The Tower of London is known for many mysteries – the most famous, perhaps, being the fate of the two ‘Princes in the Tower’. But among the other mysterious deaths which took place behind the closed doors of the fortress is the death of the deposed King Henry VI.
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10 London mysteries – 3. Where is Boudicca buried?
The location of Queen Boudicca’s grave has remained a mystery for almost 2,000 years and, dare we say it (yes, thinking of you, King Richard III), is likely to remain so.
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10 London mysteries – 2. Who was Jimmy Garlick?
This week we look at a mysterious mummified figure who was “discovered” in the vaults beneath the floor of St James Garlickhythe in the 1850s.
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10 London mysteries – 1. The murder of Robert Pakington…
London’s rich layers of history has left its fair share of mysteries and in this series we’re going to take a look at 10, some well-known and others, such as this first one, less so…
First up, it’s a 500-year-old murder mystery. The victim was Robert Pakington, an MP and prominent member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, who is often said to be the first victim to be murdered with a handgun.
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10 towers with a history in London – A recap…
10 towers with a history in London – 10. The ‘Lollard’s Tower’, Lambeth Palace…
This 15th century tower can be found at the north-west corner of Lambeth Palace, London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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10 towers with a history in London – 9. The Queen’s Tower, Imperial College London…
This free-standing, 287 foot-high tower is a survivor – it’s all that remains of the Imperial Institute.
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10 towers with a history in London – 8. The Bell Tower…
We return to the Tower of London this week to look at the history of another of its storied towers.
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10 towers with a history in London – 7. Tower of the former Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth…
Part of the deconsecrated Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth – now the home of the Garden Museum, is a tower which was first built in the 14th century.
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10 towers with a history in London – 6. Westminster Cathedral campanile…
A well-known landmark in Westminster, the distinctive striped brick and stone campanile of Westminster Cathedral stands 284 feet or 64 metres high.
Building of a Roman Catholic cathedral in Westminster – what would be the largest in England and Wales – was the vision of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan. Construction started in 1895 and was complete eight years later. The campanile was the final part of the building’s structure to be completed.
Conscious that the Gothic Westminster Abbey only a short distance away, architect John Francis Bentley instead designed the cathedral in a neo-Byzantine style and the plans originally included two campanili or bell towers which may have been influenced by those in Venice (it was Cardinal Vaughn who famously said one campanile would be enough for him resulting in just one being built).
The 30 foot square dome-topped tower, like the rest of the building, was constructed of stripes of red brick and Portland stone which reflected existing residential buildings nearby.
Formally known as St Edward’s Tower, it contains the 55cwt St Edward’s Bell (named after St Edward the Confessor) which was a gift of Gwendoline, the Duchess of Norfolk, in 1910. It was cast at the Whitechapel Foundry and bears the inscription, “While the sound of this bell travels through the clouds, may the bands of angels pray for those assembled in thy church. St Edward, pray for England.”
Carved stone eagles surround the apex of the tower – a reference to St John the Evangelist (apparently patron saint of the architect) and the cross on top of the cupola is said to contain a fragment of the True Cross discovered by the Empress Helena in 326 AD.
The campanile famously appears at the end of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 thriller, Foreign Correspondent, in a scene in which the bad guy is thrown from the top.
The campanile, which has a lift to the top, is open to the public. Viewing balconies on all four sides of the tower provide 360 degree views of the surrounding city including over the stunning domes of the cathedral itself.
WHERE: The Campanile, Westminster Cathedral (nearest Tube stations are Victoria and St James’s Park); WHEN: 11am to 3:30pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; COST; £6 adults; £12 families (two adults and up to four children); £3 concessions (aged 60+); WEBSITE: https://westminstercathedral.org.uk/tower-viewing-gallery-reopens/
10 towers with a history in London – 5. St Augustine’s Tower, Hackney…
This tower – said to be the oldest building in Hackney – is all that remains of a 16th century church and, as a local symbol, appears on the London Borough of Hackney’s coat-of-arms.
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10 towers with a history in London – 4. Caledonian Park Clock Tower…
Located in Islington, the Caledonian Park Clock Tower is a local landmark and among all that now remains of the 19th century Metropolitan Cattle Market.
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10 towers with a history in London – 3. Victoria Tower…
Located at the south-western end of the Houses of Parliament, the rather grand Victoria Tower was built as part of Sir Charles Barry’s 19th century redevelopment of the site in the Gothic Perpendicular style.
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10 towers with a history in London – 2. The tower of St Olave, Old Jewry…
This tower is a survivor and was originally part of the rebuilt Church of St Olave, Old Jewry.
The medieval church, which was apparently built on the site of an earlier Saxon church, originally dated from 12th century. Its name referred to both the saint to whom it was dedicated – the patron saint of Norway, St Olaf (Olave) – and its location in the precinct of the City that was largely occupied by Jews (up until the infamous expulsion of 1290).
The church, which is also referred to as Upwell Old Jewry (this may have related to a well in the churchyard), was the burial place of two former Lord Mayors – mercer Robert Large (William Caxton was his apprentice) and publisher John Boydell (who apparently washed his face under the church pump each morning). Boydell’s monument was later transferred to St Margaret Lothbury.
The church was sadly destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 but it was among those rebuilt under the eye of Sir Christopher Wren in the 1670s. It’s from this rebuilding that the current tower dates.
At this time, the parish was united with that of St Martin Pomeroy (which had already shared its churchyard and which was also destroyed in the Great Fire).
Wren’s church was eventually demolished in 1887 as moves took place to consolidate church parishes under the Union of Benefices Act – the parish was united with that of St Margaret Lothbury and proceeds from the sale were used to fund the building of St Olave, Monor House. It’s worth noting that a Roman pavement was found on the site after the church demolition.
The tower (and the west wall), meanwhile, survived. The tower was subsequently turned into a rectory for St Margaret Lothbury and later into offices.
Interestingly, the Grade I-listed, Portland stone tower is said to be the only one built by Wren’s office which is battered – that is, wider at the bottom than the top. It’s topped by some obelisk-shaped pinnacles and a weather vane in the shape of a sailing ship which was taken from St Mildred, Poultry (was demolished in 1872).
The tower’s former clock was built by Moore & Son of Clerkenwell. It was removed at the time of the church demolition was installed in the tower of St Olave’s Hart Street. The current clock was installed in 1972.
10 towers with a history in London – 1. The Bloody Tower…
Carrying rather a gruesome name, this rectangular-shaped tower sits over a gate leading from outer ward into the inner ward in the Tower of London.
The tower, which once controlled the watergate before the outer walls were constructed, was originally known as the Garden Tower due to its location adjoining the Tower Lieutenant’s Garden.
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10 significant (and historic) London trees – A recap…
We’ll kick off a new series next week, but, in the meantime, here’s a recap…
1. Queen Elizabeth’s Oak, Greenwich…
4. The Royal Oak, Richmond Park…
10 significant (and historic) London trees…10. Berkeley Square Plane Tree…
Located in the heart of Mayfair are some of the oldest – and most valuable – plane trees in London.
London plane trees (Platanus × acerifolia) – believed to be a hybrid of the American Sycamore Platanus occidentalis) and the Oriental Plane (Platanus orientalis) – were widely planted across London in the 18th century due to their resistance to pollution.
These grand old trees are believed to have been planted in 1789 by MP Edward Bouverie, who lived at 13 Berkeley Square.
Among the 30 or so plane trees in the Grade II-listed park is one known variously as the ‘Victorian Plane’ or ‘Berkeley Plane’.
It was reportedly assessed under the Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees system in 2008 as being worth $750,000, a price tag which is understood to have made it the most valuable tree in Britain at the time.
The tree was one of the original 41 Great Trees of London.
10 significant (and historic) London trees…9. The Fulham Palace Oak…
Said to be the oldest of its species in the UK (and a contender for the oldest tree in London), this holm oak (Quercus ilex), also known as a holly leaved oak, is believed to be more than 500-years-old.
The site was the home of senior clergy for much longer – Waldhere, the Bishop of London, first bought the site in 704 AD. And over the years, Fulham Palace and its gardens have evolved significantly with some of the current structures dating from Tudor times.
The Bishops of London left the palace in 1973 and it’s now managed under a trust which was established in 2011.
It’s possible this immense evergreen oak, which is native to the Mediterranean region, was among a number planted in the mid-16th century during the tenure of Bishop Edmund Grindal (about 1553 to 1559).
Bishop Grindal is known to have had a keen interest in the garden and who is credited with introducing the tamarisk tree to England and growing grapes which were sent to Queen Elizabeth I.
It’s also possible the tree was planted during the later tenure of Bishop John Aylmer (1576 to 1594).
The oak, which was coppiced many years ago extending its life, is among the original 41 trees awarded “Great Tree” status in 1988.
WHERE: Fulham Palace Gardens, Bishop’s Avenue, Fulham (nearest Tube station is Putney Bridge); WHEN: 10.30am – 5pm daily; COST: Free; WEBSITE: https://www.fulhampalace.org
10 significant (and historic) London trees…8. The Old Lions…
Not one but five trees located in Kew Gardens, the “Old Lions” are five of the oldest trees in the garden.
Kew’s first curator, John Smith, is credited with first using the term to describe the trees.
They include a Japanese pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonicum) which was planted in 1762 after having been brought back to London from China by London nurseryman James Gorden.
There’s also the oldest of the maidenhair trees (Ginkgo biloba) in the garden, one of several grown by Gorden in 1758. Originally planted in the Duke of Argyll’s Garden at Whitton, it was transferred to Kew in 1762 following his death by his nephew Lord Bute, and is thought to be one of the first of its species to be grown in the country.
The Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis), located next to the Orangery, also apparently come from Whitton, brought to Kew in 1762, while the Caucasian elm (Zelkova carpinifolia) was planted in 1760 and is the only survivor of a group of three, the other two lost in storms in 1987 and 1990.
The last of the five trees is a Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) tree, also known as the false acacia tree. It was planted in the gardens in 1762 and was also transplanted from the Duke of Argyll’s Garden at Whitton.
WHERE: Kew Gardens (nearest Tube station is Kew Gardens); WHEN: 10am to 7pm (see website for seasonal changes); COST: From £20 for adults; from £18 concessions; from £9 young person (16 to 29 years); from £5 for children (4 to 15 years); see website for ticket categories WEBSITE: www.kew.org.
10 significant (and historic) London trees…7. D-Day Tree…
Nations, including the UK, have just marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy at a range of locations in France and England. But did you know London has its own “D-Day tree”?
The tree, a Ginkgo biloba or Maidenhair tree, is located outside number 22 in Grosvenor Square in Mayfair (on the corner with Upper Brooks Street). It was planted in 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
As well as the tree itself, the landings are commemorated with plaques around the base which provide the date of the landings and its code-name, Operation Overlord.
The location apparently relates to 20 Grosvenor Square being, for a time, the headquarters of Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force launched on D-Day. There’s a plaque on the building commemorating his tenure.
In fact, the number of Americans working in the square – at locations including the US Embassy – led to it being known colloquially as ‘Eisenhower Platz’).
The tree was planted by the City of Westminster.
Note: There seems to be some conflicting information, not the least on a plaque in Bushy Park about Eisenhower’s connections with Grosvenor Square and Norfolk House in St James’s Square. We’ll be investigating further to clarify.
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