July saw members of the Cambridge Society of London exploring the historic City of London with Blue Badge Tourist Guide Caroline Piper. Despite having to be rearranged due to annoying Covid-19, the group made it and enjoyed wandering around some of the less well known areas of the City, tripping over its 2,000 years of history as we did so. There was an initial focus on some of the more gruesome aspects of London’s past, with visits to the site of the Old Bailey gallows and to Smithfield, where people were hung, drawn and quartered and burned at the stake, and discussions of London’s “resurrectionists” (body-snatchers)!
Things got slightly more civilized as we tracked down various City livery companies, the remains of the Roman fort and wall around London, gardens in memory of Shakespeare’s great friends and the impressive Guildhall. However, they took a turn for the absurd when Caroline endeavoured to explain the unique “democratic” arrangements by which the City of London Corporation and Lord Mayor of London are elected! In a city which still has a tradition whereby freemen of the City of London are allowed to herd sheep over London Bridge once per year, you would hardly expect things to be boringly normal!
Organised by Caroline Piper