Yuko Mohri in Concert – what’s the background to the exhibition? I don’t think I can do better than (lazily!) reproduce the explanation at the entrance …
In Mohri’s ongoing Decomposition series (2021-), sensors plugged in to ripening fruit read the fruits’ changing moisture levels, converting their electrical resistance into sound and light. In The Curve, Mohri pairs the fruit with salvaged Barbican streetlamps, reflecting on the entangled lifecycles of organic and inert matter, while eroding the boundary between the gallery and the natural and built environments outside …
Two more sections are entitled Urban Mining …
And Moré Moré (Leaky) …
Entry is free, as is the invaluable exhibition guide …
A quite extraordinary visit to The Curve, I really enjoyed it …
In other news.
A while ago I wrote about my excursion down Sherriff Road, West Hampstead, just across the road from West Hampstead Underground Station. I included a picture of this mural but didn’t include an explanation. Here are both now …
One of those images where you just grab the moment …
The Bank Underground roundel and St Stephen Walbrook, built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1672 and 1679 after the Great Fire of London destroyed its medieval predecessor. Wren used the project as a testing ground for his plans for St Paul’s Cathedral, its defining architectural feature being Britain’s first domed ceiling …
In the background, by way of contrast, the 912 foot 22 Bishopsgate with its public viewing gallery …
Do pop in to the church if you have the chance. When I visited in 2014, I was stopped in my tracks by this monument to John Lilburne (d.1678), citizen and grocer, of the Lilburn family of Sunderland, and his wife Isabella. It’s the earliest monument in the Church …
I loved the little standing figures of the couple, he with cloak and long flowing hair above a tunic, with big cuffs and slender shoes, she a slim figure with long, flaring skirt, puffed out bodice and drapes over and behind her head. A charming pose with her arms crossed in front of her.
But what really caught my eye was the memento mori, a sculpture of a woman dancing with Death, who is a skeleton wearing a long skirt …
Inside a glass case you’ll see this famous phone …
One evening last week, I was looking at the church from the vantage point of Gilbert Bridge …
And then a little later from the terrace …
… and started wondering why there were so many street lamps in such a relatively small space .
I went and had another look at them in daylight. There are 17 in all, here is a selection …
According to the excellent Ian Visits blog, these street lamps are the original gas lamps used on the approach roads to Tower Bridge. The bridge was lit by 17 free-standing street lamps and 35 lamps mounted onto the northern balustrade. In May 1966 the last gas lamps on the balustrades were switched to electric, and the old street lamps were replaced with modern electric street lights.
The old freestanding gas lamps had to be removed, but what to do with them? Well, just up the road, the new Barbican estate was under construction, so what better than to decorate the place around the church with some surplus Victorian lamps? So here they are today.
Outside the south side of the church is this family grave marker which, I am sure, most people stroll past without a second glance …
It is, in fact, the final resting place of an extraordinary man, Sir William Staines.
The Lord Mayors of London website describes him thus: ‘He began life as a bricklayer’s labourer, and by persevering steadily in the pursuit of one object, accumulated a large fortune, and rose to the state coach and the Mansion House’.
Just inside the entrance to the church you will find this touching memorial …
And here is the man himself …
As the Lord Mayor website says, Staines had extremely humble beginnings working as a bricklayer’s labourer, but eventually accumulated a large fortune which he generously used for philanthropic purposes. He seemed to recall his own earlier penury when he ensured that the houses he built for ‘aged and indigent’ folk would have ‘nothing to distinguish them from the other dwelling-houses … to denote the poverty of the inhabitant’.
His portrait held at the Guildhall Art Galley (not on display at present) …
British History Online records an encounter he had with the notorious John Wilkes who referred rather rudely to Staines’ original occupation …
The alderman was an illiterate man, and was a sort of butt amongst his brethren. At one of the Old Bailey dinners, after a sumptuous repast of turtle and venison, Sir William was eating a great quantity of butter with his cheese. “Why, brother,” said Wilkes, “you lay it on with atrowel!”
John Milton (1608-1674), the poet and republican, is perhaps the most famous former parishioner of St Giles and his statue stands by the south wall of the church …
It’s made of metal, which means it is one of the few memorials in the church that survived the bombing in the Second World War. It is the work of the sculptor Horace Montford (c1840-1919) and is based on a bust made in about 1654.
He used to be outside and was blasted off his plinth during the bombing …
There is also this commemorative plaque …
And a bust which clearly indicates his later-life blindness …
Milton was buried in the church next to his father.
Notwithstanding the generous memorials to the great and the good, I was captivated by this modest plaque on the south wall …
An attorney at law who obviously believed in brevity. No Latin exhortation of his virtues, no figures of a grieving widow and children, only the important facts and the bald, concluding statement ‘That is all’.
Monuments include one to John Speed. He was born at Farndon in Cheshire in 1552 and followed his father’s trade as a tailor until nearly fifty. He lived in London (probably in Moorfields) and his wife Susanna bore him twelve sons and six daughters. His passion in life, however, was not tailoring; from his early years he was a keen amateur historian and map maker, producing maps for the Queen and the Merchant Tailors Company, of which he was a Freeman. He joined the Society of Antiquaries and in 1597 his interests came to the attention of Sir Fulke Greville, who subsequently gave Speed an allowance for his research. As a reward for his earlier efforts, Queen Elizabeth granted him the use of a room in the Custom House …
Here’s his map of England (note the Irish Sea, the British Sea and the German Ocean!)…
The oldest monument is that of Thomas Busby. A 19th century guide to the church describes him and his memorial as follows …
… a rich cooper who died in 1575. His painted figure shows him in a black coat, his face full of benevolence, and his epitaph tells us that he gave the poor of Cripplegate every year four loads of the best charcoal and 40 dozen loaves.
Alas the Blitz ensured that only his bust with its benevolent face remains …
There is this intriguing wall tablet …
All I can find out is this little bit of information about the peacocks: The peacock in his pride is found in period armoury, in the arms of Halle, Switzerland, c.1340. This couple must have been well off but they were unable to prevent their children dying young.
Nearby there is also a lovely 19th century brass lectern created in memory of Lancelot Andrewes …..
The East Window was designed by Gerald Smith of the Nicholson Studios, a London-based stained glass studio, which made the window in 1960. The firm’s output covered the years of restoration following both World Wars. The work follows the pattern of the medieval window, of which traces came to light as a result of war damage. The design incorporates many figures of historical significance to the church, as well as the instruments of the crucifixion at the top …
St Giles is there, of course. He is traditionally depicted with a hind and there are various stories as to why that should be so. According to a 10th-century biography, Giles was an Athenian from a wealthy family who gave away his inherited wealth, fled to France and made himself a hermitage in a forest near the mouth of the Rhone, where, we are told, he lived on herbs and the milk of a hind. This retreat was finally discovered by the hunters of the King of the Franks, who had pursued the hind to its place of refuge. An arrow shot at the deer wounded Giles instead, as he put out his hand to protect the deer and was himself speared by the arrow …
Part of the medieval church can be still be seen on the right of the window, where it has been deliberately exposed for visitors to see. Here is the sedilia, where the priests sat, and the piscine, used for washing communion vessels. The tiles in the arch here are of Roman origin …
The Roman tiles …
The west window was designed by the Faircraft Studios and installed in 1968. In the centre is the coat-of-arms of the City of London, which is flanked on its left by the coat-of-arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and on its right by that of the Bishop of London. In the lower frame, from left to right, are the coats-of-arms of Robert Glover, Somerset Herald of Arms in the reign of Henry VIII, who was buried in the church; of John Milton; of the Earls of Bridgewater; Oliver Cromwell, and Sir Martin Frobisher. There were ten Earls of Bridgewater and three Earls of Kent buried in the church …
Nearby is this plaque dedicated to a pair of twins ‘respected and beloved by all who knew them’ …
They were joint secretaries to the Cripplegate Savings Bank …
Established in 1819, it became the Cripplegate Bank Limited in 1879. Renamed again in 1900 as London, Commercial & Cripplegate Bank Ltd it was acquired by the Union Bank of London Limited later in the same year (and was eventually swallowed up by NatWest).
As you leave you can say ‘goodbye’ to St Giles. He’s just above the north door, hind at his side. You can also see the scorch marks from the incendiary bombs dropped during the Blitz when even the stone caught fire …
He is depicted with a crutch, as it is thought he was lame …
I am indebted to the really helpful History section of the St Giles website for much of the blog. I strongly recommend you visit it, if only to watch the fascinating YouTube film of the City ruins in 1956.
The Church is open all day, every day, for daily services, prayer, and a whole host of community events, concerts, and art exhibitions throughout the year. Do pop in if you are passing, it’s a lovely, friendly church. And even more impressive is how it has maintained this atmosphere given its near total destruction in the Blitz. The following photo taken in the days following the raid on the 29th December 1940 shows the damage to the interior of the church …
Since the walls and tower survived a service was possible with the parishioners able to look straight up to the sky …
The interior of the church today …
In the words of the modest Mr Stagg, “That is all”.
In other news.
Passing through Hackney this week I noticed this heart-touching poster. Usually it’s cats, but here …
Seriously, however, having lost a pet myself, I do hope that he’s found.
If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …
As you travel down the escalator at the Walbrook entrance to Bank Underground Station you will encounter a rather remarkable sight …
The 24 illuminated panels on display are a tribute to the Roman life that once flourished in this location, most notably, the nearby Temple of Mithras. Discovered in 1954, the ancient temple has now been restored and returned to its original Roman location, of which more later.
The panels were created in 1960 by the celebrated glass artist, John Hutton (1906 – 1978). Born in New Zealand, Hutton moved to London as a young artist. He became renowned for his masterful work in etched and engraved glass. They were originally on display in an office block called Bucklersbury House and, when that building was scheduled for demolition, they were gifted to London Underground to be installed in the tube station entrance.
The first series depicts daily life in Roman London, with the original London Bridge visible in the background. Women cluster in groups – some holding baskets or amphorae, vessels used to carry oil or wine, while others tend their children. A merchant sells his wares on the steps leading down to the river, while men holding scrolls engage in conversation. A group of soldiers gathers in a small clutch, their swords and spears piled next to them, elsewhere other soldiers ride their horses across the bridge …
A second series of panels shows gods and goddesses from a variety of ancient traditions. This cluster shows three Roman deities, Venus, Bacchus and Minerva but also the Egyptian God Serapis wearing a modius (cylindrical headdress) …
There is also the main iconography from the cult of Mithras, The Tauroctony where Mithras slaughters the bull …
Various other Gods and Goddesses …
You can read more about the delicate removal and restoration of the panels here.
Next door to the station entrance is the London Mithraeum. This is a fantastic venue to visit and entrance is free with a time-booked ticket.
Here are images from my visit some years ago. Descending through time, seven metres or so, from modern London to the very last days of the Romans in Britain, about AD 410 …
The beautifully restored temple itself …
Well done Bloomberg!
Even if you are not planning to visit the temple, you can pop in to the ground floor reception area …
At the moment it is hosting a fascinating free exhibition entitled Folkmoot by Anne Ryan. You can read more about the artist and the work on display here.
Some images from the exhibition …
There is also a permanent, well organised display of Roman artefacts which can be explored using your own mobile device, a tablet that they provide, or just by reading the labels …
If you are fascinated (as I am) with all things Roman London related you could follow the London Wall Walk which is identified throughout the City by plaques like this …
They’re a bit low-tech and weatherbeaten now, but I think that gives them a particular charm. Also, I found this very useful guide to the plaques and the wall in the London on my Mind website. Recommended.
A few words about what we still tend to describe as the ‘Roman’ Wall.
Londinium was a settlement established around AD 43-50. It sat at a key crossing point over the River Thames which turned the city into a trading port, serving as a major commercial centre in Roman Britain until its abandonment during the 5th century. Sometime between 190 and 225, the Romans built the London Wall, a defensive ragstone wall around the landward side of the city. It was one of the largest construction projects carried out in Roman Britain, requiring somewhere in the region of 85,000 tons of Kentish ragstone to complete. A medieval city wall was built on top of the remains of the Roman wall so much of what we see today was constructed in the fifteenth century.
Here are some images I took recently.
For a good sense of the scale of the wall one of the best places to visit is Salters’ Hall Garden …
Impressive as it is, it is pretty much all medieval, although the red tiles were probably scavenged from the earlier Roman construction …
This illustration from the excellent Living London History blog gives a good idea as to how the wall ‘grew’ in medieval times …
You can see medieval stonework. This is the only surviving section with a brick parapet dating from 1477 …
It was added by King Edward IV to help protect the city during the Wars of the Roses.
I like nice, helpful signage …
You also get a good view from the St Alphage Highwalk …
If you head north, you get a glimpse of more remains …
You can view them more easily if you make your way to the friendly, beautifully restored church of St Giles Cripplegate. In the old churchyard you can look across the artificial lake to another section of wall …
