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Post by tod2 on Dec 9, 2014 7:08:26 GMT
I'm not finished with STAR YARD quite yet! Besides the men's cast iron toilet resplendent in green paint, a little further along from the disused loos are the premises of Ede & Ravenscroft, London's oldest tailor and robe maker, established in 1689. Proudly declaring themselves as "Purveyors to the British Royal Family," the company make, sell and hire out legal gowns and wigs, clerical dress, civic and municipal robes, academic dress and other ceremonial and formal dress. The company has shops in Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh and are official robe makers to HM The Queen, HRH Prince Philip, HRH Prince Charles and previously the Queen Mother.
Walking on back into Chancery Lane...
The church of St.James-the-Less erected in Westminster by a Mr. Street. It's distinctive features are eminently un-English. The Italian character of the detached campanile with it's spire and belfry stage rich in ornamental brickwork. Unfortunately we did not enter the church - had we done this we would have been walking into a Victorian Chromo-lithograph. My book describes the interior as a profusion of gilding, brick, tile, and marble. Almost every surface is carved or decorated and must be savoured slowly, like an old claret. Next visit - a possibility to see this ornamentation!
The Seven Stars pub - I cannot find the where-abouts of The Starr Tavern or a photo.
Now time for a pint of the good stuff at a famous old pub, The George.
Next: A day spent cruising up the river Thames.
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Post by onlyMark on Dec 9, 2014 8:31:46 GMT
Love the Twinings shop. Excellent.
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Post by bjd on Dec 9, 2014 9:30:50 GMT
You are such a better tourist than I am, Tod. You are prepared by reading ahead and go looking for specific things. I tend to wander around and later regret that I missed something.
I too like the Twinings shop. I hope they only sell loose tea and not tea bags!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 10:35:05 GMT
Ede & Ravenscroft should have asked that the Queen Mother be taken to a taxidermist so that they could put her in their front window.
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Post by tod2 on Dec 9, 2014 12:18:01 GMT
bjd - You are absolutely right. I read up on different aspects of where I'm headed and of course they have to be of great interest otherwise I wouldn't go hunting around. I just love London and there is so much incredible things to see and I know I will never do it all but I'm trying
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Post by lola on Dec 9, 2014 15:31:11 GMT
Sigh. I love London. Wonderful report, tod.
And many thanks for taking us up the Shard. I don't mind heights, irrationally, if there's a pane of glass or even an aluminum screen in between, but I'd be too cheap probably. Will stick with another climb up the Monument next time maybe, when looking for views.
Also thanks for taking us up the ski lift. Earlier this year I'd taken the Thames Clipper to the O2, then walked along the Thames Path, and was perplexed by the lift. Why? and who? As an ego trip it makes sense. I am inclined to forgive Boris J a lot, based on what I perceive as his combination of lively animal spirits and eloquence. In fact, I'm now reading his amusing and informative Johnson's Life of London, a series of biographical sketches of "the people who made the city that made the world."
Ditto taking us into the O2. I had no idea what it would be like inside.
Your Cartwright Gardens place looks mighty fine. I'd call it Bloomsbury, even though it's in the borough of Camden. How did you find it? During my most recent trip to visit my daughter who was spending a college semester there, I/we stayed in two different B&B hotels about six blocks equidistant from your apartment, on Argyle and Guilford Streets. I'm a sucker for full English breakfasts at no additional charge and the friendly atmosphere of those places.
Twining's most definitely sells tea in bags. You can pick out individual packets as a cheap souvenir or gift, bags by the box, or go with loose. There's a counter at the back where you can sample a small paper cupful, along with explanation. Teabags soaked in every pot or cup of tea I bought in London, even at a pricey establishment, to my surprise. And were left to oversteep in one pricey pot, with no convenient place to park them. I had to get back to St. Louis and stop by our local London Tearoom to get a properly made pot, loose leaves steeped and removed.
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Post by fumobici on Dec 9, 2014 16:18:34 GMT
This is quite wonderful. I've never given London the time it deserves so reports like this compensate a bit. The problem of course is that London due to its depth of history and sheer scale demands a significant investment of both time and money to plunge into properly and I find myself drawn more to places I've never been and that are less challenging. Is wandering hurriedly around the streets for a day or two again really worth it? It probably is.
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Post by tod2 on Dec 9, 2014 17:59:28 GMT
Lola - We stayed in Leigh street in 2012. An old fashioned apartment above a very old general dealers store and next door to the North Sea Fish & chip shop & restaurant. When walking past all the hotels in Cartwright Gardens I spotted Studios2Let. Looked them up on internet and decided that would be our next place to call home when in London. I will definitely book there again next time. The fact that Brunswick Shopping center is nearby with Waitrose Supermarket just lends itself to convenient meals. There are dozens of restaurants & pubs in the area satisfying all tastes but if one can indulge in a relaxed breakfast and perhaps pack a small lunch, then an evening meal is wonderful after a hard days sight seeing.
The O2 looks nothing like when I first went there for their opening show. Not all of it is occupied. About half.
Fumobici - thanks for reading through my essay and photos. Yes London, like Paris needs time and plenty of it. I am so lucky to be able to stay several weeks or days in one place when I travel. It might take a whole year but I make it worthwhile when I do go traveling!
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Post by htmb on Dec 9, 2014 18:09:38 GMT
I agree that your tenacity towards research is truly inspiring, Tod.
Is the O2 an arena with a "shopping mall" spread around the edges of the structure?
I remember seeing the ski lift when I took a boat downriver to the Thames Barrier. I was pretty surprised since it seemed sort of out in the middle of nowhere.
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Post by mossie on Dec 9, 2014 20:19:34 GMT
Excellent Tod2. Yes Johnson said "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life" I don't research places deeply as you do, I just skim bits that interest me. I have always likened London to a collection of villages strung together by rather boring streets, and I suppose that is how it grew. Who would believe that Mayfair was once an area of market gardens. London is far more varied than Paris, but Paris of course was tied together by Haussman.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 20:36:27 GMT
And Paris never had a Great Fire to help it evolve.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 20:38:09 GMT
And Paris didn't have the s%*& bombed out of it in WW2.
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Post by patricklondon on Dec 10, 2014 7:38:20 GMT
About the Dangleway. There is a decades-long debate going on about the need for new crossings of the river for East London. Everyone wants more, but no-one wants the disruption on their doorstep. One of Boris's first acts as Mayor was to cancel plans for whatever bridge or tunnel was by then nearest decision-time. Then it was realised that there would be some awkward increases in traffic in East London, because of the Olympics, only a few years away at that time. So someone captured the Bouffant One's imagination with the idea of the cablecars, as a relatively uncontroversial and quickly-built way of getting people between two of the Olympic venues (the O2 and the Excel centre) with connections up to Stratford and across to central London. I suppose the Olympic connection persuaded Emirates to put money up (after all, the London Eye is or was heavily sponsored by and branded for British Airways). Whether or not the thing will survive if and when they realise they've been had is another matter. And the bridge/tunnel/ferry argy-bargy continues (I suspect the plans he cancelled will eventually go ahead once he's moved on). My blog | My photos | My video clips"too literate to be spam"
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Post by tod2 on Dec 10, 2014 11:01:31 GMT
Htmb asked "Is the O2 an arena with a "shopping mall" spread around the edges of the structure?"
I have edited my photos and included three photos explaining the layout of shops, restaurants, etc.,
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Post by tod2 on Dec 10, 2014 16:59:58 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2014 17:21:42 GMT
Great pictures! I don't think I've ever seen the Thames that low.
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Post by onlyMark on Dec 10, 2014 17:51:36 GMT
Wasn't London, before it was London, a place to ford across the river?
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Post by htmb on Dec 10, 2014 18:25:49 GMT
I have edited my photos and included three photos explaining the layout of shops, restaurants, etc., Very helpful, Tod. Thank you.
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Post by mossie on Dec 10, 2014 20:01:50 GMT
Thanks for the river trip, a much more relaxed way of sightseeing.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 10, 2014 20:09:10 GMT
Oh, Tod ~~ your informed and thorough but relaxed way of visiting a city is a great lesson for anyone wanting to travel!
Superb photos, as always, and I'm enjoying your illuminating text.
Speaking of illuminating, you must feel pretty special that a place known for fog and rain chose to have the sun shine on Ms. Tod's visit!
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Post by fumobici on Dec 10, 2014 20:15:36 GMT
Silly me, I always thought that the RYC was the *Royal* Yacht Club. If I were a member of the Humbolt Yacht Club I might take offense.
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Post by bjd on Dec 10, 2014 20:32:24 GMT
What a nice way to rest after walking a lot.
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Post by questa on Dec 11, 2014 1:32:00 GMT
Wasn't London, before it was London, a place to ford across the river?
I thought the Romans founded the town / city and called it Londinium. Don't know the meaning though...over to you Latin scholars.
They would have chosen the place where one could cross the river for their town.
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Post by tod2 on Dec 11, 2014 6:14:33 GMT
In 55 BC,(lst century AD) Julius Caesar's Roman army invaded England, landed in Kent and marched north-West until it reached the broad river Thames at what is now Southwark. There were a few tribesman living on the opposite bank but no major settlement. However, at the time of the second Roman invasion 88 years later, a small port and mercantile community had been established there. The Romans bridged the river and built their administrative headquarters on the north bank, calling it Londinium - a version of it's old Celtic name. In the 5th century when the Roman Empire crumbled, the garrison pulled out leaving the city to the Saxons.
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Post by tod2 on Dec 11, 2014 6:19:48 GMT
Thank you Bixa and everyone looking at this.
Fumobici - I zoomed up on the veranda of the club and could see a party must have happened during the night or previous day to celebrate a victory. Party paraphernalia still in evidence as is their message over the door!
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Post by patricklondon on Dec 11, 2014 18:51:13 GMT
Wasn't London, before it was London, a place to ford across the river?
I thought the Romans founded the town / city and called it Londinium. Don't know the meaning though...over to you Latin scholars.
They would have chosen the place where one could cross the river for their town.
I believe the point about Londinium was that it was the point where the incoming tides could bring seagoing ships furthest inland in relation to the Roman military road network - their capital was much further east at Colchester, so the important thing for them must have been to be able to supply themselves further inland by sea. (And yes, I think I was taught the name was probably the best the Romans could do by way of Latinising the native (Cumbric/proto-Welsh?) name). I don't think it would ever have been possible to ford the Thames at this point, even when it spread more widely and flowed more slowly - off the top of my head, that point might be Wallingford, much further west. On the other hand, it was practicable for the Romans to build a bridge here (from my memory of school Latin lessons studying Caesar's Gallic Wars, he was always "throwing" bridges across rivers). My blog | My photos | My video clips"too literate to be spam"
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Post by onlyMark on Dec 11, 2014 20:55:59 GMT
I don't think there is any accurate info one way or the other. A quick search says there might have been a fording point at Westminster. Others say Kingston. I've no idea.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2014 21:03:57 GMT
I suddenly find myself wondering if there are any Roman bridges left in England. There must be, since there are still a shitload of them on the continent. Of course, the Thames is a bit wide for a Roman bridge.
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Post by patricklondon on Dec 12, 2014 10:47:29 GMT
I think there might be some stone bridges over smaller rivers with little major road traffic. AFAIK any Roman bridge over the Thames would have been wooden. My blog | My photos | My video clips"too literate to be spam"
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Post by tod2 on Dec 12, 2014 11:50:07 GMT
I will carry on and finish my photo-essay next week. "Walkabout in Limehouse".......
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