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Post by lagatta on Oct 8, 2013 15:58:46 GMT
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Post by tod2 on Oct 8, 2013 17:03:40 GMT
Thanks Lagatta - Interesting, but I found him hard to listen to as he spoke under his breath sometimes. I know Bloomsbury quite well and could show you a lot more - Besides forgetting to tell the viewer what road he was in, what direction he was heading in, he missed out so many important sights. I stayed in Bloomsbury again last year in an apartment. Out of all the places in London...Bloomsbury does it for me!
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Post by mez on Oct 8, 2013 23:25:19 GMT
Yes, it was hard to hear him at times but I am always happy to take a trip around the area. The Bloomsbury area is also my favourite place to stay when in London. The tour ended at the Great Ormond St Hospital. Inside there is the small but incredibly ornate St Christopher's Chapel.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 9, 2013 14:28:06 GMT
Spectacular!! Thank you so much for showing us the interior. Is it open daily? I would love to go there myself.
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Post by lugg on Oct 9, 2013 18:37:36 GMT
Mex - your photo brought back many memories as I visited this chapel once umpteen years ago - I was then a paediatric nurse. I had travelled from a hospital elsewhere in an ambulance with a very ill child and whilst I was waiting for a lift back I spent some time here. A very beautiful chapel. Amazingly it is the only part of the original GOS hospital that survived the rebuilding in the 80s- the whole thing was moved to its new location in the re-build. I found this info
The chapel had its entrance in Powis Place, but the creation of the Variety Club Building necessitated a radical rethink of its positioning within the new 1990s hospital. It was decided that the chapel was an integral part of the hospital identity, and that it would be saved – but moved. A concrete cast was laid under the chapel, and the building was supported by jacks. The whole chapel was placed in a giant waterproof ‘box’ and moved by sliding it along a purpose-built runway, being pushed by hydraulic ram-jacks. The preparations for the move took several years, but the operation itself took just two days, and was the first time that a complete building of this architectural importance was re-sited in this way.
Did you notice the teddies in the pic ? I saw lots of teddies when I visited , modern additions but actually lots of the original decoration is children focused as one might expect.
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Post by htmb on Oct 9, 2013 20:29:25 GMT
This is interesting Lagatta and Tod. Beautiful picture, Mez, and fascinating addition to this thread, Lugg. Now I was to go see the chapel, too!
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Post by lagatta on Oct 9, 2013 23:01:27 GMT
lugg, I didn't notice the teddies because I'm writing on an equally diminutive but cute MacBook (the small one), so I made the picture much bigger in order to see them. They are very touching. I love that wee chapel. There is a less elaborate but very touching children's chapel in the old Anglican Cathedral in the middle of downtown Montréal. C of E really seems to have a love for churches with a pastoral look - the Catholic churches have enough "grandeur" to not look out of place among later, taller urban structures, but the Anglican ones seem to often have the remnants of a green yard and a pastoral look.
It is sad that I know London so little. I was only there once, attending a conference. I turned down a chance to volunteer (with a stipend) at the European Social Forum there, but finally I was glad I did as they were very poorly organised in terms of ensuring volunteer interpreters had Tube tickets and other necessities of life, and it was the worst of London weather: cold and pouring rain.
A friend is teaching at SOAS now, so I should pop over and see him (as a pretext for a London trip) next time I'm in Western Europe.
Lodging is very expensive in London, though, and I'm really past the age for youth hostels. There are university stays available, but of course not year-round. (The friend is not close enough to impose myself upon him, and he is a terrible fussbudget)...
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Post by mez on Oct 10, 2013 4:00:14 GMT
Well, I am glad they moved the Chapel instead of knocking it down. That would have been a tragedy!
The chapel is always open as far as I can tell. There are currently works going on in the hospital, and while the signage is good, I felt like I walked miles to find it...only to discover - upon exiting - there was a shorter way to get there from the outside. But that's one of those things only regular users would know.
The chapel is a lot smaller than I thought and I was glad there was no one else there at the time. I would have hated to intrude. Yes, there are a lot of small stuffed animals dotted all around - more than you see in the picture. It's quite distressing when you think of all these helpless children being so ill.
Just outside the chapel there are old photos and other information about the hospital chapel. I am glad I saw it.
I have spent a lot of time travelling to London in recent years. I have fallen in love the with city all over again and each trip is filled with new things to see. It just seems never-ending. Looking back, I am so disappointed in my younger self that I did not explore the city more when I actually lived there.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2013 20:33:09 GMT
I stopped visiting religious things in London since they seem to aggressively ask for money to be paid just about everywhere. While I don't mind contribution boxes, I really don't like "obligatory" contribution boxes.
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Post by lola on Nov 26, 2013 16:01:14 GMT
Thanks for this, Lagatta. I'll be staying (fairly cheaply) in Bloomsbury when I visit our younger daughter late winter during her semester at Regent's Park College. I'd be too chicken to ride a Boris Bike in London, though, except in Hyde Park. Sitting on buses, upper level front, I've never gotten used to watching cyclists disappear from view as we overtake them. Love that photo, mez. Relevant recent NYTimes articles: www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/world/europe/london-cyclist-fatalities-bring-calls-for-truck-limits.html?_r=0In London, 14 people have died from bike accidents as of a week ago as opposed to eight in Afghanistan and none in Paris. Today, the NYT reports that the National Cathedral in DC will start charging $6 - 10 entry. I sympathize with huge churches needing roof and steeple repairs at the same time paying parishioners are dwindling. My method in London is to attend a cathedral evensong service, soak up the music and soothing words, then get up and scoot out.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2013 17:32:41 GMT
There have been a few Vélib bike deaths in Paris but none recently, as far as I know.
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Post by htmb on Nov 26, 2013 21:33:04 GMT
This is the first time I've heard about the charges at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. While not saying the charges are a good idea, I think it's important to note the building suffered some extremely serious damage caused by an earthquake a couple of years ago. The costs for repair, which is still ongoing, have been much more than normal wear and tear on the building.
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Post by lola on Nov 27, 2013 17:54:09 GMT
I don't see how National Cathedral has much choice. There's just so much you can do with gift shops and bake sales. Attendance at religious services is still free, of course, as it is at St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey.
(My nephew's Mt. Vernon high school had their graduation ceremony at Nat'l Cathedral, just a beautiful place for it, so they can raise money by renting the place out, too.)
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