this a a biggie central london thread w/ some historic info links along the way - from 4/07:

 

 

first up -- looking in on the somerset house grounds (1776-96)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_House

 

looking back at the entrance

 

 

courtald art at somerset -- some famous manet’s for ya

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtauld_Institute_of_Art

 

 

she's the queen

 

back outside, somerset house details

 

 

moving on, st. martin-in-the-fields, trafalgar square

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martin-in-the-Fields

 

for dicken’s fans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Curiosity_Shop

 

 

the london charterhouse (founded 1371)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Charterhouse

 

 

 

 

 

charterhouse square

 

 

 

 

 

 

the mammoth smithfield clerkenwald neighborhood market (1866-88)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithfield%2C_London

 

 

 

 

 

my destination, london’s most revolutionary restaurant, st. john – lunch break!

chef fergus henderson upped the game on local british food

http://www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk/

 

 

stilton, market bread, quince paste & unpastuerized butter

 

roasted marrow, sea salt and parsley

 

around the market

 

 

 

st john’s gate, clerkenwell (1504)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John's_Gate

 

 

modern business in the gate building (as in nyc, the market nabe is gentrifying)

 

moving on, this is “the golden boy of pye corner”

it’s where the great fire of 1666 stopped

there is a saying that “the great fire began in pudding lane and ended in pie corner”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Boy_of_Pye_Corner

 

 

st. bartholemew’s hospital across the street (founded 1123)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Bartholomew's_Hospital

 

in front of st. sepulcre-without-newgate church (1450)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Sepulchre-without-Newgate

 

across holburn street is london central criminal court aka "the old bailey"

it dates from 1539, but also includes some roman newgate wall, dome is 1907

(note how justice is not blindfolded in england)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Bailey

 

 

 

the biggie in london -- st. paul’s cathedral

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul's_Cathedral

 

 

 

 

st. paul’s redeveloped paternoster square

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster_Square

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley

 

 

 

they used to say a true cockney lives within the sound of the bells

used to….who could hear anything w/ all the construction around here?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary-le-Bow

 

john smith went to church here before leaving for jamestown, virginia

 

bow lane

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary_Aldermary

 

 

more roman era london – this is "the temple of mithras" (mid-3rd century, moved)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Mithras,_London

 

 

coming up is the central financial district aka bank (the 2nd is now docklands)

 

 

 

 

st stephen walbrook (1672-80, dates to 7th century)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Stephen_Walbrook

 

 

the royal exchange (1844, dates to 1565)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Exchange_%28London%29

 

 

leadenhall market

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadenhall_Market

 

 

 

 

 

st. micheal’s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Michael,_Cornhill

 

 

lloyd’s of london

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd's_of_London

 

 

 

 

last but not least…30 st. mary’s axe aka the swiss re tower aka “the gherkin”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe

 

 

 

 

you keep’em coming london!

 

*** whew! coming up someday is genteel western London ***

 

uh, so how was the roasted marrow ?

Leadenhall Market has an excellent washroom.

uh, so how was the roasted marrow ?

 

like butta. seriously. you scoop it out and paste it on your toast w/ some salt and fresh parsley. delicious. it was all the rage in ny restaurants last year so i had to try it from the chef who first popularized it. henderson's nose to tail is one of my fav books (anthony bourdain's too). i got to have a pint and chat with him afterward, it was the highlight of my trip.

 

Leadenhall Market has an excellent washroom.

 

yeah, and speaking of food i got a tasty breakfast sandwich of egg and bacon at a little diner there that morning (funny what they call bacon we would call ham).

Very nice...I'm a sucker for new mixed with old.