Free School, Rotherhithe

Peter Hills and Robert Bell founded the Free School in 1613, as a way to educate the children of impoverished seafarers and mariners.

Peter Hills died in 1614, leaving a sum of six pounds per year for the ongoing maintenance of the school. When it opened the school had just eight boys and is thought to be the first elementary school in London.

In the 1700s the free school raised new funds, as the six ponds per year was now insufficient to keep the school maintained. With new capital the school expanded, giving it room for 65 boys and 50 girls, too.

In 1739 an amicable fund was set up to supply funding to for an additional 12 boys.  

In 1742 it became known as the Charity School. The original building was on the northside of Saint Marychurch street, adjoining St Mary's church. 

ARP Stretcher Railings

Wandering London's streets, as I often do, I am still surprised by the extraordinary things hidden in plain sight.

Take the railings, in the photo above. At first glance they appear to be your standard railings, which are quite often found south of the river, in places like Bermondsey, Brixton, Camberwell, Deptford, Southwark, etc..  There even some north of the River Thames, in Poplar.

However, these are no ordinary railings. They are almost 80 years old and once served a very different purpose.

During World War II many of the metal fences and railings, around various houses and buildings, were removed, so that the metal could be used for the war effort.

Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington

Abney Park Cemetery was the fourth of the eight private garden cemeteries, when it opened in 1840. It is situated in the grounds of Abney House which was once home to Isaac Watts.

For over 300,000 years people have gathered in this area, where Stone Age tools have been discovered along the banks of Hackney Brook.

It's modern roots go back to before the arrival of William the Conqueror, in 1066, when, as a small settlement, it was surrounded by land made up of fields.

In the 1600s wealthy families had large houses, with larger gardens, built here. These included Abney House and Fleetwood House. These houses were purchased by the Abney Park Cemetery Company, so that a garden cemetery could be built.

The cemetery was designed as an arboretum, botanical garden and park, as well as a place of remembrance. When it opened it had over 1,000 types of rose, from Hackney's Loddiges nursery, and 2,500 tree varieties.

By the 1960s the Cemetery Company, which had begun to lose income, leaving Abney Park to fall into neglect. Brambles, ivy and self-seeded trees allowed nature to take over.

Abney Park is now Grade II listed and is designated as a Local Nature Reserve.

The chapel was the first non-denominational cemetery chapel in Europe.

Abney Park Mortuary Chapel was designed by William Hosking and built by John Jay. The open part is where hearses brought the coffins, while inside a staircase led up to a gallery. The spire was the tallest, in the area, and could be seen from quite a distance.

It was designed in a style that was not related to any specific branch of Christianity, so that anyone could have their funeral held here. The chapel, like the cemetery, was never consecrated, making it a popular burial ground for Dissenters, especially after Bunhill Fields closed to burials.

By the 1960s the chapel was in a sorry state of disrepair, but it wouldn't be until 2017 when the roof could be repaired, following a grant from Historic England. 

The National Lottery Heritage fund gave funding for the rest of the building to be restored, between 2021-23. The stained-glass window, installed in 2021, was designed by Piotr Frac, who worked with local schools and community groups. The window represents nature in the four seasons.

In 1865 William and Catherine Booth founded the Salvation Army, so that they take God's salvation to the world.

When Catherine died, in 1890, she was buried at Abney Park. Other early leaders of the Salvation Army, including George Scott Railton and Elijah Cadman, were also buried here.

When General William Booth died, in 1912, he was buried beside his wife in one of the largest funerals London had ever seen. William and Catherine are laid to rest surrounded by the graves of many of their children.

Today, there are over 130 Salvationists buried at Abney Park.

This War Memorial was built in 1927, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to commemorate over 150 Commonwealth servicemen and women by name. Another 71 names were added following World War II.

There are 375 service personnel remembered at Abney Park, with over 140 in marked graves scattered throughout the park. Some of these have the distinctive Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones.

Walking alone: Charing Cross to Vauxhall Bridge... and beyond

Thursday November 7, 2024.

After having rested my leg for a few days I was itching to get back to London. So I decided to plan a route, instead of just winging it, as usual, so that I didn't end up walking too far. It was a great idea, but I knew that it didn't stand a chance when I got to London.

My journey began much like most others: a taxi to Watford Underground station from where I caught a train to Baker Street, changed to a Bakerloo line train to Charing Cross and exited beside Trafalgar Square.

My first stop was at the statue of King Charles I, which stands on a small traffic island at the northern end of Whitehall. Before this statue was erected here the space was occupied by the original Queen Eleanor's Cross, a replica of which now stands outside Charing Cross station. It is from this statue of King Charles I that all mileages from London are measured.

From here I headed down Whitehall and onto Parliament Street, where cleaners were busy cleaning paving slabs and curbstones, while others polished the brass on the Women of World War II memorial. Police cars and vans were in abundance as various services were going on, ahead of the Remembrance Day services on Sunday.

I crossed Bridge Street and continued south along Abingdon Street and onto Millbank, before heading west along Horseferry Road. A left down Marsham Road an then right onto Page Street, followed, I spotted a cafe at the corner, but the queue was halfway down Regency Street. So, I turned south down Regency Street and then turned right onto Vincent Street, in search of a fireplace.

As I was taking a photo of said fireplace one of the residents of the private building, next door, stopped to talk to me about it. He explained that the houses along this side of the street had been heavily damaged by bombs, during World War II. The wall containing the fireplace was still sturdy and acted as a support for the nearby properties, so was left standing.He went on to explain that it wasn't the only remaining feature of the old houses and, ushering me through the security gate, proceeded to show me more of the surviving wall and its features. With plenty of photos taken I bade him farewell, thanking him for his time, and continued on my walk.

Heading south, along Vincent Square, I soon found myself on Vauxhall Bridge Road, which I followed east, still in search of a cafe.

16 Alkham Road: Site of first bomb attack of World War I

This typical house in Stoke Newington, Hackney, looks a lot like the rest of the houses in this terrace. However, unlike the majority of the other homes, this one has had the top floors extensively rebuilt.

The house also holds a rather unique place in London history, but we will have to travel back over 100 years to find out why.

Shortly after 23:00 on Monday May 31, 1915, the German Zeppelin LZ38 dropped its first bomb on London. This incendiary bomb crashed through the roof of 16 Alkham Road setting the upper floors alight.

The occupants, the Lovell family and two guests, all escaped without injury, with the fire being quickly extinguished by the fire brigade.

Zeppelin LZ38 continued travelling over Hackney, Dalston, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets and Stepney, dropping high-explosive and incendiary bombs on the unsuspecting, and sleeping, people below.

On this first raid the LZ38 dropped a total of 91 incendiary devices, 28 explosive bombs and 2 grenades, resulting in 7 people being killed, 35 more injured and 41 fires started.

Between 1915 and 1918 there were over 20 air raids by Zeppelin and aircraft.

Following this raid restrictions were put in place across England, ensuring that only generalised locations of bombing raids were reported to the public.

Trivia: 

The bomb that hit 16 Alkham Road was the first time London had been attacked by a foreign military power in almost 1,000 years. The last time had been 1066, when William the Conqueror entered London.