Open Hooooooouse 2015 #7

I got some new batteries and took myself off to Strada for lunch (seafood pasta, obviously) and checked my plans for the afternoon. I next went off to Stationers’ Hall, which was hidden away off Ave Maria Lane. I didn’t stay too long, as the building was quite small and it was very crowded, but the highlight was actually the garden, which has a whacking great London Plane in the middle of it.

The main part of the hall was built in the 1670s after the previous hall was burnt down in the great fire in 1666, and some of it was restored in the 1950s after bomb damage.

Also I got a cloth bag, which is always nice. 

From there I headed up to Drapers’ Hall (attempting 6 Bevis Marks next to the Gherkin, but the queues were unsurprisingly massive), which was another building much bigger than the entrance would suggest (because most of it is hidden back off Throgmorton Street) which had some incredibly ornate interiors. Gold leaf all over the shop.

Drapers' Hall has been on its current site since 1543 but it has been rebuilt twice in that time, and some of the current building dates from the second half of the 19th century. I could narrow it down more than that but then we'd be here all day. Let's not even talk about the number of architects who've worked on the building.

Open Hoooooouse 2015 #6

After Merton Abbey I headed back into town, going to Guildhall. I have been to Guildhall Art Gallery numerous times (and it is great, you should go) and I love the Guildhall complex, but I’d never been in there. I’m not 100% sure if it is open to the public at any point other than Open House as the website doesn’t make it clear (though I did find out that on their location page they include directions for if you’re coming in by air, which is a new one), but if they do have an Open Day of any sort, it really is worth going. 

The current Guildhall complex was built in the 1440s, though the site has been a monument to city wealth and privilege since the 12th century. 

Turns out Guildhall is huge. A lot of it is underground, but the whole building is so impressive and spacious – it’s very odd, considering how well I know the area, I would never have guessed it looked like this.

NB my camera batteries died halfway through this so I had to switch to my phone so apologies for the drop in quality. 

Tree Trail

I decided my pictures were good enough to post, although I did just go through them going 'that's a tree, that's a tree, so's that...'. Basically what I'm saying is that it's a good idea to do this walk with someone who knows about trees. I have enthusiasm for trees and plants but nooooo idea what I'm looking at, so I went out with my stepmum this morning :-).

The tree trail was developed for the City of London Festival, a series of free events/things that is now mostly over, sadly. Still, it will be around next year and if you download the map for the tree trail you can do it whenever.

http://www.colf.org/whats-on/704-tree-trail

There are a few different trails to choose from on the map - Lesley and I went for the 2-mile walk, and for some reason we started near the end and worked backwards (it made sense at the time, I swear), and I've not posted photos of all of them as some of them really do just look like...trees.

I am not very good at this nature stuff.

ANYWAY, the first place we went was Cleary Gardens, which I recommend at any time because it is a lovely little oasis in the middle of a lot of very big buildings. It's off Queen Victoria Street, and I should probably do a whole separate entry for it. The tree here is a Swamp Cypress, apparently.

 

(the little house in this picture is an insect habitat)

There are Elms on Queen Victoria Street:

Gingko Bilobas on the footpath up to St Paul's Cathedral:

A tulip tree (apparently) outside the Old Bailey:

A fig tree at West Smithfield Rotunda Garden:

(you can just about see some figs in the second picture)

A huuuuuuge Sweet Gum outside St Paul's Cathedral:

And a London Plane just off Cheapside (also huuuuuge):