The City of London: Wandering and Wondering
After sellout of the first edition published twelve years ago we delightfully now offer a new second edition of Jerry Dowlen's book that celebrates his favourite City of London historical, literary and architectural gems.
This new second edition contains updates from the original book (2013) and with extra material added too.
We show below a small sample of the many superb colour illustrations that you can find in this attractive and informative book, and the stories that go with them.
Price £4.95 on sale at the Croft Tea Room or available via post from [email protected]
After sellout of the first edition published twelve years ago we delightfully now offer a new second edition of Jerry Dowlen's book that celebrates his favourite City of London historical, literary and architectural gems.
This new second edition contains updates from the original book (2013) and with extra material added too.
We show below a small sample of the many superb colour illustrations that you can find in this attractive and informative book, and the stories that go with them.
Price £4.95 on sale at the Croft Tea Room or available via post from [email protected]
The City of London financial district at night
A stunning photograph of the City of London financial district at night (January 2024) featuring on left the C.U. Building a.k.a. St Helens of 1969 and on left the distinctive 30 St Mary Axe of 2004 commonly known as The Gherkin.
In the foreground is St Andrews Undershaft one of the many old and richly historic churches that also lend distinction to the City of London skyline. In the City of London according to the artist and sculptor Rachel Whiteread one can celebrate and be fascinated by the juxtaposition of the old and the new
Standing on this specific corner of Leadenhall Street and St Mary Axe in 2016 Alan Franks of the Guardian newspaper wrote: 'The view encapsulates the enforced proximity of violently different times and worlds: the old sanctities of faith and and the towering proximity of wealth.'
Photo credit: Tia Hollyer.
A stunning photograph of the City of London financial district at night (January 2024) featuring on left the C.U. Building a.k.a. St Helens of 1969 and on left the distinctive 30 St Mary Axe of 2004 commonly known as The Gherkin.
In the foreground is St Andrews Undershaft one of the many old and richly historic churches that also lend distinction to the City of London skyline. In the City of London according to the artist and sculptor Rachel Whiteread one can celebrate and be fascinated by the juxtaposition of the old and the new
Standing on this specific corner of Leadenhall Street and St Mary Axe in 2016 Alan Franks of the Guardian newspaper wrote: 'The view encapsulates the enforced proximity of violently different times and worlds: the old sanctities of faith and and the towering proximity of wealth.'
Photo credit: Tia Hollyer.
'A Playground for Mad Architects'?
Can we agree with the veteran author and journalist Hunter Davies that the modern-day skyline of the City of London financial district resembles 'A playground for mad architects'?
Alan Franks has written of 'Two distinctly different scales: the little old ones of alleys with relentless right-angles, gentlemen's outfitters and coffee shops; and a vast new one sculpting wild shapes in the heavens.' He has concluded: They seem to be so far apart that they are not even in competition.’
Can we agree with the veteran author and journalist Hunter Davies that the modern-day skyline of the City of London financial district resembles 'A playground for mad architects'?
Alan Franks has written of 'Two distinctly different scales: the little old ones of alleys with relentless right-angles, gentlemen's outfitters and coffee shops; and a vast new one sculpting wild shapes in the heavens.' He has concluded: They seem to be so far apart that they are not even in competition.’
How Does Your Garden Grow? Cleary Gardens in the City of London, Queen Victoria Street EC4
We take it for granted, don't we that our public parks and gardens are filled always with neatly-manicured lawns and colourful flowers and shrubs that make our borough look nice? We depend on it that our borough gardeners have applied their expertise to the choosing, planting and maintaining of horticultural treats that span the alphabet from agapanthus to zephyranthus.
But how do they cope in the square mile of the City of London where the density of skyscraper buildings reduces the light while the streets throb with constant traffic on weekdays? One of the biggest demands on them is that in public consultation about gardens and open spaces, experience shows that people always ask for grass because they love to sit on it. That is especially important when lunch hour workers spill out from the office buildings on good weather days.
Amongst the more than one hundred Livery Companies in the City of London the Worshipful Company of Gardeners can certainly take credit for its work that preserves and enhances precious areas of cultivated green space such as Cleary Gardens [Photo] named after the worthy Fred Cleary (1905 - 1984) a tireless campaigner for the City of London to keep and increase open space in the City.
We take it for granted, don't we that our public parks and gardens are filled always with neatly-manicured lawns and colourful flowers and shrubs that make our borough look nice? We depend on it that our borough gardeners have applied their expertise to the choosing, planting and maintaining of horticultural treats that span the alphabet from agapanthus to zephyranthus.
But how do they cope in the square mile of the City of London where the density of skyscraper buildings reduces the light while the streets throb with constant traffic on weekdays? One of the biggest demands on them is that in public consultation about gardens and open spaces, experience shows that people always ask for grass because they love to sit on it. That is especially important when lunch hour workers spill out from the office buildings on good weather days.
Amongst the more than one hundred Livery Companies in the City of London the Worshipful Company of Gardeners can certainly take credit for its work that preserves and enhances precious areas of cultivated green space such as Cleary Gardens [Photo] named after the worthy Fred Cleary (1905 - 1984) a tireless campaigner for the City of London to keep and increase open space in the City.