Romans, Pancakes, Clocks - East London Not Dull

While Westminster and the western half of London have more than their fair share of big-name tourist attractions, there are plenty of smaller ones (and some big ones) for visitors to enjoy in the east. This journal includes several “local” attractions that I have enjoyed on my way to or from work, or at lunchtime. They usually do not demand much time, but are accessible and interesting. I am often the only visitor, and this is a relaxing way to quietly enjoy some intriguing exhibits.

Roman London was located in modern-day eastern London, so this is clearly the place to see Roman ruins in situ. The Roman amphitheatre at the Guildhall Art Gallery has only recently been open to the public (2003) and is well-worth a visit. Similarly, with the City of London being the city’s traditional centre of commerce, the Guildhall is a good place to learn more about the ancient trade guilds. The Clockmakers’ Museum at the Guildhall offers a good introduction to the clockmakers’ art, and to the importance of the guild to the city and to the trade.

St John’s Gate houses the museum of the Order of St. John – like the Clockmakers’ Museum, it is small and friendly. It is also a good place to learn a bit about the crusades and the modern-day links between the Order of St John and Jerusalem. Nearby, the wonderful old Jerusalem Tavern has long-standing links with St John’s Gate and it too is certainly well-worth a visit (and an ale or two).

Outdoors, walking along the pedestrianised south bank of the Thames towards the Millennium footbridge and St Paul’s cathedral offers great views across the river and is a great way to relax. Far less relaxing are the annual Shoreditch Shrove Tuesday pancake races. Lots of noise and local interest there.

All of these highlights are local, and best visited if you are already in the area or if you have a particular interest in their specific field. None of them are particularly spectacular, but they do provide an accessible insight into how the city ticks. I have enjoyed them all.

Quick Tips:

Most visitors to London spend most of their time in western London and many eastern London visitor attractions still keep “business hours” (ie. closed on Sundays). Sunday closing applies to almost all of the establishments discussed in this journal, with the Jerusalem Tavern also closed on Saturdays.

The Clockmakers’ Museum and St John’s Gate are small and might be closed occasionally when they would normally be open. The Guildhall Art Gallery is also occasionally closed for special events. If you are making a special journey to visit them, it is worth calling ahead to confirm that they will be open when you get there.

All of the museums in this journal have small souvenir shops. None have in situ eating. However, there are plenty of local pubs and restaurants, and a combined visit to St. John’s Gate and the Jerusalem Tavern is highly recommended.

The Roman amphitheatre is part of the Guildhall Art Gallery. This has quite an extensive collection of paintings and temporary exhibitions (Russian photography on the day I was there). Its facilities are excellent and it also caters to younger visitors with small tables and chairs and coloured pencils and paper. It is also the one gallery in this journal that is open all week.

As their name suggests, the Shoreditch Shrove Tuesday pancake races only take place once a year. This year, they were scheduled to start at 12:30 and the races were all run by 1pm. While it is not necessary to get there early to get a good vantage point, don’t arrive too late or you will miss everything except the pancake-eating.

Except for the Guildhall Art Gallery, entrance to all the exhibits is free at all times (but restricted to the ground floor of St John’s Gate). On Friday, and every afternoon after 3:30pm, Guildhall Art Gallery entry is free. It is possible to take guided tours (GBP4) of the upper rooms at St John’s Gate, and there are also regular tours of the Guildhall Art Gallery (included in the admission cost).

Best Way To Get Around:

While getting around London is best done on foot, this can get tiring after a few hours dodging umbrellas or avoiding pavement repairs. The bus is a good option if you have time and want to have a bit of a view—it is definitely worth heading upstairs for this. London Underground is the quickest way of getting from A to B—particularly if you are going further than a couple of stops. Remember that some underground stations are huge (Bank station being a notorious example) and you might end up doing a lot of walking between platforms underground.

London Transport runs the buses and Underground. Its website—www.tfl.gov.uk—is helpful and includes ticketing options and journey planners.

Having walked past the Clockmaker’s Museum at the City of London Guildhall many times over the years, I finally went inside to see what I might be missing. It turned out that my fifteen minutes there was perfectly timed, and indeed time well-spent.

The Clockmaker’s Museum is well-signposted in the Guildhall – by following the signs past a couple of security checks I managed to avoid gate-crashing a traffic-planning meeting and a farewell lunch in the rooms between the main entrance and the museum. The museum itself is small and full of interesting clocks – lots of ticking and tocking and, shortly after my ten-to-twelve arrival, plenty of chiming and cogs whirring. Noon is definitely the time to be there.

The museum’s exhibits are beautifully-presented and clearly-annotated. There is plenty of intricate craftsmanship to be seen, and the skill on display is quite impressive. I am not a clock expert, but I did enjoy some of the annotations (clearly aimed at more-knowledgeable people than me). There is the nautical deck-watch with its silver case. Flat spiral balance spring with stud on a flexible arm an interesting feature. I also appreciated the “Verge escapement worm and wheel regulator” of a smaller clock.

The historical context of London clockmaking is also interesting. My favourite exhibit is of the clock taken by William Parry on the ship “Hecla” during his failed attempt to reach the North Pole in 1827. I also liked a small presentation of watch keys – in the shape of “two pistols, a skull, a horse’s hoof, a fox mask, a pomegranate, a hand, and an eagle”.

The museum is open from 9:30am to 4:45pm, Monday to Saturday. Impressively, it is also closed “briefly from time to time for re-winding”. I enjoyed my short visit, and would recommend the museum to passers-by, or to anyone with some interest in clocks and clockmaking.

Starting at the southern end of Waterloo Bridge, I like to walk along the south bank of the Thames towards the Tate Modern and St Paul’s Cathedral. Particularly in the early morning, and particularly when the tide is in and light rain is falling, it is fun to remember that London was once the grand capital of a huge trading empire. There are plenty of impressive buildings along the river bank and still the occasional barge on the water.

At Waterloo Bridge, looking east I can see Blackfriars Bridge and the Natwest Tower floodlit downstream. Heading towards them, I pass in front of the National Theatre and through the blue-and-silver forest of small trees in front. On the river, I can see small groups of cormorants, with their long necks snaking forwards and back. Occasional flights of ducks pass over the water. It is quite a relaxing sight – with the birds and the lights reflected in the rain on the water.

Passing under Blackfriars Bridge, there is a great collection of historical drawings describing the life of the bridge – its construction, its grand opening, and its role as a vehicle for commerce. These drawings are copied onto the arches of the bridge, and it is just possible to hear the traffic passing by overhead. Excellent.

Emerging from under the Hungerford railway bridge, just after Blackfriars Bridge, I can see the thin ribbon of light that is the Millennium footbridge. The footbridge links Tate Modern with St Paul's Cathedral, and offers great views of both as I cross. I also get a better look at floodlit Tower Bridge downstream.

At the end of the Millennium footbridge, my traffic-free stroll along the riverbank ends and I am back in the bustle of the city. Particularly when it rains, the walk along the river is a great time to relax, to feel the drizzle on my face, and to watch the patterns of light on the water. I highly recommend it.

I had passed the Jerusalem Tavern on my way to St John’s Gate. I had noticed the interesting pub frontage (suggesting that it had been in existence since “anno1720”), and had carried on down narrow St John’s Passage to St. John’s Gate. At St John’s Gate itself, one exhibit had been devoted to the Jerusalem Tavern, and it had noted that the exhibition room itself was once a back room of the tavern. This all intrigued me, so back to the tavern I went. I am glad I did.

The Jerusalem Tavern is a wonderful place. Three small rooms, with a small fire in the grate, wooden floors, and a cozy bar. No video games, no piped music, and no big-name beers on sale. Apart from a couple of Bitburger lager taps, all of its beers (a range of six or seven ales) come from the St Peter’s brewery in Suffolk. Apparently it is the only London pub to sell St Peter’s beers, with most of their production going to the US in bottles.

The Tavern is several hundred feet from St John’s Gate, so I was wondering how it could have had a back room where the museum is today. The answer was a little disappointing – the pub has moved several times in the last few-hundred years, and has been at its current location for about the last ten. I could not tell how many of the “props” (stuffed fox, old chairs) came with it from its previous location, but that did not worry me for long. This is definitely one of my favourite London pubs. Very highly recommended.

I didn’t eat, but while I was there someone asked if Yorkshire pudding was on the menu. Apparently they are made under the supervision of the barmaid’s best-friend’s mother. And she is very fastidious about her cooking. And she is from Yorkshire. So there. I’ll have some next time. I did have a Golden Ale and some cashews (GBP3.25 in total), and enjoyed reading the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) newspaper at the bar.

The Jerusalem Tavern is open from 11am to 11pm, Monday to Friday. It is closed on weekends.

Deep in the bowels of the Guildhall Art Gallery are the remains of London’s Roman amphitheatre. Half a kilometre away, in front of the Museum of London on Noble street, are the fairly-extensive remains of the Roman city wall. Both are well-annotated and in reasonable condition.

The Roman Amphitheatre was constructed in AD70, shortly after the Romans arrived in Britain. By the fourth century, it had fallen into disuse and it remained so until a small section of it was discovered in 1988 by workmen excavating land for the Guildhall Art Gallery. It was opened to the public in 2003, and it appears that little expense was spared in making its presentation as interesting and evocative as possible. Visitors enter the darkened amphitheatre space through the same entrance that the gladiators would have used. Life-size pictures of gladiators and spectators are complemented by crowd noises and flickering lights. It is fun, and there are also some good annotation boards to explain what the little bits of rubble and wood on display are (a couple of spectator terraces, and the underground drainage canals).

Down Gresham Street from the Guildhall, a much more extensive section of the Roman city wall (constructed in AD200) is intact and on display. A viewing platform runs along the length of the grassy ditch facing the wall, and it is possible to get a good feel both for its scale and for the skill behind its construction. There are several annotation boards along the way, and I learned that the wall stopped the northward spread of the Great Fire of London in 1666.
To visit the Amphitheatre you need to visit during the Guildhall Art Gallery opening hours (Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, Sunday from noon to 4pm). Entry is GBP2.50 per person, and is free after 3:30pm and all day on Fridays. The Guildhall Art Gallery is occasionally closed for official functions. The Roman wall is open at all hours, and access to the viewing platform is unrestricted.

While not yet on a par with Rio or New Orleans, the Shrove Tuesday pancake races in Shoreditch are a fun local event, and worth experiencing if you are in the neighbourhood on the day.

As far as I know, the Shoreditch Shrove Tuesday pancake races are as close as London gets to the much-hyped extravaganzas of Rio or New Orleans. In addition – unlike their over-the-top cousins – you can enjoy a ringside view of the whole event and it is all over in less than half an hour. And you are unlikely to get sun stroke or a hangover.

The Shoreditch Shrove Tuesday pancake races are contested by teams of four people (preferably in fancy dress) who run up and down a back yard of the old Truman Brewery while flipping pancakes. This year, I managed to get there in time to see the bridal party (bride, groom, and a pair of bishops) make the most of the damp conditions and claim the frying-pan first prize. A couple of hundred spectators were there, and the “local” atmosphere (with plenty of raucous support) added to the fun.

After the races, the pancake van did a roaring trade. My cheese and spinach crepe (GBP4) did the business for me. There are plenty of other restaurants nearby (notably on Brick Lane, famous for its Bengali restaurants) if you are looking for something more substantial.

Unfortunately the Truman Brewery ceased production in the 1980s. However, much of the original architecture (including the beautiful big chimney and several Black Eagle motifs) is still intact and looking good.

St John’s Gate was built in 1504 and marks the entry to the site of the priory run by the Order of the Knights of St John. It now incorporates the museum of the Knights of St John, including a sizeable exhibition of the work of the St John’s Ambulance service.

I visited St John’s Gate at lunchtime on a rainy Thursday. Aside from upstairs guided tours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (at 11am and 2:30pm) visitor access is limited to the three exhibition rooms on the ground floor, but there was plenty to keep me interested for half an hour or so. I was the only visitor, and enjoyed the “friendly” feeling of the museum.

Of the three downstairs exhibition rooms, two are devoted to the history of the Knights of St John. There is a cannon that spent some time in the sea off Malta, a range of medals and porcelain, several impressive documents, and a couple of full-size knights in armour. There is also an interesting (and, I think, refreshingly hard-headed) account of how the Crusaders sacked Jerusalem in 1099 (the Order of St John was founded in Jerusalem “by 1099”). A couple of scale models of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – given to pilgrims in the 17th and 18th centuries – provided the highlight for me. I skipped the history video that was on offer.

The third exhibition room focuses on the work of the St John’s Ambulance. The room is much more modern and up-to-date than the rest of the museum – with computer terminals and co-ordinated displays. It is quite different in tone from the rest of the museum, but also interesting and easy-to-follow. Despite the modern feel to the exhibit, the history is well-presented – I particularly liked an illustrated “Esmarch’s triangular bandage” from the 1870s. Apparently these were introduced to the German army in 1868 and brought to Britain in 1877. Shortly afterwards, Germany adopted the ambulance service that St John’s was already providing in Britain.

St John’s Gate itself was extensively damaged in the Second World War. It has been restored, and now the Maltese cross flies proudly over a little corner of the City of London. I enjoyed my visit – particularly for the friendly atmosphere and the historical and international exhibits. I would recommend a visit to anyone who might be nearby, with the added bonus of being able to visit the upstairs rooms if you join one of the Thursday, Friday, or Saturday guided tours.

The museum is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and from 10am to 4pm on Saturdays. Entrance is free. Guided tours cost GBP4.