February 18, 2014
SKD Marina Tower Hamlets
London, England
Cheers,
As I said in the last email, I’ve a million stories started….but then I find I’m missing just the exact photo I need to show you so have to put it all aside until I can go back to wherever and take the exact perfect photo. Like today, for instance. We went to St Botolph so I could finish the story about the church bell poem which I got started on reading about St Mary le Bow from our Blitz tour. The poem is The Great Bells of Bow or Oranges and Lemons depending on whom you ask. St Botoloph is mentioned in the poem and as it has a connection with Boston and St Botolph is also a patron saint for travelers….well I had to go see it. But the website wasn’t as informative as the brochure I picked up on our way out, so now I have to go back for maybe more photos.
Just near St Botolph is the Artizan Street Library, part of the London City Library System. I was really desperate for something to read so luckily managed to find lots. I’m working my way top to bottom. (see photo) Guernsey had a sad history during WW2 which the book deals with. Early in the book Charles Lamb’s Essays of Elia is mentioned. I vaguely associated him with Shakespeare and he, with his sister Mary, wrote versions of the plays for children. What I didn’t know is this: “In 1796 Lamb’s sister, Mary, in a fit of madness (which was to prove recurrent) killed their mother. Lamb reacted with courage and loyalty, taking on himself the burden of looking after Mary.” http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/328472/Charles-Lamb I also learned there is a Charles Lamb pub at 16 Elia St. in Islington. If I ever find myself in Islington, I might have to go there. I might have to read the Essays one day. See what happens! It’s hard to read about anything here without being sidetracked to a dozen other things just as interesting. So by early evening my brain is tired, but alas, we have no TV to just veg out in front of. Luckily I have my books.
Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, there is a walking tour in the Bloomsbury area about almshouses and housing for the poor. I’ve read a bit about the almshouses so this walk sounds quite interesting. We have the Friends of St Katharine Docks coffee in the morning but the walk begins at 1 pm so we should be fine.
I hope all of you who are dealing with the horrendous snowy weather are staying warm and safe. I don’t miss it one bit!
Ru
The caption on the postcard drawing of the organ reads: James Worgan , organist 1732-53 shows off the newly installed organ. Drawing by Martin J. Cottam. “The magnificent organ in the west gallery is by Renatus Harris, and was given to the church in 1702. It is the oldest playable church organ in the country and was restored by Goetz and Gwynn in 2006.” They do lunch time concerts as do most of the churches.
The drawing of the church is by Middleton. That postcard also mentions something called City Churches Walk 1995 : A walk around the 38 churches in the square mile of the City of London. I have been in a bunch of them and they are all different and interesting with long histories.