A brisk look at Ancient London

London Walks are a great way to get the inside story of London from incredibly knowledgable guides who come from all walks of life and who have a passion for history. The walks last for about two hours and weave in and out of little laneways and what you think must be private spaces but which are not. They depart no matter how bad the weather.

On this particular freezing cold and windy Sunday afternoon we decided to explore Ancient London -  Knights, Nuns and Notoriety! This walk is led by Sue who is a Freeman of the City of London, a rare award usually bestowed on royalty but in more recent times to others who excel in their field of interest and expertise.

The first was believed to be presented in 1237. Historically it allowed recipients to take their sheep over London Bridge without paying a toll! This greatly improved the profitability  of the trip when they sold their sheep at the Smithfield Meat Market!! 

Our guide, Sue, is also a history and arts lecturer and a Fellow of the Huguenot Society. Her delivery was interesting and colourful telling us of the incident of the head of a duke kept in a biscuit tin! Of the bursting of a well known William’s body which had to be scooped back into the coffin, and the disgraced prioress who had been sharing her bed.

Another tale whether tall or true was the tradition of having to open Sir Francis Bancroft’s coffin each year for a hundred years, to wish him well and serve him bread and wine!!

We heard of the tale of 13 knights performing three deeds of bravery, one above ground, one below ground and one in the water. We heard of the marking out of the southern boundary of the original City of London by a knight throwing a spear from the middle of the River Thames at low tide.

In the middle of this walk is revealed in an obscure square Devonshire Square also known as Cutlers Gardens, surrounded by modern offices which you would never even contemplate exploring as it seems private but we can go in by special arrangement for London Walks participants. Being a Sunday it was very quiet.

The Knight of Cnihtengild by Denys Mitchell, is made of beaten bronze, covered with stylised birds with blue crystals in their tails. It is quite stunning and apparently looks amazing lit at night.

This is the story behind the knights

There are segments left of the original Roman wall which surrounded Londinium. Although it was first settled in AD 47 the Romans didn’t build the wall until an estimated 190 and 225 AD. The Romans abandoned it in the 5th Century.

This surviving piece of the London Wall is behind the Tower Hill Underground Station.

Excavations and constructions in London often reveal items of archeological significance which generally are prized although some developers aren’t thrilled because of the delays they can cause. Those perceptive developers use the finds as a positive by highlighting the discovery and making a feature of it in their building.

Some other buildings we came close to are pictured below.

30 St Mary Axe is the proper name for this distinctive sky scraper in London known as the Gherkin.

St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate first mentioned in 1212

 Surrounded by modern buildings, St Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate, is a mediaeval church dating to 1210. Incredible history.  It now serves the business  people in the area holding many of its activities during the week.

St Helen’s at the left and on the right the extraoardinary Lloyds of London building where all the workings of the building are on the outside, the lifts, air conditioning pipes etc.

Next: Our five day visit to Sweden.

A visit to Cambridge

Cambridge is a university town about 50 miles north of London. The University of Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges. It was founded in 1209! The student population today is huge, numbering about 25,000. There are about 120,000 residents as well. We think about 24,499 students get around by bicycle! There are thousands of them, just like Oxford. 

The cyclists have a very special relationship with the road rules. In their minds there are none! You have to be extremely careful as a pedestrian. 

It’s a beautiful city along the lines of Oxford, with so many historic buildings preserved and well maintained. 

We usually try to seek out a guided walk in these places so we can get a sense of its history and an insider’s knowledge of the city. Apart from London Walks, the information centres in these cities usually have the walks available. So we joined one in Cambridge which was great.

Today, Cambridge is at the heart of the high technology centre known as Silicon Fen - a play on Siilcon Valley and the fens surrounding the city. Its economic strengths lie in industries such as software and bioscience, many start-up companies having been spun out of the university. More than 40 per cent of the workforce have a higher education qualification, more than twice the national average.

Probably the most well known building in Cambridge would have to be the Chapel of Kings College.  It is stunning with a vaulted ceiling 24 metres high. Apart from the obvious sheer size of the building (it is 88 metres long made up of an ante chapel and choir), there are 26 pairs of huge stained glass windows which took 30 years to complete.  Each window tells a biblical story leading from one panel to the next. The chapel was started in the early 1500s in a tudor and gothic style. It took a century to finish however the vaulted ceiling was completed in three years which is unbelievable as it is so detailed and huge.

Construction started on Kings College Chapel in 1512

The ante chapel and dark oak organ screen dividing the chapel in two.

The amazing fan vaulted ceiling completed in three years

The brain child of Henry V1, the college and chapel was part of an overall plan to provide places for 70 students from poor backgrounds. After his death the project was picked up by Henry V11. Henry V1’s plan for a Great Court never eventuated.

For further information about this incredible structure go to:   http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/

One of the advantages of travelling in winter is the lack of leaves on the trees which allows views of scenes not visible at other times of year.  This is Kings Collage from the River Cam.

On our last day we took a punt on the River Cam. It was fantastic. But freezing cold. It started raining gently half way through the trip and were very grateful for the umbrella and woollen blanket supplied in the boat. We felt very sorry for the ‘chauffeur’ a 6th form student working weekends. He was extremely knowledgeable of the history of the city. His hands were blue with cold as they became wet every time he pulled the pole out of the river. But he said he was used to it having done it for a year. As our river trip finished it started snowing again!

The Bridge of Sighs built in 1831 and joins St John’s College’s Third Court and New Court

Apparently in summer punting on the Cam is like playing dodgem cars. 

It was very peaceful for us in February if somewhat cold.

During our guided walk we came across this most unusual Corpus Clock.  Unveiled in 2008 the clock is accurate every five minutes. 

 The following is its description.

“It is a unique and strange device for the measurement of time and is both hypnotically beautiful and deeply disturbing. It was invented, designed and given to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, by Dr John C Taylor. The Clock is a remarkable mixture of very modern design and an ancient setting; of precision engineering and engaging whimsy; of utterly traditional clockwork (quite literally) and unexpected electronic invention; of vast size and extreme delicacy of movement; of unceasing life and imminent death; and it tells the time with absolute exactness and breathtaking unpredictability.

The clock shows conventional time as follows. The outer ring represents the seconds; minutes are shown on the middle ring; the innermost ring indicates the hours. There is a weird animal that appears to advance the outer ring of the clock. It is called a Chronophage - which means time eater - a cross between a grass hopper and a mud eye!

For more information on this amazing thing go to:  http://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/about-us/the-corpus-clock

*******

Next back in London we go on a London Walk: Ancient London -  Knights, Nuns and Notoriety!

Lord's Cricket Ground

It seemed a fitting way to recognise Australia Day by visiting Lord’s Cricket Ground at St John’s Wood just north west of London.

Named after Thomas Lord, its founder in 1814, Lord's is the third cricket ground he established. It currently can seat up 28,000 spectators with plans to enlarge this capacity. This is small in comparison to the MCG which can seat more than 100,000 people. But Lord’s is big on atmosphere.

What makes it so special for us is Laurie’s family connection with two very famous Australian cricketers. Laurie’s great, grand father was George Henry Stevens (Harry) Trott, (his Mum’s grandfather) and Laurie’s great great uncle Albert Edwin Trott, Harry’s brother and Laurie’s Mum’s great uncle.

Harry Trott

Harry Trott was an Australian Test cricketer who played 24 test matches as an all-rounder between 1888 and 1898. He toured England four times in 1888, 1890, 1893 and 1896, scoring over 1000 runs on each occasion. 

He captained Australia in England in 1896 and made 143 runs in the first test at Lord’s.  He took six wickets and scored 156 at the Oval.  He was also captain of Australia V England in Australia in 1897/98.  On four tours to England from 1888 to 1896 he exceeded 1000 runs on each visit and totalled 145 wickets.  Six of his 10 centuries were made there.  He joined Bendigo United Cricket Club in 1902 after a long period of illness and was soon scoring well.  During 1902 and 1907 he made four centuries at BUCC and had a club career average of 44.8. 

Harry Trott

At right Harry Trott

Credit: "From photo by E. Hawkins & Co., Brighton" - K. S. Ranjitsinhji, The Jubilee Book of Cricket Third Edition

Harry Trott - all rounder. Also an effective slow leg spin bowler.

The Australian team toured England in 1893 to compete for The Ashes. The English won the series one Test to nil, with two drawn to recover The Ashes. Playing in all three Tests, Trott scored 146 runs in the series at an average of 29.20 and in all first-class matches he scored 1269 runs. While Trott did not take a wicket in the Tests, he took 38 wickets in all first-class matches that season. In the Second Test at the Oval, Trott scored 92 runs in the second innings after the Australians were forced to follow-on; an innings described as "really superb cricket" and "the finest exhibition he has ever given in England". England, regardless, still won the match by an innings. Harry Trott was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1894.

Albert Trott

An English team lead by Andrew Stoddard came to Australia in 1894-95 to defend The Ashes. A feature of the summer was the emergence of Albert Trott, (Laurie’s great, great uncle) and the performance of the brothers in tandem. Playing for Victoria against the touring side, the Trotts claimed 12 wickets and held eight catches between them; Harry scored 63 in the second innings. 

Albert Trott

During the second innings of the traditional Christmas fixture against New South Wales, Albert claimed five wickets, took three catches (two from Harry's bowling) and made a run-out.  In between these two games, England won the first Test at Sydney - a remarkable turnaround after they had been forced to follow on - by bowling the Australians out for 166 in the second innings. The second test at Melbourne saw another English victory; Trott played a rearguard innings of 95 in the second innings, to no avail. Attempting to stay in the series, Australia dramatically revamped their team for the next test at Adelaide. Albert Trott, making his Test debut, was one of four inclusions while Harry was elevated to open the batting. In a match played in intense heat throughout. Harry Trott made 48 on the opening day before he was run out. Albert was the dominant player of the match with an innings of 38 not out and 72 not out (both scored from the number 10 position), and a bowling return of 8/43 in England's second innings. Australia won the match by 382 runs.

In a Sheffield Shield match that followed, the Trotts extricated Victoria from a difficult situation. Chasing 155 to win, New South Wales fell for 99 with Albert taking four wickets and Harry five. In the fourth Test at Sydney, Australia batted first and scored 284 runs (Albert Trott 85 not out) before England were bowled out for 65 and 72 on a wicket affected by heavy rain. Opening the bowling in the first innings, Harry Trott dismissed Archie MacLaren, Johnny Briggs and Stoddart.

Albert was born in 1873 and was a test cricketer for both Australia and England. He was named as one of the Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year in 1899. He is believed to be the only batsman to have struck a ball over the top of the Lord’s Pavilion. He is also one of only two players to take two hat tricks in the same first-class innings. Despite his notoriety, having played in 375 first class matches including five tests, he was almost penniless when he died at the age of 41.

Albert sets sail to play for England

It was in 1896 that Harry had been named captain of the Australian team touring to England. Despite Albert averaging 102.5 with the bat in the test series against England in Australia, he was not selected for the tour. Nonetheless, Albert sailed to England independently in 1896, on the same ship as the Australian touring side.

He started to play for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1896, and with the help of the Australian cricketer and test umpire Jim Phillips, he started to play for Middlesex in 1898. Despite missing a month due to an injured hand, he took 102 wickets in his first season. He was at the peak of his powers as an all-rounder in 1899 and 1900. In 1899 he scored 1175 first-class runs and took 239 wickets, and in 1900 he scored at 1337 runs and took 211 wickets. 

Albert’s bowling action

Albert Trott's penchant for the spectacular did not fail him: having already landed the ball on the pavilion balcony at Lord’s in the match, he became the first (and to this day the only) batsman to hit a ball over the current Lord's pavilion, bludgeoning Monty Noble out of the ground on 31 July 1899. The ball hit a chimney and fell into the garden outside the house of Philip Need, the Lord's dressing room attendant.

Albert was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1899. He took all 10 wickets in an innings (10 for 42) bowling for Middlesex against Somerset at Taunton in 1900.  Albert Trott was widely acknowledged as the finest all-round cricketer of his day.

After retiring from cricket, Trott suffered a lengthy illness. In 1914, he wrote his Will on the back of a laundry ticket, leaving his wardrobe and £4 to his landlady. Shortly afterwards, one day before the 15th anniversary of his famous strike over the pavilion at Lord's, he shot himself in Willesden Green, Middlesex.  He is buried at Willesdon New Cemetery in plot 613P at the expense of Middlesex County Cricket Club.  A headstone was erected in 1994.

At left a sculpture of Albert Trott by Daniel Lucas but we don't know where it is.         

                                                                   At right Albert’s headstone at Willesden New Cemetery

The South African-born English cricketer Jonathan Trott claims to be a distant relation to Harry and Albert Trott but hasn't revealed how as yet.

The Australian team pictured during the summer of 1894–95. Albert is seated in the front row, on the right;
 his older brother Harry is at the far left of the middle row.

When at Lord’s we were privileged to take a tour of the ground and pavilion including the amazing media centre. At the conclusion of the tour a member of staff brought out one of Albert Trott’s cricket bats dated 1895. Our guide, Steven Murray, knew all about the Trotts and their history.

One of Albert’s bats on loan to Lord’s from Wisden’s Museum

The beautiful pavilion, presently being cleaned

The original terra cotta pavilion is a beautiful Victorian structure opened in 1890 after the previous building burnt down. It contains the very famous Long Room, dressing rooms for each team and umpires, committee meeting rooms and dining room. It is steeped in history with pictures of famous cricketers and benefactors hanging proudly.

In the team dressing rooms are honour boards preserved to record the names of cricketers who have either scored a century when playing at Lord’s or captured five wickets in the one innings.

Interestingly some of the world’s best cricketers are not on the honour boards because they did not achieve one of these two milestones at Lord’s. Names not included are Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist,  Brian Lara or Muttiah ­Muralitharan.

Harry Trott’s name on the honour’s board in the visitors’ dressing room at Lord’s

One of the most distinctive and famous features of the Lord's ground is the significant slope across the field. The north-west side of the playing surface is 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 ins) higher than the south-east side. In the photo of the pavilion above you can get some sense of the slope from the line along the front of the white seating and the grassed out field.

The view from the Media Centre

And what’s all the fuss about?

The tiny urn of ashes An ex-perfume bottle!

Acknowledgement to Wikipeadia for some information and some photos used in this Post.

********

Next we visit Cambridge!