Week 2
Second week out on the streets with London Villages walks and our leader John Sinclair again providing a great source of information.
One of the key things from the day was to find that many London Squares aren't - they were often built speculatively and the terraces spanned different periods of time depending on the demad at the time.
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| Lloyd Square - with subsidence |
Interesting to learn of the houses in Lloyd Square which until the 1970's had no indoor toilets.
They're in a really prime location with
quite a history but the final private owner Olive Lloyd Baker was not a perfect landlady.
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| A former dairy in Amwell Street |
The area we were walking in has many links to the river and water supply to London - Amwell Street and River Street for examples where some shops keep the look of the 'olden days' .
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| And River Street |
They say it's a small world - when I returned from this weeks walk I had a look to find out more about the Fig Tree (below) it's one of
'London's Top 20 Trees' - in fact the guy who measured the tree (Steve Waters) lives just down the road from us!
London has always struggled with the lawless and part of the way of keeping order was Local Police as the case is now housing cost could be prohibitive and Police housing was provided in this rather austere looking form (
Charles Rowan House - it is no longer Police housing but retains metal Crittal Window frames) .
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| A sign |
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| Charles Rowan House |
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| Peabody Housing |
We saw examples of the Philanthropy of the
Peabody Estate (actually a an American who was horrified by the poor housing in London) - affordable housng of its day
Churches
Religion (as well as water) was important to Clerkenwell another way of keeping some form of control (some would say) - Christian religion evolved and often the newest and best churches were in poor areas - Methodism offered a 'reformed' form of worship .
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| Our most Holy Redeemer |
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| And inside the church still looks good |
The Area would have once been relatively poor and the market nearby would have provided fresh produce - the nature of the market has now changed but remains and lots or restaurants from the gently vegetarian to the blatantly carnivore.
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| next door meat |
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| A 'Veggie' haunt |
Health
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| As seen in 'A Fish Called Wanda' |
The nearby Finsbury Health Centre was designed by the architect we were introduced to last week
Berthold Lubetkin and although in some disrepair an idea of its grandeur remains - it was commissioned by the local council before the advent of the NHS
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| Finsbury Health Centre |
Well Well
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| Outside |
The advantage of having a proper guide was apparent for both our visit to the (quite literal) source of
Clerkenwell - we saw where water was once drawn.
Water wells were important as not only did they provide fresh water but also community meeting places.
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Once water was drawn.
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| Above the well Red marks the area |
Politics
It's more than
5 years since I visited the Marx Memorial Library and we just took a look outside, Clerkenwell Green the area it's situated in was well known as a radical hangout in the 19th Century and the Irish Republicans were active with Michael Barrett being imprisoned nearby (
12 people were killed in an attempt to 'spring him from the jail)
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| Marx Memorial Library Clerkenwell Green (but no green) |
And St John
Finally on to another access that John Sinclair was able to arrange a visit to the
Crypt of the really old St John's church (Norman Church 1143).
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| Lovely Crypt |
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| Aryt stuff too |
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| Some of the Church still remains |
St John in evidence at the nearby gate too..
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| St John's gate |
And Home
Already looking forward to Week 3
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| Farringdon - A convenient end point |
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