Introduction
We will begin by following the route of the ancient wall, which laid out the perimeter of the Roman town of Londinium. To make the most of the walk, try to imagine the importance of these walls. Think about what it must have been like to live in an era when walls were crucial to the security of your day-to-day existence, and going outside of the walls may have posed a threat to your life. London was once like that. Also, as you pass through the site of the ancient walls, you should note that modern London represents a composite of several ages. To experience the historical value of this walk, you will need to project yourself back in time by erasing nearly two thousand years of history. Return in your mind to an era when nothing was on this site other than the old Roman city of Londinium (nearly fifteen feet below where you will be walking). During this time, the Thames was much wider and much slower; it was fed by tributaries where streets such as Walbrook and Fleet are now laid out like petrified rivers. The names of these streets serve as reminders that a stream once flowed along the course now defined by a paved road. All of these walks will require you to be mentally alert if you are to grasp all to which you are introduced, from the most primitive of huts along the river to the most modern of skyscrapers.“The City,” as it is now familiarly known, was anciently called Londinium. It is now the financial heart of Britain’s economy; along with Wall Street in New York and Tokyo in Japan, it is one of the largest and most influential financial centers in the world. Consequently, a major part of the atmosphere of this area is generated by businessmen and businesswomen in dark suits, bustling around or huddled at the pubs, drinking ale and plotting their world-shaking stratagems. During the weekend, the City will be completely deserted, almost surrealistically so, and you will miss much that is unique to this area.It was in this part of what is now modern London that Romans arrived in Great Britain and established a community on the western frontier of the old Roman Empire, by some estimates as early as ten years after the crucifixion of Christ. To do so, they had to displace earlier settlers, for Britain, like America, contained many established peoples who resisted encroachment—but more on that later. Colchester, in eastern Essex, northeast of London, was chosen as the focal point of Roman activity because that was where most of the resistance from local tribes was located. However, Londinium, because of its location on the Thames, was chosen as the landing point for supplies and troops. From there, Roman legions could quickly be dispatched to put down any resistance in southeastern England.The initial Londinium was something of a ragamuffin settlement built of whatever materials happened to be handy. This all changed with the advent of one woman: Boudicca (pronounced Boo-di-ka) or Boadicea (pronounced Bo-a-dee-see-a ), something of a British Joan of Arc. She was the widow of a local East Anglian king, who died without male heirs. Before his death, in an attempt to protect his family, he sought the favor of the Roman emperor by willing half of his wealth to Rome. The local officials, however, seized all of his land and reduced his people to serfdom. Further insult was added by beating Boudicca and raping her daughters. Rather than acquiesce, Boudicca responded by taking to the warpath. Gathering some of the local tribes, she marched first against the Romans in Colchester and then against Londinium. Roman historians record that she burned both towns to the ground—evidence of which still appears in the portion of Londinium that has been uncovered— before massacring over seventy thousand citizens of the towns she conquered.Ultimately, her troops proved no match for the power of the well-oiled Roman army, which at the time of Boudicca’s initial conquests were away in northern Wales attempting to subdue a Druid stronghold. Gathering more forces as it moved southward, and later being augmented by Roman troops arriving from Germany, the Roman forces devastated the Britons. It was reported that Boudicca herself committed suicide by taking poison in AD 60. She is honored for her courage and wrath by a statue at Westminster Bridge, which we will see in another walk. After these events, the Romans built with greater care and constructed a fortress in the northwestern portion of the city, though the fort was probably used more for garrisoning troops than for protection. The newly constructed Londinium evolved into a sizeable city, with most of the comforts and luxuries of a typical large Roman town of the time—including a basilica and a forum, which served the functions now carried out in town halls, law courts, meeting places, and shopping malls. The walls of the basilica were over seventy feet high, and the forum occupied a space four times as large as Trafalgar Square. Added to these were a governor’s palace (more than likely his winter residence, since he was probably with the troops during the summers), reception halls, private apartments, and public bathhouses. A bridge across the Thames near the site of the present London Bridge probably goes back to the early arrival of the Roman troops; it remained a vital part of the city. As a Roman settlement, Londinium probably had an Egyptian temple, but its whereabouts remain unknown. However, we do know where the temple dedicated to Mithras was built; it was uncovered in the post-World War II reconstruction, and we will visit its remains on the second walk. It is to this ancient Roman city of Londinium that we will return, with frequent glimpses into the medieval and modern versions.If you are interested, the Museum of London sells maps of old Londinium, which reproduces what we know of the layout of that ancient town.
#1 Start: Tower Hill Tube Stop to Tower of London
Start by taking the tube to Tower Hill on the Circle Line. As you come out of the tube station, look for the Tower of London. There are two exits to the Tower Hill station. One will bring you out at the top of a hill, facing the Tower. You will recognize this exit by the giant sundial on a little knoll in front of you. The other exit will bring you out farther down the hill in the middle of a flight of stairs. The Tower will be to your right, but you won’t be able to see it from this point. If you come out at this second exit, I recommend you go up the stairs to the first exit, turn around, and begin your walk from there.Position yourself so that the tower is in front of you, and recall that as a citizen of ancient Londinium, you would have only seen the Thames; the creation of the tower would still be a thousand years in the future—closer in time to our own day than to Roman times. All you would have seen anciently was a broad river slowly flowing before you. Can you envision such a scene in your imagination?As you come out the upper exit, you will see a little knoll in front of you with what looks like a piece of modern sculpture on top—it is a giant sundial. Go left around the mound and begin moving down the stairs. Part way down the stairs, look for a statue of the Emperor Trajan, tucked away to your left in a small area outside of the stairway. Visit that statue and take a look at the part of the Roman wall that has been uncovered behind the statue.Behind the statue, on the wall, is a blue-bordered plaque with the #2 on it. This plaque is one of a series of such markers that describe various segments of the wall. They are part of a “London Wall” walk created by the Museum of London in 1985. I will try to alert you to others of these plaques as we proceed on our walk. However, some have been destroyed or are inside buildings, so it will not be possible for you to read all of them.
#2 Tower Hill to Excavation Site
Come back to the stairs, and continue down toward the tower until you go through an underpass and find an excavation site with historical information posted around it.Take time to read what is of interest to you. At this excavation site are the remains of a segment of the original gates. Move around to the left of the enclosed area. Look for information on the wall showing imaginary reconstructions of the London Wall in the years AD 100, 200, 750, 1300, 1500, 1700, 1900, and 1984. This will help you envision the changes that the wall has undergone over time.From here you will have a fairly good view of the tower, though you won’t have time today to visit it. The Tower of London needs little or no introduction; it is one of the most famous tourist spots in London, as the long lines testify. You need at least a half day to explore it fully. While doing so, don’t neglect the free tours given by the Yeoman Wardens. Not only is the presentation of the wardens extremely colorful—even if the accuracy of the information is sometimes questionable—they will also get you into places that you can’t go without them, such as the Chapel Royal of St. Peter and Vincula. The most popular features on Tower Hill are the White Tower, the Crown Jewels, and the Armory—as well as the ceremonies such as the Changing of the Guard (11:00 a.m. daily in the summer, and alternate days in the winter) and the Ceremony of the Keys (nightly at 9:30 p.m.).Be certain to take a careful look at the White Tower. If it reminds you of something back home, it is probably because of its resemblance to the Manti and the Logan Latter-day Saint temples in Utah, whose architect was very familiar with the tower. Come back to visit the Tower of London another day when you have more time.
#3 Back Near Tower Hill Station to Triumphal Arch
Retrace your steps back up the stairs toward the upper exit of the tube station. When you are nearly back to the station, look to your left for a wrought-iron gate. Go through that gate and walk along the path to what looks like a replica of the triumphal arch.The Triumphal Arch is actually a memorial honoring the Merchant Seamen killed in what many Brits call the “14–18 War,” or World War I, which lasted from 1914–18.Note the large structure to your right in Trinity Square as you go down the path. It is the former Port of London Authority, opened in 1922. From the board room of this building much of the sea trade of the world was controlled. You will be able to recognize it by the statue of Father Thames on the facade, a trident in his right hand and his left hand raised. It is topped by angels racing their chariots. The interior of the building is exquisite.
#4 From the Port of London Authority Building to Seething Lane
Go to the front of the Port of London Authority building, in order to appreciate the details on the building. Make your way to the right (as you face it) and move around until you come to Cooper’s Row. Remember, the names of streets are usually posted on the sides of buildings or on fences along the roads. More of the wall is visible to your right, partway down the row. Turn left on Pepys ( pronounced Peeps) Street until you come to Seething Lane.At this juncture, you will find St. Olave Church in front of you, one of the few churches in London to escape the Great Fire of 1666. Samuel Pepys is buried in this church. Pepys was one of the major historians of London, and his diary gives vital information on several events such as the Great Fire and the Great Plague. The church is also the final resting place of the famed “Mother Goose.” Dickens called this his “best beloved church,” and referred to it affectionately as “St. Ghastly Grim.” Even the gates illustrate his point. This is the first of several interesting old churches you will pass today.You will probably note two buildings looming up behind the church in the distance. We will visit both of them on a later walk. The taller building, which looks like a giant pickle (the locals actually call it the Great Gherkin), is an office building called either “The Swiss Reinsurance Tower” (its major occupant) or “30 St. Mary Axe” (its location). The other is Minster Court (We will see both of them up close and personal on the City walk.).
#5 Seething Lane to Crutched Friars to Jewry Street
Turn right on Seething Lane, and then right again at the “T,” where Hart Street veers to the left and Crutched Friars to the right. The name of the latter was originally “Crossed Friars”—from an old monastery. Proceed on Crutched Friars until you pass through an underpass. Farther along, when the road forks in four directions, make certain that you stay on Crutched Friars, which is located at a position about 11 o’clock as you approach the intersection. You will know you are on the right road when you see the statue of the friars on your left at Rangoon Street. Crutched Friars turns into Jewry Street.You should know that in medieval London, foreigners were restricted to certain areas of the City and were not allowed to locate at will. You are now at one of the locations where Jews settled. You will also see India Street on your right, indicating its primary occupants. The Jews were a vital source of income in medieval England. Forbidden to own any inheritable property, they became the moneylenders in the City, because Christians were forbidden to lend money and charge interest. Often, when the financial system was in trouble, Jews were falsely accused of some atrocity, such as murdering Christian children, and fined heavily, as a pretext for gaining much-needed finances. They had no political rights, and as late as 1177, Jews from all over Great Britain had to bring the bodies of their dead to a special burial ground at Cripplegate. After 1181, they were forbidden to bear arms in their own defense (an eerie foreshadowing of the World War II holocaust). However, even under these conditions they continued to prosper, and it is estimated that after the Norman Conquest in 1066, Jews owned about one-third of the transportable wealth in England. By 1188, they were supplying one-twelfth of the crown’s entire annual income.In 1262, a great slaughter of the Jews occurred. Conveniently—for those who owed money—all records of those with outstanding debts were somehow destroyed. Later, Henry III established a “house of converts,” where Jews who renounced their religion and property in favor of Christianity could come to live on a stipend of one-and-a-half pennies a day. Matters became worse, and in 1290, the entire Jewish population was expelled to Flanders. (You get something of the flavor of the times in Shakespeare’s shaping of the character Shylock from the Merchant of Venice.) Not until the time of Oliver Cromwell, nearly three centuries later in 1656, were Jews allowed to return to the City. This is one of the streets where you would have found a Jewish colony. We will visit Old Jewry Street later, which was another Jewish settlement closer to the center of the City. Using your imagination, you may yet construct a visual image of a ghetto filled with orthodox Jews milling around in their daily pursuits. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were eighty synagogues in East London. When there were no Jews to lend money, the role fell to the Italians located on Lombard Street. You will find that street in the financial district (See City walk).
#6 Jewry Street to Aldgate and on to Bevis Marks
When you come to the end of Jewry Street (signaled by the three stop lights), you will intersect with Aldgate. This intersection can pose problems if you are not careful. When you approach the intersection, look across the road in front of you for a yellow building with the words “Sir John Cass’s Foundation” written on its side. That is your destination. First, cross Jewry Street to your right at the lights. Then cross Aldgate to the yellow building. This will put you on Duke’s Place road. Continue down Duke’s Place, keeping your left shoulder adjacent to the wall, and the street to your right. Duke’s Place will turn into Bevis Marks.Aldgate was one of the major gates in the old Roman and medieval wall. During the Roman era it was one of the largest and most important of the gates, because the major road linking Colchester, the center of Roman activity in Britain, and Londinium passed through it. The Roman gate probably had two arched entrances, flanked by guard towers. In contrast, the medieval gate, rebuilt in 1215, probably had a single entrance flanked by round towers.This latter gate lasted until 1761 (nearly the time of the American Revolution), when it was pulled down to improve the flow of traffic. Geoffrey Chaucer lived in lodgings on the gate in 1374, while working as a customs official in the port of London.The church you see to the right, at the intersection of Jewry Street and Aldgate, is St. Botolph’s Aldgate. Author Daniel Defoe, of Robinson Crusoe fame, was married in this church, and Jeremy Bentham, one of the major proponents of Utilitarianism, was christened here. You can meet Bentham’s mummified body on the Bloomsbury walk. This is one of three St. Botolph’s that you will see today. Botolph lived in the early seventh century (circa 610–80) and founded a monastery in East Anglia, which came to be known as Botolphstone (from “Botolph’s stone” or “Botolph town”). Through time this became shortened to “Boston.” Hence, Botolph became the patron saint of Boston, both in Britain and in the U.S.As you proceed along Bevis Marks, you will come to a Jewish synagogue, Qahal Kadosh Sha'ar ha-Shamayim, from the early eighteenth century on your left, behind an iron gate. It is still an active synagogue; it was used for one major scene by Simon Schama in his 2002 BBC television production, A History of Britain. Outside of the Roman wall, near this point, was a large ditch, an important part of the original defenses. Unfortunately, the ditch became infamous for dumping garbage into (rubbish is the preferred word in Britain), including dead dogs—hence the origin of Houndsditch Road.
#7 Bevis Marks to Bishopsgate to Brushfield Street
When Bevis Marks turns into Camomile, cross to the other (right) side of the road at the crosswalk. When you get to the intersection of Camomile and Bishopsgate, turn right onto Bishopsgate, and proceed along that road with your right shoulder toward the buildings, and the road to your left. At this point you are venturing outside of the old wall line and into the country.Your next immediate destination is Brushfield Street, which will come up on your right. Watch for it after you have passed the Liverpool Station (across the road on your left) and just after you have passed the Bishopsgate Library (on your right). There is a sign at that juncture pointing toward Christ Church to your right. As you reach the intersection and move across Brushfield Street to the modern glass building marked 250 Bishopsgate, you should be able to see the church down Brushfield Street. Walk to the church.Bishopsgate was another one of the important gates during Roman times. Through it passed the road leading to York and, farther north, to Hadrian’s Wall.Christ Church is one of my favorites. When you are in London, it is very difficult to avoid the name of Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s and many of the other churches built in London after the Great Fire of 1666. Less well known is the name of Nicolas Hawksmoor, who was Wren’s pupil and the architect of Christ Church. In his day, he was considered the equal of Wren. In the early 1700s, a plan was launched to build fifty new churches in London. Twelve were actually constructed before Parliament closed the purse because of the expense. Christ Church was one of the lucky ones to survive. Unfortunately, because it's in a poor segment of London, it had been allowed to deteriorate badly until its recent restoration. I am intrigued by the modern look that the church has. Many of the postmodern architects of the 1980s and 90s used some of the same motifs. For example, note the arch in the middle of the façade. You will see the same motif repeated several times in buildings built in the US during the last few decades. If you have seen the Salt Lake Temple (owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), you may also notice similar features in the window configuration on the side of the structure. During the Victorian age, the interior of Christ Church was altered badly with the addition of a balcony and other features. Recent renovation has returned the church to its original form.
#8 Back to Bishopsgate to Spitalfield Market
After examining the church, retrace your path back toward Bishopsgate. Stop long enough to pop into Spitalfield Market on your right.Outside of the medieval wall, in Spitalfields (some claim this is short for hospital), was a tether on which newly woven cloth was stretched. Spitalfields, lying “outside” the city, has long been a refuge for those not welcomed inside, including the French Huguenots in the seventeenth century, who brought silk weaving to London. More recently, many Bengali immigrants have made Spitalfields their home.On your right, as you walk back on Brushfield Street, you will pass Old Spitalfields Market, a five-acre covered market. For centuries, Spitalfields served as the primary wholesale center which fed London’s need for fresh fruits and vegetables. In 1991, this huge produce market was moved to Stratford. What remains in the complex are not only several food and craft venues but also courts for tennis and badminton, as well as a field for what is called “five-a-side” football (soccer). The market is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (typically the busiest day). At this point you are just a few streets north and east of Petticoat Lane on Middlesex Street. Petticoat Lane Market, also on Middlesex Street, offers an interesting array of clothing and shoes in an outdoor area (check online for details).
#9 Exchange Arcade to Exchange Square
When you leave the market by the same doors you entered, turn right and return to the intersection of Bishopsgate and Brushfield. Cross Bishopsgate at the crosswalk and walk up the flight of stairs slightly to your right. Go through the arcade to Exchange Square, which is your next stopping point.Exchange Square is a wonderful little hideaway for people employed in this area. From Bishopsgate Road, one has no hint of such an oasis in the middle of the busy City. The wall extending the length of the grounds (to your left as you enter the complex, past the little pub-like establishment) is the outer wall of the Liverpool Street train station, built on the original site of the Bethlehem (Bedlem) Hospital for the insane—from which our term ‘bedlam’ stems. To your immediate right as you enter the complex is the central attraction in Exchange Place, the Broadgate Venus, a five-ton bronze statue seemingly floating in space. She was created in 1990 by Fernando Botero, an ex-bull fighter from Colombia, and arguably South America’s most famous modern sculptor. Immediately below the statue, a wonderful little fountain splashes down a flight of stairs. If you are here when it really gets hot (and it does get hot in London in July and August), you will see people sitting on the top stair or on the sides eating their lunch while they cool their feet in the water. You may want to rest here briefly yourself before continuing.
#10 Exchange Square to Train Station
Your next destination is a flight of stairs on the left corner of Exchange Square, at the opposite end from the Broadgate Venus. Walk the length of the croquet field to the end of the Liverpool Station wall to your left. Walk up the stairs, and turn left. Follow the walkway that abuts to the train station.Before you leave Exchange Square, you may want to walk across the raised area you're on after climbing the stairs. There you should find another small complex of figures carved from basalt, called the Broad Family. This group consists of three figures plus a dog and ball. Notice the shoes on the smallest figure. If you take this short detour, after looking at this sculpture, return to the path that abuts the Liverpool Street Train Station.
#11 Liverpool Street Train Station
Along the way, the walkway next to the station divides; stay to the left, next to the building. Follow the walk until it takes you to an entrance into the station. Go inside and continue in the same direction you have been walking until you are on a balcony from which you can see the center of the train station with all of its shops off to your left.Liverpool Street train station is a great example of London’s desire to modernize. A few years ago, this was a dark, oppressive, uninviting shell of a train station. Now it's light and airy, one of London’s showplaces. If you're hungry, the station has several excellent eating venues. You may want to go down into the station, but don’t take long. Much of the walk is still in front of you, and there are other places to eat along the way.
#12 Liverpool Street to St. Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
If you don’t go down into the train station, you should just continue moving forward until you exit the building. If you do opt to go down into the station to look around or to get something to eat, make sure that you come up again on the balcony at the point where you descended into the station and exit from the doors in front of you as you arrive again on the balcony. You will know you have the proper exit by the fact that you will see a McDonalds to your left as you exit the doors. Once outside, go forward until you intersect with Liverpool Street. Go left until you come back to Bishopsgate, and turn right. Your next destination is St. Botolph-without-Bishopsgate.St. Botolph-without-Bishopsgate church, which will come up on your right, was originally built outside of the gates. This is the second of the St. Botolph churches you have passed. As soon as you pass the building itself, look for a sign leading you to the right, onto a path inside the churchyard. Go right and onto that path, which is called Bishopsgate Churchyard. Follow along that path, keeping the church on your right, until you come to Old Broad Street.Near the end of this lane, you will see on your left what appears to be an Islamic structure. Initially, this was the entrance to an underground Turkish bath, built in 1895. It was excavated, having collapsed and partially filled in with dirt, and renovated a few years ago, and is now used as an underground restaurant.When you reach the intersection of Old Broad Street and Wormwood, note the towering building in front of you (across Wormwood) on Old Broad Street (#25). We will come back near it on the other side during the City Walk. Constructed in 1980, Tower 42 (its current name) was originally called the NatWest Tower after its primary occupant, the National Westminster Bank. It is sixty-six feet taller than the Swiss Reinsurance Building (the Gherkin) you visited earlier, and contains forty-two floors—hence the name Tower 42. For ten years it was the tallest habitable building in the UK at 600 feet. In 1990, it was superseded in height by the Canary Wharf Tower, #1 Canada Square on Canary Wharf in the Docklands, which stands 800 feet tall. Two other buildings in Canada Square, the HSBC building (656 feet, built in 2001), and the Citigroup Building (656 feet, built in 2002), are also taller.Tower 42 was the first skyscraper to be built in London. Until the early 1960s, the height of a building in the City was restricted to 30 meters (100 feet) in order to keep the upper part of the building in range of the fire brigades’ ladders. Tower 42 is constructed with a central core and cantilevered projections on the sides, so that from the air it resembles the NatWest logo (three chevrons). It is still the largest cantilevered building in the world.In 1993, terrorists from the Provisional Irish Republican Army set off a truck bomb in the Bishopsgate vicinity, severely damaging several of the buildings in the City to the extent of over £1 billion. Extensive repair was necessitated on the NatWest Tower, and the National Westminster Bank relinquished its holdings at that time. The building is now occupied by a variety of companies.
#13 Old Broad Street to Wormwood to Moorgate
As you emerge from the churchyard, turn left onto Old Broad Street and go to Wormwood. Turn right at Wormwood, which becomes London Wall. Stay on the right side of the street until you come to Moorgate.While walking along London Wall Street, you may want to take a quick detour at Circus Place on your right, where you will find another of those little London parks. Simply turn right at Circus Place and go to Finsbury Circus. When you see “circus” on a London map, think “circle.” Go through the gates and walk to the green Pavilion House. At that point, veer either right or left and walk around Finsbury Circus. Secluded behind the pavilion is a little bowling green. If you are lucky enough to get there at the right time, watching a bowling match is a genuine English cultural experience, as well as a good indication of what often lies hidden just off the beaten path in urban London.After a short rest in the park, come back to London Wall Street through the same entrance and turn right. On the wall to your right as you make your way down the street, you should spot a blue plaque marking the second site of the old Bethlehem Hospital. This was a notorious and infamous center for the mentally insane, and it provided the setting for one of William Hogarth’s paintings in the Rake’s Progress series. These blue plaques are found throughout London and mark the former occupancy of someone (or something) of note in London’s history.
#14 Moorgate
When you arrive at Moorgate, I suggest you move to the left side of London Wall Street and continue down London Wall.Moorgate was another one of the most important gates of the medieval era. It gave access to the moors north of the City. Moorgate was not part of the original Roman wall but was added around 1450. The gate was demolished in 1761, one year after the destruction of Bishopsgate. The wall itself was demolished in 1817.When you reach Coleman Street on your left during your journey down London Wall, look back to the left side of Coleman, and locate the Armourer’s and Brasier’s Hall, one of the interesting buildings in the area. Note the figures along the upper part of the building.Farther along London Wall, look for Wood Street on your left, at the major overpass that arches over London Wall. That combination of overpass and building area is called Nun Court. At Wood Street, you are looking at the road that cut through the center of the old medieval fortress on a north-south axis. Its length will give you some idea of how wide the fort was. Note also the remains of a church in the middle of the road. The tower was brought here from St. Albans. The church was destroyed—except for this tower—during the Blitz of World War II. These nighttime bombings were carried out against London and other British cities between September of 1940–May 1941, following the failure of Germany's Luftwaffe to defeat Britain's Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain waged from May–September of 1940.Where Wood Street intersects with London Wall, you will find an escalator leading up to the Barbican Center, one of the major cultural centers of the city. Do not go up the escalator. Rather, bear left of it and continue along London Wall. You will probably return to the Barbican several times for evening performances. It contains one of the most famous of the London theatre complexes, but it is also much more. Barbican itself is an interesting experiment, uniting a theatre complex with resident apartment houses (housing over five thousand people) in a sixty-acre area. The complex is interspersed with gardens, an artificial lake, and playing areas, as well as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The spirit of the architect Le Corbusier broods heavily over the area. The Barbican Centre houses the official London home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as the official home of the London Symphony Orchestra, a library/art gallery, exhibition halls, restaurants, three cinemas, and a sculpture court. Not far from the Centre is St. Giles Cripplegate Church, dating back to 1090—another strange juxtaposition of the past with the present. This church has connections with John Milton, Oliver Cromwell, John Bunyan, Thomas More, Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare, and other famous British luminaries. However, when you come to the Barbican area for this walk, think in terms of Roman times, when you would be standing in the middle of a Roman fortress, surrounded by Roman soldiers.Across London Wall, keep watch for a low cement monument on the road across the street. It is one of two you will see in this area erected by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association (an interesting name combination, although it has been changed in more modern times). Anyone for a quick drink?Farther along London Wall, when you reach Noble Street on your left, you will see remains of the wall, both to your left on Noble Street and to your right across London Wall road. Noble was blocked off by barriers in 1992. At this intersection you are at the northwest corner (farthest from the Thames and farthest from the Tower) of the old fort and the old wall. Plaque nineteen of the City’s wall walk (mentioned earlier at the London Tower station) is by the ruins of the wall on Noble Street. It provides some interesting information about this segment of the wall.
#15 St. Martin's Le Grand
At the intersection of London Wall and Aldersgate Street, turn left onto St. Martin’s Le Grand. The Museum of London (on the hill at the intersection of London Wall and Aldersgate) should now be at your back.You can easily spend half a day or more at the Museum of London and the Barbican. The museum is signaled by the logo of Dick Whittington and his cat. If you don’t know that story, do some research on the Internet. You will run into Whittington’s story several times in London. The museum is divided into segments that relate the history of London from prehistoric times to the present: a Prehistoric section, a Roman section, a Saxon and Viking section, a Medieval section, a Tudor section, and so on. One excellent part of the museum is the depiction of the London Fire in the Stuart section. I encourage you to visit the Museum of London early in your program; it will give you an excellent overview of the history of the City. The official coach of the Lord Mayor of London is kept inside the museum as well. Those of you who are in London during the fall semester will have a chance to see the parade when a new Lord Mayor is installed in November. During that ceremony he is transported in the carriage over a three-mile course, winding through the streets of the City from the Mansion House to his final destination, the Courts of Justice, where he pledges his allegiance to the sovereign. During the journey he pauses briefly only at the Guildhall, since the new mayor must belong to one of the city’s guilds, and at St. Paul’s, where he receives the Church’s blessing.
#16 Cross over St. Martin's Le Grand
Cross over St. Martin’s Le Grand, turn left, and continue down the right side of that road.While walking along the right side of St. Martin’s Le Grand, you will come to a churchyard on your right. This is the Guild and Ward Church of St. Botolph-without-Aldersgate—the third of the St. Botolph churches you have passed today. Its history goes back over eleven hundred years. Find the plaque on the wrought-iron fence to your right, about eye-level, commemorating the site where the Wesley brothers, Charles and John, founders of the Methodist church, had a conversion experience in 1738.
#17 Churchyard to Postman's Park
Turn right at the churchyard and go through it into Postman’s Park.Note the tombstones stacked against the St. Botolph-without-Aldgate church. Go across the park to the tile-covered building beyond the flower beds (which incidentally are beautiful in the spring and summer). The structure shelters a group of blue plaques. I suggest you take some time to read a few of them. Some are quite touching. They all tell of heroic deaths, including those of children. This memorial was the brainchild of George Frederic Watts, the artist and sculptor who did the statue Physical Energy in Kensington Gardens. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign, he suggested that a monument be built to honor common people who had done uncommon deeds. Though the projected monument was never built, Postman’s Park memorial is a result of Watts’ determination to honor the unknown commoners.
#18 The End: Return to the BYU Centre
Come back out of the park by the same gate you entered, turn right, and continue down St. Martin’s Le Grand until you come to the St. Paul’s tube station.By the time you have finished walking St. Martin’s Le Grand, you have traversed most of the distance around the entire old wall, and this is probably a good place to call it a day. The next walk will start here at Cheapside Street (which you may want to locate while you are here), and will take you into the interior of the old City. In front of you, as you walk along St Martin’s Le Grand, is the beautiful and historic St. Paul’s Cathedral. Again, I suggest another day for a visit to St. Paul’s itself. On the near side of the cathedral is the St. Paul’s tube station. Pick up the Central Line there and make your way back to Notting Hill Gate and the BYU Centre.
