Ronda

I was in London on 9/11 on a London Walk. I won't go into depth but we went into a small Church with a glass floor to ceiling wall behind the alter looking out into a park or green area. It was really lovely. None of the London Walks now listed ring a bell for me. I know we started out at Waterloo but ended up near a lock on the other side of the river. Any ideas as to where this church might be? Thanks.

WillTravel

Have you written to London Walks to ask? It's quite likely they would know straightaway.

tod

That's the best advice Ronda -
When you say you ended up near a lock I immediately thought about Camden Lock, but there are a number of locks along the Regents Canal.
Not too far from Little Venice is the church of St.Mary Magdalene, located near the canal and St.Mary Magdalene Primary School.

Please let us know when you find it - good luck!

janisj

sure there is Camden Lock and others - but that is a loooong walk from Waterloo station.

Ronda, it may ring a bell for one of the LOndon Fodorites - but it would help a lot if you could recall anything else about the walk.

Ronda

I have written to London Walks to see if they have a file somewhere with all the old schedules of walks and can tell me.

I don't remember the name of the walk just that we met at Waterloo, walked around the area on that side of the river and saw a street used in movies - very old fashioned looking - told they cover the street with dirt to make it look authentic. We must have taken the tube to the other side of the river, saw the little church, walked along a canal, and ended at a pub.

While on the tour an American man began talking on his cell phone and I remember thinking how rude; can't he turn his cell phone off during the talk. He told us that a plane had just flown into one of the Twin Towers and left the tour. I was imagining a small plane. Went on with the tour, stopped in to see the church and we all said a prayer. When I got back to the hotel room and turned the television on I was in shock when I realized what was happening. I believe I was watching live pictures of the towers coming down. Probably why I don't remember much about the tour but I do remember the little church and would like to go back to it. I don't even have any pictures.

I see Wikipedia has a very long list of London churches which if I have time, I will go through.

VirginiaC

Don't know why you would have started this walk at Waterloo, but the Little Venice walk includes canals, locks, and the lovely church of St. Mary's Paddington Green, which -- if I recall from taking the walk years ago -- was a fairly modern replacement for a much older church and may have had a window looking out onto the green itself.

DCJones

The "Somewhere Else" London tour mentions streets that look like an old movie shot through a vaselined lens. The walk is on a Tuesday, but starts at Embankment, not Waterloo. It doesn't mention any churches.

Good luck.

MissPrism

It might possibly have been St Ethelburga's http://www.stethelburgas.org/index.htm

If it was, the date would have been ironic.
The church had survived the Great Fire and the Blitz only to be almost completely destroyed by the IRA

PatrickLondon

The "old street used in movies" might well be around Borough Market. But it's the canal that's confusing me.

wrrllw

>>> ended up near a lock on the other side of the river <<<

Could this have been St Katherine's Dock, on the north side of the river, near Tower of London/Tower Bridge...?

janisj

Yeah -- that makes sense logistics-wise. The lock at St Katerine's Dock w/ the walkway across it is not all that obvious though. Many walk across it w/o even noticing it is a lock. I'm not sure it would be memorable all these years later. One would think the yachts, or Dickens Inn or even the mermaid statue would be noted before the lock. But it certainly makes sense for proximity to the southbank and Southwark.

PatrickLondon

That would fit a reasonable walking route to St Ethelburga's - or might the church have been St George in the East (I can't remember if its modern reconstruction has a floor-to-ceiling window)?

Ronda

Well, Patrick, I may have a bad memory when it comes to the size of the window because I believe Virginia has found it!

Take a look at these pictures - scroll down to St. Mary's Paddington Green:

http://www.parishoflittlevenice.com/gallery.htm

I can't tell if the window is clear or stained but that definitely looks like the church we were in.

You all are amazing! Thanks so much. I have not heard from London Walks but will let you know if I do.

Ronda

Map:

http://uk.local.yahoo.com/Greater_Lo...053254-em.html

Looks like there are canals around the area. It might have been the somewhere else walk but possibly they have changed the route or leave some discretion to each guide as to where they take walks.

janisj

Maybe you didn't start out from Waterloo. I think we all initially thought of the Regent's canal. But Waterloo and Little Venice are quite some distance apart and not really an easy transport connection.

Ronda

Well, wherever we met, we were on the south side of the river. I vaguely remember we went by tube to the other area.

Ronda

Heard back from London Walks. They weren't much help with specifics but guessed it was the Little Venice Tour.

W9London

If it's Little Venice, the church you went could probably be either St Mary Magdalene or St Saviour's on Warwick Avenue. The former is Edwardian (?) along the canal, toward Royal Oak, The latter is more modern-looking with a steel staple right across Warwick Ave tube.

If I recall correctly, the paddington basin project probably wasn't finished in 2001, so I doubt OP would have walked to Paddington/Sussex Gardens.