Tuesday 31st July
Quiet morning at home, bit overcast and some light rain.
Directly into Westminster on Jubilee line about 11 am, troop of Horse Guards
walking gently down Whitehall, as they do, coffee in
the café in basement of the Methodist Central Hall, which is just across the square from the Abbey and a
very ornate building for Methodists. It’s a Grade 2 listed building where they
had some of their very good 20th century art collection on display
which deserves another look some time,
Then to 12.30 pm Communion service in the nave in Westminster
Abbey, attended by about 50 people with tourists wandering around the edges. Quiet and gentle daily service in middle of
busy part of London.
Then walked further down Buckingham Gate to another church,
Westminster Chapel, where they were having a display on the history of
Christianity in Britain and London in particular, part of the whole cultural
festival going on in London ( we just missed a lunchtime concert by the
Grenadier Guards Wind Quintet !!) They were offering free coffee to anyone
walking in, had just had lunchtime live music, an art history lecture and a big
screen showing Olympics live This is
a non-conformist chapel from 1864. Very interesting building and long history of
social activism in the area. Have a look at www.westministerchapel.org.uk
Then Tube to Farringdon and walked up to Hatton Garden where
we spent an interesting 1/2 hr at the Imperial Pearl Company
( www.imperialpearlcompany.co.uk)
arranging for Lyndsay’s Hong Kong Pearls to be restrung and have new catch
fitted. Family business, oldest pearl
merchants in GB, founded in 1840, have own Pearl farm in Japan and supply all
the big retailers, workshop on site, shop is long and narrow –I could almost
touch walls either side with outstretched arms, have to enter through small
vestibule where inner door doesn’t unlock until outer door locked, somewhat
eccentric owner, very knowledgeable, helpful and entertaining. Will be done by
Friday.
Back over to Leicester Square, remains of picnic lunch in
the square, then an hour spent in National Gallery till closing time at 6 pm (I
had my Swiss Army pocket knife removed for duration of visit so I didn’t slash
any old masters !). Interesting Titian Exhibition on at the moment and we will
return for a whole day soon. Then off to the Odeon in Patton Street by 6.15 pm,
only theatre in London showing a film we wanted to see, “The Angel Share” a Ken
Loach film, recommended by Rob who had just seen it in Film Festival in
Auckland. Very good Scottish movie about
whiskey, OK as long as you can understand the rather broad accents.
Walked back to Tube through London’s China Town and home by
about 9.30 pm.
Just a comment on public transport-dire predictions of
packed trains and gridlock but so far our experience has been very positive,
sometimes seems surreal when sitting in
half empty carriage.
Plus restaurants in West End have been grizzling about all
the business going to Stratford but large crowds there tonight.
No comments:
Post a Comment