Autumn in London
Nov 7th, 2015, 01:51 AM
#22
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KMOWATT: how nice to be looking forward to a Christmas in London. They are just putting up the lights everywhere, getting ready for you!
LATEDAY: glad to see that you are already dreaming about a new trip to London. More unfinished business
IRISH: thanks for following along. I am a bit slow with posting this time, will complete the whole report soon.
ANNHIG: I often wonder what it is like to have London as your 'normal' - to live and work there!
LATEDAY: glad to see that you are already dreaming about a new trip to London. More unfinished business
IRISH: thanks for following along. I am a bit slow with posting this time, will complete the whole report soon.
ANNHIG: I often wonder what it is like to have London as your 'normal' - to live and work there!
Nov 7th, 2015, 02:51 AM
#23
ANNHIG: I often wonder what it is like to have London as your 'normal' - to live and work there!>>
Kovsie - it's nearly 20 years since that was the case for me, but in the main, I found it an infinitely exciting and stimulating place to work in. over the last 5 years or so I became a little jaded with the travelling [as we never lived in Central London, I was commuting in from Kent every day and that got me down towards the end] but I can still remember how my heart used to leap as the train crossed the bridge going into Victoria every morning.
of course there were frustrations - traffic, tourists getting in your way, just getting from A to B on a transport system which had grown organically rather than been organised from scratch in a logical fashion, but they was greatly outweighed by the sheer joy of being in such a vibrant and interesting place. And because I was going to a different place more or less every day, I was able to explore and get to know many different parts of London which I would never have done otherwise.
i wouldn't want to do it now, but I'm glad I had the chance when I was younger.
Kovsie - it's nearly 20 years since that was the case for me, but in the main, I found it an infinitely exciting and stimulating place to work in. over the last 5 years or so I became a little jaded with the travelling [as we never lived in Central London, I was commuting in from Kent every day and that got me down towards the end] but I can still remember how my heart used to leap as the train crossed the bridge going into Victoria every morning.
of course there were frustrations - traffic, tourists getting in your way, just getting from A to B on a transport system which had grown organically rather than been organised from scratch in a logical fashion, but they was greatly outweighed by the sheer joy of being in such a vibrant and interesting place. And because I was going to a different place more or less every day, I was able to explore and get to know many different parts of London which I would never have done otherwise.
i wouldn't want to do it now, but I'm glad I had the chance when I was younger.
Nov 8th, 2015, 04:13 AM
#25
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ANNHIG: "... the sheer joy of being in such a vibrant and interesting place."
Yes, that is it!
I have also loved, loved Paris and Rome. But in London, where the language makes everything more accessible to me, I experience a different sense of joy. From eavesdropping on priests' complaints about their work, to going to the theatre or chatting to the very posh lady on the bus ... I could not do this in other cities.
KMOWATT: the thing about my old bucket list is that I will never manage to empty it. Now I have a new item: walking down Elizabeth Street when I am in London for Christmas!
Yes, that is it!
I have also loved, loved Paris and Rome. But in London, where the language makes everything more accessible to me, I experience a different sense of joy. From eavesdropping on priests' complaints about their work, to going to the theatre or chatting to the very posh lady on the bus ... I could not do this in other cities.
KMOWATT: the thing about my old bucket list is that I will never manage to empty it. Now I have a new item: walking down Elizabeth Street when I am in London for Christmas!
Nov 8th, 2015, 04:16 AM
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RIVER VIEWS
If you turn towards the Thames near Somerset House, you find Waterloo Bridge, an austere construction in grey stone. I read that an Italian sculptor (Ganova) saw this as ‘the finest bridge in all Europe’. From the pedestrian crossing on the bridge you can see St Paul’s on the one side, and Big Ben on the other side. On a sunny day, with the sun shining just so on the river … to me it says ‘London’ like few other places could.
I enjoyed quite a different view from the Millennium Bridge near St Paul’s. This was late afternoon on a cloudy day, the wind whipping the river, the mist swirling, the outline of the Tower of London like something from a fairy tale. And when you turn around, you have the great white bulk of St Paul’s against the grey sky.
If you turn towards the Thames near Somerset House, you find Waterloo Bridge, an austere construction in grey stone. I read that an Italian sculptor (Ganova) saw this as ‘the finest bridge in all Europe’. From the pedestrian crossing on the bridge you can see St Paul’s on the one side, and Big Ben on the other side. On a sunny day, with the sun shining just so on the river … to me it says ‘London’ like few other places could.
I enjoyed quite a different view from the Millennium Bridge near St Paul’s. This was late afternoon on a cloudy day, the wind whipping the river, the mist swirling, the outline of the Tower of London like something from a fairy tale. And when you turn around, you have the great white bulk of St Paul’s against the grey sky.
Nov 8th, 2015, 04:43 AM
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A WALK ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON
On a quiet Saturday afternoon, when everything is closed, I slowly make my way down Fleet Street and the Strand towards Leicester Square and Seven Dials. It is nice to have the street mostly deserted. How deeply is this area steeped in history! I will not mention the things I have seen in the correct order, I am just trying to remember what made an impression on me.
I wonder about the statue of the Griffen, elevated right in the center of everything, marking the border between The City and Westminster. Why this creature - a cross between what looks like a dragon and a lion? I wonder about the people who thought it appropriate to create this statue in this place. To add to the atmosphere of old, old stories – the round church of the Templars. The small statue of a knight – also elevated - that would have greeted weary travellers from long ago, and shown them where to find a safe haven. I stand quietly for a while, my hand against the ancient weathered stone, and I wonder about the skillful mason who put it here, in this wall, in this sanctuary, so many centuries ago. I cannot enter, but that is fine, I have seen the inside on a previous visit. I am fascinated more by the presence of this church than by the effigies of the knights with crossed feet!
I try to take photos of the Royal Courts of Justice where that Oscar Wilde was accused of being gay; St Mary le Strand church where Charles Dickens’s parents were married in 1809 (the gate secured with chain and lock); Dr. Johnson’s house where the great dictionary of the English language was created, several ancient pubs (Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese); beautiful Somerset House where an ice rink is being built, and on past the Savoy guarded by two bushes shaped like cats. I wander slowly. At Twinings Tea Shop (300 years of experience), I buy two packets of Chai tea, and smile at this little place so crowded when almost everything else is closed.
Oh but how I long for the street cafes of Paris! The only refreshment here could be found in a few pubs with ancient names, where the noise levels indicated people having a good time. But this was not what I was in the mood for!
Near Zimbabwe House on the Strand a small demonstration is creating a huge racket – perhaps 30 people with placards, shouting slogans (‘stop the killing NOW’).
I walk on past Charing Cross, and find myself very much in the modern world with Trafalgar Square heaving with rugby enthusiasm. The whole square is dedicated to a World Cup match, TV screens as huge as houses, 100s of people streaming in, the crowd good-natured. I walk past, and wish with all my heart that South Africa had not lost that crucial game!
Past St. Martins in the Fields and the National Gallery and National Picture Gallery I walk, now tired and ready to reach our apartment just on the other side of Leicester Square Station. Here and there early Christmas lights are shining in the late afternoon dusk; many people out in the streets, the autumn air crisp but not cold.
This is a walk that I will remember. Because it was Saturday afternoon, there was little traffic, and just enough people around to make me feel safe. The bustle of weekday crowds was absent (perhaps they were all watching rugby). For once I focused on the architecture and on a sense of place, and it was really special.
On a quiet Saturday afternoon, when everything is closed, I slowly make my way down Fleet Street and the Strand towards Leicester Square and Seven Dials. It is nice to have the street mostly deserted. How deeply is this area steeped in history! I will not mention the things I have seen in the correct order, I am just trying to remember what made an impression on me.
I wonder about the statue of the Griffen, elevated right in the center of everything, marking the border between The City and Westminster. Why this creature - a cross between what looks like a dragon and a lion? I wonder about the people who thought it appropriate to create this statue in this place. To add to the atmosphere of old, old stories – the round church of the Templars. The small statue of a knight – also elevated - that would have greeted weary travellers from long ago, and shown them where to find a safe haven. I stand quietly for a while, my hand against the ancient weathered stone, and I wonder about the skillful mason who put it here, in this wall, in this sanctuary, so many centuries ago. I cannot enter, but that is fine, I have seen the inside on a previous visit. I am fascinated more by the presence of this church than by the effigies of the knights with crossed feet!
I try to take photos of the Royal Courts of Justice where that Oscar Wilde was accused of being gay; St Mary le Strand church where Charles Dickens’s parents were married in 1809 (the gate secured with chain and lock); Dr. Johnson’s house where the great dictionary of the English language was created, several ancient pubs (Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese); beautiful Somerset House where an ice rink is being built, and on past the Savoy guarded by two bushes shaped like cats. I wander slowly. At Twinings Tea Shop (300 years of experience), I buy two packets of Chai tea, and smile at this little place so crowded when almost everything else is closed.
Oh but how I long for the street cafes of Paris! The only refreshment here could be found in a few pubs with ancient names, where the noise levels indicated people having a good time. But this was not what I was in the mood for!
Near Zimbabwe House on the Strand a small demonstration is creating a huge racket – perhaps 30 people with placards, shouting slogans (‘stop the killing NOW’).
I walk on past Charing Cross, and find myself very much in the modern world with Trafalgar Square heaving with rugby enthusiasm. The whole square is dedicated to a World Cup match, TV screens as huge as houses, 100s of people streaming in, the crowd good-natured. I walk past, and wish with all my heart that South Africa had not lost that crucial game!
Past St. Martins in the Fields and the National Gallery and National Picture Gallery I walk, now tired and ready to reach our apartment just on the other side of Leicester Square Station. Here and there early Christmas lights are shining in the late afternoon dusk; many people out in the streets, the autumn air crisp but not cold.
This is a walk that I will remember. Because it was Saturday afternoon, there was little traffic, and just enough people around to make me feel safe. The bustle of weekday crowds was absent (perhaps they were all watching rugby). For once I focused on the architecture and on a sense of place, and it was really special.
Nov 8th, 2015, 04:57 AM
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A footnote on Waterloo Bridge:Canova would have been talking about the present bridge's Regency-period predecessor, which eventually started to lose stability, so much so that there was a temporary brridge from the 1920s onwards.There was a great furore when its replacement by a modern bridge was proposed, but the then political boss of local government in London managed to push it through, and it was finally built and completed during WW2. The look of the present bridge reflects perhaps the "moderne" ethos of the 1930s and maybe the financial austerity of the 1940s; it also had the reputation of being built substantially by women labourers.
Nov 8th, 2015, 06:08 AM
#30
Kovsie - last time I was in Rome I went to an exhibition of some of Canova's work at the Museum of Rome; when I saw that you'd written that he'd admired Waterloo Bridge I did rather wander what he'd seen in it. Patrick's explanation makes more sense!
In the area you describe, as well as my old stamping grounds of Somerset House and the RCJ [known to the denizens of the Temple as "over the road" as it is across the other side of Fleet street; I don't know how those with chambers in Lincoln's Inn or Gray's Inn describe it!] there are other gems - The Central Criminal Court aka the Old Bailey, [Court 2 is well worth a visit if you can get in there without being charged with something serious], the lobby of Lloyds Bank opposite the RCJ, the India Club restaurant where Gandhi and others [including me!] have eaten...and probably more that I have forgotten.
In the area you describe, as well as my old stamping grounds of Somerset House and the RCJ [known to the denizens of the Temple as "over the road" as it is across the other side of Fleet street; I don't know how those with chambers in Lincoln's Inn or Gray's Inn describe it!] there are other gems - The Central Criminal Court aka the Old Bailey, [Court 2 is well worth a visit if you can get in there without being charged with something serious], the lobby of Lloyds Bank opposite the RCJ, the India Club restaurant where Gandhi and others [including me!] have eaten...and probably more that I have forgotten.
Nov 8th, 2015, 06:16 AM
#31
What a lovely TR. I envy you the weather!
LDT - my "one thing" in the BM last visit was the Percival David collection of Chinese porcelain. It used to have its own house near UCL, and I'm not sure all of it is on display at the BM, but it still a worthwhile stop.
LDT - my "one thing" in the BM last visit was the Percival David collection of Chinese porcelain. It used to have its own house near UCL, and I'm not sure all of it is on display at the BM, but it still a worthwhile stop.
Nov 8th, 2015, 09:57 AM
#32
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" I read that an Italian sculptor (Ganova) saw this as ‘the finest bridge in all Europe’."
I'm not sure the original, Rennie, bridge would impress many people these days either (http://www.motco.com/index-london/im...Picno=13902049), though visually it was hugely more impressive than the current Giles Gilbert Scott one.
But early 19th c critics would have been very aware of how short (and rare and pokey) the other European capital city bridges were, and of the technical difficulties in creating a bridge that long.
Canova probably never actually saw the bridge, BTW. He left London in early 1816, and never returned. Though the picture I've referenced is dated 1814, the bridge wasn't completed till after a new law authorising further funds was passed in 1816 - but by then he'd returned to Italy. The 1816 Act says "the said bridge when completed will be a work of great stability and magnificence"
Canova's praise seems to have been based on an 1814 artist's impression: never a good idea to base aesthetic judgements about architecture on what the project's boosters claim it's going to look like. It's possible, of course, that Canova got a letter from someone saying the real thing matched the pic in every particular.
But 200 years on, we've all got far more experience than Canova could possibly have had of seeing just how spectacularly big urban projects, once built, fail to match the pretty pictures.
Canova's judgement seems to be yet another traveller pontificating about something he knew far less about than he was letting on.
I'm not sure the original, Rennie, bridge would impress many people these days either (http://www.motco.com/index-london/im...Picno=13902049), though visually it was hugely more impressive than the current Giles Gilbert Scott one.
But early 19th c critics would have been very aware of how short (and rare and pokey) the other European capital city bridges were, and of the technical difficulties in creating a bridge that long.
Canova probably never actually saw the bridge, BTW. He left London in early 1816, and never returned. Though the picture I've referenced is dated 1814, the bridge wasn't completed till after a new law authorising further funds was passed in 1816 - but by then he'd returned to Italy. The 1816 Act says "the said bridge when completed will be a work of great stability and magnificence"
Canova's praise seems to have been based on an 1814 artist's impression: never a good idea to base aesthetic judgements about architecture on what the project's boosters claim it's going to look like. It's possible, of course, that Canova got a letter from someone saying the real thing matched the pic in every particular.
But 200 years on, we've all got far more experience than Canova could possibly have had of seeing just how spectacularly big urban projects, once built, fail to match the pretty pictures.
Canova's judgement seems to be yet another traveller pontificating about something he knew far less about than he was letting on.
Nov 8th, 2015, 11:05 AM
#33
Flanner - you need to lose the brackets, or the link doesn't work. Here's the correct one:
http://www.motco.com/index-london/im...Picno=13902049
interesting comments on whether Canova saw the bridge at all anyway.
http://www.motco.com/index-london/im...Picno=13902049
interesting comments on whether Canova saw the bridge at all anyway.
Nov 8th, 2015, 11:06 AM
#34
Am I allowed to say that I was somewhat underwhelmed by what I saw in the exhibition? I found what I saw rather cold - perhaps a silly thing to say about marble statuary, but for me it lacked much emotion.
Nov 9th, 2015, 02:28 AM
#38
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COURTAULD GALLERY
I went back to Somerset House, with the Courtauld Gallery on the Strand. It is quite near the Savoy, almost opposite the Strand Palace hotel. I loved the gallery – it is small enough to be quite ‘do-able’. I particularly enjoyed the impressionist paintings there. I think I would have paid the admission price (+- £7 I think) just to see Van Gogh’s self portrait with his bandaged ear. I have recently completed reading Van Gogh’s life story, and this picture really spoke to me. There are also several paintings by Monet – quite different from the darker colours that he used for his water lilies in Paris.
There are also a few modern paintings that I just do not get.
I found the combination of lovely art and the pretty mansion good for the spirit. Going down the spiral staircase is interesting. The little restaurant at lower ground level is nice for a coffee or light meal; and the small shop opposite the entrance is quietly tasteful. All in all a very nice way to spend two hours!
I went back to Somerset House, with the Courtauld Gallery on the Strand. It is quite near the Savoy, almost opposite the Strand Palace hotel. I loved the gallery – it is small enough to be quite ‘do-able’. I particularly enjoyed the impressionist paintings there. I think I would have paid the admission price (+- £7 I think) just to see Van Gogh’s self portrait with his bandaged ear. I have recently completed reading Van Gogh’s life story, and this picture really spoke to me. There are also several paintings by Monet – quite different from the darker colours that he used for his water lilies in Paris.
There are also a few modern paintings that I just do not get.
I found the combination of lovely art and the pretty mansion good for the spirit. Going down the spiral staircase is interesting. The little restaurant at lower ground level is nice for a coffee or light meal; and the small shop opposite the entrance is quietly tasteful. All in all a very nice way to spend two hours!
Nov 9th, 2015, 06:36 AM
#39
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KOVSIE,
What a great description of your delightful Saturday stroll around the Strand and environs. You write so well!
And I definitely want to walk across Millennium ridge Bridge next time from the Southbank to really appreciate the view of St. Paul's.
Also enjoyed your description of the Courtauld Gallery, a perfect way to spend a few hours in London.
THURSDAYSD, thank you for your recommendation for the British Museum - just may try it again.
With all this talk of London bridges and views from the river, we might look back on Monet's many versions of the scene. There are tons more in Google Images.
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/fe...ude-monet.html
What a great description of your delightful Saturday stroll around the Strand and environs. You write so well!
And I definitely want to walk across Millennium ridge Bridge next time from the Southbank to really appreciate the view of St. Paul's.
Also enjoyed your description of the Courtauld Gallery, a perfect way to spend a few hours in London.
THURSDAYSD, thank you for your recommendation for the British Museum - just may try it again.
With all this talk of London bridges and views from the river, we might look back on Monet's many versions of the scene. There are tons more in Google Images.
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/fe...ude-monet.html
