Walking tour of the City for teenage boys

[tim]

Bunhill cemetery is around the corner from the lovely postmans park....and apart from being very old ,i think a couple of famous people buried there...one is Daniel Defoe and racking my brain for the other??

George Fox co-consolidator of the Quakers and, at times wonderfully bonkers.

As I was walking with several Friends, I lifted up my head and saw three steeple-house spires, and they struck at my life. I asked them what place that was. They said, "Lichfield." Immediately the Word of the Lord came to me that I must go thither. Being come to the house we were going to, I wished the Friends to walk into the house, saying nothing to them of whither I was to go. As soon as they were gone I stepped away, and went by my eye over hedge and ditch till I came within a mile of Lichfield, where, in a great field, shepherds were keeping their sheep.

Then was I commanded by the Lord to pull off my shoes. I stood still, for it was winter; and the Word of the Lord was like a fire in me. So I put off my shoes, and left them with the shepherds; and the poor shepherds trembled, and were astonished. Then I walked on about a mile, and as soon as I was got within the city, the Word of the Lord came to me again, saying, "Cry, 'Woe to the bloody city of Lichfield!'" So I went up and down the streets, crying with a loud voice, "Woe to the bloody city of Lichfield!" It being market-day, I went into the market-place, and to and fro in the several parts of it, and made stands, crying as before, "Woe to the bloody city of Lichfield!" And no one laid hands on me.

As I went thus crying through the streets, there seemed to me to be a channel of blood running down the streets, and the market-place appeared like a pool of blood.

When I had declared what was upon me, and felt myself clear, I went out of the town in peace, and, returning to the shepherds, I gave them some money, and took my shoes of them again. But the fire of the Lord was so in my feet, and all over me, that I did not matter to put on my shoes again, and was at a stand whether I should or no, till I felt freedom from the Lord so to do; then, after I had washed my feet, I put on my shoes again.

 

[clicker]

Give them a short talk on David Icke's interpretation of the metal dragons on bridges and roads at the boundaries of the City - they'll love that

I never knew he had an interpretation of them, but I like them. Gawd I'm going to have to google David Icke

 

[tim]

there's the bit near the tower where people were burned to death, in the park by the wetherspoons

Who were the Wetherspoons?

 

[clicker]

As shepherds watched his crocs by night....

 

[Puddy_Tat]

how about Trinity Square Gardens? includes the memorial to the men of the merchant navy / fishing fleets who died in WW1 / 2 - British and Empire sailors.

Also the presence of Trinity House - the organisation founded in Deptford. And nearby Custom House.

Quite probable that younger people may not appreciate that pretty much London's whole reason for being is the River and its access to the sea and international trade (for good and bad - slave trade / empire and all that sort of thing).

London was the largest port in the world in the 18/19th centuries.

re the Monument - are you aware that the text originally blamed Catholics? more here

re RCJ - it is in Westminster - Temple Bar is just to its west. The Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) is in the City - they may well confuse the two. The RCJ tends to be seen on telly when there's a libel case or some such.

They are probably the wrong age for pointing out churches mentioned in 'Oranges and Lemons'

St Mary le Bow on Cheapside may be worth a mention - the 'Bow Bells' in the sound of which a true cockney is born. Many people mistakenly think it's the Bow between Mile End and Stratford.

Exchange / Change Alley near the Bank - the coffee houses there became the stock exchange.

The Gresham Grasshopper on Lombard Street - before houses had numbers (and before many people could read) a business would say 'at the sign of the - whatever.

And encourage them to look above the modern shop / office facades. Recently discovered 'Look Up London' blog

 

[ffsear]

Across the river. It's not me being lazy.
And anyway I don't want them getting ideas and thinking it might be a grand idea to join the Navy.
They shall learn of our empire's bloody history instead and they will like it.

CIty of London Museum? Just down London wall?

Learning at the Museum of London

 

[Orang Utan]

That would take up too much time. A whistle stop tour that I can write a quiz about is what I'm intending to do. So only places you'd spend 10-15 minutes at.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

also worth making the point that the tower was intentionally built very much out of scale with the rest of London when it was built, and that the churches now hidden among the office blocks were the skyscrapers of their day.

and Lombard Street recognises the international trade that was going on in London in the 13th century - and the international merchants settling in London.

And how about the synagogue in Bevis Marks? Established by London's Jewish community (at that point mainly originally from Spain / Portugal) in 1701

 

[ffsear]

That would take up too much time. A whistle stop tour that I can write a quiz about is what I'm intending to do. So only places you'd spend 10-15 minutes at.

The is a large section on the old roman city wall just off Minories. Has some good information about the original roman city wall. 10 min job at most. Right next to the Grange hotel, just up from tower hill tube

 

[ffsear]

London's Roman City Wall Walk

 

[tim]

Saint Ethelredas is medieval and RC. Although technically in a former peculiar and so adjoining, but outside the city - it used to be an enclave of Cambridgeshire and is now in Camden - , it has all the oddness you'd expect of the city.

You should also consider the Temple Church and the Inns of court. The former, round medieval and very Dan Brown; the latter worth seeing if you can get into one of the dining Halls.

 

[tim]

You could try and arrange a trip to a hall of one of the livery companies. I went to the Staitioners Company during the Open House weekend. It's fairly small, so visitable within 20 minutes but an interesting history and a very colourful interior

And it's the sort of place that people just never get to see.

 

[clicker]

Ten minutes mudlarking on thames foreshore by tower of london? Wonderful view of Tower Bridge from below and City Hall opposite. The foreshore there is heaving with oyster shells and animal bones. Found a couple of almost complete jaw bones there, teeth sockets etc...also rich pickings for general finds - glass/pottery/clay pipe stems etc...close up of the lions on the river bank wall. 'When the lions drink London will sink'...i.e if the river rises to their mouths we're in trouble deep.

 

[tim]

Ten minutes mudlarking on thames foreshore by tower of london? Wonderful view of Tower Bridge from below and City Hall opposite. The foreshore there is heaving with oyster shells and animal bones. Found a couple of almost complete jaw bones there, teeth sockets etc...also rich pickings for general finds - glass/pottery/clay pipe stems etc...close up of the lions on the river bank wall. 'When the lions drink London will sink'...i.e if the river rises to their mouths we're in trouble deep.

A very interesting proposition but would need rephrasing for the inevitable Health and Safety assesement form.

 

[ViolentPanda]

What locations would you show a bunch of inner city 13-14 year old boys who've probably never set foot there before?
Tower Of London for some ghosts?
Lombard Street for the eery quiet.
A couple of churches - any RC ones worth a visit?
The Bank Of England for sure.
Any other interesting places that would intrigue them?

Fleet Street - original home of the British print media, and (in the 19th century) home to many printers of "subversive" and "seditious" books. William Hone (to whom we owe a fair bit of what we enjoy of a "free press") had a kiosk there. I've noticed that teens are usually interested when you mention that people could be imprisoned and/or transported for writing stuff we'd nowadays find inoffensive, such as questioning the political system, or the spending habits of the Prince Regent.

You've also got The Temple,the Royal Courts of Justice etc within 5 minutes' walk.

I wouldn't mind including some colonial history, esp regarding slavery, so any relevant suggestions would be welcome.

Royal Guild Hall, if only to point out that some of the guilds invested in the triangular trade, and that some of the money made it into the finery.

 

[Belushi]

So, I think what we've learnt from this thread is that there is at least a fortnights worth of interesting history you could show your boys in the City

 

[Orang Utan]

Yeah, I think we' ve got it covered

 

[Thaw]

You can get a look around the London Metals Exchange, the last open outcry trading floor. We did a training course there and it was pretty interesting. You don't get as good an experience in the public gallery as you can't hear all the shouting.

London Metal Exchange: Home

 

[Orang Utan]

Just realised it's Black History Month, so I shall focus on how much the City's existence owess to the slave trade.

 

[Thaw]

If you wanted to have a look at a church St.Barts is interesting. I think that's where Wat Tyler was killed

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Just realised it's Black History Month, so I shall focus on how much the City's existence owess to the slave trade.

when is this again? i may be able to find some notes from a birkbeck course that might be relevant

 

[Orang Utan]

In two weeks

 

[Puddy_Tat]

In two weeks

will see what i can find. might be the weekend though

 

[Puddy_Tat]

think my course notes may have got consigned to the loft - will try to find them over the weekend

these may be worth a look -

London and the transatlantic slave trade - Trades, industries and institutions - Port Cities

London's slave trade, International Slavery Remembrance Day

London, Sugar & Slavery exhibition - includes a short guided walk in the City

 

[Orang Utan]

think my course notes may have got consigned to the loft - will try to find them over the weekend

these may be worth a look -

London and the transatlantic slave trade - Trades, industries and institutions - Port Cities

London's slave trade, International Slavery Remembrance Day

London, Sugar & Slavery exhibition - includes a short guided walk in the City

fucking hell, this is brilliant - ta!

 

[Puddy_Tat]

fucking hell, this is brilliant - ta!

glad it was good. didn't get as far as looking for my notes at the weekend - hope this is enough for now...

 

[Maggot]

If you're going near Cornhill, the Devils of Cornhill are worth looking out for. Quite scary statues above what is now an Eat, and a good apocryphal tale to go with them.

Cornhill Devils - Hidden London

 

[Orang Utan]

Any further tips, Rocket no.9 ? I know you're an expert