Thank you to everyone for comments yesterday and apologies for not replying, too much tennis watching/reading is my poor excuse.
I could make chutney with the excess courgettes, and Col would have enjoyed it, but I would be giving it all away because I only like my three favourites that I make (Red Tomato and Pepper Relish, Mango and Pepper plus Sweet Onion chutney). I have made pesto with walnuts when we had a walnut tree back at the smallholding but they wouldn't go well in the Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne I make using Pine Nuts. Also thank you to anon who said my photos of the veg growing in the garden meant I certainly wasn't 'mouldering away in my bungalow' - that made me smile!
The
Speaker at the Over 60's meeting last week told us all about the history of
London Bridge. He had been an engineer and draughtsman before retirement
and had become fascinated by the construction of the Bridge and had
done the most incredible drawings of how the bridge looked when it was
covered with houses and even a church.
The first bridge there was built by the Romans as it was the only place with some solid ground on each side, as most of the Thames flows through mud.
The Medieval bridge was only 20 feet wide with 12 feet in the middle for the carts to pass, leaving just 4 feet each side for the shops and businesses to be built. The ground floor was only 4 feet but the next storey was wider - hanging out over the side and the next storey even wider again. He'd made a small model of a little bit of bridge with a small house to show how the
houses balanced on the edge of the bridge.
The bridge was built and
funded even now by
Bridge House Estates Charity
possible the longest running charity in the world, they made their
money from the rents for the businesses and shops on the bridge.
He
told us no drawings or paintings of the medieval bridge are to be found
in this country so almost everything that is known comes from
historical written records and drawings done by Dutch Architects who
came here to see it. There is even a London Bridge Museum in The
Netherlands.
He suggested we go online and have a look at this below which is a model of the bridge that can be seen in St Magnus the Martyr Church on the North Bank of the bridge. Or even better- go and look at it for real.
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Photo From the London Walking Tours Website
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The
'London Bridge is Falling Down' nursery rhyme comes from the time when
the bridge was given away to the wife of a king (Henry 3rd??) who took
all the income from the shops and businesses on the bridge and spent
nothing on repairs.
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Photo of newest London Bridge in the 1920s blended into one now, from internet
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It was a fascinating talk and made me want to borrow a book he suggested by Patricia Pierce.
There is much more on WIKI
Back Tomorrow
Sue
You wouldn't think a bridge could be so fascinating. The Medieval version with the houses built out over the sides must have been a marvel of engineering until woodworm got to work! It reminded me rather of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, although that bridge is wider.
ReplyDeleteOne of those meetings that didn't sound awfully interesting but turned out to be a really good presentation
DeleteI love the legend of John Chapman, the Pedlar of Swaffham. He dreamt that if he went to London Bridge he would hear good news. He left Norfolk and walked almost 100 miles. On the bridge he met a man who told him he would find treasure in his own garden. So he walked home again - and sure enough, dug up the treasure. The bridge is a fascinating part of our history.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good story and something that wasn't mentioned by the speaker
DeleteA trip to London would make a really nice jolly. xx
ReplyDeleteBeen to London once - never going again!! (been a couple of times actually but that was enough)
DeleteKnow exactly what you mean as a general rule and I'd never go in school holidays. xx
DeleteThat is fascinating, the model looks like it's worth a trip to see on it's own. Wasn't London Bridge the one that was sold to the American business man who thought he was buying Tower Bridge?
ReplyDeleteHe mentioned that, but said that the businessman knew exactly what he was buying but made a joke about Tower Bridge and the story stuck
DeleteWhat an interesting talk, I was really intrigued to hear about what the nursery rhyme meant. Also, the model of how the bridge looked originally and the fact about the mud and firm ground.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could remember which Queen it was that wasted all the income from the bridge - should have made notes!
DeleteWell, that's interesting, Sue, and had me googling all about it!
ReplyDeleteIt was good to find out about something I knew nothing about
DeleteWhat an interesting history to London Bridge. Your community hosts some great informative talks. I've never heard of a bridge with two stories including shops and houses. The bridge is an early day engineering marvel with architectural beauty as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky that I can go to all these different groups and learn new things
DeleteThat is interesting, I really must see about joining some more groups next week.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy both WI's but feel out of place at the Over 60's as most are over 80 and have been going for years so I only go if there is a speaker.
DeleteLondon remains very special
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I am sure that a few of your readers, like me, have seen the old London bridge now rebuilt in Arizona.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about the houses with the expanding stories.
ReplyDeleteMy Mum worked from home for an electronics company, she had her own coil winding machine in the corner of the dining room and her test equipment and she made the strain gauges that went in the new london bridge xcx
ReplyDelete