From St Botolph’s we thought it would be great to have a look at St Paul’s Cathedral, which was only about a kilometre away. Walking through the banking precinct, we found it easily enough, but, to our disappointment, we also discovered that it was closed to visitors for the afternoon while Dulwich College marked its 400th anniversary with a cathedral service.
Rather than walk all the way back into the heart of East London and find somewhere else to visit, we thought it might be easier to walk a short distance to the Museum of London and see what else we could learn about this fantastic city. The galleries were arranged chronologically through Prehistoric London, Roman London and Medieval London on the ground level to Victorian London and Modern London on the top level. Perhaps the most interesting sections on the ground level for me were the Black Plague and the Great Fire of London, as these were subjects I had once taught at Year 8 level. Marg and I both loved the Victorian London display, which was set up with very little text to read. Visitors were able to walk through a Victorian town, peering through windows into stores, offices and businesses at the tools of the trade, furniture and other artefacts associated with the location and the era.
Walking back to our apartment, we stopped to look at sections of the old Roman wall and a very early hospital that are still standing after many centuries. Our path brought us to Finsbury Circus, Liverpool Street Station and the Old Spitalfields Market. These are iconic parts of East London that we will remember fondly when we leave England tomorrow, bound for Greece and then home.
On The Road With Garry 