Secret Fact
In 1576, against the wishes of the bishop, Elizabeth I commandeered a gatehouse and a significant portion of the palace grounds for her court favourite, Sir Christopher Hatton. The location of a cherry tree in the palace garden marked the new dividing line between land owned by the bishop and the land gifted to Hatton. Elizabeth came to visit Hatton regularly here, and legend has it that they danced the maypole around the cherry tree. A part of the cherry tree is preserved in a glass case in the front bar of the Ye Olde Mitre Tavern.
Location 10: The Temple Bar Memorial
The Golgotha of Fleet Street
(First introduced in The History of Things to Come)
Address: Strand, London, WC2A 2LL
Underground: Holborn (Piccadilly & Central Lines), Chancery Lane (Central Line) & Temple (Circle & District Lines)
On a small traffic island at the western end of Fleet Street stands an imposing statue of a heraldic dragon on the spot where Temple Bar, a stone gate, once stood. This spot marks the official border between Westminster to the west and London to the east. Westminster is governed under a different set of administrative laws from the rest of London, and tradition has it that the ruling King or Queen had to be officially invited by means of a special ceremony enacted at the gate. The mayor of Westminster would present a ceremonial sword to the sovereign, who would then immediately return it back, thus allowing the monarch to pass safely through the gate. Following the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Elizabeth I passed through the gate to the thunderous applause of the celebrating crowds.
Temple Bar has its origins in the late 13th century at a location where a ‘bar’, probably a wooden rod or chain, crossed the road. Temple refers to the Temple area to the south, which served as the headquarters of the Knights Templar in England. Temple Bar was rebuilt several times, most significantly by Christopher Wren in 1672. Wren’s imposing gateway of Portland stone is comprised of a wide central archway flanked by pedestrian arches on either side.
Temple Bar was finally removed from Fleet Street in 1878 to solve serious traffic congestion problems. Each stone of the gate was meticulously numbered, catalogued and re-erected as a gateway at Theobalds Park, the country house of Sir Henry Meux (a wealthy London brewer) near Cheshunt in Hertfordshire.
Over the years, the gate gradually fell into neglect until in 2003 it was brought back to London, restored and rebuilt in Paternoster Square, north of St Paul’s Cathedral. It was unveiled by the Lord Mayor on 10 November 2004.
Secret Fact
Temple Bar had another rather grisly aspect to its design. A row of iron spikes was installed along the top of the gate for the display of the heads of executed traitors. During the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, Temple Bar became colloquially known as ‘Golgotha’ (‘the place of the skull’) by virtue of the number of decapitated heads exhibited there. To extend the gruesome deterrent effect of the display, the heads were boiled in salt to prevent birds from pecking away at their features too quickly.
Location 11: Jerusalem Tavern
‘Time Gentlemen Please’
(First introduced in The History of Things to Come)
Address: 55 Britton Street, London, EC1M 5UQ
Underground: Farringdon (Circle Line, Hammersmith & City Line & Metropolitan Line)
The name Jerusalem Tavern has had a long association with the area of Clerkenwell. The pub has had at least three local incarnations, though the most recent situated on Britton Street has only been a drinking establishment for about twenty years. The first Jerusalem Tavern dates back to the times of the Priory of St John’s, which dominated the surrounding area. Established in the 1140s, the priory was the centre of the Knights Hospitaller in England, and its grounds extended all the way down to the Fleet River.
During the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381, the priory, including the great mansion house, was razed to the ground. An extensive rebuild took place at the start of the 16th century with the addition of a substantial new south gate. The Priory of St John’s was seized by Henry VIII as part of the general appropriation of church property during the reformation of 1540. The priory was closed for good under the reign of Elizabeth I and eventually demolished.
In England, there has often been a close association with large religious premises and the brewing industry. For example, the neighbouring monastery of Charterhouse run by monks of the Carthusian order had four taverns located just outside the monastery walls. The water used to brew beer was supplied from the monastery.
It was with this background that the first Jerusalem Tavern was established close to the priory in the 14th century. The latest version of the pub that stands on Britton Street occupies a former watchmaker’s shop that dates back to 1720. Although the building and interiors are 18th century, 55 Britton Street has only been a pub since 1996. Its atmospheric interior makes it a favourite drinking haunt for many, and crowds often spill out onto the pavement and into the neighbouring alley.
Secret Fact
Once a leading area for watchmaking, Clerkenwell boasted a large number of timepiece manufactures, with several watchmakers in Britton Street alone. By the end of the 18th century, more than 7,000 workmen in the area assembled watches at a prodigious rate. Records show that at the height of the boom, the locality produced over 120,000 watches a year, with over 60% heading for export markets.
Location 12: The Site of the old Priory of St John’s, Clerkenwell
The headquarters of the Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in England
(First introduced in The History of Things to Come)
Address: St John’s Gate, St John’s Lane, London, EC1M 4DA
Underground: Farringdon (Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines)
The area of Clerkenwell has plenty of ancient secrets and will always be connected with the Order of the Hospital of St John Jerusalem. The order, dedicated to St John the Baptist, was founded in 1023 to care for sick pilgrims coming to the Holy Land. After the First Crusade, the organisation transformed itself into a religious-military order. Its crusading knights were backed by Papal Charter and charged with defence of the Holy Land.
In the 1140s, the four-hectare Priory in Clerkenwell was set up as the English headquarters of the order. The priory was officially blessed by Heraclius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, in 1185. The priory church shared a similar ground plan to Temple Church (the headquarters of the Knights Templar in England), with a round nave and small rectangular chancel. Later a tower was added in the north-west corner of the building.
In 1237, the medieval chronicler, Matthew Paris described the departure of a group of London Knights Hospitaller to the Holy Land:
‘They … set out from their house at Clerkenwell, and proceeded in good order, with about thirty shields uncovered, with spears raised, and preceded by their banner, through the midst of the City, towards the bridge, that they might obtain the blessings of the spectators, and, bowing their heads with their cowls lowered, commended themselves to the prayers of all’.
During the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, Walter ‘Wat’ Tyler deliberately targeted the church and set it on fire as he marched to Smithfield to meet the king.
The church was rebuilt and then continued to be used by the order until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. The split from the Catholic Church and the establishment of a new Anglican Church led to the order’s demise in England, with all its lands and wealth seized by the Crown. Unable to stop the closure of the priory, most of the remaining knights relocated to Malta.
Secret Fact
The Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540 resulted in the demolition of many of the priory buildings. One of the surviving structures was the southern gate to the priory grounds. The gate was put to many different uses in the centuries that followed. In the 18th century it was used as a coffee house, and then as a pub. The Old Jerusalem Tavern was a meeting place for artists and writers, such as Charles Dickens. The adjoining buildings served as th
e offices of the Master of the Revels. The function of this court institution was to authorise plays for court performance. Effectively serving as an early version of an official censor, St John’s Gate licensed thirty of Shakespeare’s plays. Today, it is a Museum for the Order of St John and gives visitors a view of the past of St John’s Priory. Very little remains above ground of the once great priory church of St John of Jerusalem, but visitors today can see the outline of the original church marked out in black bricks.
The order enjoyed something of a resurgence in Victorian times, and in 1888, Queen Victoria granted a royal charter to the modern Order of St John in England. Its principal charitable foundations today are the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and St John Ambulance service.
Location 13: St Paul’s Cathedral
‘I build for eternity’ - Christopher Wren
(First introduced in The History of Things to Come)
Address: St Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD
Underground: St Paul’s (Central Line)
Website: www.stpauls.co.uk
St Paul’s Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in England and is in many ways considered the nation’s spiritual centre. Its impressive interior has held witness to many major events throughout England’s history and stands as the masterpiece of genius architect Sir Christopher Wren. From 1710 to 1962, the cathedral held the title for the tallest building in London. It is still considered to have the highest dome in the world. Wren’s iconic church is the fifth cathedral to stand on top of Ludgate Hill in domination over the city. Whilst constructing the foundations, workmen unearthed the remains of a Roman burial site at a depth of 18 feet, supporting the long held tradition that the cathedral was built on the site of an ancient Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Diana.
The first St Paul’s was constructed in AD 604 by Mellitus, Bishop of the East Saxons, with the consent of Ethelbert, King of Kent. It burned down in 675 and was rebuilt soon after. A second wooden construction was destroyed by the Vikings in 962 before a stone replacement was started by the Normans in 1087.
The Norman builders were determined to create a magnificent Christian Cathedral, and the work was finally finished in 1240. Once finished, this cathedral was the third largest in Europe; over 180 metres, or 600 feet in length, with a spire rising 149 metres, or 489 feet high. This towering monument to medieval ingenuity, dedication, and building science has now become known as ‘Old St Paul’s’. Like many religious buildings of the time, it boasted a collection of holy relics, including the arms of Mellitus, some hair from Mary Magdalene, the blood of St Paul, the hand of St John and the jawbone of King Ethelbert. At the top of Ludgate Hill, the medieval cathedral must have commanded the skyline of London.
During a horrendous storm in 1561, the great spire was struck by lightning and caught alight. According to documented accounts, the flames took four hours to burn downwards to the main body of the building. The massive church bells melted, and molten lead poured down to the ground in streams. Eventually the roof fell in. What was left of the spire had to be removed and was never replaced.
The Great Fire of 1666 completed the destruction of the church. Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to build a new St Paul’s. The building that was finally constructed was markedly different from the plans approved by the King. The centrepiece to his remarkable design was a gigantic dome over an octagon, a theme borrowed from Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock.
Whilst excavating the foundations for the cathedral, Wren sent a workman to find a stone in order to mark out the centre spot of the new dome. Picking through the ruins of the old St Paul’s, the workman came across part of a broken tombstone on which was carved the word Resurgam, meaning ‘I shall rise again’. This was interpreted as an extremely good omen and was integrated into the design plans for the exterior of the building. Today the word Resurgam can be seen sculpted beneath a phoenix rising from the flames over the cathedral’s south transept.
Set within the southwest tower is one of the cathedral’s lesser-known gems. Built in 1705, Dean’s Stair, sometimes known as the Geometric Staircase, is a spectacular stone spiral staircase comprising of 88 Portland-stone steps. The staircase follows an ingenious design, with each step supporting the edge of the step above it, rather than the load being taken by the walls. This gives the effect of the steps floating unsupported in the air.
The crypt of St Paul’s is very unusual in that it covers the same floor area as the main body of the cathedral and is consequently the largest crypt in Europe. Wren died 12 years after the completion of his masterpiece and was the first to be buried in its crypt. His tomb is marked by a plain black marble slab. Its inscription reads, ‘Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice’ (‘Reader, if you seek a monument, look around you’).
Yards away from the churchyard of St Paul’s Cathedral is a blue tourist plaque commemorating an event that has gone down in Masonic history. The plaque marks the location of The Goose and Gridiron tavern (also known as The Mitre before the Great Fire). In this hostelry in 1717, four London lodges gathered to launch the world’s first Grand Lodge of organised Freemasonry and elect their first Grand Master, Anthony Sayer (1672-1742).
In a single night during the Blitz of 1940, 28 German bombs landed in the Cathedral grounds; however, St Paul’s survived unscathed, largely thanks to the fire crews who courageously risked their lives to defuse the bombs and put out fires. Sir Winston Churchill (a prominent Freemason) gave the order: “At all costs, St Paul’s must be saved.”
Behind the High Altar, the American Memorial Chapel poignantly commemorates members of the US forces based in Britain who died during the Second World War. It was built as a gesture of gratitude from the people of Britain to its American allies. The American Roll of Honour, containing 28,000 names, was presented to the cathedral in 1951 by General Eisenhower.
Secret Fact
Genius architect Christopher Wren changed the cathedral’s axis by 8 degrees to put it directly in line with the Temple Church (the old headquarters of the Knights Templar in England). Does the cathedral play a significant role in some secret grand scheme that was only known to Christopher Wren?
Location 14: Canonbury Tower
The Tower of Secrets
(First introduced in The Infinite Fire)
Address: Canonbury Place, Islington, Greater London, N1 2NQ
Underground: Highbury and Islington (Victoria Line)
Built on what are claimed to be pre-Roman foundations, this remarkably well-preserved brick tower can be considered to be one of the oldest buildings in Islington. During the reign of King James I, the genius polymath, Sir Francis Bacon is said to have spent the last ten years of his life here. Currently, it houses a Masonic centre for research for the ‘study of mystical and esoteric traditions’.
Canonbury Tower was built in 1526 as part of the country residence of Prior Bolton. Willian Bolton was the head of the Priory of St Bartholomew and under Henry VIII, the Master of the King’s Works. The tower was situated on the corner walls of the garden surrounding the main house. Parts of the walls can still be seen today, along with Bolton’s trademark of a crossbow bolt piercing a wine ‘tun’ or barrel on the tower exterior. The tower has undergone numerous restorations and improvements over the years and, according to local legend, a subterranean passage linked Canonbury Tower to the priory at Smithfield.
Secret Fact
Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) was President of the Fraternity of the Rose Cross (also known as the Rosicrucians, a secret society whose doctrine was ‘built on the esoteric truths of the ancient past’) and founder and first Grand Master of modern English Freemasonry. During his residency at Canonbury Tower, Bacon used the tower’s rooms for his Rosicrucian and Freemasonic meetings. The tower’s carved oak panelling and fireplaces are said to be adorned with secret Masonic and Rosicrucian symbols. Bacon allegedly planted the mulberry tree that stands in the back garden.
Today the tower is the home of the Canonbur
y Masonic Research Centre (CMRC) and a venue for public lectures on Freemasonry and its associated secretive traditions. General members of the public can only visit Canonbury Tower by attending one of the CMRC’s lectures.
Location 15: The Roman Amphitheatre at the Guildhall
A place of gladiatorial combat
(First introduced in The Infinite Fire)
Address: Guildhall Yard, EC2 5AE
Underground: Bank (Central & Northern Lines)
Website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
The present Guildhall dates back to 1411 and is one of a handful of secular stone structures that survived the Great Fire of London. The great hall is believed to be built upon the site of an earlier Guildhall dating back to at least 1128. The word ‘guildhall’ is derived from the Anglo-Saxon gild, meaning payment. A gild-hall was therefore a place where citizens would pay their taxes. Today it plays host to glittering banquets in honour of visiting heads of state and other dignitaries.
On the floor of Guildhall Yard, an 80-metre-wide curved line of black stone marks out the perimeter where a Roman amphitheatre once stood. Archaeologists had been searching for the location of London’s Roman Amphitheatre for decades and were shocked to find it under the foundations of the Guildhall. Most Roman amphitheatres were located some distance away from the main centre of ancient conurbations, whereas intriguingly, London’s arena was sited within the old city walls. It was discovered in 1998 during a preparatory excavation of the area prior to the construction of the Guildhall Art Gallery next door. The public can view a fascinating display of the archaeological finds on the lower floor of the Art Gallery and get a wonderful glimpse into the life of this bloody and barbaric theatre of blood sports.
Secrets from the Dark Horizon: A Reader's Companion Guide (The Dark Horizon Trilogy Book 0) Page 4
