London Diaries #5

Life in London continues. Another church, this one, All Hallows by the Tower Church, was right next door to the Tower of London. Our local, so to speak. It is the oldest church in the City of London, established in Saxon times. An arch from the original stone church was recently discovered behind a false wall. The arch lacks the keystone seen in all modern construction. In the basement is a small museum featuring the floor from a Roman house that was originally on the site, along with the beautiful oil lamps discovered during excavation.

I loved the tiny chapel, actually converted from a burial crypt. In keeping with our nautical interests, lo and behold, Shackleton’s (heated) crow’s nest was on display.

A lovely sunny day, so we went for a walk. This time around Hampstead, a neighborhood that has some of the most expensive homes and more blue plaques commemorating distinguished people than any other area of town. It is perched on a hill north of central London and has a long history as a refuge for well-heeled Londoners escaping either the Black Death, the Great Plague or to take spa treatments and the curative fresh air for tuberculosis.

Many famous folk no doubt buried in the beautiful graveyard here.

That last bright white house (above) is called Admirals House, once owned by an eccentric Naval Officer who built the roof to resemble a ships quarterdeck. He would fire a cannon to celebrate naval victories or the Kings birthday. The writer of Mary Poppins lived locally and based the eccentric Admiral Boom in her books upon this character.

Walking on we come upon the Pergola and Hill garden, a hidden delight on the edge of the Heath. It was built in early 1900’s by a wealthy industrialist as part of his expansive garden. It must be quite spectacular in spring with the wisteria in bloom. The original house is now converted into expensive apartments.

Following a delicious lunch at the Spaniards Inn, a hostelry possibly frequented by the highwayman Dick Turpin and of course Dickens (who seems to have visited nearly every pub in London, if you believe the hype), we walked on to the open spaces of the heath and Kenwood House.

Yes, those are folks swimming in the frigid waters of the Mens bathing pond. We did not see any women in the Ladies pond (far too sensible). There were a number of parakeets nesting in one of the massive trees. Several flocks are established in London now, presumable arising from escaped pets. It is strange seeing these tropical birds flying around London, and hearing their distinctive call.

Inspection of the Royal Guard band. All dressed up in their finery on a Tuesday morning.

We swing by Buckingham Palace. Really not the most beautiful building in London, but impressive in size and the gold bling on the gates was dazzling. We pick up our London souvenir, perfect.

While there we visit the Kings Gallery to see the exhibit of Renaissance drawings. It did not disappoint. What details they conveyed with simple chalk or ink, truly remarkable. It was interesting to see the sketches used in the study and then the final painting, mural or etching.

Friends visit for a week and we re-explore a few places and discover some new treasures. With Birthe and Jochen, we spend a day in Greenwich. This time we were able to look inside St Alfege, the church that we were married in. Established in 1012, the current building was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. General James Wolfe, the victor in the battle between the French and English over the city of Quebec is buried in the crypt. The interior is beautiful, the wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons from 1600’s were so intricate.

We spend some time in the Maritime museum and enjoy the vista up to the Royal Observatory. One evening we went to the theater and rocked to the music of Tina Turner. What a fun show.

There was an exhibition at the Natural History Museum; Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Once again, the building itself was as much part of the pleasure as the exhibition itself. Interestingly, the photos I enjoyed the most were of macro-photography rather than big game photos.

Discovered by chance, as excavations were underway for a new office building back in 1954, an underground temple from the Roman period built by the cult of Mithraeus was revealed. It was originally a meeting place and temple, used as site of initiation. Following excavation it was moved so the building could commence, but in 2010, as redevelopment of the area occurred, the ruins were returned to the original site. They are well displayed in the basement of the Bloomberg Building, using lighting to indicate missing columns and lots of atmospheric mist, along with a number of the objects found within the site.

The National Gallery in Trafalger Square houses the country’s finest collection of old masters. We went to check some of them out. As with many other public spaces, the building itself is worth a good look.

We saw a number of recognizable pieces, but also some lesser known works. Check out the number of fingers in that last picture, how did that slip by?

Time is ticking by and projects still need to be done. Brian masters the art of sewing and tackles a number of projects. The most important being replacing the jack lines; the old lines had been out in the sun for over 5 years and we were not sure if they were still at full strength after the UV exposure. Best to be safe. We had ordered a new sail cover and a few additional straps needed to be added to secure the zipper.

Brian also reinforced the railing just outside the cockpit. This is now sturdy enough to brace against, making it much safer to exit the cockpit in boisterous seas.

The weather turned foul for a few days so museums seemed a very attractive diversion. With Ed and Eve we explored the British museum. What an incredible collection. I know I should feel guilty admiring the Elgin marbles, but to be able to see the whole fresco together was wonderful. The detail in the carvings, the expressions and detail of clothing styles. So fascinating.

More treasures from our own shores were very well displayed. The rooms of gold and silver, weapons, coins and housewares that were discovered as part of burials or as secret stashes, buried with the intent to recover at a later date. These hoards were frequently discovered in fields by amateurs with their metal detectors.

The British Museum is also the home of the Rosetta stone, the engraved slab that enabled the decryption of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Also fine examples of the script on elegant statues.

Friends from many years ago visited us and we all enjoyed a slap up Sunday Roast lunch at a local pub. We had last all been together over 20 years ago, when the boys were young and our hair was not grey! So much reminiscing with Sheryl, Mark and Dolores.

One chilly afternoon we head along to the Cruising Association library at Limehouse Basin. Here we score some secondhand guides and also are able to borrow some volumes to start getting excited about future plans. Which way will we go? Wherever it is, we will go slow, take our home with us and be grateful that we have the opportunity to enjoy this lifestyle and the many experiences it presents to us.

Follow our progress on our tracking page. https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SVHelacious/

London Diaries #4

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