So I woke in plenty of time, and headed out early. Catching my bus was a bit unnerving, as it happened to be leaving from Farringdon Road, where roadworks meant diversions some weeks back, when my bus never came and I was late for my event! TFL, of course, was unsympathetic - apparently they had some web page where it was mentioned (although not the route map page). Same blasted bus today, too. And, of course, the roadworks were still there.. well, I located the temporary stop (quite a ways from the original) and checked my Bus Countdown app, which said it was due shortly. And hallelujah, there it was!
Alighting on the south bank, I headed for The Boot & Flogger, where we were to meet. Hey, it's the pub right across from Crossbones Graveyard! Nobody there - but I was quite early. I hadn't eaten before coming out, so I nipped in to see whether they could accommodate me - sure enough, a packet of quite spicy sweet chilli crisps was produced by a very friendly bar staff. Lovely, dark-wooded decor in there, as well - I'd love to come back some time.
And so, back outside, where I ate the crisps, and even found a bin for the wrapper. In between blowing my nose - this blasted cold is taking forever to clear, and the day wasn't as warm as I'd hoped! Anyhoo, I'd done all that, and it was getting close to time, when the guide popped up behind me. Anthony, with a hat.. ah jeez, that brings back fond memories! No, this wasn't the Man with the Hat though - another man entirely, with a hat similar to one I had, years ago. So we chatted, and discovered we live in the same borough, and were rabbiting away when the others arrived - a Romanian couple. And - that was pretty much it - apart from a mudlarker, apparently a friend of the guide's, who arrived last, at which point we began.
Just as we were setting off, we ran into, of all things, the Southwark's Saucy Secrets tour! Gosh, I was on the same one myself, some months back. Turns out the guides know each other, and indeed are both on the same Blue Badge Guide course. Well, ain't London a small place after all! Now, as for saucy - ours was the "family friendly" tour, but as there were no kids along today, he did let us in on some of the more salacious secrets of the neighbourhood.
A former director of the Museum of London, he imparted a lot of history.. I was intrigued by the former names of the backstreets of Southwark (before the Victorians made them more respectable, naming them after Dickens characters, for goodness' sake!), and jealous of Winchester cottages, apparently inhabited by London's firefighters - quite sensibly. It was at around this time that the guide took a bomb out of his bag.. no, literally, he had an old incendiary bomb, part of the casing removed so we could see the innards! You don't get that on every tour.
More photos here. Not content with the bomb, he had, of course, brought along his friend - who had a treasure trove to show us in a plastic box, things he'd found while mudlarking.. pity the weather took that moment to pour rain upon us! With me sniffling and coughing away, the guide kept asking me whether I wanted a pair of gloves, or a bodywarmer - no, I was ok, although I could have done with both, to be honest! Meantime, we were examining bits of a mediaeval knight's armour..
Truly, a unique feature of this walk was the mudlarking aspect. Anyway, by now we were by the Globe, and a house where Sir Christopher Wren apparently stayed. And Catherine of Aragon sheltered on her first night in England. Probably not in this exact residence, however, considering it was built in 1710!
A choice, then - Victorians or earlier. The unanimous vote was for earlier - and we ended up at the Clink, and at the palace of the Bishops of Winchester. And thus we ended, with an enthusiastic round of applause, and wended our ways home - the guide on the same bus as me, as it happened! Excellent walk - the mudlarking, and the bomb, particular highlights.
Glad to be in for the night, so early! Tomorrow, London European Club is headed to Monologue Slam, an actors' showcase at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East.
On Tuesday, Up in the Cheap Seats is at Sadler's Wells for a performance by Ballet British Colombia.
On Wednesday, Let's Do This is off to a jazz evening at Two Temple Place. Beautiful venue - should be a lovely evening.
On Thursday, Walking Victorian London is running a walk around Il Quartiere - Tales from Italian Clerkenwell. Excellent - I've had my eye on that for a while.
On Friday, Helen's in town, so we're headed for lunch, somewhere TBD. In the evening, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 12th, London Dramatic Arts is at Caroline, or Change, at Hampstead Theatre. As usual, too expensive for me, and I got my own ticket, at about half the price. She's only going with one unnamed guest - maybe she won't go at all!
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