The 'backside' of St Paul's Cathedral from Foster Lane
Off to the City of London last night, to attend the Ladies Dinner of the Worshipful Company of Dyers, which was held this year in the magnificent Goldsmith's Hall.
Summoned for 6.30 pm., we arrived half an hour early (London traffic is temperamental at 5.30pm and I had over-compensated). So we headed (already feeling sticky and somewhat stressed from a disrupted train journey) for one of the City pubs, to see if we could find a cold drink.
The 'Red Herring' pub on Gresham Street,(formerly Cateaton Street, the first London address of my ancestor Joseph Amici!) with the church of St Lawrence Jewry in the background
One look inside the broiling interior of the 'Red Herring', with shoals of slick City workers overflowing onto the street and we decided that a stroll would be a more pleasurable thing to do. So we wandered off into some of the little lanes and alleyways that still reticulate this area - mostly amongst modern buildings now, but still with their old, evocative names…'Oat Lane' - 'Gutter Alley' - 'Staining Lane' - 'Milk Street'.
Amongst the steel, glass and concrete of these modern buildings are others - perhaps only remnants - of those buildings that were here before; before the Great Fire of 1666, or before the visits of the Luftwaffe, sent by Mr. Hitler.
All that is left after WW2 of St Alban - the lonely Wren tower on the site of a medieval church
But thanks to foresight and good intentions, many of these places and spaces have been turned into small, sometimes tiny gardens, providing oases of greenery, a breath of fresh air and the opportunity for working people to touch the natural world for a few moments in their otherwise sterile days. I have heard these sorts of spaces referred to as 'the lungs of a city' and experienced just how true that was last night.
Here are some images of just a couple of these hidden gems so you may see just what I mean. The grand dinner was lovely; the surroundings, the food, wine and good company could not but capture my attention - but it was the tiny gardens of the City of London that really captured my heart.
The garden at St Mary Aldermanbury
A shady oasis
Topiary Knot Garden (ready for clipping now!) - resplendant Magnolia grandiflora (?) in the background
A monument to the publishers of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays
The entrance to the garden at St John Zachary - the Goldsmiths Garden
The gilded gateway, depicting the Leopard's Head - assay mark for London.
The Goldsmiths Garden - Wax-Chandlers Hall in the background
Beautiful Georgian fanlight over the doorway
'Let Evening Come'
You can find out about many more of these 'little lungs' through London Gardens Online and the City of London's City Gardens site
The sumptuous interior of Goldsmiths Hall - including the glittering chandeliers, which last night were lit by real candlelight - can be viewed interactively on their website
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