Walking alone: Farringdon to Tower Hill... and beyond

St George-in-the-East church.

Monday December 8, 2025.

Today was my last day of annual leave, for 2025, and I wasn't going to waste it. So, off to London I headed.

Farringdon station.

A short walk to Watford underground station saw me catch a Baker Street-bound train, which I took to Finchley Road, where I waited 3-minutes for an Aldgate-bound train. Soon I was alighting at Farringdon station, ready for a walk.

Holborn viaduct.

I headed down Farringdon Road and onto Farringdon Street, passing below the Holborn Viaduct, crossed Fleet Street, and joined New Bridge Street, before heading west along Tudor Street. With lots of building work going on I took a slight detour up Bouverie Street and entered Magpie Alley. 

Magpie Alley tiles.

The tiled walls of Magpie Alley, which I had never seen, tell the history of Fleet Street's printing evolution from around 1500. Suitably filled with new knowledge I made my way out of Magpie Alley, avoiding the scaffolding and myriad trucks and lorries that filled the streets, and made my way down Whitefriars Street until I reached Tudor Street, again. This time I headed east and rejoined New Bridge Street, which I followed north until I turned east along Ludgate Hill.

How many street names in one photo?

Ludgate Hill brought me to St Paul's Churchyard and one of London's unique thoroughfares... Peter's Hill. Now, Peter's Hill has, over the centuries, moved as the area has gone through rebuilding. Now, it shares its route with Sermon Lane and Knightrider Court, which has moved from its original position to the east of Sermon Lane, to the west of it. And, depending on which online map you use, this thoroughfare is listed under different names. Confusing.

The St Lawrence Jewry drinking fountain.

Suitably confused I continued east onto Cannon Street, passing the St Lawrence Jewry drinking fountain, before turning up Queen Victoria Street, just so that I could walk through the Bloomberg Arcade and see 'Forgotten Stream' by Cristina Iglesias. 

The oldest church in the City of London.

I then rejoined Cannon Street until I reached Eastcheap. Following my feet I continued along Eastcheap until I reached Byward Street and All Hallows by the Tower. Now, All Hallows by the Tower is the oldest church in the City of London and I have walked by it on countless occasions, but never ventured inside. So, I remedied this error, on my part, and entered this ancient building.

As I entered a couple were just leaving, which, to my surprise, left me alone in the church, apart from a few volunteers who were replacing leaflets and checking the aisles.

The Lady chapel.

I set about exploring and was taken in awe with how incredible the interior was. My footsteps echoed off the flagstone flooring as I made my way through the building taking in the chapels and artefacts on display. Making my way through the door, below the organ, I noticed the Saxon arch and a sign 

indicating the directions to the Undercroft Museum, which I followed. 

The Undercroft chapel.

I carefully made my way below the church and was soon at the Roman street level of Londinium, with a tessellated floor still in place. Slowly I explored the entire space with its Roman, Saxon, Norman and countless other eras of artefacts all on display. More chapels were visited, before the route brought me back up into the church. Having explored as much as I could I headed outside to find that it had rained while I had been inside.

Walking with friends: Bethnal Green to Spitalfields... and beyond

Saturday May 24, 2025.

When friends wish to accompany me on a walk, in London, I have to work out a rough route that will take in some sites that will appeal to everyone. As friends all have different backgrounds, interests and are of different ages, this can be a challenge.

However, I am always up for a challenge, so I set about planning a route that would encompass enough places of varied age to visit so that everyone would be satisfied.

I set off on the short walk to Watford Metropolitan station, where I met up with Steve, before boarding a Baker Street-bound train. Gary had made his way to Moor Park station and, with me calling him as we pulled in, joined us for the trip.

Alighting at Finchley Road we waited three minutes for an Aldgate-bound train, which we rode until Liverpool Street, where we took a Central line train the one stop to Bethnal Green.

On exiting the station we headed up Cambridge Heath Road and entered the Young V&A Museum. I had picked this particular place as we had all been children, once, and I knew that we would all see some things from our childhood. Besides, I hadn't been here in almost 8 years, during which time it had undergone a major refurbishment.

Passing through the reception, with its gift shop, we entered the main hall, heading to the first gallery on our left. Tin toys, railway sets, movie merchandise toys and posters, Christopher Reeve's costume from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, toys from television series and so much more.

Then there was a dimly-lit room full of dolls houses, all lit up with tiny lights from within.

The War Horse puppet, a suit of Samurai armour, models, more toys, giant dolls houses that a child could easily fit inside, books and more.

A stage area allowed children to dress up and act out scenes, while a glass fronted cabinet held Boris Karloff's costume from 'The Bride of Frankenstein', while others contained Kabuki masks and more recent mass-produced masks.

A room, with a black and white floor, with pink walls, created the illusion, if you stood in the right place, of a person shrinking in one corner, while being unable to fully stand in another corner.

The Design Gallery showed how things were designed and manufactured, while another gallery showcased board games, cards and gaming consoles.

We explored the entire building and its exhibits, before making our way outside, after making a donation to the museum.

From here we continued up Cambridge Heath Road, before turning west down Hackney Road. As is common for this area of London, many old houses are sandwiched between new builds, while 'ghost signs' still advertise products and companies that no longer exist.  We continued heading west, before turning south, on Horatio Street, which brought us to Ezra Street. Ezra Street, and nearby Barnet Grove, are wonderfully preserved Georgian streets, some of which were used in the 1990 movie 'The Krays', standing in for Vallance Road, where the Krays childhood home was.

At the corner of Ezra Street and Columbia Road stands the Royal Oak, which, fortuitously, was open. So, in we went. It is a wonderful pub, full of history and retains much of its 1923 upgrades. Because  of its location and style, the Royal Oak has been used in numerous television series, like 'Goodnight Sweetheart' (1993-1999), and films such as 'The Krays' (1990), 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' (1998) and 'Legend' (2015).

Suitably refreshed we left this wonderful pub and headed along Columbia Road and turned down Barnet Grove, until we reached Bethnal Green Road. Feeling peckish we stopped for some lunch, which was filling, before continuing along Bethnal Green Road, stopping to stare at the phenomenally long queue outside 'E. Pellicci's'. 'E. Pellicci's' was where Ronnie and Reggie Kray ate breakfast, nearly everyday, and has become even more popular with tourists.

Turning around we crossed Bethnal Green Road and spotted the 'Marquis of Cornwallis' pub, so we went in for some refreshments. What a contrast it was. Its outside appearance looked rundown, with paint flaking from the walls and the lettering on the name almost completely vanished. Yet, inside, it was modern, with panelled wood and countless televisions showing different sports.

On leaving the 'Marquis of Cornwallis' we headed south along Vallance Road, passing Weavers Fields, stopping to take a photo of the buildings that now occupy the place where Ronnie and Reggie Kray had their childhood home.

From here we headed along Dunbridge Street and saw the Bethnal Green Bath House and, to its left, Repton Boxing Club, where the Kray brothers used to box. Dunbridge Street brought us to Cheshire Street and the next stop on our journey; 'The Carpenter's Arms'. 

This pub, built in 1871, is a wonderful little place. The small bar leads through to a small seating area and then into a small outside seating area. The walls are covered in framed photos of London Transport photos and maps, Repton Boxing Club, Truman Brewery photos and advertisements and more. Other framed black and white photos show some of the regulars enjoying drinks and having parties. Then there is a photo of Ronnie and Reggie. This pub was purchased by them, in 1967, as a gift to their mother, Violet. It was from offices upstairs that business meetings took place. It was also here, on October 29, 1967, that Reggie Kray had a drink to calm his nerves, before heading off to murder Jack 'The Hat' McVitie.

Once we had finished our drinks we continued along Cheshire Street and then turned south, down Brick Lane, passing the Truman Brewery and then Hanbury Street, where Annie Chapman was murdered by Jack the Ripper. Eventually we reached Fashion Street with its Moorish style market building that, when it opened, was a financial disaster. Some of the space was taken over by G Scammell and Nephew, who were wheelwrights. It was here that Scammell Lorries had their beginning. 

Walking with Emma: 13th anniversary weekend

Tower Bridge and The Shard at sunset.

Friday March 7, 2025.

As Monday 10th would be the 13th anniversary of our wedding, Emma had booked us a stay at the Tower Hotel, as a present for me.

With our girls at school, then off to my mum's for the night, Emma and I set off.

Uber to Watford Metropolitan station, a train to Finchley Road, then a Jubilee line train to London Bridge.

As we made our way along Tooley Street, heading to More London Place, I was surprised at how quiet it was, considering the temperature was at 18°C (64.4°F, for my continental friends).

His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London.

Meandering around The Scoop and the old City Hall building, I stopped to take some photos of the City of London and His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, before we passed under Tower Bridge, to Shad Thames, where we stopped for a coffee at Starbucks.

The Tower Hotel.

Sitting beside The Vault 1894 beer garden, we sipped our coffees and looked across the River Thames towards the Tower Hotel, where we would be spending the night. Usually we are more than happy to stay at Premier Inn, as their beds are incredibly comfortable and their breakfasts are equally as good. But, as it was a special occasion, plus the fact that I had always wanted to stay there, ever since I first saw it on TV and film, Emma had secretly booked it. Plus, according to all of their Social Media releases, it offered unparalleled views of Tower Bridge... unless your room was at the back. In which case you would probably have a great view of St Katharine Docks and Marina, which is still pretty cool.

With our beverages finished, we climbed the well-worn stairs to bridge level and crossed Tower Bridge.

Once on the north bank we made our way down the stairs and sat beside David Wynne's 'Girl with a Dolphin' sculpture, before heading into the Tower Hotel reception.

A Starbucks in the Tower Hotel lobby.

The brutalist style exterior architecture, of this 1973 building, was a complete juxtaposition with the shiny interior, with its marbled columns and mirrors, making the lobby seem larger and grander than expected.

There were plenty of people working at reception, so we didn't have to wait to check in. The receptionist, named Padam, was polite and professional and seemed genuinely interested in why we had booked this hotel, congratulating us on our anniversary, asking what our plans for the weekend were and generally made us feel welcomed. After taking our payment, and handing us our key, he promised us that our room had one of the best views and then gestured us towards a bank of four lifts.

There is nothing brutalist about the interior of the Tower Hotel.

The lift was silent and its movement was barely susceptible as it raised us to the fifth floor. On exiting the lift, we turned right and right again, following the corridor, before a sign told us that our room was down the corridor to our left. Onward we went until we reached our room. My mental GPS had been calculating our location, within the hotel, and I knew that, with the room on our left, we were in for a decent view. I was not wrong. 

A standard Tower Hotel room.

On entering the room our bathroom was to our left, with three doors, to our right, hiding the wardrobes. The main room was spacious, with a bed to our left and, on our right, a desk (hiding a small fridge containing complimentary drinks), and TV. Bedside tables, 3D art, paintings and an arm chair completed the room. Directly in front of us, the window spanned the width of the room. And the view?

The view from the fifth floor.

The view was everything that we had hoped for. Tower Bridge and The Shard were our view, while in the distance Crystal Palace Tower could be seen on the horizon.

After settling in, refreshing ourselves and changing, we made our way downstairs into the warm spring evening. By now the sun had set (or, rather, the Earth was completing another rotation, hiding the sun from our view) as we made our way around St Katharine Docks, with its still waters and reflected lights. 'Gloriana', the Queen's Rowbarge, was moored in the marina, along with yachts, barges and boats of varying size and style.

Following the path we made our way to Zizzi, via Coronarium Bridge, where we would be dining. Our plan had been to eat at the Dickens Inn, but Emma had read the recent reviews and wasn't that impressed, so we had booked Zizzi, instead.

The staff, our server was named Charlotte, the atmosphere, the food... was perfect. 

After settling the bill Emma and I went for another walk around the Docks and Marina, with a slight diversion, as Telford's retracting footbridge is under repair. Although the temperature had dropped, slightly, it was still warm, as we walked along the River Thames, listening to the various parties going on some boats, while families walked along, taking photos of Tower Bridge in all of its night time glory.

With time getting on we headed back to the hotel and returned to our room, to settle in for the night. 

London Dungeon

 

It's time to scream

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Planning things to do in and around the Unfinished City is tricky at the best of times. With the pandemic affecting ticket sales and the capacity of attractions, planning becomes a major factor. Then, you have to wonder what the Morrissey girls want to do. Erin decided that we should visit the London Dungeon, which Keilyn seconded. 

Having visited the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the previous afternoon, stayed at a Premier Inn for the night, we were in the perfect position to make the most of our Sunday.

After breakfast we collected our things, from our room, and checked out of the hotel.

We then headed along the River Thames, towards the MillenniuM footbridge and St. Paul's Cathedral.

St. Paul's Cathedral.

From here we headed along Ludgate Hill to Fleet Street, from where we turned onto Essex Street and down onto the Victoria Embankment.

From here it was a short walk to Embankment Station, where we grabbed a drink and the girls made use of the facilities. 

We then headed across the Golden Jubilee Bridge and down on to the South Bank and the Queen's Walk. A spot of lunch and rest, was followed by the girls going for a ride on a Carousel.

Erin and Keilyn on the Carousel.

After being entertained by some of the street performers, that pepper the Queen's Walk, we headed off to the London Dungeon.