London Off the Beaten Path Tips by planxty

Those of you who have seen the film "Braveheart" will know the story of William Wallace, or at least the Mel Gibson / Hollywood version of it. This is obviously not the place to be getting into discussion about either the justice or otherwise of his cause, or even the historical liberties taken by scriptwriters in search of a good yarn, so I'll refrain. What is not in doubt is the place and manner of his death.

At a spot in what is now West Smithfield, near the site of the present St. Barts hospital, Wallace faced the executioner on 23/08/1305. A memorial was erected here to mark the 700th anniversary of his death in 2005.

apparently the Gaelic inscription on the bottom of the tablet means "Death and Victory".

Note to patriotic Scots - the flowers could do with replacing!

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Website: http://thecapitalscot.com/scotplaces/London/london.html

I remember about fifteen years ago, Spitalfields market in the early hours of the morning. A vast area of fruit and vegetable warehouses selling every imaginable thing from all corners of the globe. The streets, never designed for such beasts, were gridlocked by articulated lorries from all over Europe and the "ladies of the night" cruised to satisfy the baser urges of the drivers so far from home.

Chaotic and interesting as it was, it really couldn't continue, and the market moved to a suburb in Leyton in 1991. The beautiful building (completed in 1893) remained, however, and what to do with it?

With a foresight not normally associated with planners in London, Spitalfields has now re-invented itself as a great market for all kinds of things, not merely fruit and veg.

It is well worth a visit , especially on a Sunday (the busiest day) when you can buy anything from Greek Orthodox religious icons through second hand books and rare records to very fine organic sausages!

I thoroughly recommend it.

It is situated in Commercial Street E1 and the nearest tubes (underground / metro) are Liverpool Strret and Aldgate East (about equidistant). It is open Mon-Fri 11am-3pm & Sun 9.30am-5.30pm.

It is right opposite the Ten Bells public house (see seperate off the beaten track page) and a mere five minutes walk from Petticoat lane market (see tourist trap page) and right in Jack the Ripper country, so you can combine a couple of things in this very historic area.

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Website: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/templates/services/services-detail.cfm?sid=2091

Just about every visitor to London will visit the Tower of London and / or Tower Bridge, and rightly so, they are fantastic sights. Just a short walk from both of these is St. Katharine's Dock.

There is a wealth of history attached to the place, which is fully explored on the attached website. Basically, for many years it was one of the most important docks for the thriving port of London.

Nowadays it has been remodelled into a very attractive marina with shops, restaurants and bars, including one on a boat.

There are three distinct basins and in the Western one there a few good examples of the old Thames barges which used to ply their trade on the Thames (see picture in my London album).

In summer, the place is full of boats, although there are craft moored there all year round. My picture was taken in mid January.

The Dickens Inn (seen in the background of my photo) is a pleasant , if expensive, place for a drink or a bite to eat.

Before the area was excavated to make way for the docks, there was a thriving community here serving the needs of the Tower, including a hospital and a chapel. When the docks were redeveloped, a small chapel was constructed on the site of the original one. To my great annoyance it is now - a Starbucks coffee shop!

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Phone: 0207 264 5312
Website: http://www.skdocks.co.uk/

If you look round hard enough in London there are still quite a few of these public water fountains about. They were initially placed by philanthropists (in this case, Samuel Gurney M.P.) or public bodies to provide drinking water for the weary traveller. I particularly like this one, which is situated in Holborn in the City of London, as it still has the cups attached.

I'm not so sure if you'd get anything out of it now, though.

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I spotted this piece of street sculpture, which I'm sure is quite a recent piece, as i don't remember it until quite recently. It represents one of the city types who frequent the stock markets buying and selling, and I found it very reminiscent of the quirky street sculptures found in Bratislava.

Should you wish to have a look it is situated at the South end of Walbrook , near the junction with Cannon Street in the City of London.

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This rather quaint item is a City of London police telephone box. In days past, when most households didn't have a telephone, members of the public could use this to contact the local police station. Also, policemen ("bobbies" or "coppers" in local parlance) used them to call in to the station before they had radios. This particular example is in Queen Victoria Street.

Incidentally, did you know that "bobbies" are so-called because they were founded by Sir Robert (Bobbie) Peel? For the same reason, they are known as "peelers" in Northern Ireland.

Nowadays, they are not actually operational, and in emergency you should dial 999.

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Phone: 999 perhaps?

The picture shows a large mural on the gable of a house in Cable Street, London E1, which was completed in 1993 (I remember it being done!)

The mural commemorates the "Battle of Cable Street" in 1936. Sir Oswald Moseley and his Blackshirts planned a march through the East End. Moseley and co. were fascists sympathetic to Hitler, and the East End at that time was predominantly a Jewish and working class area. Local people incluidng dockers and Trades Unionists confronted the marchers, with the police in the middle, and a pitched battle ensued. The march, however, was prevented.

The mural is on the house beside the disused Brittania pub in Cable Street between Cannon Street Road and Dellow Street.

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Amongst the many superb museums in London, there is one that is perhaps less visited, but is really worth a look. It is the museum of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers of London and, as you mght expect, details the history of clock and watch making since the 16th century.

Although relatively small (it is all housed in one room) it is jam packed with fascinating exhibits, some of which are extremely beautiful.

It is situated within the Guildhall in Aldermanbury EC2. Just ask at the main desk and the helpful staff will direct you.

You should also have a look at the small display from the Worshipful Company of Playing Card Makers just outside the door of the clock museum. I must admit, I didn't even know there was such a Guild until I visited.

Allow about one hour to see it .

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Phone: 0207 332 1868
Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/libraries_archives_museums_galleries/clock_museum.htm

In the long history of the British Army, there have been some strange units, to say the least, but the monument pictured stands as memorial to one of the more unusual. It is a fairly small statue in Embankment Gardens (nearest tube Embankment, obviously) which commemorates the Camel Corps.

Although there had been a short-lived Camel Corps in the 1880's, it had been long since disbanded when another was raised in 1915 due, undoubtedly, to the First world War. A quick look at the Regimental website shows it rose to four battalions including one company (number 7, 2nd Battalion) recruited from Scots regiments. I have a strange mental vision of large, kilted red-haired Scotsmen sitting astride camels and hurtling across the desert.

As the second picture shows, they only served for three years actively before being finally disbanded in 1919. I wonder are there any surviving members.

In an area completely awash with military statuary, it's worth a look.

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Website: http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/camel.htm

I must say, I really love wandering about old cemeteries, and this one is a classic. It is very unusual in that it has never apparently been consecrated. This led to it's being the last resting place of many Dissenters, Quakers and others who were not in favour with the established Church. It was much favoured by Puritans and a couple of members of the Cromwell family are buired there.

There appears to be a disproportionate amount of literary people amongst the 120,000 souls buried there. There are the graves of, or monuments to, Daniel Defoe (of Robinson Crusoe fame, John Bunyan (Pilgrim's Progress) and William Blake the poet.

Another interesting grave, in the open area, is that of Dame Mary Page, who apparently was "tap'd" 68 times in the last 67 months of her life resulting in the removal of 240 gallons of water! I have no idea what medical procedure this was, nor do I really wish to know.

The last interment there was of a 15 year old girl in 1834 after which the place was set aside as a park and recreation area. I love to go for a walk here.

Although most of the graves are behind fences, you can access them by arrangement with the park-keeper or by telephoning the number given.

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Phone: 0207 374 4127
Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/living_environment/open_spaces/bunhill.htm