Introduction
If you don’t work in the City, it becomes a place you don't frequent that often. At least, that was the case for me and so I decided it was time to rediscover the square mile. During the weekend, it’s all quiet and perfect to explore a bit more of its past and present. If you want to experience the hustle and bustle of the square mile, weekdays are more suitable. Walking down the little alleyways, you can easily imagine how quickly the Great Fire must have spread. Although, there is a story to tell about every square inch of it, this is not an attempt to make a historic account of the City. I listed a few points I found interesting and added links for those who want to find out more. If you are looking for more information, I would advise to book a guided tour walk, take a break at the Museum of London or read Peter Ackroyd's book, London The Biography.
If you don’t work in the City, it becomes a place you don't frequent that often. At least, that was the case for me and so I decided it was time to rediscover the square mile. During the weekend, it’s all quiet and perfect to explore a bit more of its past and present. If you want to experience the hustle and bustle of the square mile, weekdays are more suitable. Walking down the little alleyways, you can easily imagine how quickly the Great Fire must have spread. Although, there is a story to tell about every square inch of it, this is not an attempt to make a historic account of the City. I listed a few points I found interesting and added links for those who want to find out more. If you are looking for more information, I would advise to book a guided tour walk, take a break at the Museum of London or read Peter Ackroyd's book, London The Biography.
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| The Blackfriars, start and end of the walk |
B. The Apothecaries Hall
originally stored and sold spices, wine and herbs to eventually evolve into
today's pharmacies. This was preceded by a long legal battle where it fought
for the right to prescribe medicine. When opened, you can walk into the court
to have a look around.
C. The Golden Boy at Pye Corner. The golden boy at pye
corner is a memorial of the place where the Great Fire ended. The Great Fire
(1666) demolished the entire city. It started at Pudding Lane as a result of a
fire in the king’s bakery and ended at Pye (Pie) Corner. Citizens believed this
wasn’t a coincidence but a punishment for gluttony (greediness and
overconsumption). Hence, the boy is being portrayed rather on the round side.
However, Pye actually refers to the bird magpie, the sign of
the adjoining pub, the Fortune of War. The
Fortune of War was a public house where dead bodies were collected to sell to
the surgeons of St Bartholomew Hospital. Resurrectionists or body snatchers
were praised by the surgeons as they experienced a heavy shortage in dead
bodies, needed for the study of human anatomy. As the pub was located just North
of the Thames, the bodies usually came from people who drowned in the river. But
the shortage of bodies eventually led the resurrectionists to murder. One group
of body snatchers was called the London Burkers, named after Burke and Hare
from Edinburgh, who were famous for murdering old and disabled people for the
purpose of selling their corpses.
Source: http://en.Wikipedia.org
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| St Bartholomew-the-Great |
D., E. and F. St-Bartholomew-the-Less
(D., free entry), its bigger brother St Bartholomew-the-Great (F., no free admission)
, St Bartholomew Hospital. The first hospital in London was built near this
church where miraculous healings were believed to take place. St Bartholomew
was also seen as the protector of long distance travellers. The church was
built by Rahere who had put great effort in its construction by recruiting
people and collecting stones from all over London.
“These stones came
from many parts of London, and in that sense the narrative of construction is a
true representation of the fact that St Bartholomew’s was a collective work and
vision of the city; it became in literal form, its microcosm.” (Peter Ackroyd,
London the Biography, p.39).
Smithfield Market
is a wholesale meat market. Since 1852 it only sells cut meat but has been a
livestock market for over 1,000 years. It was deemed as a holy place by Henri I
and Edward the Confessor and is also well known as a spot for public convictions
of men of high treason. It was here that the Scottish patriot, William Wallace,
was hanged, drawn and quartered.
"Convicts were
fastened to a hurdle, or wooden panel, and drawn by horse to the place of
execution, where they were hanged (almost to the point of death), emasculated,
disembowelled, beheaded and quartered (chopped into four pieces). Their remains
were often displayed in prominent places across the country, such as London
Bridge and gates. For reasons of public decency, women convicted of high
treason were instead burnt at the stake." (Source: Wikipedia).
G. Remnants of the London Wall (London Wall Street and Noble
Street). The defensive wall was built by the Romans around the city and was
fortified in the medieval period. Over the centuries, houses were built against
the walls and this clearly shows at Noble Street by the different type of
stones used. The London Wall played an important role in preventing the spread
of the great Fire. Many street names refer to the gates of the Wall
(Bishopgate, Aldgate, Ludgate, Cripplegate).
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| London Wall at the Barbican Estate |
I. The Museum of
London is the perfect place to find out more about the London Wall and the
great Fire. It also features a free
MP4 guided tour walk of the Great Fire and you can download the map of the London
Wall Walk from its website.
H. The Barbican Estate and cultural centre: an estate built in
1960-1970 after the war demolished the site. The estate is built in 'brutalist
architectural style' as an all-in estate, integrating a school, a museum, sports
and cultural centre. The cultural centre has a great sixties feel to it and I
would recommend wandering around the different levels.
The walk continues from Noble Street to Wood Street and Love
Lane, where the Saxons built their first church and palace, to Guildhall
Art Gallery. Guildhall served as a town hall and is still part of the
administrative centre of the City of London. On the lower ground of the Art
Gallery, the remnants of a Roman amphitheatre were discovered during building
works in the late nineties. The entrance is free and it is really worth having
a look inside.
(Opening hours: Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 12
noon-4pm).
K. St-Mary-le-Bow
is a Norman church of nearly a thousand years old, built by William The
Conqueror’s Archbishop of Canterbury and as many other churches, restored by
Christopher Wren after the Great Fire. During the 14th century the
bow bells were rung to alert the citizens of the start of the curfew but also
the end of the working day and so it dominated the rhythm of the City. It are
the bow bells that define cockneys as those born within the sound of the bells.
(Free entrance)
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| St-Mary-le-Bow |
L. Leadenhall
Market: a food market and shopping mall dating back from the 14th
century and built at the heart of Roman London. It was designed by Horace Jones
who also designed Smithfield Market and also functioned as a filming spot for Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
M. The Lloyds
building also known as the inside-out building. It has a war memorial at
the front side of Leadenhall street which - to me - fits perfect in the chaotic
architectural mix that characterises the city. It will become even more clear
when you stand on top of Monument. On the other side of Leadenhall Street, you
see two new buildings sites, popularly named as the cheese grater and the
pinnacle (which building works have been stalled due to the economic climate),
across the road of The Gherkin or 30 St
Mary Axe (N.)
O. Remnants of the London Wall (pass through the court /
parking of the Grange City Hotel).
P. The walk now leaves the city and heads east of the Tower
of London to St Katherine Docks. It
gives a pleasant feel of space and freshness after walking underneath all these
tall buildings. The perfect place for a
drink or some lunch.
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| St Katherine Docks |
Q. Alternatively, a shortcut can be made by heading to the hung, drawn and quartered pub
on the west of the Tower where the walk resumes passing St Dunstan in the East
Church Garden on the way to the last two stops (Monument and London Stone).
R. Monument is a
memorial of the Great Fire in 1666. The fire at the king’s bakery in pudding
lane and lasted for five days. It was not the first fire but is considered the
worst one, destroying nearly the entire city and at the same time ending the
spread of the plague. Although Pudding Lane, might sound as an apt name for a street
where the king’s bakery was housed, the origin of its name is possibly less delightful.
According to some sources it might refer to the organs and wastage left by the
local butchers to make their way to the river. (Source: Map of Early Modern London).
Climbing up the 311 stairs of monument is definitely worth
it and only costs £3 (£1.5 for children).
Opening times: 9.30 to 17.30 (18.00 from April to September)
Q. The London Stone. It easy to walk unnoticed past the
London Stone. It seems a bit neglected and isn’t in its best state. This stone
might be one of the oldest relics of London but not much is known about its purpose
or origin. Peter Ackroyd (London the Biography) found many different references
to the London Stone. It could have been the stone of Brutus, a landmark, a
milestone, a stone for druidic rituals or a stone symbolising the power of
London. It could also have played a judicial role (to pay one debts on the
stone) or could have referred to the first mayor of London, called Fitz-Ailwin
de Londonstone. The various accounts of the stone indicate its importance and
therefore a must have seen for this walk. It also means the end of the walk.
Via Wallbrook, which used to be a river connected to the Thames, we descend to
the Thames Path to walk back to Blackfriars station or the Blackfriars pub.
Map of Early Modern London (MoEML)
That's very interesting. I live in London and didn't know half of the information here. Thank you!
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