Pocket Park Walk (2) Barbican to St Paul's

The Charterhouse

After the heatwave it was rather a shock to have a cool day. I had to put my cardi on! The second walk in this Pocket Park series covered some of the ground from last week but not too much, and this one was concentrating on former graveyards that have been made into parks.

I arrived rather early so did a little exploring beforehand and found myself by The Charterhouse. I didn't have time to go in (another for the list perhaps) and just took a few photos. I then joined the group of walkers and we set off, first visiting St Bartholomew the Great. (Again no time to go in, but I realised that I had lunch in there with a friend a few years ago!). We were told that the graveyards are higher than the church entrances due to the amount of bodies buried there. Back in the day they were just piled on top of one another and the stench was awful. Finally they were closed and not allowed to be used for many years and never again for graves. The Victorians transformed them into pocket parks and they are still being maintained. Office workers and walkers, people just needing a quite break away from busy London streets take advantage of these parks. Some are really tiny, others bigger where two or three former graveyards have been combined.

We walked to Smithfield and saw the spot where many people were executed - hung, draw and quartered or burnt to death. Nice. There is a new statue there called Peace. While we were there it seemed to be the spot for gardeners and workers in orange jackets to take their break. It was a sea of orange.

I'm afraid I can't remember the names or locations of many of the parks - there were so many. I believe there are something 140 pocket parks in London (but don't quote me on that!).  We did visit one really small park which was sadly lacking but it is due to be renovated. It dates back to the 1700's.

Some parks are also the result of war-time bombing and the churches were never rebuilt. Like the one near Farringdon where the square frames with plants in them are placed where the pillars of the church would have been and the planting corresponds to the seating.

There was another church with a Watch House, near to where the Great Fire of London ended. This tower was where someone kept an eye on the graveyard to make sure bodies were not being stolen. In those days bodies were hard to get hold of for doctors to use and aid learning. That's where The Resurrection Men came in. They stole the bodies and took them to a room over a pub where the doctors would come. Later things got worse as the The Resurrection Men took to killing to feed the need for dead bodies!

Church with Watch House

This shows Christ's Hospital School (moved from Horsham in Sussex) down the years

(near Farringdon)

The Printer (left) the editor (middle) office boy (right)

Our walk ended in the gardens of St Paul's which is a combination of three graveyards. Several people from our group had by then left to try to view of the RAF Fly Pass due at 1pm. I headed towards the Millennium Bridge but with time running out and the crowds I stayed in a different part of St Paul's garden. I've never seen so many people congregating in the surrounding streets, on the roofs of buildings and in the gardens. We had the added advantage of hearing a group of  school children scream delight just before the planes flew over. So every time a new lot arrived we were ready. The screams came and everyone raised their phones, tablets and cameras to the skies. It was quite amusing. It was great to be part of it, even though the skies were a grey background.

After it was over I walked over the Bridge to the south side of the river and as I was close by I decided to get some photos of the house I read about in The House by the Thames by Gillian Tindall, which I reviewed some weeks back. I even saw the alleyway that marks the spot of the former pub called The Cardinal's Cap/Hat. So a successful day all round.

There are places I would like to return to and take my time over,  visit some of the churches and explore other areas nearby. That's the good thing about these walks - it opens your eyes to different parts of London. I love the city, and I feel its history all around me when I'm there.

The architect Norman Foster had to design the back of this building around the tree
in this park!

Bubbles on the Southbank

The steps by the Hayward Gallery have their own micro gardens!