London Diaries #6
Tower of London from the river. Traitors Gate is visible.
With a month left before we leave our berth in London, we begin to check off a few of our “must see” items. One of those was a trip out of London to Bletchley Park. For those of you who have no idea what or where this is, you are not alone. Its presence and importance to British history was only fully acknowledged in 2009. Bletchley Park was the secure site where the World War II codebreakers worked, where the Nazi’s Enigma code was cracked and the first programmable, digital electronic computer, Colossus, was developed.
As WWII loomed on the horizon the British government purchased the Bletchley Park mansion and grounds in Buckinghamshire, about 50 miles northwest of London. Conveniently located half way between Oxford and Cambridge, it was the perfect trifecta for recruitment of the intellect needed. At its peak over 7000 people worked there, all in complete secrecy.
In the 1990’s the site was nearly demolished, but funds were raised and a trust formed to save and preserve Bletchley Park’s history. Eventually, the trust created a wonderful museum about the Allied code breaking work which is estimated to have shortened the war by at least 2 years and saved countless lives.
The main house, used to house all departments at the start, but it was quickly outgrown.
Within a year wooden huts were built to house the increasing personnel, and by the end of the war there were over 23 large huts and 8 brick block buildings in the grounds. The people working in all these huts were housed in the towns and villages surrounding the mansion, with buses run to transport everyone to work for their shifts, 24 hours a day.
The Enigma machine was a devious device that produced a virtually unbreakable code. There were so many settings that reset after every letter was typed. One was captured in Poland and handed to the British so they could understand how it worked (below left photo). Decoding messages without the “key” was still an enormous task. The laziness of some of the Axis operatives, using a girlfriends name or changing the key by just one letter, enabled a few to be deciphered. The work of Alan Turing, among other mathematicians and engineers, developed a massive code breaking machine, the Bombe. It filled a room operated by 20 or more technicians, and was later replaced by the first electronic computer, Colossus. The sole mission of these was to crack the key for each day.
Once the key was known, the settings used by the enigma machine could be entered into the decoding typewriter (top right) which when typing in the code would “translate” it back into German. The museum made a valiant effort to explain it all, but we were still left with our heads spinning.
Everyone who worked at Bletchley signed the Official Secrets Act, many taking it so seriously they took the secret of their wartime work to their grave, never talking about it to anyone. It is hard in this day and age of free flowing information to imagine this level of secrecy. The notices were posted to remind you of the seriousness of this vow.
Back in London, a visit to the British Library with my Mum. The new building housing untold volumes apparently goes seven levels underground. We did not go down there, instead we explored an exhibition of Medieval women in Literature. It sounds rather dry, but it was a wonderful insight into the lives of women in the middle ages. The books with beautiful ornate calligraphy, the illustrated medical texts and choir book. The one below was written by a nun for the convent in 1260. When was musical notation invented?
The medical books were of considerable interest. The one on the right was written for St Bartholemews Hospital in London (14th century). The section on gynecology included procedures for testing virginity, for making a woman appear to be a virgin and a section on contraception that was written in code.
Other treasures in the main Library archive included Shakespeares first Folio of plays from 1623. The Codex Sinaiticus - the earliest surviving manuscript to contain the complete New Testament from the middle of the 4th century and this wax tablet of Greek homework from 2nd century, the top is written by the teacher, the students efforts are below. More current items are also displayed; handwritten skit ‘The Spanish Inquisition’ from Michael Palin of Monty Python, and lyrics for the Beatles tune ‘Penny Lane' by Paul McCartney. The final images are of the Proclamation of Emancipation banning slavery which was written in such a way as to create a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, so cool.
We explore Soho and Chinatown, the Victorian penny chute to donate coins for charity. An evening out in Brick Lane with friends Vanessa and Gavin, Turkish delights in the many local bakeries.
One evening we gave a presentation to the Little Ship Club, a yacht club in London. We talked about the building of Helacious and our favorite sailing grounds of Scotland and Norway. It was quite different from any presentation they had seen before and we were gifted with honorary membership of the club and a wonderful burgee to fly.
Rochester Cathedral.
Another adventure out of town took us southeast to visit the ancient towns of Rochester and nearby Chatham. Rochester Cathedral was built beginning in 1080. Norman style with a barrel roof and sturdy columns, rebuilt and repaired over the centuries. The beautiful and colorful organ pipes and the spectacular crypt with those endless arches.
Right next door was Rochester Castle which you could explore, all the way to the top. The 12th century stone keep is one of the best examples of its kind. It has a long and convoluted history, involving being under siege three times, suffering extensive damage, only to be rebuilt again and again.
The elegant arches with chevron carving marked where the grand hall was. The fireplaces and a central well were also still intact. At five stories high, it was quite impressive.
On to Chatham where our OCC friend Hilary showed us around the old Naval Dockyards, an immense area that used to be bustling with shipbuilding businesses: shipwrights, blacksmiths, sailmakers, riggers, ropemakers, joiners and carpenters. HMS Victory, amongst many other ships, was built here in 1765. It is now a fascinating marine museum.
The highlight of the visit was the Ropery. Housed in the 1,135ft (346m) long building. The equipment used today is the same as that used centuries ago, just run these days by electricity, replacing the manual and later steam driven machines of old. The 3-strand rope is now made from synthetic fiber, instead of the hemp and sisal used previously. The process first involves twisting the strands in one direction, then twisting them together in the opposite direction, the tension between the two preventing the unwinding. The demonstration of the final winding was fun to watch. Many of the splicing tools were very familiar.
Back in London we have a glorious week of fine warm weather.
Time to bend the sails back on the boat! We had stored them in the cockpit for the winter, to keep them out of the rain and hopefully prevent staining with mildew or algae growth. As we put them on we noticed damage on the slide attachment points. Brian quickly repaired those. There was also a little chafe on the sail where the lazy jacks rubbed when underway. A patch solved that.
The new sail cover went on a treat although as we assembled everything the lazy jack line broke, alarmingly easily as it was made with 1/4” dynema. We think they had worn out through repeated vibration against the mast. More line ordered and repairs were made. As to be expected, not all goes according to plan and Brian had to go fishing for his favorite screwdriver that slipped overboard. Alas, he did not get a bite.
We welcome OCC friends Michele and Nick onboard Helacious, a fun afternoon chatting about all things boaty and our future sailing plans. We sure hope to anchor alongside y’all in the Chesapeake later this year! As newly minted Roving Rear Commodores for the OCC we also enjoyed hosting a visit from Amy (OCC GC) and Roger who, as seasoned circumnavigators, could provide us with inspirational pointers for our future travels.
Taking a break from boat work we walk along the Thames, the South Bank this time, all the way past Westminster to visit the Tate Britain gallery. The views were wonderful up and down the river.
The Tate Britain houses art from British artists. The Turner wing was our goal, and we were not disappointed. It was interesting, as although familiar with William Turners later works, the hazy views across the water, we did not know about his earlier pieces. Especially the small watercolors with incredible detail, painted with a single hair brush.
Another visit to Borough Market, treating ourselves to some fancy cheese and sausages. The food available is amazing and it is always crowded.
We had a fun outing with our neighbor on the dock. Russell has lived on and off in London and knows west London, around Kensington, quite well. We enjoy a walk around the fabulous streets of million dollar homes and end up at the Scarsdale Tavern for a lovely Sunday roast lunch.
We purchase a 12ft plank of wood for a new long fender-board that we anticipate needing along the docks of Iceland and Greenland this summer. Getting it back to the boat through the tourist traffic of Tower Bridge was a challenge. A new wind generator was installed, lines on the boat were closely inspected. Some were replaced and some just turned end for end.
St Pauls is an imposing cathedral, the seat of the Anglican church in London, built by Sir Christopher Wren after the original was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is quite different from other British cathedrals in that it sports a dome instead of a spire. Amazingly it was the tallest building in London, up until 1963, the dome remains one of the highest in the world.
But not is all as it seems, it is in fact composed of 3 domes. The lower one is close enough to the ground so on the inside people could see the paintings depicting the life of St Paul on the ceiling. There is then the outer, taller impressive dome that is in keeping with the overall majesty of the building, and can be seen as a landmark over London from afar. The two are connected and supported by a third, interior dome as shown in the schematic.
The interior is pretty impressive, too. The beautiful white Portland stone has recently been cleaned from the soot, after years of the cathedral being warmed by wood and coal fires burning in the crypt. The more austere nave is in keeping with the Anglican sensibilities, but apparently Queen Victoria thought it too dull and ordered some decoration. The quire, transepts and dome were duly filled with mosaics that sparkle in the sunlight. The Queen never went back to check it out, though!
It is possible to climb up to the balcony of the interior dome. It is called the whispering gallery as the acoustics are such that if one whispers on one side, it can be heard on the other. From the first interior balcony, It is then possible to climb on the outside to the base of the exterior dome and on up to the base of the cuppola. The views were worth the 528 steps.
Half way up.
At the top.
And suddenly, we only have a week to go. It is the begining of “the lasts”…. the last steak pie in The Town of Ramsgate pub, the last visit to Borough Market, the last time exploring our local neighborhood. Our last trip to see a classic art collection took us to the Courtauld Gallery. This amazing collection, predominantly of Impressionists, started as the private collection of the Courtauld family, made wealthy in the textile industry.
It is so nice in these smaller galleries, you can get really close to the art and see the brush strokes. I am in constant awe as to how purple, orange and green can look so right in the final image.
We finally visit London Glassblowing run by Peter Layton. I dont know why it took so long, it was just a short walk away from St Katharines. We first met Peter in 1989, and Brian has met him on a number of occasions since then. His gallery and working studio is well worth a visit.
More scenes from our walks around town, the dragons marking the boundary of the City of London, the green Cab-man shelters of old. Skateboard parks and rivets everywhere. A final walk along Regents canal, passing by the repurposed gas storage towers. A farewell gathering with our OCC marina friends, hoping the Canadians will adopt us.
The life vests come out of storage, the foul weather gear gets an airing. We fire up the charts and start reading about some prospective anchorages and marinas on the south coast. It is time to move on. A final visit with family. We sure will miss you. Spring is in the air, it is time to move on.
Time to say farewell to London, it really has been quite splendid.
Follow our progress on our tracking page. https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SVHelacious/