - intricately carved woodwork

Walking through an arched doorway you step into a scene from the Arabian Nights, along the whole length of the hall, windows decorated with swirls and whirls from floor to ceiling allow dappled light to shine through.

Arabian Nights in Hatfield

The opposite side of the hall is lined with portraits and paintings, Knights stand guard in full body armour, swords and shields adorn the walls, a large porcelain bathtub sits incogruously against the windows, a rocking horse waits patiently in the shadows.

a rocking horse in the shadows

At one end a fabulous organ, glittering gold decoration inset with intricate decorations, pipes waiting to burst forth with sound!

how fabulous is this!!!

At the other end a beautifully decorated Chinese Screen hides a family sitting room from prying eyes.

a beautifully decorated Chinese Screen

Stepping up a wide wooden staircase to the upper level, your breath is taken away, not only by the sight that fills your eyes, but also by the length of the hall. It fades away into the distance, lined with brocaded chairs that stand back to back, side to side waiting for the music to begin.

you can almost hear the music....... (this was taken halfway along the hall)

Side nooks filled with books and recent photos, a carved wooden chest, a chest of drawers inset with intricate mother-of-pearl pastoral scenes. Fireplaces line the walls, empty now, but shut your eyes and you can feel the heat of the hearth as you slip silently into the shadows and watch the ladies glide by, their gowns and petticoats swish across the floor as their slippered feet glide effortlessly to the strains of the orchestra, candlelight flickers, sending bursts of colour dancing above on a heavily ornate gold ceiling.

the fireplace

The view outside from the window is no less enchanting, gilded towers supporting intricate wind-vanes, ancient creepers and vine vie for a foothold. Tinkling fountains splash merrily in manicured gardens, step through the wrought iron arches and onto a golden pathway stretching into the distance betwixt emerald green lawns, and there, if you look closely enough is a gilded coach just coming into view on the horizon!

.....as far as the eye can see

Stepping through a hidden door and down a flight of wrought-iron stairs you enter another world; a world of cooks and butlers, maids and mice.

royal upstairs downstairs bbc2, hatfield house moore exhibition

a vast Victorian kitchen

A Victorian kitchen, so large that you would need a map to navigate to the other side. Along the wall a massive cooking area with winches and chains to support roasting succulent pigs, and not one but three fireplaces to feed the massive iron monster that sits squat and brooding in the corner.

a massive fireplace, perfect for roasting fat little piggies 🙂

Dressers lined with gleaming copper pots, kettles, jugs and jelly moulds. And here a candlestick holder to light you to bed.

gleaming copper jugs and a candlestick holder

A pastry room sistered by a tiny scullery leads off at one end of this vast cavern below stairs. Opposite the ‘Still Room’, an alcove for cook to rest her feet

The Still Room

– you can hear the faint echoes through space and time; the shouts and gossip of staff long gone.
Hatfield House is quite simply enchanting.

Hatfield House

Lord knows that if I had my life over, I would study history more closely. Always one of my favourite subjects in school, the European history of particular interest, I wish I had learned more than I did. And now I can. 🙂
Two great projects achieved completion in 1611; the building of Hatfield House and the publication of the King James Bible. Only 27 copies of the King James Bible were produced and the only known surviving copy remains in the possession of the Cecil family and is on display in the Anniversary exhibition.
2011 marks the 400th anniversary of Hatfield House, situated just 20 miles from London in the green, rolling landscapes of Hertfordshire. Home of the Cecil family for 400 years, the house, also known for it’s Elizabethan portraits, in particular the two celebrated ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Ermine’ portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, is steeped in Elizabethan and Victorian political history and intrigue. Commissioned by the First Earl of Salisbury, Robert Cecil, the architect, Inigo Jones was involved in the design of Hatfield House. Stroll around the grounds and enjoy the scented borders and herb garden of the West garden, see the famous Knot garden of the Tudor Old Palace where Elizabeth I spent her childhood and visit the Victorian kitchen, featured on the BBC2 programme ‘Royal Upstairs Downstairs’ as one of the houses visited by Queen Victoria during her lifetime.
The Hatfield House 2011 visitor season runs from Saturday April 23rd until September 30th.
Prices:
Henry Moore, House, Park and Garden
Adult: £18.50 Concession: £17.50 Child: £11.50
Henry Moore, Park and Garden
Adult: £12.50 Concession: £11.50 Child: £8
(in my considered opinion, if you are going to travel all that way, make the most of it and take the full ticket, it is so worth it. The Jacobian House is magnificent and shoud not be missed). http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/
The House, Park and West garden are closed on Mondays (except bank holidays) and the House alone is closed on Tuesdays, the East Garden is open on Wednesdays only.
Hatfield House is one of the ‘Treasure Houses’ of England, 10 of the most magnificent palaces, stately homes and castles in England. For more information on these houses visit www.treasurehouses.co.uk.
How to get there:
Take the train from Kings Cross Overland Station to Hatfield. At time of writing the ticket is £10.50 return. Situated on Euston Road, Kings Cross Station can be reached via St Pancras Station, and the Northern, Victoria, Piccadilly, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines, as well a great number of buses.

Read Full Post »

Finding out more about Moore and Hatfield House #moorehatfield

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, Travel, tagged Hatfield House, Henry Moore exhibition, home of Queen Elizabeth I, old Tudor Palace Hatfield on April 19, 2011| 4 Comments »

old tudor palace hatfield, hatfield house, henry moore exhibition

through the rabbit hole........

Have you ever had one of those days where you set out without any idea of what awaits you? You leave home with certain expectations, expectations that are based on just the flimsiest of possibility, on just a ‘thought’ of what might come. And then your day turns out to be just amazing, so totally not what you had in mind at all! The kind of day that feels like you just fell down the Rabbit Hole!

Well yesterday I had one of those days. A few weeks ago I received a message from Andy of @501places on twitter via my @3days_in_london profile, asking if I was interested in attending the preview of a new Henry Moore exhibition at Hatfield House. Oh yes!! By gum, I was interested, of course! I had never attended an exhibition preview before! I said yes immediately and prayed I could get the time off!

In fact I was thrilled and immediately set about arranging time off for the day. The invitation from the organisers arrived in due course and I hopped onto the internet to find out more about Henry Moore and Hatfield House.

Whoa!! All my preconceived ideas did not even begin to meet what I discovered.
Hatfield House looked just beyond amazing and I was excited to have the oppotunity to visit. I had stumbled across Henry Moore’s pieces previously on my #walkabouts through London, so did a bit of investigation and all thoughts/ideas I had about the man went straight out the window.

When I first came across Henry Moore it was by walking past an intruiging piece of his work, called ‘Locking Piece’ on Millbank near Vauxhall Bridge.

: Locking Piece 1978 – Henry Moore sculpture on Millbank near Tate Modern

I loved the sculpture and took some photos of it before heading onto Tate Britain where I came across a couple more pieces, one of which was a rather large shape depicting a lady reclining on her side, a rather overwhelming piece that I wasn’t at all too sure I liked. I mistakenly assumed that these pieces were modern!

So now, when I did my research, I discovered that in fact this Gentleman, Henry Spencer Moore was born in 1898!!!! He died in 1986 at the age of 88 after a long and illustrious career as a sculptor, with many commissions and hundreds of pieces, pieces that were in exhibitions all over the world. So successful was his career that at one stage he was paying £1million in tax accordingly to wikipedia, the article went on to say that it was at this stage that with the help of his daughter Mary, they set up the Henry Moore Foundation.

Finally the day dawned and I set off to Kings Cross Station. We were to be met at the station by a representative of the House, the lovely Annabel. My next suprise came when I met some of the other people who had been invited and to my delight, many of them were people I had met online and chatted to via twitter: Laura of @AboutLondon, Sue of @itsyourlondon, Charles of @HotelPRGuy and Andy of @501places (the gentleman who invited me). Sue I had met before when we went to Trooping the Colour together in June last year. (Did I ever tell you that I LOVE twitter) 🙂 I also got to meet Sophie of @QunoSpotter as well as Pleasance and Alex of @visitbritain It was great to meet them all.

We hopped on the train and excuse me if you don’t mind…….we travelled 1st Class! Tah dah!! Now we’re talking!! The journey from Kings Cross to Hatfield lasted about 20minutes and before we even had time to really get a conversation going we arrived at Hatfield Station, no time to play a game of cards then! A short bus ride later and my jaw hit the floor!!

Old Tudor Palace, Large Reclining Figure 1984 and me!

OMG!!!! beyond my wildest expectations there before my very eyes was this absolutely amazing Tudor House. WOW! WOW! WOW! I was elated. I clambered out the bus and in front of me, reclining on the emerald green lawn was this enormous fibreglass caste ‘Large Reclining Figure’….no kidding. It is ‘very large’ and very, very white. Not something you would miss in the dark! I loved it!
Across the way a private church (which sadly I did not get time to explore), the old riding school, and the rooms, chimneys and wonder of the Old Tudor Palace of Hatfield.
Next I met the lovely Cherise with whom I had spoken on the phone and then it was a quick tour through this most marvellous hall. I cannot even begin to tell you how fabulous this Tudor Hall is. An aframe ceiling soars above your head, covered with the most incredible wood work, glowing chandeliers hung precariously from the rafters, the ancient red-brick walls adorned with fabulous woven tapestries of mythical creatures, in bright glowing colours and along the walls were wonderful portraits of Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies.

old tudor palace hatfield henry moore exhibition at hatfield house

the hall of the Old Tudor House, Hatfield

If my mouth had been a fly-catcher, I would have cleared the planet!! I was entranced. Walking around, all I could say was wow, wow, wow! My vocabulary had forsaken me! Then to my delight I discovered that a certain young lady had lived there as a young girl….. wait for it…… Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen. I kid you not!!!! I was walking on the same floor through the same room as Queen Elizabeth I.

queen elizabeth old tudor palace, henry moore exhibition hatfield house

portrait of Queen Elizabeth I at Hatfield

The goosebumps were running up and down my arms and legs like you could not believe. The house is fabulous, red-brick and wood, towering roofs and chimneys, walls adorned with fullsome bunches of purple and lilac wisteria; fresh new buds on ancient limbs.

lovely, lovely wisteria

Running up a flight of stairs (to find the loo) I stepped back in time! Gosh, golly and wow. The upper landing was a rabbits warren of rooms and staircases, with ancient doors and furniture, cosy fireplaces, mullioned windows, and along the walls; portraits of ‘yer man’ Henry VIII and his bunch of not so merry wives. Please bear in mind that this dude was not averse to using the blade and had most of his wives beheaded!

henry VIII old tudor palace, hatfield house henry moore exhibition

I am Henry the 8th... I am, I am

You know, when you read about this in the history books, it’s kind of many times removed and doesn’t really make an impact beyond the obvious:…’how could anyone do that?’ But when you actually stand in front of the portraits of the women whose heads were removed in a most horrific way and look into their eyes……..it takes on a completely different meaning. I was almost moved to tears!
From there we made our way out into the garden, where to my delight, I got to meet Lynne of @lynnerosie also a FB friend. Wow, this day was turning out just fine!!! and to boot, the weather was quite simply fabulous. There is nothing on earth like a spring day in England!

nothing like a spring day in the UK, the lawns of the Old Tudor Palace

Then it was out onto the lawns, where we met Lord Salisbury, whose family has lived on this property for the last 400 years!!! Can you even compute that? 400 years!! geez xmas. The furtherst back I can track my heritage is my great-great-grandparents and even then we are a wee bit uncertain exactly from whence they came. It was quite surreal really. You know when you read about and learn about the Aristocracy you kind of expect them to be different somehow (well I do!), but when you meet them in real life…..they are just like you and me! Two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two arms and two legs and they look so normal. I don’t know why I find it weird, but I do.

hatfield house, henry moore exhibition, lord salisbury

Lord Salisbury on the left and Anthony Caro, a student of Henry Moore

Beyond almost shaking the hand of the Queen back in RSA in 199? (can’t recall which year exactly) I have never met anyone even remotely connected to the Aristocracy, and here I was feet away from a man whose family roots can not only be traced back 400 years, but we were standing in the gardens of said family. See….Rabbit Hole!!!!

I am not sure what I was expecting; perhaps someone like we see in the portraits, all regal and royal. And yet the reality is vastly different (not to offend anyone). He looked a wee bit like yer man farmer Brown from down the road…..except his lineage can be traced back to Elizabethan times….surreal!!! and guess what? There is actually a farm….Lawn Farm: where you will find many traditional breed animals such as Long Horn Cattle, Tamworth Pigs, and domestic fowl.

After the short intro to the House, Henry Moore and the exhibition, we were introduced to an elderly gentleman; Anthony Caro (see above photo), who was one of Henry Moore’s students. Not that young himself, said gentleman looked to be in his 80’s and what a sweetie. (on investigation I found that he is in fact 87!) http://www.anthonycaro.org/biography.htm Apparently he still has a studio in Camden…..I am so going to see it!!
Then it was time for a conducted stroll around the grounds. Now listen, if you are going to have a back garden, then this is the type of place you want. It is enormous. A mixture of formal, sculpted gardens with neatly shaped and trimmed hedgerows that form a maze, tinkling fountains, ancient grapevines draped over trellis works, manicured lawns, hidden nooks and crannies, hundreds of flowers in both formal and informal beds and a wonderful meadow that stretches out for miles under some of the most gorgeous trees.

not a small backyard....Hatfield House grounds

The Henry Moore sculptures were scattered about the garden, each having being carefully placed and postioned to make the most of not only the sculpture but the surrounding lawns or woodland. We traipsed along behind the lass who was giving us the run down of the pieces, their history, how they were made, what materials he used, how he found his inspiration and much else. It was fascinating.

henry moore exhibition, hatfield house, hill arches

Hill Arches 1973 in the fields of Hatfield House

“Sculpture is an art of the open air…I would rather have a piece of my sculpture put in a landscape, almost any landscape, than in or on the most beautiful building in the world.” Henry Moore 1951.
I am not sure what I was more enchanted with, the sculptures, the houses or the grounds!
I was constantly distracted by the fabulous Jacobian house that was standing in glorious splendour, just behind the gardens and a good strong hedgerow. I have never seen anything so enchanting. Not the same building mind that we had just been through, no, this was Hatfield House, the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Salisbury.

henry moore exhibition hatfield house, reclining figure angles

Reclining Figure: Angles 1979, in repose at Hatfield House

I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful and wonderful and fabulous the gardens are. We wandered from formal to informal, manicured to meadows, all the while with the sounds of birdsong and fountains to keep us company, the wind whispering softly through the sun-kissed trees, then a shower of petals like confetti floating down. Heavenly.
The meadows are filled with wild-flowers; cowslips and primroses, tiny daisies scattered here and there like drops of paint carelessly splattered, a haze of bluebells in clumps beneath trees, tulips and daffodils now past their prime, bright clumps of shocking pink rhododendrons towering above, soft pale pink silk slippers of the magnolia bush, white camillas now fading to brown, and dozens and dozens of trees. I felt like I was in a time-warp.

henry moore exhibition, hatfield house gardens

exhuberant rhodendrons at Hatfield House

The sculptures fitted right in like they had grown roots there, at home, in repose, at peace.

From there we made our way indoors for a really yummy lunch, quiet conversation, the tinkle of glasses and all this in the beautiful setting of what used to be the riding school. Wow! I had the vegetarian option of roasted vegetables topped with grilled feta cheese studded with sesame seeds drizzled with warm olive oil, a lovely mixed leaf fresh green salad and grilled tomatoes.

mmmmm, it was as yummy as it looks

Dessert was an explosion of taste that set the old taste-buds dancing; a compote of summer fruits served with thick fresh cream!! heavenly!
After lunch we were given press-packs, and then the cherry on the top……a tour of the fabulous Jacobian Manor that I had been eyeing out all morning!!! Yay! And OMG!!! wow, talk about stunning. I cannot even begin to describe the splendour, the magnificence and totally overwhelming wonder of it all.

I have written a seperate blog on that tour which you can find here. Hope you enjoy it. 🙂

Read Full Post »

commemorating the Great Fire of 1666

Posted in Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged tallest freestanding column in the world, the great fire of london 1666, the monument city of london on April 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This is to certify that…………………….has climbed the 311 steps of the Monument.

my certificate

After the dizzying and arduous climb of those 311 steps that circle 160feet (48.7metres) up in an ever tightening spiral to the viewing platform of the Monument, when you return to the bottom you receive a certificate to prove that you have indeed made it to the top and back. And quite rightly too!

an ever tightening spiral of stairs going up!!!

on Monday last I went #walkabout again as mentioned in a previous post. My number one priority was to visit the Monument to gather information and photos for a piece I am doing. Here is the story of the Monument.

The Monument stands in Monument Street off Fish Street Hill and Pudding Lane in the City of London.

Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, the monument was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666, the Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world.

The Monument

The Great Fire of London 1666 began in a baker’s house in Pudding Lane on a Sunday in September 1666. The fire burned for 3days from the 2nd September till it was finally extinguished on Wednesday 5th September, by which stage it had destroyed the greater part of the City.

The fire brought all activity to a halt after having consumed or severely damaged more than 13,000 houses, hundreds of streets, the City’s gates, public buildings, Churches and St Paul’s Cathedral, in all 436 acres of the City. Amazingly there was little loss of life and a very interesting account of the fire can be read in the diaries of Samuel Pepys.

The only buildings to survive were those built of stone, such as the Guildhall.

Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned by King Charles II to erect a permanent memorial to the Great Fire of London near the spot where it started……Pudding Lane.

The Monument, a colossal Doric Column in the antique tradition, contains a cantilevered stone staircase of 311 steps that lead to the viewing platform, surmounted by a drum and a copper urn from which flames emerged; symbolising the Great Fire.

the Monument as it looked in 1750...the buildings are certainly very different now

the flaming urn and the viewing platform, which as you can see, is enclosed with wire mesh

The Monument is 202feet (61metres) high, (30 feet taller than Nelson’s Column). 202feet is the exact distance between it and the site in Pudding Lane where the fire began. Be sure to study the fabulous carvings on the square base of the monument.

on the base of the monument are some fabulous carvings.

The monument originally housed a telescope, and scientific experiments were conducted there.

The platform, open on all four sides, is enclosed by a strong wire mesh (to prevent suicides). Notable buildings that can be seen from this vantage point would be:
St Paul’s Cathedral – dome, the Gerkin (Swiss Re building), Lloyd’s Building, in the distance you can see Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, The Shard (a new building that at the time of writing is being built near to London Bridge in Southwark, Tate Modern, London Eye, and a great number of our more modern buildings in Bank.

the dome of St Paul's Cathedral...I zoomed in to get this shot

St Magnus-the-Martyr Church (although it is open only on Sundays) there you can see a relic of a Roman Wharf dated AD75
London Bridge – a short walk from the Monument
Bank – a brisk walk will take you into the centre of London at the Royal Exchange and Mansion House.
The Thames Path – a short walk will take you to a point where you can pick up the Thames Path on the north bank for a really interesting walk past old and new buildings, pubs and cannons, historical sites, under bridges and through tunnels.

It never ceases to give me a thrill when I visit these places. To think that I am walking in the footsteps of Christopher Wren and many other notable personages over the years…… as well as the less notable! On the day that I visited the monumnet was crowded as usual and it’s a tight squeeze on what is a very narrow ledge. It’s probably a good thing they have the wire mesh, as someone would be likely to fall off. As I was leaving a group of about 20 schoolchildren were ascending and it was a real laugh trying to squeeze past on the way down, esp at the top of the spiral staircase that gets narrower the higher it gets. Bless….one little poppet was screaming her head off with fear, stuck about a 3rd of the way up, refusing to walk one more step and not happy. The noise in the narrow confines was deafening!

I do count myself so very lucky that I am able to visit these places and can’t imagine that many years ago in my very distant past I used to say that I had no interest in visiting London! I must have been mad!

Read Full Post »

an afternoon in Richmond Upon Thames

Posted in around the UK, Castles of UK and Ireland, Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged 4 Maids of Honour Row Richmond, historical homes in Richmond, Richmond Palace, Richmond Upon Thames, thames path richmond, things to do in Richmond on March 28, 2011| 4 Comments »

Yesterday I had some time off so made my way through to Twickenham to visit my daughter who has been quite peaky the last week and needed some ‘Mummy TLC’. 🙂 The weather was great by the time I arrived there and it was lovely to see the sun (the journey took 1.5hours!!!!).

transport for london, trains from barons court to richmond, district line to richmond

waiting at Baron's Court for the first train to Richmond

First we had a cup of tea and a wee chat and then went for a stroll along the river. She was looking decidedly pale and needed some sun. We crossed the river via Twickenham Bridge and taking a short-cut along a delightful little road, we passed the entrance to the Old Deer Park.

the entrance under the bridge to the Deer Park, Richmond

The houses that lined the road were wonderful, gardens and lawns beautifully maintained with the spring flowers and greenery sprouting vigorously. The flower boxes are a delight of colour.

delightful houses, window boxes filled with colours of spring

As we reached Richmond Green, which certainly lived up to it’s name,

living up to it's name...Richmond Green

we walked to the right and behold…..the remains of ‘Richmond Palace’!!! OMG!!! Show me a palace or a castle and I go weak at the knees. It was extraordinary to stand under the archway that led into the courtyard knowing that 3 of our Monarchs lived here at some stage of our history. King Henry VII, King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. Right up my alley; I was enchanted.

inside the courtyard of Richmond Palace showing the King's Wardrobe on the right

Yes it did say private land, and no I did not take heed!! We strolled around the courtyard and discovered the ‘Trumpeter’s House’, ‘Number 2 The Wardrobe’ as well as the ‘Palace Gate House’ 🙂

Trumpeter's House, Richmond Palace

Can you just imagine living in a house called ‘The Trumpeter’s House’!!! How marvellous. The courtyard is delightful and so quiet you would never guess your’e right in the town. The ancient hinges on the wall are massive and show just how enormous the gates themselves must have been to require such large hinges.

...now that is what you call a hinge!!!!

From there we walked past a magical row of houses named ‘Four Maids of Honour Row’……how quaint can you get!!!!

4 Maids of Honour Row, Richmond

Next we walked across the green to the town and made our way to a wee tea-room, a delightful little place, quaint and twee. There we relaxed and chatted over a pot of tea and scones with jam and cream (of course!!!).

scones with jam and cream

After tea we walked back to the green and lay out on the green, green grass in the sun….the citizens of Richmond were scattered about on the grass, relaxing, playing games, throwing ball, little kiddies running about, parents trying to keep up; the buzz of conversation and laughter filled the air.

As the sun started to slip down the horizon it got chilly, so we decided to head on home. I unfortunately had a deadline too. 😦

A quick stroll along the main road where we passed a pub called ‘The Old Ship’. Above the entrance were two lovely old lamps!

The Old Ship has stood on this site since at least 1735

old lamps and carved wooden detail

and then along the embankment that forms part of the Thames Path that runs approx 180 miles along the Thames riverbank from the Thames Flood Barrier at Woolwich in South East London to Kemble in Gloucestershire. The grassy verges were filled to the brim with people all sitting out enjoying the sun. I have never seen that particular area so heavily peopled before. It’s quite weird….it’s like in winter everyone gets packed away in a box, and when the spring arrives…they all get let out again.

along the embankment near Richmond Bridge

Along the way we passed some amazing houses…wow!! Richmond upon Thames has, and is surrounded by, a great selection of historic houses and stately homes.

can you imagine that the water reaches right up to the wall at high tide

I saw a heron fishing

heron fishing at the deer park in richmond

a heron fishing

and stopped at the old ‘Meridian Line; that used to be positioned here (now moved to Greenwich).

meridian line richmond, kings observatory old deer park, kew road, richmond

where the meridian line used to be positioned. if you follow the line as the crow flies you will reach the King's Observatory

Then it was back home, a quick stop on the bridge to take photos….the river was looking absolutely fabulous.

River Thames as viewed from Twickenham Bridge

Then home for one final cup of tea and finally I had no option but to head on home…..a journey that took 2 hours!!!! urgh. Sunday on TFL is no joke!

map of Richmond Upon Thames

There is so much to do in Richmond, and with a fabulous selection of historical houses, quaint and ancient pubs, high street shops, a number of restaurants and tea-rooms, the Old Deer Park, boating on the river and the Thames Pathway….you are spoilt for choice. It’s a wonderful area and so worth the trip out of London…a trip that is an adventure in itself.

Read Full Post »

Super Moon – March 19 2011

Posted in Historical, news from around the world, tagged photo of the super moon over london, photography, super moon march 19 2011, super moon tonight on March 19, 2011| 1 Comment »

Super Moon

I nicked this off facebook tonight. I love stats (being an Credit Controller in my previous life, why wouldn’t I?) whee, look at the figures. I love that I get to see things like this. Living history. One day I will be able to tell my grandchildren about the Super Moon and show them the photos.

updated: 19:25 my photo of the moon rising in London

Super Moon over London March 19 2011 at 19:10 GMT

Read Full Post »

is the end of the world nigh?…….or not!!

Posted in Historical, Interesting articles, news from around the world, tagged earthquakes and volcanoes, moon closest to earth 19th march, tsunamis and natural disasters on March 18, 2011| 4 Comments »

The last few years have been like something out of a Hollywood disaster movie, what with earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes occurring round the world and in terms of reality make the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” look pale in comparison (or rather too realistic). I am sure many will agree that these events has been observed with increasing unease. The 2004 Boxing Day quake and tsunami shook the world in many ways. The Haitian and Chilean earthquakes followed and again we watched with horror at the total devastation that occurred, unable to believe that such terrifying events could occur outside of the blockbuster movies.

Then just recently Pakistan and then Australia were hammered by devastating floods and following close on the heels was the New Zealand earthquake. I was reminded of a blog post I read a few months ago via my wordpress friend Thomas (click here to read the article) wherein the Indian Scientist concerned linked the beaching of whales and dolphins to seismic activity beneath the waves.

If you look at the happenings around the world, his theories certainly hold water. The number of whale and dolphin beachings that occured recently seem to add weight to his theories. Then the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami occured and once again we were left horrified at the scenes that unfolded before our eyes. Watching all of this has left me wondering why we think we can in any way even begin to think that we ‘control’ nature. There is little control at all.

I think we are often lulled into a false sense of security by benign weather, long lazy days of sunshine and balmy winds and then all hell breaks lose and we are tossed about like so much flotsam and jetsam…..absolutely no control at all. Somehow it reduces all our daily issues and makes them totally inconsequential in the face of the fury that gets unleashed. What does it matter that the tube is late, or the price of fuel has gone up, or whatever issues we face in our daily lives when you see the pain and despair of people who have lost loved ones in the blink of an eye. We get so involved in our own little worlds and it takes something like these natural disasters to shake us out of our reverie. Petty arguments seem ridiculous when you realise that thousands of people woke that day, went about their daily business and hours later they were no more.

On March 19, 2011 the Moon will pass by Earth at a distance of 356,577 kilometers (221,567 miles) – the closest pass in 18 years and according to some experts in their field, this will cause an increase in natural disasters. There is a lot of ‘scientific’ speak on the websites I have read that makes no sense to me whatsoever, but nevertheless, it doesn’t sound good. I just watched a video on youtube that has sent the heepy creepies up my spine!!! I am not sure if I am terrified or excited. Is this the end of the world? According to our interpretation of the Mayan predictions the world is meant to end in 2012…… will it? Eek! I hope not.

Here is the video:

Read Full Post »

My Canterbury Tales – 12th February – day 1

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged canterbury tales, geoffrey chaucer, travels round london on March 10, 2011| 8 Comments »

So 12th February was the start of my big adventure, the start of my Canterbury Tales along the Pilgrim’s Route.
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” Jawaharial Nehru
Following in the footsteps of Chaucer, I had decided to visit all the places in Southwark, that were around in his day. I was chomping at the bit to get going. I have already been to most of these places in the past, (recent past that is, not a previous life’s past!), but thought that for the sake of the blog, I should revisit them. (p.s. it has taken me 18 hours to put this blog together!! So for the sake of my sanity….please read the whole thing! 🙂 )
Discussing the adventure the day before with my Social Media Strategist, Cémanthe, of @NewMediaAngels, she suggested that I tweet about my trip and use the hashtag #njgtravels. What a great idea! Of course I can then use that hashtag for the next leg of the journey too which starts on April 3rd 2011. At that stage I plan to start from Greenwich and over the week with a bit of luck and lots of walking…….reach Canterbury. Hhmmm!!
For now I would only be doing the first two stages of Chaucer’s journey; Deptford and Greenwich.

geoffrey chaucer canterbury tales pilgrims route to canterbury

probable route that Chaucer followed to Canterbury

Since this is the only map that I have been able to find so far, I am going to assume that this was his route and follow it. ( pic via httpfaculty.arts.ubc.casechard346map.htm). The names of the villages were apparently all mentioned in his Canterbury Tales, so one can assume that one way or the other, he visited them on the way. And so will I 🙂
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1342-1400) wrote The Canterbury Tales between 1387 and 1400, about half a century before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. The first copies of Chaucer’s work were handwritten. William Caxton (1422-1491), the first printer in England, published two editions of The Canterbury Tales, one in the late 1470’s and one in the early 1480’s.

a sketch of Geoffrey Chaucer as he may have looked on his route to Canterbury

The last few days have been great fun, doing research on google (to which I am totally addicted), and finding out more about Chaucer and the Pilgrim’s route from London. (pic of Chaucer via telegraph.co.uk)
Also being able to visit buildings that were around in his day…..611+ years ago!!!….is just awesome beyond words. One of the reasons I love London so much is for that very reason…the history that stretches back over 2,000 years ago till well before the Romans even got here.

roman soldier museum of london london museum

pic of a Roman soldier – taken at the Museum of London (the best museum ever!)

So starting in Southwark – Visitors to the area included individuals such as Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, King Henry VIII, Sir Francis Drake, Geoffrey Chaucer and many others.
These are some of the places I have found so far:
London Bridge – in Chaucer’s day (14th C): Late Mediaeval: the Peter de Colechurch Bridge – There was a Stone Gate House on the bridge and on its roof stood poles where traitors’ heads were placed. This practice started in 1304 and continued until 1678. In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell’s head was placed on one of the poles.
Southwark Cathedral – a place of worship on this site since 606AD – a medieval priory which today has become Southwark Cathedral.
Winchester Palace – the remains/ruins of a 12th century palace, London residence of the Bishops of Winchester.
The Clink Prison – 1144-1780 now a museum – The Clink Prison Museum is built upon the original site of the Clink Prison which dates back to 1144 making it one of England’s oldest, if not the oldest Prison. Now a museum (great fun for a visit)

Saint George the Martyr Church on Borough High Street – a church that was in existence during the 14th Century and before. The earliest reference to this church is in the Annals of Bermondsey Abbey, which claims that the church was given by Thomas de Ardern and Thomas his son in 1122.
and of course The George Inn – in it’s present incarnation, having gone through a number of fires over the years, and rebuilt. The George Inn was situated next door to the Tabard Inn from whence Chaucer commenced his journey to Canterbury.

Now, onwards with the journey…..I have listed the tweets I made in chronological order and will write my blog/s around that. There was so much I did and so many things I saw, that I am sure one blog will not be sufficient…..so I am going to break it up into sections and post them that way so as not to make it too long, but at the same time give you the full picture….so many brilliant places to see and learn about. And despite my having travelled extensively around London, I have not yet fully explored this area. It is as full of history as The City of London and Westminster….(little did I know at this stage just what I would find 🙂 )

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber
13:41 my big adventure starts today http://ht.ly/3VaUT – will do updates on #njgtravels – am very excited 🙂
13:47 whoo hoo…time for the big adventure to start. Southwark 1st this afternoon & evening, then #Greenwich tomorrow. tweets under #njgtravels
I finally set off at 14:50 heading for the bus stop and as I got there I sent this tweet:
14:56 oh!? Right. Gr8 start! Its hailing. WHEN does it EVER hail in #London? Geez! Hahaha #njgtravels
So there I stood at the bus stop in the hail and rain, a precusor of the what to expect on the morrow?! Like Chaucer I had to change carriages and whilst waiting for the next bus further along the route (and I hadn’t even arrived in London proper yet!) I sent this tweet:
15:05 OKAY! So now its raining AND the sun is shining? Is this some sort of weird send off or what? 🙂 #njgtravels

I noticed this advert at a bus stop and could’nt believe what I read 🙂

I had a few things to do and places to go before I got to my point of departure and along the way….. Finally…….
15:58 ah ha! Now wer’e talking! Sun shining, blue skies, puffy white clouds. next stop #london bridge 🙂 hope its still standing! #njgtravels
Finally after what seemed like ages I arrived at London Bridge Station and started my journey! First stop London Bridge.
16:55 its still standing after all this time….yeah yeah yeah! #london bridge 🙂 #njgtravels
London Bridge: in it’s present incarnation is about the 8th bridge on this site, the first being in AD80.

London Bridge – still standing after all this time

From the bridge I crossed the road towards Southwark Cathedral.

southwark cathedral priory winchester palace

just off London Bridge; Southwark Cathedral

The cathedral is quite awesome and although it sits below street level from London Bridge, is no less imposing for that. The interior of the cathedral is overwhelmingly beautiful and I look forward to exploring it more fully again in the future when I have more time. From there I walked the short distance to Clink Street on my way passing the replica of The Golden Hinde berthed at Pickford’s Wharf. (The Golden Hinde is a full-sized reconstruction of the Tudor warship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world in 1577 – 1580.)

the golden hinde southwark drakes galleon

the Golden Hinde – a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s galleon

Although this was not around in Chaucer’s time the area definitely was. The next stop on my walk was Winchester Palace, the ruins of which show the remains of the Great Hall and the now famous ‘Rose Window’. (It is believed that the great hall was built c.1136 and that the rose window was added 200 years later).

winchester palace bishops of winchester southwark cathedral clink prison

the famous Rose Window added 200 years later….note the 3 doors mid-way up

(The remains of Winchester Palace showing the Rose Window and the three doors to the buttery, pantry and kitchen.)
By now the sun had started to sink below the horizon and as you may or may not know, being winter our days are quite short, and it was getting dark. The lamps lining Clink Street came on, creating pools of light and chasing the shadows away, lending to the atmosphere of days gone by. Southwark Bridge looked ethereal in the fading light.

southwark bridge london england, river thames london

Southwark Bridge looking ethereal at dusk, St Paul’s dome on the horizon

My next stop was the Clink Prison (this is where the phrase “in the clink” was coined). Here I met the gaoler man! Fortunately he let me off lightly and did a quick pose for my benefit. I then retraced my steps to Borough High Street (Before the building of Westminster Bridge, Borough High Street was the only connection to London north of the river, from the south, a major communications node for traffic between London and Portsmouth, Dover, south-east England generally and also travellers from Europe.)

borough high street southwark route to dover and southeast england

now a bustling, thriving area – Borough High Street

Borough is now a thriving cosmopolitan area of London.
and onto Saint George the Martyr: – The present church is believed to be the 3rd on this site. 1) a Norman church of unknown appearance, replaced at the end of the 14th C by a church with a bell tower; demolished 1734. The church was rebuilt in a Classical style to the designs of John Price between 1734 and 1736. I explored the perimeter of the church and on finding a gate open on the southeast side of the church, (I am quite unable to ignore an open door or gate)….I ventured within the grounds of the church. Down a short flight of stairs I noticed…..an open door on the east side 🙂 I quietly slipped inside and to my delight, on the wall across the room was this gorgeous stained glass window.

madonna and child saint george the martyr stained glass windows 3days in london

Madonna & Child stained glass window inside Saint George the Martyr Church

I noticed that the graveyard was still open so stepped inside for a quick look….it was very dark so I didn’t go far from the gate! This area has links with Charles Dickens as well. Making my way back to Borough High Street I turned towards the river once again for my next stop; The George Inn; where I planned on having a meal before my adventure the following day.
18:20 at The George Inn, 12th C rebuilt 1677 frequented by Chaucer, Shakespeare Dickens et al & now me #london 🙂 its jam packed! #njgtravels
With no idea what Chaucer may have eaten, although he probably ate meat of some sort. (I found this little ditty on the internet).
‘A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones,
To boille the chicknes with the mary-bones
And poudre-marchant tart, and galingale.
Wel coude he knowe a draughte of London ale.
He coulde roste, and sethe, and broille, and frye
Maken mortreux, and wel bake a pye.
But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me,
That on his shine a mormal hadde he
For blankmanger, that made he with the beste.’
Translated into current English:
A cook they had with them, just for the nonce,
To boil the chickens with the marrow-bones,
And flavour tartly and with galingale.
Well could he tell a draught of London ale.
And he could roast and seethe and broil and fry,
And make a good thick soup, and bake a pie.
But very ill it was, it seemed to me,
That on his shin a deadly sore had he;
For sweet blanc-mange, he made it with the best.
Mediaeval blancmange was a type of moulded dish of either chicken or fish cooked in rice with almond milk. I chose fish and chips, a good old fashioned British meal….. or is it???

chaucers canterbury tales, fish and chips at the george inn southwark london, national trust properties, british traditions

mmmm…..yummy fish and chips with mushy peas

I tucked in with gusto whilst observing my fellow taverners (not sure if that is even a word), but hey, in the spirit of Chaucer…..I too can create a story! (Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories in a frame story, between 1387 and 1400) The Inn was packed with diners, bursts of loud raucous laughter raised the beams and merry-makers doth abound!
18:56 mmm! Fish delicious. Chips ok. Mushy peas – psychedelic green! 🙂 at The George Inn Southwark #njgtravels
As a kind of after thought, I sent this tweet:
19:01 earlier i walked past Southwark Cathedral, Winchester Palace, the Clink Prison & St George the Martyr Church. #njgtravels
My next tweet conveyed my delight:
19:08 this Inn awesome. Gives me a thrill to sit here trying to imagine what it was like in Chaucers day, or Shakespeare or Dickens! #njgtravels
I cannot even begin to describe how it feels to walk, sit or stand in places that have a history linked to some of our most famous figures. Imagine if Dickens or Shakespeare had sat in the very corner where I was sitting!

william shakespeare george inn southwark london, national trust property

William Shakespeare, he who frequented the George Inn

Mind-boggling. My appetite satiated, my meal cleared away and my refreshment keeping my blood warm (Bailey’s on ice), I decided to head on home. It was my intention to start off early the next morning and catch the sunrise over the city from London Bridge, much like Chaucer had done (I expect). I then sent this tweet:
19:12 right! Time to saddle up my horse & head on home. Early to bed for an early rise! #njgtravels
After exploring the Inn’s upper levels and checking out the restaurant I discovered on the galleried section,

george inn southwark london, national trust property, charles dickens, william shakespeare

the upper level of the galleries of the George Inn, Southwark

having a look up and down stairs, I headed off into the night. It was quite dark by now and I wondered what the night would have looked like at the time Chaucer set out on his pilgrimage. I have searched through dozens of articles about Chaucer and his pilgrimage and to date I have not been able to find out exactly which year he started out, but I did find that he most likely set out in April. “When April comes with its sweet showers…then people long to go on pilgrimages”
Which is just perfect since the next leg of my journey is planned for April 3rd 2011!

part two to follow………….

Read Full Post »

on this day 1804

Posted in around the UK, Historical, Travel, tagged pen-y-darren locomotive, richard trevithick 1804, this day in 1804 on February 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

a snippet from the past:

On this day in 1804, Richard Trevithick’s ‘unnamed’ locomotive hauled five wagons, 70 men and 10 tons of iron 9.75 miles in 4hrs5mins on the world’s very first laden train journey.

Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer. His most significant success was the high pressure steam engine and he also built the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive. On 21 February 1804 the world’s first locomotive-hauled railway journey took place as Trevithick’s unnamed steam locomotive hauled a train along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks, near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. (ref wikipedia).

The "Pen-y-Darren" locomotive

Read Full Post »

the start of my pilgrims journey in the footsteps of Chaucer

Posted in Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged a walk along the Thames pathway, chaucers canterbury tales, more london riverside on February 20, 2011| 7 Comments »

….following in the footsteps of Geoffrey Chaucer (c1340-1400), I embarked on the first leg of my pilgrim’s route. As mentioned in my previous blog, after discovering that Chaucer followed the Pilgrim’s route from Southwark to Canterbury, I have decided to as much as possible follow the route that he took. It is my plan to follow the English route (or one of them anyway) from London to Santiago. Once I reach Canterbury it will be a case of, do I go via Portugal (which I am inclined to do) or via Spain? A lot will hinge on whether or not I have my British Passport by that stage (means I don’t have to apply for a visa).

So to begin at the beginning, I set off from London Bridge Station, Saturday 12th February at about 4.30pm to explore Southwark more fully and to visit the places that were around in Chaucers day. In the Middle Ages the area hereabouts was known as the Liberty of the Clink and owned by the Bishops of Winchester. After some research (google) I discovered that not only was

1) London Bridge around, but so was

London Bridge - 1st bridge across the Thames as it is today

2) Southwark Cathedral (circa 606AD)

southwark cathedral and geoffrey chaucer

southwark Cathedral - a place of worship since 606AD

inside there is a beautiful stained glass window with the words ‘To the Glory of God and in honour of Geoffrey Chaucer’,

3) Winchester Palace (only a small section of which remains) – Great Hall of Winchester Palace, originally built in 1109, the residence of the powerful Bishops of Winchester.

remains of Winchester Palace showing the famous Rose window

4) The Clink Prison (now a museum)

The Clink Prison Museum - a debtor perhaps!!!

Although a prison was probably established within the palace in the 12th century, the first mention of the clink was in 1509. John Stow (1525 -1605) in his Survey of London (publ 1598), states that the prison was kept for those that broke the peace in the Bankside brothels. In 1761 the prison was described as ‘a very dismal hole where debtors are sometimes confined’. It later burned down in the Gordon Riots of 1780.

and of course

5) The George Inn (albeit restored after a fire)

The George Inn - the last surviving galleried inn in London

and I also discovered

6) St George the Martyr – a church that was in existence during the 14th Century and before.

St George the Martyr Church - Southwark

These buildings have all gone through different experiences and many are restored after fires that have raged through the area, so although they were about in Chaucer’s day, they were most likely in a slightly different form. Although I have to say that the UK is very good at endeavouring to restore their ancient, heritage to what it was before any disaster that may have devestated the original. There were also some remains of the Bermondsey palace, but I could not quite figure out where it was, so will leave that for another time.

I have listed these buildings or the remains of or the current form of those that were definitely around in Chaucer’s day.

I enjoyed a very happy 5 hours meandering the alleys, lanes and streets (*) of Southwark, starting off of course from London Bridge, I walked through the grounds of Southwark Cathedral past Winchester Palace along narrow, darkened lanes to The Clink Prison Museum (where I met the goaler man),

the goaler man at The Clink Prison (museum)

back through Borough Market which looked bereft and kinda spooky, nothing like it does on market days when the market stalls are set up and there is the hustle and bustle of shoppers and marketers, thence along Borough High Street which being a route from Southwark, London to Dover was of course also a main thoroughfare in Chaucers day. I visited St George the Martyr church and had a quick peek inside, then made my way back up to The George Inn for my evening meal. The George Inn is the last remaining galleried inn in London and has gone through many changes, almost lost to fire at one stage and frequented by the likes of Dickens, Shakespeare and of course Chaucer and me! 🙂

a new proprietor at The George Inn

So although he did not set out from this particular Inn I decided to have my ‘pilgrim’s’ meal and pretend that he did 🙂 I enjoyed a good old-fashioned plate of battered-fish and chips with mushy peas (that were a psychedelic green),

my pilgrim's meal - battered fish, chips and psychedelic mushy peas

washed down with a beverage that I am positive was not around in his day: Bailey’s Cream…..on ice 🙂 The Tabard Inn, that Chaucer set off from has long since disappeared.

By now it was getting kinda late but since I was in no hurry I made my way back to London Bridge and set off along the Queen’s Walk which makes up part of the Thames Path that follows the whole of the 215miles of the Thames from source to sea, with a few diversions. What a delight. It was interesting to see London Bridge all lit up in red (fire!!!)

London Bridge lit up at night

and a bit further along I discovered Cotton’s Centre which is a monstrous glass edifice and just marvellous, I also re-discovered Hays’ Galleria and on venturing inside the huge cavern found a most amazing and fantastical water-fountain! A metal boat like something out of the movie ‘A League of Extraordinary Men’. All I can say is that if you have not seen it yet…..treat yourself, it is fantastic.

the navigators a water fountain in hays galleria

'The Navigators' by sculptor David Kemp, 1987

From there I meandered along the bankside passing HMS Belfast on the way, admiring all the new and beautiful modern buildings that have grown up along that side of the river till I reached Potters Field, City Hall and The Scoop and thence to Tower Bridge. The night was perfect, and the river sparkeled and shone with the lights from the buildings lining her banks, their reflections dancing on the swirls and eddies of the tide.

I tarried a while and gazed, entranced at the beauty of the evening. The Tower of London, sitting squat and ominous, her turrets and towers underlit with spotlights, seemed to glow in the night with an eerie, and ghostly life of their own.

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge; an amazing spectacle of colour at night, with light shining out so bright I am sure it could be seen from space.

Tower Bridge lit up at night

Around me citizens strolled arm in arm, pushed buggys or walked in groups along the path, bursts of laughter echoed across the water and the shrieks of children rushing through the fountains that decorate the square filled the night with sound.

water glass and light at More London Riverside

Eventually, mindful of my intended early start the next day for my walk from Southwark to Greenwich, I strolled back via More London Riverside through this vast concrete jungle, towering giants of glass, steel and concrete; alien space-ships on ancient land.

I once heard someone say that they always thought of London as being grey!!!! Well, never could you be so wrong. London is a vibrant collage of colours….just take a walk along the banks of the Thames at night and you will see what I mean.

More London Riverside by night

I also wondered what it must have been like in Chaucer’s day when the lanes and alleys were frequented by the likes of tars, thieves, prostitutes and pirates…..a dark and dangerous place indeed.

Read Full Post »

…and the travels continue….where east meets west and Canterbury here I come

Posted in Historical, Holidays, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged chaucers canterbury tales, the thames path from london to greenwich on February 15, 2011| 2 Comments »

….ok, so not quite yet, but certainly in the future! I had such a brilliant time on Saturday night and Sunday that despite my initial wtf am I doing……? I had a brilliant time. So my thanks to Geoffrey Chaucer for following the pilgrims route and to my employer for the London Walks cards via which I stumbled across this fact during my research for the pilgrims route for which I have to thank my Dad (this is beginning to sound like I have won an award at the BAFTA’S or something!) hahaha 🙂

So where to start……..? I saw and did so much that I could probably write a book (ok, ok family!!! I will…in time 🙂 ). Meanwhile, here is what was the penultimate experience I had on the journey! Standing on the meridian line. I cannot tell you what a thrill I get each time I get to stand on the meridian line, that I am seriously thinking how awesome it would be to live in Greenwich in a house that has the 0 degrees 0′ 0″ line running through it.

0 degrees 0' 0" the meridian line

I could wake up in the morning, get out of bed on the east side (makes sense, doesn’t it), have breakfast in the kitchen which will also be in the east and then walk to the sitting room or my office in the west! at night I would go back to bed and climb in via the west side. 🙂

standing on the meridian line...where east meets west

……..the rest will follow in due course. Am writing a number of guest blogs for other travel sites at the mo and have a tall order from my daughter who has something up her sleeve: she wants 4 x 700 word blogs and 8 x 350 word blogs on London!! and photos to go with them. I am dying to know why? But, thankfully, coz I have already produced hundreds of blogs on London I have loads of material, so am currently editing those I have chosen and will be back to my Canterbury Tales in due course.

btw, did I ever mention just how fantastically brilliant London is. I cannot even begin to tell you what a treasure trove it is. As a taster of what’s to come……..I passed the 1620 Mayflower Inn (orig. the Shippe) and the church of St Mary’s in Rotherhithe (c14 rebuilt 1715) with links to the captain of the Mayflower Capt. Christopher Jones.