Walking alone: Aldgate to Barbican... and beyond

Monday November 25, 2024.

Having an occasional day off work I set off for London, unsure of where I would end up.

I took the train to Finchley Road, where I waited for an Aldgate train to complete my journey.

On exiting the station I turned west and headed through Aldgate Square, checking out the latest 'Sculpture in the City' piece, which is a Kissing Gate, by Maya Rose Edwards. I then continued along Houndsditch before turning down Cutler Street, as I had spotted a coffee van.

As I continues along Devonshire Square I noticed a statue of Knight on horseback, so stopped to take a photo, or two. This piece was designed by Denys Mitchell and is called 'The Knight of Cnihtengild'. Lights set into the base cause the lenses in the carapace to glow.

From here I continued my walk towards Bishopsgate and London Wall, stopping to look at the Victorian Bath House, which looks completely out of place against the office buildings that surround it.

Along London Wall I walked, passing Finsbury Circus, crossing Moorgate, until I myself by the Elsyng Spital Church Tower. This building was once a nunnery, church, college, destroyed by fire, rebuilt, destroyed and left as a ruin.

Continuing on I turned up Aldersgate Street, passing the now closed Museum of London, and on to Goswell Road, before turning west onto Clerkenwell Road, where I stopped in the garden of St John's Priory Church.

Marshalsea Prison South Wall

Angel Place is an alley that leads from Borough High Street to Tennis Street, passing St George's Churchyard Gardens.

The wall that separates the gardens from the alley is all that remains of the south wall of Marshalsea Prison, a notorious debtor's prison that stood, in one state or another, on this site.

Brief History

The first Marshalsea Prison, 1373-1811, was located at what is now 161 Borough High Street and housed men accused of crimes at sea, political prisoners and debtors.

Grove Road Bridge: Site of the first V-1 attack in London

This bridge is typical of many railway bridges in London, or the rest of the country for that matter. However, this bridge has a special place in London history and to find out more we must travel back to 1944.

On Tuesday June 13, 1944, at around 04:30, the first V-1 flying bomb, also known as 'buzz bomb' or 'doodlebug', to hit London, detonated on this railway bridge, which carries the London North Eastern Railway from Liverpool Street.

The blast severely damaged the bridge and demolished twelve houses and over fifty others were damaged, with much of the damage occurring on Antill Road, Belhaven Street and Burnside Street.

Six people lost their lives, while another forty-two were injured.

The bridge, being a vital transport route, was repaired and operational by 19:45 on June 14. This repaired bridge would stay in place until the entire bridge was replaced in 1948.

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.