Museum of London in London

This was the first time I had visited this museum and won't be the last. Located now near the Barbican, the museum will eventually expand and move to the old Smithfield market in the year 2021.

Entrance to the museum is free. There are free guided tours of certain areas of the museum. I did not get there early enough to obtain a ticket. You must collect the ticket on site. It is not announced ahead of time online which parts of the museum will be featured on the tour (and each tour covers a different area). You have to find out when you get there. Be prepared to go through a quick security check with a bag scanner as you enter the building.

I started out in the "pre-London" part of the museum, meaning before London was established as a city. If you are really into old tools, weapons and skeletons, this is the place for you. The focus was on settlements that popped up near the Thames River and inland. Remains of an old settlement in "Shepperton" were found with buried skeletons and tools.

A woman's skeletal remains was found buried there.

In the early days people were buried in the river or in earthen pits or mounds. Like other ancient civilizations their possessions were buried with them. This photo shows pots and tools that accompanied them.

Sacrifices were made to the supernatural after death by way of giving up a person's possessions at death.

Here are some old cremation vessels.

There was mention of Queen Boudica's revolt around 60 AD. I was not familiar with it. Boudica was queen of a British Celtic tribe. She and her sisters were promised that they would jointly be in charge of the kingdom along with the Roman emperor when their father died. That did not happen. The Romans took over. The queen lead a revolt and destroyed many of the Roman settlements in Britain, including Londinium (London). The Romans eventually caught up with the queen and her troops and defeated them. The queen either killed herself or died of illness. They are not sure.

Around that same time (60 AD) a settlement developed along the Thames. This was London. The picture below shows development on both sides of the river with the north bank (on the left) being more developed than the south (on the right).

A fire around 60 AD destroyed that settlement. A second settlement there followed. Here is a picture of London from around 120 AD. Notice more development here on both sides of the river.

The north bank is on the right. Note the bridge connecting the banks. It was wooden and built near the present day London Bridge. Warehouses were built on both banks. Trading with other countries was expanding. The British exported oysters, hunting dogs, lead, wool clothes and slaves to Rome. In return they received the skills and services of Romans who came there. One trade route took advantage of the Rhine River waterway. The sea route around France and Spain could be dangerous due to poor weather. 

In one of the rooms there was a video playing about the buried remains of a Roman amphitheater in London. The remains are in the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery and you can go see them for free.

All sorts of barbaric "entertainment" happened there.

On the north bank of London (and inland) a civic center was built around 70 AD. A "forum" was built that contained markets, shops and offices. A "basilica" or town hall was built. London was getting organized.

Roman bath houses (both public and private) existed on the north and south banks. A private one at Billingsgate can still be visited. There are tours. 

A fort was built around 90 AD. It housed the governor's guard and 1,000 soldiers (civil servants). The fort was built into a Roman wall that encircled the city of London. There were gates and towers in the wall. From the Museum of London you can see part of the western wall of the fort out the window.

The fort stayed active until around 120 AD. This is what is left of it.

For a while Britain separated from the Roman Empire and was part of the independent Gallic Empire from 259-74 AD. Other territories in that empire were Germania, Gaul and Hispania. After that period the Romans came back. I must confess that I am not very knowledgeable about early British history, so I must read up on it.

An interesting part of the Roman period of Britain's history is depicted in a section on daily life. A poster about food caught my attention.

The floors of homes during this time were often mosaics. Here is a dining room from around 300 AD.

Their heating system in homes was ingenious. The floors were raised. Hot air was blown underneath the floor and came up the walls through tubes. The hot air was released into the room that way.

A new wall was built around London between 240-360 AD. More towers were built. Sculptured stones were often "recycled" and used in construction of this new wall. An example is a sculpture of 4 Mother goddesses that was re-used as building material for the wall near Blackfriars.

As you can imagine there were many religious influences in London throughout its early history. Roman gods of course come to mind. Traveling soldiers and merchants brought with them the mystic gods of Asia and Egypt. Christianity became "official" around 312 AD.

Once again Britain broke ties with the Roman Empire from 286-96 AD. They wanted more independence, less oppression etc. (Some say it sounds like an ancient Brexit!) The Romans forcefully came back and destroyed many public buildings as punishment for this rebellion. 

It is about this time in Britain's history that I quit. I was saturated with too many facts. Next up for me are the medieval, Victorian and "modern" sections of the museum. Plan to spend several days here if you want to see most of the museum. It is time well spent.

There is another branch of this museum called the Museum of the Docklands (in London). It deals with the maritime history of London. I did not make it there. I imagine it is very good. 

Fulham Football Club (FFC) match - London

While in London I went to a football match at Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC. They were playing Cardiff City. Both teams are part of the Champions League, a step below the Premier League. Currently Fulham is ranked #2 out of 24 in the league. 

The team is owned by the owner of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, Shahid Khan. A major sponsor of Fulham FC is visitflorida.com. One of the reasons I did not think about buying a team jersey was all the advertising on it. If it weren't for the small FFC patch sewn on the front, you'd think it was an American team. 

The team's mascot is Billy the badger.

Here are some photos inside the stadium.

The opposition- Cardiff City

The match itself was fun. Many families attended. It got loud in there at times. The Cardiff fan section was very vocal throughout the match. The main complaint I heard about Fulham was the lack of a good striker (forward). They really need a goal scorer. At one point near the end of the match Fulham was down 1-2. They had multiple opportunities to score and just could not get the ball across the goal line. Finally the ball was tapped in to make the final score a 2-2 draw. 

The outside of the stadium is a nice brick facade.

One of Fulham's most exciting players was Johnny Haynes (b. 1934 d. 2005). He played there for 18 years as a forward. He also represented England on the national team for many years. His statue is featured prominently outside.

Getting to Cravens Cottage Stadium was easy. I took the District line subway and got off at Putney Bridge. From there you walk about .7 miles, mostly through Bishop's Park, to the stadium. It was a little confusing which way to go upon exiting the tube station, but later on there were signs pointing your way. The stadium is very near the Thames River and in the flight path of an airport.

I recommend attending a match. It was a friendly atmosphere and the staff on duty were very helpful.

Wilton's Music Hall in London

I stumbled upon this old music hall in the east end of London thanks to a documentary on BBC TV. It is the world's oldest surviving music hall. The TV program featured its history and restoration. I would not have known about this treasure otherwise.

Location in Graces Alley, the hall could be easily overlooked. It stands in a row of residential buildings. 

This place was first known for its pub called "The Prince of Denmark". The earliest owner of this pub was in charge from 1730-49. Information I have obtained from a booklet about the history of this place suggests that the pub existed til 1812 under that Prince of Denmark name. Later it was also known as "The King of Denmark" and "The Mahogany Bar". This was the first pub to install a mahogany bar and it set the style for later British pubs.

Later on under the guidance of proprietor John Wilton (from 1850-1868) the focus of this building switched from pub drunkeness to classy entertainment. A small music hall was built in 1853 behind the "Prince of Denmark" pub. In 1859 he built a larger music hall across the back of 4 houses he bought in Graces Alley. The music halls were always under scrutiny every year to make sure that the building was up to code (had fire exits) and provided the appropriate entertainment for its type of license. (There were licenses for theaters, music halls and concert rooms. Each license had strict rules for providing a specific type of entertainment.)

The music hall had a number of owners after Mr. Wilton up until 1881 when it ceased to provide entertainment. In 1877 a fire destroyed much of the building. It was repaired and reopened in 1878. The building was abandoned in 1881 and it is not clear what if anything happened there between 1881-8.

A group of Wesylan Methodists purchased the hall in 1888 and made it into a mission center. It lasted until 1956. The Methodists sold the building to the Coppermill Rag Warehouse in 1957. This business recycled dress manufacturers "seconds" into wiping cloths for ships' engines. 

The building was also used to shelter families during the Blitz, provide meeting spaces for striking dock workers and those opposed to the fascist movement in Britain.

Here is a poster showing significant dates in the hall's history.

In the mid 1960s the London County Council planned some new development in the area around the music hall. The council was persuaded to save the building from demolition. From 1972-1997 serious efforts were made to raise money to restore the hall. Some repairs were made after that, but money ran out. Fortunately the hall received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to make further repairs. The repairs have been described as "conservative", meaning that they wanted to retain the look of the building from 1859. The first phase of restoration started in 2012. During the time of repairs shows were still happening in the hall. Repairs and shows are still ongoing simultaneously. 

I attended a free concert in the Mahogany Bar featuring a local jazz group called "Daj Dook". They play music that is influenced by the 1930s style of Django Reinhart. They call it "gypsy jazz" - a modern fusion of swing and gypsy music. The four players (on violin, guitars and double bass) are an international bunch - British, Iranian/Irish, French and Argentinean. I really enjoyed the upbeat rhythm of the music. It is very lively and virtuostic. You can check them out at www.dajdook.com or on their Facebook page. There are links to video clips here and on YouTube. 

At this concert I was sitting by a lady who was a regular at Wilton's and seemed to know a fair amount about the history of the place. During intermission she kindly offered to show me around. Unfortunately the main music hall was locked, but I got a peek at the upstairs. Right now those upstairs rooms are an extension of the bar. There are tables and chairs set up to relax and sip on your drink. The setting is bare on purpose. The idea is to restore the rooms so they are functional. Apparently these rooms were once dwellings as seen by the various hearths in the rooms. In doing some research I found out that #s 1-4 Graces Alley had upstairs apartments that were rented out for many years.

Here is a photo of the entrance.

Here is a photo of the Mahogany Bar where the concert took place. The musicians found their corner of the room to set up.

I discovered there was a show going on later that week in the music hall's main room, so I jumped at that opportunity. The British touring opera company "Opera Della Luna" was presenting two 1 act operettas by Offenbach. These are rarely performed and were recently translated into English by the artistic director of the company. This is comic opera at its best - over the top humor. The shows were " Croquefer or the Last of the Paladins" and "The Isle of Tulipatan". They feature 5 characters in both operettas. The same 5 people appeared in both shows. The acting and singing were top notch. The band of musicians were relegated to the corner. The music reminded me very much of the music found in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Apparently Offenbach was familiar with their operettas.

I was not allowed to take pictures in the main hall. However, it can be described thus. The stage has 2 performing platforms. The room is rectangular. The balcony is on 3 sides of the room and is supported by twisted pillars. The chairs on the main floor are moveable, creating a flexible space. On the walls in the upper level you can see remnants of paintings. The hall has an expansive feel. The ceiling is quite high and the space is bare. 

More information on the opera company is at www.operadellaluna.org

I would highly recommend a visit to Wilton's for a show in the bar and the main hall. Occasionally they do offer tours. I was not there at the right time for that. 

I picked up an informative booklet on the history of the hall and houses at the music hall. It is by Carole Zeidman, researcher and historian at Wilton's. She is the expert there.

East London - Brick Lane area

I wanted to spend an afternoon revisiting one of my favorite areas of London, namely the east end.

I had to check out the place on Brick Lane where I had a channa roll last summer. It is like an egg roll filled with channa masala. The shop is near Fournier Street and Brick Lane. It has a different name now than last year. From this picture you will see that it is now called "Arzu".

Here is the channa roll (with a bite already taken out of it).

On to my next food stop for a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. I intended to head for "Beigel Bake" on Brick Lane. Instead I ended up in the "Beigel Shop" by accident. It is a few doors down from "Beigel Bake". Oops! The bagel (plain) was firm and had substance (unlike some I've had that are lighter). It was tasty. Later in the afternoon I ended up in the intended bagel shop, "Beigel Bake". I was not going to come all that way and miss out on one of their bagels. I ordered the same kind of bagel. It was also tasty and firm. I could not make out any big differences in the bagel. Both were good.

Here is the "Beigel Bake" bagel.

The "Beigel Bake" shop seems to get all the hype, but I think both shops had tasty bagels and similar menus.

As I approached the intersection of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green I decided to go by my favorite cat café, Lady Dinah's. It was a block down on the right on Bethnal Green. I was disappointed they did not still have the tall cat tower in the window. Instead there were a few low cubby holes for the cats and a curtain blocking part of the window. I couldn't see the cats very well that were hanging out by the window. This is the best shot I was able to take.

A beautiful, sleepy calico cat. I had not made a reservation for tea there and they were booked for the day. The idea is you make a reservation for a particular 1 1/2 hour time slot and then you can hang out with the cats there. You can order tea and snacks if you want. Next time I will think ahead more and reserve a spot.

I wandered down one of the many side streets off of Brick Lane and saw rows of old brick homes with big shuttered windows on the ground level. These were formerly weavers' workshops and homes built in the Georgian style architecture. The workshop was typically on the ground floor and the weavers lived upstairs. The silk weaving industry was huge for a time in east London. Mainly the French Huguenots were involved in this business. Here is a photo of a typical weaver's house. Peeking out behind the house is the tower of Christ's Church Spitalfields on Commercial St.

I walked to Christ's Church to get a better view of it and hopefully go inside. No luck getting in. It was all locked up. I am so used to having churches open, but I guess it is only open when events are taking place. Next time I will try to attend a service there so I can see the inside. Here is the outside.

Across from this church is the Spitalfields market. It is a large building full of retail shops. There are a few places to eat inside as well as restaurants in the area.

Near Fournier Street and the eatery "Arzu" is the Brick Lane Jamme Masjid, a Muslim place of worship.

I do not recall there being such a tall tower in front in previous years.

In this area is a lot of street art. I particularly noticed the political commentary this year. It was been quite a year for England with the Brexit vote to leave the EU. I happened to catch part of a tour on street art as I was exploring. This relatively new piece of art (appearing the day after the Brexit vote) shows how many Brits are feeling about the decision to leave the EU.

Notice the extended two fingers. This means "F-U" in England. The style of art is distinctive with the x-ray look. It was accomplished with a spray can. This artist often paints with this x-ray style. If he gets the anatomy wrong, he hears from doctors who correct him. His name is Shok-1.

The other two cartoons deal with well known political figures of the day- Jeremy Corbyn (leader of the Labour Party and the opposition, whose leadership has been questioned), Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. Boris Jòhnson (pro Brexit) was formerly mayor of London and was attempting to become the next Conservative party leader and prime minister after prime minister David Cameron's resignation. He was initially supported in that bid for conservative party leader by Michael Gove. Gove then decided later to throw Johnson under the bus and withdraw his support for Johnson. Instead Gove was going to run for party leader. It all got rather thorny. Here are some reflections on the subjects via street art.

Here is the gate to Banglatown (the name for this heavily Bangladeshi area) as you exit. This is on Brick Lane.

This area has a rich history of cultural diversity with various ethnics groups living here in the past - Jewish, Irish, French, Bangladeshi and more. You can definitely observe the Bangladeshi and Pakistani presence when you walk around and notice the people and ethnic restaurants. It has a different feel than the rest of London. I recommend a visit to this east end of London.

Vocal music at 2016 BBC Proms - Stile Antico with Fretwork and The Sixteen

I attended a concert at Cadogan Hall by the vocal ensemble "Stile Antico" and the viol players of "Fretwork". It was part of the BBC proms chamber music series. Much of the music had the common theme of using Shakespeare texts as lyrics. One of the composers, Robert Johnson, was in fact a contemporary of Shakespeare. He wrote incidental music and songs for Shakespeare's plays such as "The Tempest". His song "Full fathom five" from "The Tempest" was performed here. Other featured composers on the program who used Shakespeare's texts were Thomas Morley (1557-1602), Huw Watkins (b. 1976) and Nico Muhly (b. 1981). The piece "Gentle Sleep" by Muhly stood out for its word painting and close following of the text. A few of the other songs had either biblical or anonymous texts . These were by William Byrd (1540-1623), Thomas Tomkins(1572-1656), Robert Ramsey (d. 1644) and John Wilbye (1574-1638). 

Fretwork either accompanied the singers or played on their own (pieces by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons). Five viols of different sizes were performed as an ensemble. They produced a pleasant, homogeneous sound. I am not sure where they are based. I assume in London. They play early and contemporary music.

Stile Antico is based in London and has 12 singers. They primarily sing music of the Renaissance. They also give premieres of new works. 

Here is a photo of Cadogan Hall where the concert took place. It was previously a church.

At Royal Albert Hall I heard a late night proms concert with the vocal ensemble "The Sixteen", directed by Harry Christophers. They performed motets by Bach and 2 works by Arvo Pärt. 

The contrast in styles was obvious. These works were written 250 years apart with different musical harmonies. The style of writing is opposite. The Bach was often very "busy" with lots of contrapuntal lines whereas the Pärt was very "thin" with a sparse style. The contrast was very obvious to the ear.

The Pärt pieces performed were "Nunc dimittis " (2001) and " Triodion" (1998). The former was a commission by a church in Edinburgh. Pärt had written a Magnificat 12 years earlier in Berlin. Often those 2 texts of Nunc and Magnificat are paired by composers. This time there was a 12 year gap between those compositions. They were not conceived at the same time. The "Triodion" mixed orthodox chant style singing and more contemporary Pärt style writing. It was stunning. It was written in English and was a commission from Lancing College in the UK to mark its 150th anniversary.

I wish groups in the U.S. would sing this!

The most familiar Bach motet "Jesu, meine Freude" took the chorale tune. It was set in many different ways by Bach. You could always hear a hint of the chorale. The texture could get quite thick.

It was beautiful.

For this concert the usual 16 singers was supplemented and made into an ensemble of 34.

This was a very polished performance by a talented group of singers.

2016 BBC Proms and the West Eastern Divan Orchestra

This was the proms concert I had my eye on for the time period I was going to be in London. One of my colleagues in the San Antonio Symphony has played often in this orchestra (however not this year).

He has spoken to me fondly about his experiences with this group. 

Instead of typing out the orchestra's history, I will present you with a copy of their biography from the program.

My colleague said he appreciated the efforts towards dialogue outside of rehearsals. The orchestra would meet, watch a documentary about some aspect of the Middle East and then discuss it. They are all about humanity and co-existence. 

I am not sure why they include some musicians from Spain, other than the fact that the orchestra seems to rehearse now in Spain. I had heard from my friend that they used to rehearse in Argentina and then tour in South America before going on tour in Europe in the summer. With Mr. Barenboim's connections to Argentina (he was born there), it does not surprise me that the orchestra went there. Also the orchestra frequently collaborates with the Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich, a childhood friend of Barenboim.

My friend said the tour is long (4-5 weeks) and grueling. The musicians receive a salary and their expenses are paid (travel, room and most of board). It is just too hard for him to be away from his family for that length of time. He has not played with them for several years.

Last night's sold out concert was magical. The orchestra has played often at the Proms, so this group is known here. Apparently Mr. Barenboim is well loved in London, as he studied here and later conducted here. His marriage to the British cellist Jacqueline du Pré also endeared him to British audiences. No wonder there was thunderous applause for Mr Barenboim all night long.

The orchestra started out with a piece by Jörg Widmann inspired by Beethoven's symphonies #s 7&8.

"Con brio" quoted fragments of melodies and rhythms from these symphonies amongst explorations of sounds on the instruments (tympanist hitting rim of drums, woodwind players blowing into their instruments without producing actual pitches, string players exploring sounds close to the bridge etc.).

At points there was a lot of rhythmic drive to the music. In other places calm and silences prevailed.

It was interesting, but I did not get super excited about the piece.

One of the highlights of the evening was Martha Argerich's playing. She joined the orchestra for Liszt's piano concert #1. She showed the extremes of emotions very well. She plays powerfully when appropriate and delicately when called for. I think she is around 75 years old now. I am fortunate to have heard her live. Everyone was holding their breath to see if she walked out on stage. I heard that she recently cancelled her performance of that piece with this orchestra in Salzburg as she was not feeling well. She is prone to cancel at the last minute (due to illness-cancer- or nerves). She did appear to be a bit frail when walking. She played beautifully. Of course the audience (me included) wanted to hear more from her. After many bows she gave in and played Schubert's Rondo in A for 1 piano 4 hands with Mr. Barenboim beside her. It was a long encore (over 10 minutes long). It was played so delicately that you could have heard a pin drop in the audience.

On the second half of the program the orchestra performed Wagner selections from Tannhäuser, Götterdämmerung and Die Meistersinger. They were masterfully played. Barenboim is a master at balance - bringing to the fore the appropriate melody at the right time. I could tell that the orchestra understood the story behind the music by showing the temperament of the music. At times Barenboim stopped conducting and just pointed to the instrument that took the lead melody. True chamber music.

As encores (yes, more than one!) they played the prelude to act 3 of "Die Meistersinger". It was hauntingly beautiful. The more lively encore was from the opera "Lohengrin" - the famous bit.

The only way the applause ended was when the orchestra walked off the stage. Otherwise we would have kept clapping for more.

Here is a birds eye view of the stage during the bows.

It was really an outstanding concert. If you have a chance to hear these performers, go!

 

Victoria and Albert Museum 2016

I love this museum. Somehow I never thought I would be that interested in fashion and design, as that is often the description given for the contents of the museum. However, the way the pieces of art are presented is appealing. Be prepared for loads of sculptures on the street level floor. The amazing thing is they are presented out in the open and are scattered throughout the rooms. You can get a close up view. I guess they trust that you won't touch them!

I headed straight for the area of Britain from the 1500s through the 1700s. It features the decorative arts in Great Britain and how they are a reflection of society back then. I will show you a few photos of pieces that caught my eye.

Supposedly a virginal commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I and played by her.

An earl's wine cooler with ice from 1719-20. Enormous! I wonder how many bottles fit in there ?

A "fuddling cup" from ca. 1630-40. Basically 3 connected cups to be filled with alcohol. The cups are joined inside by holes so you end up drinking from one cup but the contents of 3 cups is drunk by the person. It is a practical joke! BTW back then "befuddled"=drunk.

A painting based on Holbein's painting of Sir Thomas More, his family and friends. This artist added a few more generations of the More family to the painting. By Rowland Lockey of London.

A chair that has been "japanned" or has Asian features. The Orient was all the rage. It has the exotic look, though made locally. Interesting that it shows Chinese influences despite the technique referring to Japan.

A silk gown made in east London, Spitalfields area - known for its silk weaving industry.  This was made ca. 1744 and adjusted in 1780.

Finally the Royal oak tree at Boscobel House shown in a plaque honoring Charles II after he regained the throne (after the battle of Worcester that he lost). Charles II went into hiding and ended up staying 1 day up in this tree with a supporter to elude the authorities after he lost that battle of Worcester.

His triumphant return to power as king was celebrated in this piece of art. Apparently you can go visit the Boscobel House and see a descendant of the original tree on the grounds.

During this span of 1500s-1700s the Brits and their arts were influenced by foreign countries. Between 1600-1710 prints from the continent influenced designs on British ceramics and embroidery.  The Indies and Asia were trading partners with Britain. The Brits picked up on design ideas from them (ie. the Japanned furniture, designs on ceramics). Foreign potters and glass makers from the continent came to Britain and imitated the designs of expensive imports on their ceramics. They could sell these ceramics cheaper than importing ceramics. Furniture became more functional and decorative at the same time. Upholstery was an art. The noble families were always trying to make the entertaining rooms in their houses the fanciest rooms of their estate. They were very aware of the latest fashions.

An odd piece in this British section is the "bed of Ware". It was very big for beds those days (big enough for 4 small couples!). It was built around 1590 and was intended as a tourist attraction at an inn in Ware, Hertfordshire - outside of London. 

Another famous piece in the museum is the Drake jewel, given to Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I in thanks for his success fighting against the Spanish Armada. One part of it is a portrait of the Queen with a Phoenix below her. Another part has 2 cameo silhouettes (side view) of the Queen and an African gentleman.  I do not know much about this jewel, but it is famous.

Upstairs in the museum the section on Britain continues from the 1700s onwards. Next time I will take a look there.

If you get hungry and want to sit down, there are 2 nice cafes (in the garden and indoors) with tasty looking food, cakes and teas.

This is one of many free museums in London. It is big. I highly recommend going over several days.