In the City

Went for an epic five hour bike ride on New Year’s Eve with my friend H to the City of London, to look at the buildings there, recommended by my friend D who’d walked around there a lot in lockdown 2. On the way we cycled past these residential towers on City Road which made me laugh. They looked what I imagine people in the 1920’s thought all buildings would look like in the year 2000. Luckily they don’t, as these are pretty horrible.

Most people think the same of the Barbican, built on a former WW2 bomb site between 1963 and 1982, but I love it. We stopped here to eat our packed lunches in the freezing cold; we and the seagulls were the only ones there. Staying in one of the flats here (I’m counting on Airbnb still being around for this) for a weekend is on my bucket list, and I’m looking forward to the day when that can happen.

I’d love to know why the water there is this colour. I’m sure there’s a really simple explanation.

After lunch we headed down to Wood Street where this tree, which is possibly one of the oldest plane trees in London can be found. The general consensus is that it was planted around 1760! It’s quite something standing under it. I must make sure I go back there in the spring/summer to see the full canopy.

Hello St Paul’s! If you ever find yourself in London in the future, when lockdowns and social distancing is a distant memory, I can really recommend going there and going full metal tourist. It’s one of my favourite touristy experiences I’ve had here. I’ll never forget the Whispering Gallery (it works!), and climbing up all the narrow stairs to the top circular outside balcony and taking in the view of London. It would never have occurred to me to go there if it hadn’t been for my cousin coming to visit years and years ago, and wanting to check it out. Tack M-Fe!

The architecture in the City is a real hodge podge of old buildings and boring as hell new glass box offices. This building really stood out though. We guessed that it was built in the 60’s, but we were a decade off. 30 Cannon St was built between 1974 and 1977, and has received listed status, so it can’t ever be pulled down in the future.

Speaking about pulling down a building; here’s Temple Bar, now placed at Paternoster Square. It was built between 1669 and 1672 by Christoper Wren (who also re-built St Paul’s Cathedral after the Great Fire in 1666, and built most of the grand buildings and churches in London still here today), and was originally at the junction of The Strand and Fleet Street. It had to be taken down in the 1878 as it was creating a bottle neck for traffic (horse driven - obvs). It was carefully dismantled by hand, to eventually be rebuilt in the grounds of a well to do couple’s country manor in Hertfordshire, who would have parties in the room inside the arch in the 1880’s. It eventually made its way back to the City in 2004.

Just around the corner towards St Paul’s is Chapter House, also built by Christopher Wren in 1712. Seriously crushing on this building. I seem to have something for houses with brown window frames… It looks pretty amazing on the inside too from what I can see online.

Around the corner from Paternoster Square in the other direction we stopped to have a look at these air vents by Thomas Heatherwick built in 2002. Pretty cool.

H really liked this building which looks like it was built in the 1960’s. It’s now a not very cool hotel .

We also stopped at Postman’s Park, to have a look at the memorial plaques there.

The artist George Frederic Watts wanted to commemorate people who had lost their lives trying to save others and put up four plaques in 1900. There are 54 up now with lots of space for more names to be added and the last one was put up in 2007. It was absolutely heartbreaking to read them.

Older London and newer London. Such a crazy and eccentric mix.

It’s everywhere I tell you.

I have a vague memory of sticking my head into St Bartholomew the Great to have a nosey a very long time ago, but seeing it up close again makes me want to go back and have a proper look inside when it re-opens.

This tower is all that remains of St Albans, which after having burnt down the in the Great Fire was rebuilt by our busy man Chrisopher Wren in 1682. It later got bombed in WW2, and it’s now a rather fancy traffic island.

This is the gatehouse leading into St Bartholomew the Great seen from the back. Pretty amazing, nay?

Slowly making our way home we cycled through Charterhouse Square past this Art Deco block. Looks amazing from the outside, but from what I’ve seen interiors-wise it looks bleurgh.

Cycling back, under the Barbican in the Beech Street tunnel. It’s hard to ride a bike and take pictures at the same time, but it won’t stop me from trying.

And finally, cycling above Regent’s Canal for a little bit in Islington, looking at the back of some Georgian terraced houses - and canalboats. I reeeeeeeeally want to go for a bike ride along Regent’s Canal one day, but it’ll have to wait as it gets way too busy at the moment. Don’t much fancy catching Covid or swerving into the canal… Am going out for another ride tomorrow with H, and I’ll suggest we head back here to look at the houses, and I’ll make sure to bring my camera.