"Which was London's first railway?"

There are two possible answers to this question as there are two companies competing for the title.

Also, by answering this question we can also answer some others along the way. If we can work out which railway came first we can work out which is London's oldest station, too.

The Surrey Iron Railway

The first Act of Parliament for the authorisation of a railway in the London area was granted in 1801, to the Surrey Iron Railway. This railway was built in stages, between 1802 and 1803, from Frying Pan Creek, on the River Thames at Wandsworth, to Pitlake Meadows at Croydon, mostly following the Wandle Valley.

The Surrey Iron Railway used trains of ten wagons, which were horse-drawn along a narrow-gauge, double-tracked line. This line remained in use until 1846, but was only briefly profitable. 

However, all of this railway was within Surrey, parts of which wouldn't become part of London until 1889.

The London and Greenwich Railway

In 1831, following the success of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which had opened in 1830 as the world's first passenger railway to connect two cities, retired Royal Engineer Colonel George Thomas Landmann and George Walter, an entrepreneur, had the idea for a passenger railway service in London. 

Dragon Boundary Marks for the City of London

One of the silver dragons that adorns Holborn Viaduct.

Anyone that has walked into the Square Mile along one of its main thoroughfares, will have passed by one of the fourteen silver dragons that mark the boundary to the City of London. 

The coat of arms of the City of London has two dragons supporting a shield that bears a flag of St George, with a sword in its top left corner. Atop the shield is a knight's helmet and plume, while the motto "Domine dirige nos (Lord guide us)" runs in a ribbon across the bottom. The sword, with its tip pointed upward, symbolises the martyrdom of St Paul, the patron saint of London.

One of the original dragons from the London Coal Exchange.

The City's first silver dragons adorned the London Coal Exchange building, which was situated almost opposite the Old Billingsgate Market. Then, in 1962, the Coal Exchange was demolished due to damage from World War II and the need to widen the road. However, the two 7 feet (2.1 metres) cast iron dragons, that had stood above the entrance on a parapet, were saved. Once they had been cleaned, repaired and painted they were mounted on Portland Stone plinths that are 6 feet (1.8 metres) in height and erected on Victoria Embankment, in October 1963.

Eleven more dragons, which are half-size replicas of these, were then erected at various points around the City of London boundary, during the late 1960s.

Model of Old London Bridge, Church of St Magnus-the-Martyr

Inside St Magnus-the-Martyr Church, on Lower Thames Street, is a remarkable model of the Medieval London Bridge.

This four-metre long model was built by David T Aggett, a member of the Metropolitan Police. He was also a keen model maker and this model of Old London Bridge took him almost three years to complete.

The model shows how Old London Bridge would have looked in 1400 and is built, predominantly, from cardboard boxes. 

He was also a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers, so he donated the model to the Church, which is the church of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers. 

As a little joke he placed a Metropolitan Policeman on the bridge, which people can seek to find when admiring the model. 

Besides the Policeman there are countless other figures going about their daily routines, which can bring a smile to your face.

St Magnus-the-Martyr Church was once the entrance way to the old London Bridge, before the bridge was demolished and moved 30 metres to the west. So, it is fitting that the model resides here.

'Nancy's Steps', Old London Bridge

'Nancy's Steps'.

These steps, on the southwest side of London Bridge, the arch and a few remaining pedestrian alcoves are pretty much all that is left, in England, of John Rennie's London Bridge. 

Old London Bridge pedestrian alcove, Victoria Park.

One alcove sits in the quadrangle of Guy's Hospital, while another can be found in Victoria Park.

The rest of the bridge was sold to Robert McCulloch, who had it dismantled and shipped to America, where it was rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

A surviving arch of John Rennie's London Bridge.

These steps are often called 'Nancy's Steps', in reference to the character of Nancy, from the novel 'Oliver Twist', by Charles Dickens.

In the novel Bill Sikes murders Nancy in a room, while Bill's dog, Bull's-Eye, watches on. 

However, in the 1968 movie, 'Oliver!', Nancy is murdered on the steps of London Bridge by Bill Sikes.

Shorely Shome Mishtake.

This makes the Blue Plaque, affixed to the wall of the surviving arch of John Rennie's London Bridge, incorrect.

You can read more about London Bridge by clicking on the link below.

London Bridge

Walking with Keilyn: Victory in Europe 80 Celebrations (VE-Day 80)

Monday May 5, 2025.

With the Victory in Europe 80th Celebrations getting  underway, today, Keilyn and I set off to enjoy the festivities. A taxi took us to Watford Underground station, where we boarded a Baker Street-bound train. My mum and uncle Martin had left earlier in the morning, heading for The Mall and St James's Park, in order to see the procession and catch the flypast from there. We changed at Finchley Road and caught a Jubilee line train, to Green Park, as Keilyn thought it would nice to catch up to mum and Martin. 

On exiting Green Park station we were herded, like cattle, down the east path towards The Mall. Vendors were selling Union flags and other merchandise, as the crowds flowed in both directions. On reaching The Mall we were given VE Day flags and then realised that there was no way we would see anything and, with my mum and Martin on the other side of the road, we retraced our steps, heading for Piccadilly.

Photo © Keilyn J A Morrissey.

Heading east, along Piccadilly, we made our way against the throng of people still heading to Green Park, before we reached Piccadilly Circus. To our surprise Piccadilly Circus was deserted of people, so we headed towards Leicester Square, stopping at Greggs to pick some nourishment, which we ate in an almost deserted Leicester Square. 

Once we had eaten we had our photos taken with Mr Bean and Paddington Bear, before heading along Irving Street and, after crossing Charing Cross Road, followed William IV Street to Strand. Again the roads were fairly clear, so we headed down Adam Street, where Keilyn had her photo taken outside the door of Number 10, before we turned down John Adam Street, heading for York Buildings.

At the end of York Buildings, on the left-hand side, is a lovely building which was the first home of GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters). A green plaque, affixed to the wall, tells us this. However, if you look at the plaque closely, it contains a hidden message, that many people miss. Can you work it out?

We then entered Victoria Embankment Gardens, beside the York Watergate, and headed for Kippo's Coffee & Gelato, as I was in need of a coffee, while Keilyn was aching for a hot chocolate. With drinks in hand we walked along Victoria Embankment, before climbing the steps to Waterloo Bridge. Our vantage point from where we would watch the flypast.

As we still had time, we crossed the bridge and visited the National Theatre, checking out the view from its terraces and using the facilities. We then headed back up onto Waterloo Bridge, which was starting to fill up with people eager to see the flypast. We found a spot, almost in the centre of the bridge, and waited. I was glad that we had dressed for the weather, as the wind began to pick up and, off beyond Canary Wharf, we could see rain falling from the clouds. We all hoped that it would pass around us, which it did, fortunately. While we waited we took pleasure in waving at the tourists on the boats, passing below us, cheering when they waved back.

I had written a list of the order of the aeroplanes taking part in the flypast, which Keilyn read from as the BBMF Lancaster came into view. Then followed a Voyager and an A400m Atlas, a C-17 Globemaster III, a P-8 Poseidon with Two Typhoons, an RC-135 Rivet Joint with 2 F-35B Lightnings, the Red Arrows brought up the rear with 4 Typhoons.

The flypast took just over 5 minutes, but was really impressive to watch... and hear.

Walking with friends: Barbican to Tower Bridge... and beyond

Thursday March 27, 2025.

Having celebrated my birthday, yesterday, I was eager to use my day off to visit London. With my girls at school I roped in my friend, Gary, to join me for the walk.

I took a bus to meet Gary at Rickmansworth station, where we caught a fast Aldgate-bound Metropolitan line train to Barbican. 

Our first stop was a visit to Postman's Park and the G.F. Watt's Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, which Gary had never seen, before we continued our walk south towards St Paul's Cathedral.

Turning on to Foster Lane I spotted the two open blue doors and, after climbing the three stone steps, we found ourselves in a secluded courtyard. This courtyard, once part of a graveyard, is a public garden that is owned by the church of St Vedast-alias-Foster.

A tree acts as a centrepiece to the slabbed and pebbled space, with various potted plants and shrubs dotted around the space. Two white walls are in juxtaposition with the brick walls, while the covered arcade adds an almost Mediterranean feel to this tranquil space. A framed display of Roman pavement pieces along with various plaques adorn the walls, while a relief sculpture of Canon Mortlock, by Jacob Epstein, is affixed to another wall.

But, I was here to see a rather obscure brick. It is a mud brick, etched with cuneiform writing, that was unearthed in Iraq and is almost 3,000 years old. Strangely, there is no plaque or marker, so I had to do some research on this piece of ancient history, on my return home.

Just metres from this 'secret' garden we saw a London Plane tree, growing in the grounds of the former St Peter West Cheap Church grounds. This platanus x acerifolia tree is said to be the oldest tree in the City of London.

From here we continued our route, by following Cannon Street, to Eastcheap, before turning down Pudding Lane, passing the Monument, before reaching Lower Thames Street, where we visited the Church of St Magnus-the-Martyr.

The Church of St Magnus-the-Martyr is a wonderful Grade I listed church, which was one of the first buildings to be destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. Although this church dates from 1687, there has been a church here since the 11th century. 

Inside this church there is a model of the Old London Bridge, which was created by David T Aggett, a member of the Metropolitan Police who rose to the rank of Detective Superintendent in the Fraud Squad. He was also a keen model maker and this model of Old London Bridge took almost three years to complete. As he was also a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers, he donated the model to St Magnus Church, which is the Plumbers' Company church. As a little joke he placed a Metropolitan Policeman on the bridge, which people can seek to find when admiring the model.

Having found the Policeman and some of the other interesting parts of the model we explored the rest of the building, before leaving the church and continued our walk along Lower Thames Street.

We stopped at Tower Hill Market for a bite to eat, which we ate on the square outside All Hallows by the Tower. The sun, by now, had burnt away the fog and mist, causing the temperature to soar, as we made our way across Tower Bridge to the south bank.

Walking with family: London Bridge to St Katharine Docks... and beyond

Sunday September 29, 2024.

With the Metropolitan line completely closed and the London Overground (Lioness line) not going beyond Finsbury Park, uncle Martin, Keilyn and I took the 09:24 fast train from Watford Junction to Euston, then a Northern line, via Bank, to London Bridge.

From here we crossed Tooley Street and took the stairs down to the Contorted Tunnel, which would lead us to Hay's Galleria.

Our first stop was Café Piazza, where we sat and had hot drinks. Vanilla latte, for me, Cappuccino, for Martin and a Hot Chocolate with cream and mini marshmallows for Keilyn.

Suitably refreshed we headed out of Hay's Galleria and headed to HMS Belfast.

With tickets in hand we boarded this historic vessel and begun our exploration. Our first surprise was seeing a German Navy Corvette-class ship, named Magdeburg, moored on her port side.

Across nine decks we clambered, exploring every inch of the ship that was open. The boiler room and one of the gun turrets were closed for maintenance. 

We made our way from the Quarter deck towards the Fo'c'sle, before we headed up the decks sitting in the Admiral's chair, the Captain and Navigating Officer chairs, before reaching the Flag deck.

Then we headed down to visit the Mess decks, Sick bay, the Galley, the Engine room, the Chapel, Operations room, the Lower steering position, Gun turret and everything in-between.

Two and a half hours later we disembarked HMS Belfast and stopped for some lunch from one of the street vendors, that had setup along The Queen's Walk.

Victoria Park

Bonner Gate.

One of the parks and, to be honest, areas of London that I have rarely walked around is Victoria Park and, by extension, the East End. I have always had a fascination with the East end, but seldom visit it, considering its history.

So I took the opportunity of having some time away from work to explore the park, which covers some 86 hectares.

Having walked from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park I entered Victoria Park, via St Mark's Gate, and immediately turned right, having spotted two brick alcoves that were once part of London Bridge and, a little further up the path, the War Memorial.

One of the two alcoves from the old London Bridge.

I then made my way along one of the tree-lined avenues. To my left were large open spaces with people training, sitting and enjoying the sun, walking dogs or, like me, just enjoying the warm weather. To my right cricket and football pitches stretched towards the edges of the park.

This brought me to the Model Boating Lake, splashpool, skatepark and the children's main playground and cafe. To my right, hidden behind some trees there was an Old English Garden, unfortunately not in full bloom, so not as impressive at it usually looks, but still nice to see. 

As I continued the East Fishing Lake came into view, on my right, along with the Burdett-Coutts Drinking Fountain and bandstand, while to my left the open green spaces continued.

Crossing Grove Road, via Diamond Jubilee Gate, I entered the West Park and found myself by the West Boating Lake, with its abundance of wildlife. Herons, ducks, cormorants and geese of various species. The trees surrounding the lake were filled with the sound of Parakeets, screeching to one another.

The West Boating Lake.

Following the path to the right, around the lake, to my right the green spaces continued along with another children's play area. As I moved out of the trees I spotted a Chinese Pagoda to my left across a bridge. 

Pagoda Island.

Walking with Keilyn: Olympic Park to the Mithraeum... and beyond

Aquatics Centre.

 Tuesday April 4, 2023.

With the first week of the Easter holidays begun and with the weather on our side Keilyn, my 9 year old daughter, and I decided to take a trip to London. On Keilyn's insistence we headed to Stratford, via the Jubilee line, as she wanted to explore the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Our journey was uneventful and after grabbing a hot drink and some food, at Stratford station, we made our way to the park. 

West Ham FC Stadium.

Crossing WaterWorks River, via Stratford Walk, we were immediately in front of what is now West Ham FC Stadium, while below us, on the river, the Water Chariots and swan pedalos were moored up.

Water Chariots and Swan pedalos.

Turning right we headed towards the Pleasure Gardens Play Area, which Keilyn thought was 'Okay'. We continued by following the course of the River Lea via Middlesex Way, which brought us to Eastcross Bridge, next to which the 'Agitos' stood tall and proud against the blue sky. 

Agitos.

Following the path around brought us to the London Blossom Garden and the Tumbling Bay Playground. Keilyn was suitably impressed with this little park.

Keilyn just swinging around.

From here we clambered up and down hills to see the Olympic Rings, set among a small copse of trees. 

Keilyn, an Olympian in the making?

Then it was back down the hill to Gaskell's Fort play area, which Keilyn loved.

Gaskell's Fort Play area.

Then we crossed Knights Bridge and turned left and ourselves back on Middlesex Way, which we followed until we reached Marshgate Lane. We followed this until we turned onto Bassett Lane, which took us across the River Lea Navigation. 

James Braidwood

James Braidwood: Founder of the world's first municipal fire service.

I had seen this memorial on many an occasion, but could never quite work out the lettering, although the design obviously made reference to a fire. So, a little digging needed to be done.

The inscription reads;

To the memory of 

James Braidwood, 

superintendent of the 

London Fire Brigade, 

who was killed near this 

spot 

in the execution of his 

duty 

at the great fire 

on 22nd June 1861

A just man and one that feared God, of good report among all the nation.

Erected by the M. or Southwark Division of the Metropolitan Police

S. H. Gardiner, New Kent Road

London Bridge

The latest crossing to carry the name London Bridge.

The current London Bridge is said to be the plainest of London's bridges, that cross the River Thames. It is typical of late 20th century engineering, where concrete and simple design were the norm.

For me, however, London Bridge is all the more interesting because of its simplicity. Having quite low balustrades and sitting relatively low, in the river, compared to other bridges. London Bridge offers fantastic views, both east and west, which are unhampered by obstructions like lampposts, as these run along the centre of the bridge.

St Magnus-the-Martyr, City of London

Dedicated to St Magnus-the-Martyr, Earl of Orkney.

St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge, is one of my favourite churches, within the City of London. It is an ornate church which has an almost Palladian style to it, with its white walls, Romanesque columns and gold relief. 

But, the highlight of the church for me, besides all of its long history, is the model of Old London Bridge, which shows how the bridge would have looked in the 1400s.

Model of London Bridge.

Borough Market

The finest food market in London.

I have come to love my visits to Borough Market, where I invariably stop off for a late breakfast or an early lunch. With a truly great selection of fresh produce, exotic meats and street food from around the globe, there is something here for everyone. It is a vibrant, busy market, where I always discover something new to try. 

Although the market is always busy, it is worth visiting on a Sunday, when the stalls are closed, as you get an even greater understanding of its size. Plus, if you are very lucky, you may just spot a Harris Hawk, and his handler, who patrols the market to keep the pigeons away. 

Gallery

The Shard

Reflections on a Shard of Glass.

Saturday September 7, 2013.

It was while on another walk around Southwark and the surrounding area, that I found myself on St Thomas Street. As I walked eastward towards The Horseshoe Inn, I looked up and realised that I was directly below The shard.

Having only really seen it from the north bank, and from afar, I couldn't help but snap this shot from this odd angle, with the clouds reflected in the thousands of glass panels.

Gallery

Walking with family: Borough Market to St Paul's Cathedral... and beyond

Friday June 28, 2013

After dropping Erin at 'Busy Bees Nursery', Emma, Keilyn and I headed to London’s 'Borough Market', for lunch. Keilyn slept for pretty much the entire journey on the Metropolitan line, but woke as we changed to the Jubilee line. After a ‘toilet’ stop at London Bridge Station, we headed into Borough Market. 

The Market area, and Market itself, have gone through some major changes in the last few decades and finally the work is complete. The Market seems more spacious and appears to be a bit bigger. After a good look around, I settled on a ‘Boston’ double burger with red onion and rocket for lunch, while Emma had a hot Bap. 

With the crowds growing and the temperature rising, we decided to head over to the North side of the River Thames, which is something we rarely do as we prefer to stay on the South Bank, where it is a lot more pedestrian friendly.

Once we had crossed London Bridge, we headed along Cannon Street towards St. Paul’s Cathedral, popping in to the odd shop here-and-there. One of the best shops we went into was ‘Hardy’s Sweet Shop’, on Ludgate Hill. The shop has a myriad of jars full of ‘quarter’ sweets and lots of other hard-to-find sweets and candies. I bought some chewy nut caramels and Emma bought some Root Beer, amongst other things. 

We then continued on our merry way along Fleet Street and on to The Strand, heading for Trafalgar Square. The Square itself was surprisingly quiet, considering how nice the weather was and that this is where many of the tourists end up. So, after a brief stop, we decided to walk up Haymarket and then turned on to Regent Street.