The Enigmacursor has only been at the museum for a few months now. On the small size, it was probably about the size of a Yorkshire terrier dog. It’s a little away from the beat and track of the museum footfall, above the east exit on the stairwell. So if you are visiting have a look out for this new specimen
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/enigmacursor.html
I never knew you could go inside Wellington Arch until a few weeks ago, so I thought I should take a look. It’s has a fair amount of space inside and a little bit of a museum to explore.
I also never knew it wasn’t in its original position and was taken down and moved to its current home. And the original top contained Wellington on his horse, that is now gone and it was changed over to what you currently see. Right up until the 1950s it also was home to a police unit.
Now it’s more a tourist attraction and a good view of the Kings Guard passing through.
If you want to visit it, it’s a good idea to check the days and times at; https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wellington-arch/
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
I decided to go have a look at this small London museum south of the river in Rotherhithe and I wasn’t sure when I first entered. This was a Saturday and there were a fair few people, however this was really a very small venue and it really didn’t take me long to consume what content there was. A little bit of history on the tunnel underneath and transport history and that’s it.
My next problem was the tour itself. I know they are volunteers; however, I couldn’t hear the fella that well at all. This small old knowledgeable man had such a small voice it didn’t travel past the amount of people. So, I then walked away to see the pit shaft. And that’s all it was, a big old pit shaft.
I couldn’t even bring myself to take any photos. I was left feeling very disappointed, I looked at the nice view across the river on the way out and made my way back home. No matter how nice the volunteers were, it didn’t help me what so ever. My disappointment lingers even now as I write this.
Honestly, there are far better places to visit in London.
Into London for a fairly new tour, this time at the Piccadilly Circus hub. You start off by one of the least used exits and make your way into the concourse getting a history lesson along the way. There is an old map in the concourse area and directly opposite a tribute to Frank Pick.
Here I felt that we should have been shown around the concourse a lot better before descending down the stairs to the hidden tunnels. There is a fair amount of unique 1920s architectural features to point out. The tile work, pillars lights, a very unique world clock map was addressed. Maybe it would help to point out the location of where Stephen Bone’s mural was before it was lost. We then walked round to an area with a few small shops. However the majority of these seemed unoccupied, but the foot fall at the time didn’t look like it would help the matter.
The lead tour guide chose some steps next to a small shop and we descended down. This seemed mainly to not get caught up with other passengers. We made it down to the Northern Line platform where at one end we entered through a gated door.
This is where you enter and feel really off the grid, a feeling of, I shouldn’t be here. These tunnels and others around housed many of the peoples of London during the WW2 blitz. We were shown many photos of the people sleeping on the escalators as well. One photo looked a lot like St John Woods tube station. There was also a section of tunnel to house artworks to protect them from the bombing. These were transported from Dover Street (now Green Park) via a tube train for storage. Saw some abandoned lift shafts, round a bit more then the tour felt like it abruptly ended.
This is the first time I feel that a Hidden London tour needs to be adjusted. But nevertheless, it was an interesting experience. Not as good as their Aldwych experience which is the one I recommend the most.
I got myself a ticket on the Eventbrite app to go Mudlarking on the Thames which is run through the Thames Explorer Trust.
The day started off very cold, but got very nice rather quickly and a sunny day it was. I took the train down to Blackfriars and walked along to Millennium Bridge waiting there a bit, met a few people and we started off with a talk on history and what we can find and off we went.
Down diretly under the bridge we went onto the foreshore. I walked up and down the area to have an explore around and there was a hell of a lot of building debris around from different types of bricks to roof tiles. In amongst all that were loads of different types of shards of pots. A lot of animal bones scattered around, (at least I hope it was all animal!). Various different bits of glass, many washed to rounded edges from the tide. I had an interesting time. But the jig is, you can’t take anything home.
I will have to apply for a permit myself. However this is what I found.
I rather liked the London gin bottle with London written on it. (I assumed it was suppose to be London considering it’s the city I found it in!) A few bits of pottery and the old bottle top which looks rather like one a codd-neck which would have had a marble in.
Alas I had to leave it all on the shore to wash away. Guess I will have to get a permit for a year so I can take some finds home.
All in all, an interesting few hours on a nice sunny day.
On now in the British Museum until the 23rd February is the Silk Roads exhibit which gives you an insight into the silk trades and way beyond. This is more about the connection, evolution and expansion of empires across this vast route.
All traders from all walks of life and what are they trading? Cloths, silks, pottery, precious gems, silver, gold and spices. In turn the wealth build trade settlements along the route and the route expands to already established settlements.
The exhibit takes you for a wonder from Japan, through China into middle Asia, all the way to Europe and Africa. There are some sad realities like the fact slaves were traded also, with incredibly well-preserved letters of slaves passing from one hand to another. This was partly due to the expansion of the Muslim empire into Africa and Europe which in turn pushed a dominant Buddhism out of Asia and Islam to take hold on the lands. This also transforms type of trades.
As you near the end of the exhibit you see some treasures from the Sutton Hoo collection. A burial in England where gems had come as far from Sri Lanka. And this was done thousands of years ago.
This is definitely worth a visit.
Govvy's Blog 