CHAPTER I

Down the Rabbit-Hole

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?’

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!’ (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat–pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

White Rabbit checking watch

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-I.html

Among my mess is the beautiful small quilted image of a ship at sea under the stars made for me by longtime, though distant, friend Chimaki Sato. 

So things have gotten a bit out of control! 

I’m just rushing about from one adventure to the next as our time rushes past TOO FAST!!!!!!

Sunday I went to Art Group and Randal and Singkey went to Kensington Palace.  Monday Randal and Singkey rode the London Eye and I went to the Tate Modern with a lovely person name Jane Lane-Roberts.  Jane is an artist, an art teacher, and a member of the Tate so took me as her guest to the Klee exhibit. What a treat!  Tuesday several of us carried our unneeded clothes and things to the Pimlico charity shops and then went to an organ concert at St Mary at Hill.  This morning we started with a Friends of St Katharine Docks coffee.  After that Randal, Singkey and I took the Tower Hill District line tube to Monument where we had to switch to the Circle Line.  It feels as if you’ve walked across London by the time you actually get to the Circle Line platform.  At Holborn we “alighted” from the Tube at which point Randal and Singkey headed over to the British Museum and I headed over to the great Oxfam Used Book shop just near the museum.  It’s a wonderful shop and  I could have stayed hours but had to find something to eat and a loo before joining a walking tour of the St Giles Rookery.  But that will take me ages to write about as I just had to download Dickens Sketches by Boz so I can read  On Duty With Inspector Field which is set in the area of St Giles.  Our Singkey will be returning to University Friday so we’ve been trying to make the most of these last few days with her. 

     Tomorrow we will visit Singkey’s China University teacher, a visiting scholar here in London.  So not much time for writing lately as I’ve also been spending more time reading.  But I will catch up….hopefully.

Try to stay warm all of you!

Ru

The British Library Plaza

”In the gardens at the front of the British Library a hunched-over statue sculpture by Eduardo Paolozzi can be seen on a plinth, making mathematical examinations.”

http://www.tiredoflondontiredoflife.com/

The maquette of Paolozzi’s  (Institute for Mathematical Sciences) sculpture is based on a sculpture commissioned for the new British Library at St Pancras. Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005) gave it to the Institute. The choice of Blake’s engraving of Newton as the model for the sculpture caused some controversy, as Blake was known to be deeply anti-scientific and displayed profound antagonism to Newtonian rationalism. Paolozzi was inspired by the union between two British geniuses, both representing nature, poetry, art, and architecture. Rodin’s famous sculpture also springs to mind. Paolozzi decided that this synthesis of concepts would be ideal for the new British Library.  (Perfect imagery for libraries; a place where all ideas meet.  RJ )

http://www.newton.ac.uk/art/paolozzi.html

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/22/art obit of the sculptor of the Newton statue.

My thought was, with all the knowledge in the library,  they should have been able to design a plaza that wouldn’t be slippery when wet. 

I especially love the blue poster.

Sitting on History in the Library foyer

‘Sitting on History’ was proposed in response to a commission first discussed in 1990 and to Woodrow’s Tate Gallery exhibition in 1996, which gave him the opportunity to realise a sculpture which could function as a seat.

Woodrow had made three maquettes based on a book form: one with coins as the seat backs, another featuring two crows on the spine of the book fighting over a gold coin and this version, entitled ‘Sitting on History’. Woodrow’s idea was to have a sculpture that was only completed conceptually and formally when a person sat on it.

‘Sitting on History,’ with its ball and chain, refers to the book as a receptacle of information. History is filtered through millions of pages of writing, making the book the major vehicle for research and study. Woodrow proposes that although one absorbs knowledge, one appears to have great difficulty in changing one’s behaviour as a result.

The real books from which the original maquettes were made came from a box of books given to Bill Woodrow by a London bookseller, discarded, as they were no longer saleable. To Woodrow’s wry amusement, in this haul were three volumes on the history of the Labour Party, which he chose to use for the maquettes. Woodrow finds books one of the most powerful democratic tools in the world and still the most advanced form of communication.

http://www.sculpture.org.uk/sculpture/352/sitting-on-history

King George III’s library

“At the heart of the British Library in London, a tall glass tower – the King’s Library Tower – houses books collected by King George III (reigned 1760-1820). It is considered one of the most significant collections of the Enlightenment, containing books printed mainly in Britain, Europe and North America from the mid 15th to the early 19th centuries. Consists of 65,000 volumes of printed books, with 19,000 pamphlets “

http://www.bl.uk/

The library café/restaurant where we ate borders the King George Library

Library shop items : the  actual exhibits prohibited photography.  I was hoping for some item or booklet created for the children’s ibook llustrators exhibit; but alas there was none.

     “Discover how illustrators over the years have interpreted – and reinterpreted – our favourite tales in beautiful and imaginative ways. Through original artwork, rare editions and personal correspondence, be reunited with much-loved characters, including Paddington Bear, Peter Pan and Willy Wonka and classic works such as Just So Stories, The Wind in the Willows and The Hobbit.” http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/picturethis/index.html

There was a wonderful exhibit of children’s book illustrators with accompanying video interviews available.  I could have stayed for hours listening but only took the time to listen to a bit of one about Sir Quentin Blake.  His first drawing paper was the paper lining the huge tins of cookies sold in the local convenience shop in the village where Blake grew up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20684202  is a video interview of Quentin Blake

Leaning room only in the office of the future

David Smith :  The Observer, Sunday 23 January 2005     

Never stand when you can sit and never sit when you can lie. But why do any of these when you can lean? A new piece of furniture from Sweden is set to change office life for ever and leave that old and tired contraption, the chair, on the 20th century scrapheap.

The Lean Back is a 7ft plank of wood with cushioned upholstery for the back and a base for the feet, all set at a gentle angle to recreate the sense of leaning against a wall. Last week it went on show at a ‘workplace of the future’ trial at the British Library in London, and proved a hit with visitors.

The furniture’s manufacturer in Britain, Kinnarps, claims that when a group of people become engaged in a conversation or impromptu meeting without sitting down, at least one of them will end up leaning against a wall or a door post. The support of the Lean Back, it argues, maintains the benefits of standing up at the same time as giving the user a rest.

Ergonomics experts have noted that sitting all day, which puts weight on the bottom of the spine rather than the legs, can put a long-term strain on the human back. Marc Bird, spokesman for Kinnarps, said: ‘You don’t have to sit down for meetings all the time. It takes time for people to find a chair and sit down, then they get settled and think they’re going to be there for a while, so the meeting takes longer than it needs to. This gives short, sharp interactions, but you’re ergonomically supported instead of just standing.’

Alex Joyce, head of customer services at the British Library, said: ‘We chose it for style and innovation and people are tending to try it. When they realise how comfortable it is they use it more.’

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jan/23/arts.artsnews

Ball  masques and wigs.  I dared Randal to try it on. 

http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/georgiansrevealed/index.html

From wigs to Whigs: uncovering the Georgian era

Who were the Georgians? A new exhibition at the British Library goes beyond Jane Austen and toff rule to redefine the era’s protagonists, from journalists to surgeons to pornographers

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/

St. Pancras Hotel

Sir John Betjeman called this Gothic treasure “too beautiful and too romantic to survive” in a world of tower blocks and concrete. Its survival against the odds will cause wonder; the building itself will take your breath away.

“After years of devoted restoration, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is being hailed as London’s most romantic building. Its glorious Gothic Revival metalwork, gold leaf ceilings, hand-stencilled wall designs and a jaw-dropping grand staircase are as dazzling as the day Queen Victoria opened the hotel in 1873.”

www.stpancrasrenaissance.co.uk

Nightly rates from           225.00 (GBP)      Jan 10, 2014 – Jan 12, 2014  2-night stay

Check Availability  

Nightly rates from           225.00 (GBP)      Jan 17, 2014 – Jan 19, 2014 2-night stay

http://www.marriott.com/

Guess what’s behind the crowd at King’s Cross just between platforms 9 and 10. 

Platform 9 ¾ to Hogworts for all you Harry Potter fans: get in line for your photo.

There was a line about an hour long for photos at the platform below the 9 ¾  sign so we took a pass though it would have been fun to watch Singkey pose with the luggage trolley.

We did walk into and out of the very crowded Harry Potter Shop.

Sweatshirts with 9 ¾ cost about the same amount as my now very ragged Boston Red Sox Sweatshirt. 

Singkey with a real trolley at King’s Cross station  and  later,  Singkey at Leaden Hall Market, where Harry Potter bought his magic wand. 

Singkey and sculpture at the Gherkin

“The Chapman dinosaurs, which are up to 13ft (4m) tall, will stand the base of the Gherkin

     Three steel dinosaurs are among works which will be displayed in the City of London this summer as part of an exhibition of sculpture.

Jake and Dinos Chapman’s dinosaurs will be joined by works by Antony Gormley and Robert Indiana in the Sculpture in the City 2013 show.

The 13ft (4m) Chapman dinosaurs, known as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly will stand at the base of the Gherkin.”  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22480024

Glass or acrylic ball in front of the Aviva Tower.

Lots of rain and wind = bad days for umbrellas.

Jacob The Circle Dray Horse : Queen Elizabeth Street among new a new residential complex that supposedly resembles the old dock buildings around it.  Not to me; not that color; Yuck!

We actually found this on our way home.

“On a bronze plaque attached to the front of the plinth:}

Jacob, the Circle dray horse

The famous Courage dray horses were stabled on this site from the early nineteenth century and delivered beer around London from the brewery on Horselydown Lane by Tower Bridge.

In the sixteenth century the area became known as Horselydown, which derives from ‘horse-lie-down’, a description of working horses resting before crossing London Bridge into the City of London.

Jacob was commissioned by Jacobs Island Company and Farlane Properties as the centrepiece of the Circle to commemorate the history of the site. He was flown over London by helicopter into Queen Elizabeth Street to launch the Circle in October 1987.

     We are not convinced by the derivation of Horselydown. Horses don’t lie down to rest, do they? We imagine this horse is named Jacob after the commissioning property developers, Jacobs Island Company, who took their name from the Victorian name for this area, Jacob’s Island, at the time a notorious slum, celebrated in ‘Oliver Twist’ as the scene of Bill Sykes’s death.

According to the sculptor: My objective was to portray the dignified tolerance and the power of these horses plus the hint of resignation to men’s direction and the vagaries of a cold wet windy winter.”

http://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/jacob-the-dray-horse

Shirley Pace came out of retirement to produce the sculpture of Drummer

     The latest stage in production of a dray horse sculpture for a Dorset town centre development has been completed.   The 5m (16ft) tall statue, which is the latest work by 80-year-old equine artist Shirley Pace will stand in Brewery Square in Dorchester. …Drummer is the second dray horse sculpted by Mrs Pace for a former brewery development.

Her bronze artwork of a horse named Jacob was flown over London to The Circle, near Tower Bridge, slung under a helicopter in October 1987.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-24076586 tells the story though not much about Shirley Pace. 

http://www.secret-london.co.uk/Horses.html is a great link to different horse statues around London

http://takecourage.info/Horselydown.html is the story of the Courage Brewery with some interesting tidbits including the patent information described on their website.

“Horse Harness Quick Release Gear – Patent

All rights reserved.   COURAGE & Co.

     Publications etc.

In 1891 Mr Frederick Shepherd, a blacksmith and farrier,

of 53 Lafone Street, Horeslydown, took out a patent for

‘an improved slip hook for instantly releasing a

fallen horse from the shafts or pole of a waggon or

cart’.   This patent was subsequently sold to Courage

and Co. by Mr Shepherd – see Patent”

The day had been overcast, but when we arrived back at the Tower Bridge the sun was shining and the light was amazing. 

Tower of London and the Tower Bridge lit up by the late afternoon sun.

Clouds were lifting to reveal the Shard

Looking east towards the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf

Modern London: I will definitely miss living on the river.

Singkey on Tower Bridge

Another tangent, the Helen Peele Alms Houses which we saw early in our walk to Surrey Quay Mall

Helen Peele Memorial Houses  http://www.housingcare.org/housing-care/facility-info-86159-helen-peele-memorial-houses-rotherithe-england.aspx

Main facts

Age exclusive housing

7 cottages. Built in 1902 and renovated in 1977. Sizes 1 bedroom

Community alarm service

Garden

Access to site easy, but less so for less mobile people. Distances: bus stop 0.5 mile(s); shop 0.25 mile(s); post office 0.25 mile(s); town centre 0.5 mile(s); GP 0.25 mile(s)

New residents accepted from 55 years of age. Both cats & dogs generally accepted, but not to be replaced (by prior agreement)

Rent (social landlord)

Rotherhithe: Peele Almshouses, Lower Road, SE16

Helen Peele died aged 68 in Chertsey in 1890 while her son Charles John Peele died, also in Chertsey, aged 45 in 1896.

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Nigel Cox and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.  year taken 2010

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1818987

Which led me to Samuel Brandram

“Samuel Brandram (c.1743-1808) was an artists’ colourman, and a member of the Wax Chandler’s Company who both manufactured and sold paints.  ……..  The familiar Helen Peelealmshouses on Lower Road, which were built in 1901, were paid for in part by Charles John Peele, in memory of his mother.  Charles Peele was a partner in Brandram’s at the time.  According to the London Gazette of April 13th 1897, the executors of his will were Reverend Henry Evan Brandram Peele and Andrew Brandram, suggesting some family connection between the Peeles and Brandrams.  Although neither Charles nor his executors were resident in or near Rotherhithe at the time of his death, all living in rather more privileged areas, the investment in the almshouses suggests a close personal tie with Rotherhithe.

http://russiadock.blogspot.co.uk/2013_10_01_archive.html

CHARLES JOHN PEELE Deceased.

Pursuant to Statute 22nd and 23rd Vic. cap. 35. NOTICE is hereby given that all creditors and

persons having any claims or demands <upon or

against the estate of Charles John Peele late of Childown

Hall Chertsey in the county of Surrey Esqr. deceased

(who died at Childown Hall aforesaid on the

3rd day of November 1896 and  whose will with three

codicils thereto was proved in London on the 18th day

of March 1897 by the Revd. Henry Evan Brandram

Peele of 43 Alexandra-road Lowestoft in the county of

Suffolk and Andrew Brandram of 5 Philpot-lane in the

city of London the executors named in the said

will) are hereby required to send in writing particulars

of their claims and demands to us the undersigned

Solicitors for the said executors on or before the 28th

day of May 1897 after which date the said executors

will proceed to distribute the assets of the said deceased

among the persons entitled thereto having regard only

to the debts claims and demands of which they shall

then have had notice and the said executors will not

be liable or accountable for the said assets of the said

deceased or any part thereof so distributed to any

person or persons of whose debt claim or demand they

shall not then have had notice.—Dated this 8th day of

April 1897.

HOLLAMS SONS COWARD and HAWKSLEY

30 Mincing-lane E.G. Solicitors.

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/26841/pages/2107/page.pdf

HELEN PEELE, hired screw tug. Built 1901, (same year as the alms houses but I’ve no idea if it’s the same Helen Peele)   133grt. In service 10.8.17-16.4.19. Most hired screw tugs over 70grt used as expeditionary force tugs during part of the war; most of vessels released from naval service 1917-18 carried out similar duties. Nearly all were chartered as naval tugs and flew red ensign.

http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishShips-Dittmar1.htm