London

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Travelling in the time of Covid was not something I really wanted to do, but needs (and work) must. Leaving my Tier 3 area, with decreasing levels of Covid, to travel to London as it was announced that they would be heading into Tier 3, due to their rapidly rising rates of infection, didn't feel like the safest idea. One the plus side the train down to London was very empty. I love that LNER are committed to social distancing and that train fares were not extortionate, despite them selling few seats. The journey was smooth, no delays and I arrived on time. It was a short walk to the hostel I was staying at. Another perk of travelling in the time of Covid getting a private room in a hostel in London for next to nothing. I was lucky, too, as they were closing the next day for at least two weeks, I presume it is until London leaves the evil Tier 3.

Doing my bit to stay safe saw me avoiding the tube and I was happy it wasn't raining as I had quite a walk to my appointment. Once all the work stuff was out of the way, I had a couple of hours to wander around London. I headed down towards the River Thames. There were a few people about, but it wasn't too busy. Before reaching the river, I turned along Great Tower Street to reach the Tower of London. I passed a pub called Hung Drawn and Quartered, which gave me a chuckle. To be hung, drawn and quartered was the penalty given to men convicted of high treason from 1352 until 1870. Women were burnt at the stake instead. There is a quote on the side of the building from Samuel Pepys in the 17th century as he watched Major General Harrison being hung drawn and quartered and how cheerful he looked under the circumstances.

Crossing the street, I came to the Malta George Cross Memorial. This war memorial was unveiled in 2005 to commemorate the Siege of Malta during World War II. The Siege of Malta was a military campaign that took place in the Mediterranean Theatre from June 1940 to November 1942. The island of Malta, which was British colony at the time, was strategically important in the war and the locals, the RAF and Royal Navy fought against Italy and Germany for control. If Malta fell, then so would North Africa. It was interesting to read as I knew nothing about the importance of Malta in WWII. Next to the memorial was the Anglican church, All Hallows-by-the-Tower. It is claimed to be the oldest church in London as it was founded in or around 675 AD, however this claim cannot be supported. The church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 and was damaged by the Blitz but reconstructed in the 1950s.

Continuing on, I came to the Tower of London. You can't get too close as there is an empty moat around it, but there is a nice path at the top of the moat to walk around. There were a few other people walking around and some people jogging. The Tower of London is made up of different parts. The White Tower was built first in the 11th century and the other parts were added later, before being rebuilt in the 13th century and then later the wharf was extended in the 14th century. It was founded by William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England. It played an importance role in history as whoever controls the Tower generally controls England. It has had many uses over the years. It has been a treasury, armoury, menagerie, public records office, home to the Crown Jewels and the Royal Mint, and a prison. Many people have been executed on Tower Hill, which lies to the north. The building is, to me, pretty iconic and it was nice to see it up close. I also liked the contrast of the old stone walls to the modern glass buildings near and far. I really wish I'd had time to go in and take a proper look around, but that is saved for the future.

I decided instead of doing the whole circuit around the perimeter of the castle, I would head over Tower Bridge instead. The first thing that struck me, before getting onto the bridge proper, was the railing, which had a coat of arms of the English flag on it and a knight's visor above it. I liked the contrast in colour to the blue of the railings. Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894. I enjoyed my walk across it, looking up at the decoration on the bridge. Even though, it is a working bridge with plenty of traffic, it didn't feel too busy. Also, in the centre of the bridge I enjoyed looking west down the River Thames. I could see the HMS Belfast and the modern buildings of the South Bank. I headed down from the bridge and took a walk along the south bank of the river. It was nice as it wasn't busy. There were a few tourists and some locals going about their business. I should be used to seeing security guards everywhere from living in China, but it still shocked me a bit that they are actually needed here to keep people safe, I feel like in China they are more for window dressing, but here the threat from terrorists is more real.

I got some great views of Tower Bridge as I headed down towards London Bridge. I passed the City Hall building, which is a big glass ball. I would have liked to have had a look around HMS Belfast as it would have been interesting to learn its history, but that is for another time. I had a quick look in Hay's Galleria, as there was a statue in the middle that caught my eye. The statue is a steampunk style ship, which was cool. I just wish the light had been better as it was hard to get a decent photo of it form where I was standing and I didn't want to get any closer as there were people around. I made my way up the steps to London Bridge. It is not the most aesthetically pleasing bridge, but it does give you great views up and down the river.

I headed back towards the train station. I passed a couple more points of interest on the way. I saw a sign for the Monument to the Great Fire of London down a side street, so I headed down to take a look at it. I vaguely remembering studying the Great Fire of London in primary school, but couldn't remember any of the details. Thankfully, I was able to read up on it. On 2nd September 1666, a fire started at a baker's house on Pudding Lane. The fire wasn't put out until 5th September and it destroyed a lot of the city, around four fifths and only stone buildings were left standing. Luckily, the death count was very small and only 6 people lost their lives in the fire. The monument was built around 10 years later. Its height is 61 metres, which is the same as the distance from the monument to the starting point of the fire. On my way back to the station, I also passed Christchurch Greyfrairs Church Garden. The church had been built in the 18th century and was destroyed during the bombings of World War II. The knave of the church has now been turned into a garden. There was also a statue on the wall in front of the church garden, which commemorates the Christ's Hospital that had been built nearby. It was founded by King Edward VI in 1552 to house, feed, and educate needy children. It changed to a school years later and then moved to West Sussex at the start of the 20th century. I like these statues and plaques that tell you the now hidden history of the area.

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Comments

[Ake Och Emma]

From 1914
If I get the Roman numbers tight the building was erected in 1914. I was hoping that it is a historical pub but it seems it isn't. I guess I still want to see it next time I go to London. /Ake

[Zephyr]

1914
You got the numerals right. :) It's a shame it isn't a really old building. The buildings that were there before were shops and offices but the information about them only dates back to the 1860s.