St Alban Tower

St Alban Tower, Wood Street.

Wandering around the City of London, as I do, I often find some intriguing pieces of history or fascinating architecture that I was previously unaware of.

This is how I came to discover the church of St Alban, Wood Street, in the City of London.

The North face of the Tower.

As I approached the church, however, I discovered that the tower is all that remains, and it is now become a traffic island. More than that... it is now a private home.

Shepherdess Walk Mosaic

Shepherdess Walk.

Tuesday November 28, 2023.

I had heard of a mosaic project, within the London Borough of Hackney, and so decided to make a visit to it.

As it turns out there are two ways to access the mosaic. One is via Shepherdess Walk Gardens, which is fine, but the second, which I chose, is to take the narrow alley beneath houses and reach them that way.

The stairs leading to the narrow alley, from Shepherdess Walk, are stone and can get slippery with leaves and water, so I was careful of my footing. A small mosaic plaque, above the alley, lets you know that you are in the right place.

The narrow alley leads to an open green space, but it is to the left that the mosaics can be found, affixed to the walls of the surrounding homes, with two laid in the ground.

Besides a few parents with their small children, in the nearby park, I had the entire place to myself, allowing me time to take in the intricacies of these huge works.