Landmark Trust
Sep 25th, 2006, 04:14 PM
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Landmark Trust
Has anyone stayed at any of the Landmark Trust properties in England? In particular, I'm interested in the apartment flat on Cloth Fair in London.
Are these generally high quality places? And, I would be interested if anyone could tell me about the Cloth Fair area of London. My wife and I are interested in London's history.
Are these generally high quality places? And, I would be interested if anyone could tell me about the Cloth Fair area of London. My wife and I are interested in London's history.
Sep 25th, 2006, 04:36 PM
#2
I haven't stayed there but do have some info for you.
Cloth Fair is very close to Smithfield Market, the Barbican/Museum of London, and St Paul's.
The Landmark Trust only has unique properties that are very well decorated. One of the two houses the Trust rents out in Cloth Fair was the London home of Sir John Betjeman (a former poet Laureate)
Either property would be a very special place to stay - though fairly pricey. They should be quiet at night/weekends.
Cloth Fair is very close to Smithfield Market, the Barbican/Museum of London, and St Paul's.
The Landmark Trust only has unique properties that are very well decorated. One of the two houses the Trust rents out in Cloth Fair was the London home of Sir John Betjeman (a former poet Laureate)
Either property would be a very special place to stay - though fairly pricey. They should be quiet at night/weekends.
Sep 25th, 2006, 07:14 PM
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I have stayed at some Landmark Trust properties (not in London), without exception, they are tastefully decorated, nice and trully comfortable, with fully equiped kitchen.
I have walked by Cloth Fair several times, a very interesting area for London history; but as mentioned by Janis, it would be very quite in the evening, and not the most convenient for bus or tube. I am not sure whether it is still the same, but I remember someone wrote about the sounds of church bell-ringing in the early morning.
I have walked by Cloth Fair several times, a very interesting area for London history; but as mentioned by Janis, it would be very quite in the evening, and not the most convenient for bus or tube. I am not sure whether it is still the same, but I remember someone wrote about the sounds of church bell-ringing in the early morning.
Sep 25th, 2006, 07:40 PM
#4
Actually the tube wouldn't be much of a problem. Three lines serve the nearby Barbican station, and the central line serves the more distant St Paul's station. Now - many sites would require a line transfer - but that applies to lots of neighborhoods.
Another benefit is being so close to the Barbican means you are walking distance to the homes of Royal Shakespeare Company and the London Symphony.
Another benefit is being so close to the Barbican means you are walking distance to the homes of Royal Shakespeare Company and the London Symphony.
Sep 25th, 2006, 10:29 PM
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England's economy was, from surprisingly long ago till surprisingly recently, centred on the export of wool in some form or other: the Emperor Diocletian actually tried to fix the price throughout the Empire of one particularly prized form of English cloth for example.
In 1133, the Priory of St Bartholemew was granted a charter to hold what rapidly became the leading fair for the cloth industry, and the area around the priory was - for the whole of Europe - the equivalent for wool of the KolnMesse of Chicago's McCormick Place.
Actually, it rapidly got more like the Las Vegas Convention Center, with a fringe devoted to jollity and vice (Bartholemew's Fair) that became bigger than the cloth fair itself (read Ben Johnson's play of the same name for a good idea of what went on).
The real cloth fair died out in the 17th century (partly as successive governments messed the wool industry up by endless interference in its management) but the cavortings were too popular even for Cromwell to stamp out.
However, in Victorian times, puritanism finally won, with the City of Londom closing the fair down, and building a whopping great wholesale meat market (Smithfield) on its site. So Cloth Fair now is just a row of sedate shops and houses to the side of Smithfield.
It's not at all quier in the evening: there are a number of pubs, and whenever I've been drinking in them, drinkers have moved out onto the pavement (though my sense is that in Cloth Fair itself, where the custom is largely the "quick pint after work" crowd, they move back inside as the evening progresses
.
It's very close to Smithfield, which is now a serious entertainment centre for Young People. It's also very close to very serious restaurants, like St John. Hanging round Smithfield bars isn't my idea of fun, but I've never noticed much noise on the streets later at night.
There's a reasonable number of buses up and down Aldersgate and Farringdon Rd, the two main roads on either side of ClothFair. Barbican tube is reasonably well-connected: it's also an overground railway station, with trains direct to both Luton and Gatwick airports.
Apart from the meat market, the area's other industry by day is being on the fringe of the financial district - now Britain's major revenue earner. It provides the gyms, shops and restaurants to divert the City's forex traders, and above the shops has warrens of offices housing boutiquey financial businesses (derivatives consultancies, independent research houses and the like).
So it gets blissfully quiet during the day at weekends. Get the best and biggest boook your arms can cope with on London's history - and if you can't carry the London Encyclopedia, do weight training till you can - and just walk the streets - many still following the Roman plan - within a mile's radius.
Infinitely more fun than gawping at boring old jewels at the Tower.
In 1133, the Priory of St Bartholemew was granted a charter to hold what rapidly became the leading fair for the cloth industry, and the area around the priory was - for the whole of Europe - the equivalent for wool of the KolnMesse of Chicago's McCormick Place.
Actually, it rapidly got more like the Las Vegas Convention Center, with a fringe devoted to jollity and vice (Bartholemew's Fair) that became bigger than the cloth fair itself (read Ben Johnson's play of the same name for a good idea of what went on).
The real cloth fair died out in the 17th century (partly as successive governments messed the wool industry up by endless interference in its management) but the cavortings were too popular even for Cromwell to stamp out.
However, in Victorian times, puritanism finally won, with the City of Londom closing the fair down, and building a whopping great wholesale meat market (Smithfield) on its site. So Cloth Fair now is just a row of sedate shops and houses to the side of Smithfield.
It's not at all quier in the evening: there are a number of pubs, and whenever I've been drinking in them, drinkers have moved out onto the pavement (though my sense is that in Cloth Fair itself, where the custom is largely the "quick pint after work" crowd, they move back inside as the evening progresses
. It's very close to Smithfield, which is now a serious entertainment centre for Young People. It's also very close to very serious restaurants, like St John. Hanging round Smithfield bars isn't my idea of fun, but I've never noticed much noise on the streets later at night.
There's a reasonable number of buses up and down Aldersgate and Farringdon Rd, the two main roads on either side of ClothFair. Barbican tube is reasonably well-connected: it's also an overground railway station, with trains direct to both Luton and Gatwick airports.
Apart from the meat market, the area's other industry by day is being on the fringe of the financial district - now Britain's major revenue earner. It provides the gyms, shops and restaurants to divert the City's forex traders, and above the shops has warrens of offices housing boutiquey financial businesses (derivatives consultancies, independent research houses and the like).
So it gets blissfully quiet during the day at weekends. Get the best and biggest boook your arms can cope with on London's history - and if you can't carry the London Encyclopedia, do weight training till you can - and just walk the streets - many still following the Roman plan - within a mile's radius.
Infinitely more fun than gawping at boring old jewels at the Tower.
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