All posts by Govvy

I could be talking about anything!
Exploration

The Jewel Tower

Leave a comment

Not necessarily off the beat and track in Westminster, but for some reason it’s away from all the crowds. Maybe it’s not well advertised or maybe it’s just that bit too expensive for the tourists for what it is.

Over three floors, but really two with the café part on the bottom you have history of the tower and in part the history for the old Palace of Westminster. The building was more or less a battlement of the Palace which in turn was vault storage, partly surrounded by a moat fed from the Thames.

The monarchs used the space to store their treasures right up until a fire ripped through the palace at the beginning of the 14th-century. The then reigning King Henry VIII moved his valuables to Whitehall Palace.

Later on, the House of Lords began to store all its records in the building. On the first floor in the storage room, you can see some examples of what they found in a unique desk where you can pull out copies of those unique items.

Big old iron door into the old records room.
Don’t miss the documents in the table!

There is a cabinet full of finds they have found in the old moat which shows glimpses into when the building was lived in. And you’re pretty much done. You really don’t need more than half an hour. I was here for around 20 minutes. You can book an advanced ticket but I just turned up on the day. Please be aware it may not be for everyone, but if you do go I’d be interested in your thoughts.

Art

National Gallery reopened Sainsbury Wing

Leave a comment

I popped over to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square to have a look at the newly opened Sainsbury Wing of the gallery.

The wing has been only opened last month and it’s free to walk in. I was up the stairs in no time. I walked around read some of the wall plaques and noticed a few pieces I know of.

Quinten Massys – The Ugly Dutchess
Bartolomé Bermejo – Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil

A lot of the artwork in this gallery is using a technique called gold water gilding. The artist would use a soft clay and then apply a highly polished gold leaf onto a wet damp surface. When it was dry it would be polished again to make it shine and often stamped into for decoration. Bermejo as you see above used this method to great effect.

There are works by the Dutch and Italian masters in this section. From the comical, to the imaginable. You have art that was probably in very religious settings in their heyday. And when you’re bored with the newly opened section, you can always walk across and look at the other famous works in the main gallery.

Personal

The curious case of a digital spy

Leave a comment

Every so often I have a look at the traffic to my website, interested in where people are coming from. But for the past few weeks I’ve noticed increased traffic from one autocratic country.

I may say what’s on my mind, do a review, post about my travels. I can’t think there is much there for any government to be interested in my blog. However they keep looking. I see each country that visits here and honestly I don’t get a lot of visitors.

People do need to be aware, even governments, these little blogs can track them as well and with geolocation can sometimes even know what building you’re operating from.

I have nothing to hide, but to you and you know who you are, even the small websites have analytics which can be a kin to that of government surveillance.

Personal

With director’s commentary

Leave a comment

For Star Wars Day I decided to watch my favourite film which is Empire Strikes Back. This is the first time I’ve ever watched any film with director’s commentary.

What I didn’t realise, is you seem to be changing the dynamic of the film into a sort of documentary. Giving you a new insight into the making of the film. I found it a fascinating way to watch the movie. Hearing and listening to the directors and Carrie Fisher gave a whole new dimension. I had no idea they filmed most of the planet of Hoth in Norway under way below freezing conditions. That really must have been hard work on the actors. There was a lot I did know which crept up in their conversations, However I will certainly have to try another film this way. All good fun.

May the 4th be with you all.

Exploration

Moorgate: Metropolitan Maze

Leave a comment
The Metropolitan line Moorgate roundel

The tour started with a bit of history and started to feel like many other hidden London tube tours, the descent down. But there are some interesting elements, accessways, old tunnels, covered in good old thick dust everywhere! We explored an area which was partially used during World War 2 and saw a huge wind turbine which they didn’t have on. We’d be blown away if it was on it was so big!

That’s one big turbine!

Making our way back ascending back up the stairs towards the main concourse then back to the multi-platform area. Here is special part when you descend down the furthest platform then down onto the track, not so deep down, but very much under London. Walking alongside the old track felt amazing, another case of “I am amazed I am allowed here”!

There was even a little headless horse statue down there. But for the life if me, I can’t remember if the girl said why it was there. We then went round into another access area, which had this incredible graffiti that no one will ever see, this felt very much like some sacred underground church with the high ceilings. However, they said we were not allowed to take photos of that area, as they seem fearful other people will get in to tag the place. I am still amazed that people can get into the area to spray. They must have to walk a long way to find this obscure, way off the beat part of the hidden underworld of London to even get here.

As always, I tend to labour behind the group so I can soak up as much as possible. I was hearing the sound of rushing water and look down into a grate. I asked is that a hidden river? Because we do have a lot of those in London surprisingly. However, the tour guide explained that this was part of the sewage system. That really must be quite big, because that was a lot of water running under my feet.

We started our ascent back and I didn’t realise how deep we wondered into the tunnels, must have been a four to five-minute walk back to the front of the platforms. There we got to hear about the special metropolitan Moorgate roundel and then that was the end of the tour. I did rather enjoy this one. Especially walking alongside the old track. This one I recommend.

Football

Congratulations Barnet

Leave a comment

I went to the game on Saturday and sat in the main big stand and cheered on my local team. Two penalties in and it felt like game over for Aldershot. Two goals from open play and the gentleman next to me had told me earlier that the game would finish 4-0. That it did.

They fell a bit short last season, coming in second and failing in the playoffs. However this time they won it with a game to spare.

It’s been a long time coming but Barnet football club have finally made it back to the football league. I am looking forward to see them in action against some other clubs next season.

I was disappointed not to get a ticket for Tottenham European game. But this result makes up for that and at least I know one of my clubs has silverware this season.

Pitch invasion after win.
obituary, Personal

R.I.P Anthony

1 Comment

I found out yesterday that my friend and work colleague had died at the weekend. He was a qualified barrister, solicitor and loved to play the piano. He never even had a piano lesson in his life, yet he somehow was able to listen to a piece of music and then play it on the piano. He had that special ear for music. And that was his passion.

A few people had seen him playing the piano when walking through St. Pancreas station and some did some videos on him. So you can see some of him on YouTube if you have a browse.

A kind hearted individual, you will be missed.

Personal

Slightly dislocated shoulder

Leave a comment

For the past month I’ve had a slight problem with my shoulder. Pushing up off a chair sent a sharp pain through it, and extending it in reverse, like when I put on a jacket.

I had no idea I had dislocated it, this explains a lot. And partly when sometimes I am miss typing on texts and such. I see sometimes my miss types, other times, I don’t even notice! The strange one is forgetting to put a question mark on the end of a sentence. strange how the dislocation affects my right hand. Doesn’t help having carpal tunnel either.

Simply pushing myself back up from a chair is the worse. I need to wait a week before I can get it reset. Then I will need a little physio.

Wish me luck!

Film

Face Off film protecting the family

Leave a comment

It’s the first time I’ve ever watched this film and one thing I took away from it has to be the family dynamic.

They have switched faces, so the characters switch, but there is the moment when the daughter is protected from her aggressive boyfriend, as he is ripped out of the car. Asked does she have protection for which she wasn’t sure where he was going until she is given a knife.

Later in the film protecting the young boy from all the gun fire. Again there is a sense of duty to protect the children.

Not your family, but still protecting and making sure family is safe regardless of the first thought of destroying each others family a maternal instinct seemed to take effect on each enemies family. Something poetic about that.

Regardless to the beginning of the movie, I honestly believe the bad guy does have some guilt in his heart and this reversal of protecting each others family. I do find this an interesting concept and not really explored in any other movie I know of.

I would love it if anyone can tell me another movie where a bad guy protects the innocent. Is this a more anti hero aspect? The concept of swapping roles, from pure evil to pure good does sound like a great storyline. Maybe if anyone reads this can tell me a good movie to watch from these aspects.

Exploration

Dover Street: Alight here for Green Park

Leave a comment

This TFL Hidden London tour started outside at the Diana statue in Green Park and then took us into for a tour of some of the hidden passages for this tube station. After the close of the old Dover Street station entrance, they moved to the newly opened entrance of Greek Park in 1933 next to the Ritz which is where everyone enters and exits each day.

As a group we made our way down and through another gate. These areas were closed off before the war as they were no longer needed however as WW2 came along the passages were reopened and they created lots of small units and areas for the war effort. This included an underground HQ for the Railway Executive Committee (REC). I was constantly looking for the old wall lines of the partitions to understand how small each unit was. And very small they were.

We carried on round to see more hidden tunnels, where the old lift shafts where, which had been turned into offices and one into a kitchen. Then back we visited a very impressive air shaft. The stairs down and the air shaft itself where you really feel like you’re not supposed to be there. A rather unique experience. This is certainly one of the top experiences on the TFL Hidden London tours. I certainly recommend this one.

Air shaft