London 2018: Museum of London, Globe Theatre, Borough Market

We spent a couple of days wandering around the areas both north and south of the Thames River near Blackfriars Bridge, where we took in sights including the Museum of London, St. Bride’s Church, OXO Tower Wharf, Gabriel’s Wharf, the new Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Borough Market.

The Museum of London maps the social history of London from prehistoric periods as far back as 450,000 BC to modern times.  The building is situated on the location of a part of the London Wall, the original defensive fortification built by the Romans around the 2nd or 3rd century to surround the town of Londonium.  The wall was expanded and maintained up to the Medieval period, after which much of it was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666, further demolished in the 18th century and even further damaged by the Blitz in World War II.  Today what remains from the City Wall is a mixture of Roman, Medieval and Victorian construction including a portion of a tower that was part of a fort.  We approached the museum from above by taking the Bastion Highwalk, part of a series of elevated walkways around central London, and were rewarded with a great view of the ruins.  Roman artifacts in the museum include a portion of a limestone mosaic floor from the 2nd Century depicting a wine cup, and the tombstone of a 3rd century Roman centurion wearing a tunic with a military belt and a cloak draped over one shoulder, while holding a centurion’s staff and a scroll.

The exhibits in the Museum of London take you chronologically through the history of England’s capital city.  One of the highlights of the prehistoric section was the reconstructed head of a 30-40-year-old Neolithic woman from over 5000 years ago, found in Shepperton, about 15 miles south-west of London.  Another relatively well-preserved Roman artifact is the limestone relief carving clearly depicting four goddesses sitting on a bench, holding bread and fruit, a suckling baby, a dog and a basket of fruit.  A popular design for glazed ceramic jugs from the 1300s feature the face and arms of a man who is tugging on his own beard.  We saw a model of the Rose Theatre, built in 1587, which was the first purposely built playhouse to stage a production of a play by William Shakespeare.  This was of particular interest to us since we would also be visiting a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, where the majority of Shakespeare’s plays were performed.  Several paintings and other exhibits depicted the Great Fire of 1666, for which there are multiple theories regarding who was to blame.  One of the most interesting artifacts was the “London Stone”, a historic landmark usually found at 111 Cannon Street, where it marks the centre of London.  The rectangular piece of limestone is temporarily displayed in the Museum of London while construction takes place on Cannon Street.  In addition to its historic significance, the London Stone is known for the pithy tweets coming from its own Twitter account, where its tag line is “The original rock star”.  The first recorded reference to the London Stone occurred around the year 1100.

In the 18th Century, London recovered from the Great Fire and the Great Plague by rebuilding and expanding the city.  Some of the highlights from this section include a beautiful gown worn by the daughter of Sir Crisp Gascoye, mayor of London in 1752, as well as an entire room that recreates the Vauxhall Gardens, a Georgian pleasure garden located on the south bank of the Thames River that included a Rococo Turkish Tent, a Chinese pavilion, walking paths lit by lamps at night, refreshment stands, a concert area, and all sorts of entertainment including musicians, fireworks, tightrope walkers and hot air balloon rides.  Mannequins dressed in the styles of the times appear to stroll along tree-lined paths under star-lit skies.  Two exhibits that were more somber were a heavy iron-clad oak door from the inner courtyard of the Newgate Prison (circa 1780) and a recreation of a debtor’s cell in Wellclose Prison (c.1750) where people were imprisoned until they could repay their debts.  The cell was especially powerful to see, since you could actually walk into the cramped space and read the graffiti and messages scratched into the walls by the prisoners.  An elaborate 2-storied doll house, given by Sir Edward Blackett to his wife Anne (c.1760), includes wallpaper, fabrics, furnishings and art popular for the times, including hand-painted murals of an Italian landscape in the dining room.  The kitchen features a roasting spit over the hearth.

The Victorian age is recreated with a set of winding streets that feature period shops and services commonly found in 19th Century London, including a pawn broker, barber, pharmacy, liquor store, tobacconist, toy shop and more.  Our favourite item in the museum was the stunning bronze Art Deco elevator installed in Selfridges Department Store in 1928.  The outer screens and doors feature figures representing the signs of the Zodiac, while the panels inside the elevators incorporate designs of birds in flight, surrounded by shapes that resembled sun bursts.  Considered the most glamorous department store in London in the 1920s, Selfridges initially employed young women in uniforms to operate the elevators.  These beautiful lifts were removed in the 1970s as escalators became popular.  Also of interest were the 1929 electric sign for the Savoy Hotel’s Grill Restaurant and the lovely 1930s panel from within the lift of the former department store Marshall & Snelgrove which featured Chinoiserie in its design and motifs.  More recent items included the 1964 Beatles dress with the images of each of the Fab Four on it that was worn by an attendant selling programmes at the premiere of the Beatle’s film “The Hard Day’s Night”, and the Volunteer Dress worn at the 2012 Olympics in London, where each face on the dress represented an actual volunteer.

There were a couple of temporary exhibits on display during our visit.  The year 2018 marks the 100th year anniversary since women were first given the right to vote in Britain.  (Canadian women received this right in 1916).  Several large display cases contained memorabilia marking the centenary of the 1918 Act that gave women the right to vote for the first time.  It commemorates the women in the Suffragette movement who campaigned for over 50 years to achieve this right, including their leader, Emmeline Pankhurst, who promoted militant actions and physical confrontations that resulted in jail sentences where the women went on hunger strikes and in some cases were brutally force-fed.  It is sobering to consider what these women endured to gain rights that we take for granted today.  In addition to items such as Pankhurst’s hunger strike medal and a pendant awarded to Emily Willoughby Marshall for her service to the cause, there were also anti-suffrage propaganda posters and postcards.

The second special exhibit dealt with fatberg, defined as a large mass of solid waste in a sewage system, consisting of waste, grease, congealed fat and other non-decomposable items such as wet wipes, diapers and personal hygiene products that were flushed down toilets.  A sewer blockage of over 130 tons, spanning 250 metres was discovered in Whitechapel on September 2017.  It took 9 weeks for people dressed in hazmat suits to remove the toxic monster using jack hammers and shovels.  The museum acquired a sample of the toxic mass for its permanent collection, put it under quarantine and placed a webcam on it so that viewers could watch as the fatberg mutated and changed colour.  The exhibit is meant to educate people on the dangers of careless waste disposal in hopes of changing behaviour in the future, and explained efforts to convert the fatberg into biodiesel fuel.

Located on Fleet Street (once known for the newspaper trade and referenced in the musical Sweeney Todd), the site of the current St. Bride’s Church was home to six previous churches, with the earliest dating back to Roman times, followed versions built by the Middle Saxons and the Normans.  When the Great Fire of 1666 totally destroyed the previous version, the last rendition was designed and built by Christopher Wren in 1672.  The famous tiered spire was added in 1701, bringing the height of the church to 226 feet.  Its unique shape inspired the creation of the first tiered wedding cake in 1703.  Despite the sound of its name, St. Bride was not named in reference to weddings, but rather to Saint Brigid (Bride), Abbess of Kildare, born 453AD.  During WWII, St. Bride’s Church was damaged by German bombs and was not restored/rebuilt for another 17 years.  During that restoration, archaeological digs revealed the foundations of the 6 previous churches as well as a Medieval crypt.

Also located on Fleet St., the Old Bell Tavern is one of the oldest pubs in London, dating back to the 17th Century, and is rumoured to be a frequent haunt of architect Christopher Wren’s stone masons, who were rebuilding St. Bride’s Church after the Great fire.  We were looking for a place to stop for lunch and were enticed by the sign touting “Famous Pie House” with sample offerings including Beef and Red Wine, Chicken Leek & Brie and Pulled Lamb Hot Pot Pie, and then charmed by the beautiful stained glass window that we were able to sit beside.  We started with some breaded white fish bites and then dug into our pot pies, which were each served with mashed potato, glazed Chantenay carrots, seasonal greens and gravy.  Rich chose the Beef & Bone Marrow Pie consisting of tender beef cooked in  rich red wine sauce with baby onions, baked in a puff pastry.  I selected the Chicken and Chorzio Pie that was baked in a pastry case and topped with a chorizo crumb.  Both the food and the ambience were wonderful and we marveled at how much better dining options in London are now in comparison to our first visit in the year 2000.

Continuing further south towards the Thames River and then crossing at Blackfriars Bridge, we admired the beautiful skyline that seemed to surround us, catching sight of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Shard, London Eye, OXO Building and the tall, gleaming, uniquely shaped multi-use building under construction at One Blackfriars located just south of the southern bank of the Thames.  We walked quickly through Gabriel’s Wharf, a long quay that has been redeveloped to house cafes, bar, and restaurants with outdoor patios that face the Thames River.  There are also independent shops selling fashions, jewellery, furnishings, décor and artwork.  We paused briefly at the food stall called Pie Minister (pun on Prime Minister) which we heard was good, but being full of pot pie from the Old Bell Pub, we had to pass.

We were headed for OXO Tower Wharf, an 8-storied multi-level complex with shops and galleries on the bottom two floors and the OXO Tower restaurant, bar and brasserie as well as a viewing platform on the top floor.  An adjoining tower features 3 sets of vertically positioned 10-foot high windows on each wall which illuminate at night and happen to look like the symbols “OXO”.  The former owner of the Tower, Liebig’s Extract of Meat Company, sold the “OXO” bouillon cubes and had wanted to be able to advertise its product.  When permission for advertisements was denied, they slyly incorporated their brand into the facades of the tower.  There are many interesting stores in the OXO building selling home décor, jewellery, gifts, knick knacks, rugs, textiles, fashion, ceramics, lighting, and more.  In particular, we wanted to visit Mr. Jones’ Watches, a watch manufacturer that makes unique, fun watch faces and movements that tell time in extremely creative (abet not always functional or easily read) ways.  My favourite watch called “Timewise” features an owl head that rotates to point to the hours while the minutes are marked by a tiny mouse that runs around the edge of the dial.  The “King” (or “Queen) watch requires you to interpret the sum of playing cards to tell the time, while the “Time Traveller” uses 16 iconic landmark buildings to mark the time in different regions around the world.  I was very tempted by these kitschy watches that were definitely more flash than function, but I couldn’t quite justify paying hundreds of pounds for a novelty item that I might soon grow tired of.  Yet they were really cool to look at up close and had the "Timewise" watch come in a ladies' size, I might have caved and gone for it.  Unfortunately (or luckily for my pocket book), it only came in a men's size which was too big for me.

On the south-east side of Blackfriars Bridge can be found the new Shakepeare’s Globe Theatre, built a few hundred feet from the site of the original Elizabethan Globe Theatre playhouse, which was home to actors (also shareholders) of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men’s Acting Troop, including William Shakespeare.  The original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 and ran for 14 years, presenting many of Shakespeare’s plays until the building burnt down in a fire in 1613.  Spearheaded by American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, the new Globe Theatre was completed in 1997 and is as close a recreation of the original as could be gleamed from limited archaeological information.  Each year, Shakespeare’s plays are performed from April 23 (Shakespeare’s birthday) through to October (rain or shine in the semi-covered space), and then used for educational purposes in the other months.  In 2012, to illustrate the worldwide appeal of the works of William Shakespeare, the Globe to Globe Festival invited 37 acting troupes from across the globe to the Globe Theatre to perform Shakespeare plays in their own ethnic languages.  A fascinating photo display documents these performances, which included Coriolanus (Japan), Titus Andronicus (Hong Kong), Cymbaline (South Sudan), All’s Well That Ends Well (India) and As You Like It (Georgia).

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre includes an exhibition space which you can visit at your own pace, that puts William Shakespeare and his plays in context with the his times.  One display in particular lists the creation of each of Shakespeare’s plays across a timeline spanning from 1589 (when he wrote Two Gentlemen of Verona) through 1613 (when he wrote his last works, Henry VIII and Two Noble Kinsmen).  Mapped against this timeline are the significant historic events that happened during this period, including the opening of the Swan (1595) and Globe (1599) theatres, death of Christopher Marlow (1593), the end of the French civil war (1598), and the death of Queen Elizabeth I (1603).  There is a facsimile of Shakespeare’s will (the original is in the National archives) which represents one of the only documents that contains the playwright’s handwriting and signature.  Other exhibits show examples of costumes and musical instruments that might have been used in Shakespeare’s plays through the years.  My favourite item was the “Quoting Shakespeare” poster by English journalist Bernard Levin which highlights the numerous idioms and turns of phrase that are now considered to be part of the common vernacular, that were actually words from Shakespeare’s works.  Such phrases included “play fast and loose” (Love’s Labour Lost), “not budge an inch” (Taming of the Shrew), “It’s Greek to me” (Julius Caesar), “the long and short of it” (Merry Wives of Windsor) and “without rhyme or reason” (Comedy of Errors, As You Like It).  We obviously owe much to Shakespeare and may not even realize that we are quoting him.

On the lower level of the exhibition space, there are many more props on display including a variety of masks, swords, shields, armor, puppets, furniture and a model ship.  There is a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, a printing of his complete works of which about 750 copies were produced.  We saw another copy of this in the British Library.  Rich tried turning the cylindrical wind machine that generated the effect of howling wind in the 2008 production of King Lear.  In several sound booths, you can select to hear some of Shakespeare’s iconic monologues recited by famous actors, including Marlon Brando quoting “Friends, Romans, Countrymen…” from Julius Caesar, and Richard Burton giving the “Saint Crispin’s Day” speech from Henry V.

There is also a guided tour of the performance space of the theatre that leaves every 30 minutes and runs for about 30-40 minutes.  We got to the Globe Theatre as soon as it opened and signed up for the first tour, which was a good thing since later on in the day, there could be rehearsals in progress during which photos of the stage would not be allowed.  On the tour, we learned that the new Globe Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the original Elizabethan theatre.  Accordingly there is not much of a backstage area since in Shakespeare’s day, they did not have scenery, set changes or even dressing rooms. Instead of sets, information about the characters or setting was conveyed via costumes (fur/satin for the rich, rags for the poor), props (holding a lantern signifies nighttime) or speech (“the moon shines bright … ”).   The trumpeter’s gallery sat at the top of the stage, just below the roof and was where trumpeters announced the start of the show. The original theatre seated 3000 people packed onto the backless benches at a cost of 2 pennies per person, as well as standing room on the floor space in front of the stage, which accommodated about 1000 people.  At a cost of 6 pennies, the rich lords would either sit in seats behind the stage (where they could be seen and admired by the audience) or in the gentlemen’s rooms on each side of the stage, which seem to be the only areas where the seats had backs.  There was a trap door in the ceiling that allowed “gods and goddesses” to be lowered onto the stage, as well as another trap door on the stage floor, that allowed creatures to rise from the underworld.  Today, there is reserved seating for 1600 people, giving each person a bit more space and standing room for 700 people at a cost of £5 each.  Because the standing room is in open-air, those patrons have to contend with pigeons, airplane noise and rain since no umbrellas are allowed as they would block the view of the people in the seats.

As we were leaving the Globe Theatre, we spotted two “Poets for Hire” who would write you a short poem on any subject while you wait, for a pay-what-you-can donation.  We watched the poets work for a few minutes but decided against employing them, which we subsequently regretted since it would have been fun to see what type of poem we would receive.  We also caught sight of a stunning view of St. Paul’s Cathedral while looking across Millenium Bridge.  Near by, we found a small quaint house with the plaque indicating that architect Sir Christopher Wren lived here during the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and that in 1502, Catherine of Aragon (Henry VIII’s first wife) took shelter here on her first landing in London.  From the Globe Theatre, it was a short walk to Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, dating back to the 12th Century, although the current buildings in the current location date back to the 1850s.

Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market known for its specialty foods and many restaurants and food stalls. In addition to the usual fruit, vegetable, meat and seafood stalls found in most markets, there were also shops selling huge chunks of truffles (with a big sign inviting you to “Smell Me”), an exotic meat company offering ostrich, kangaroo and wagyu beef burgers, and a slew of cheese shops.  One French cheese shop offered a blue cheese named “Blue Brain” because of its look and consistency, while another had an unpasteurized cow’s cheese with truffles in the centre.  We passed on the “Brain” but did get a slice of the truffle cheese.  However what Rich really wanted was British cheese.  When we inquired about this, we were directed to Neal’s Yard, a cheese shop that specializes in British cheeses.  We picked up a chunk of Rollright, a soft pasteurized cow’s milk cheese with a soft, yolky texture and a washed rind, as well as the Innes log made from raw unpasteurized goat’s milk with a grey, ashy rind.  Before leaving the market, we were starting to feel peckish and wanted a snack.  The stall in front of Applebee’s Restaurant selling cat fish and grilled garlic shrimp wraps for £6 sounded perfect.  Unfortunately the catfish was sold out, so we settled for the garlic shrimp wrap, which was still good and sated our hunger enough so that we could make it to dinner time.