It’s a Wednesday morning, and here begins one of my more unusual City walks.
My clients have set their alarm clocks early enough to
arrive at our meeting point by 6.45am ………
Surprisingly, everyone pitches up bright eyed and eager to
start. Most are finishing off the lattes and cappuccinos bought en route. They
exchange stories of their dawn-breaking commute to the heart of London. Our group includes a gentleman from Slough, a couple from Essex, a
retired New Zealand sheep farmer, two residents of the nearby Barbican Towers,
a handful of City workers, an American family
in London for the week, and an author who will shortly publish the latest in
her series of crime novels about the area.
A brief introduction from me and off we go, crossing the
street already busy with taxis and lorries (in the City, we always “have the
builders in”). But we immediately leave the main road and disappear into a
narrow alleyway with the intriguing name of Cloth Fair. This place did what it
says on the tin: it was the site of England’s greatest cloth fair, attracting
traders from all over Mediaeval Europe.
We progress along the
narrow street with an eye out for any silent cyclists speeding on their way to
work. We pass the Hand and Shears, the tavern where the Lord Mayor would open
the local fair by cutting the first piece of cloth. We stop to admire a
different type of fabric - that of the oldest church in the City. Either side of the alleyway are reminders of
2,000 years of history. We are now following the path of the old Roman Wall. Involuntarily the group treads with more care
when I mention that we are walking over ground where the Romans buried their
dead.
At the end of Cloth Fair we come to a unique house. Built at
the end of the sixteenth century, it is the only domestic residence in the City
which has outlived the Great Fire of London of 1666. In recent years it has been lovingly restored
by two local architects.
We then emerge into an open tree-lined area, surprisingly large
and once known as Smoothfields. Centuries ago this was the site of a horse
market. Did the merchant find a sturdy animal to draw his cart? Was there a little ambler for the knight’s
lady friend?
Turning right we reach our destination. Smoothfields has given
its name to Smithfield, the imposing building which houses London’s Central
Meat Market. We enter through the East
Market’s huge colourful gates, 25 feet tall and 15 tons apiece. Early in the
day for us, but Smithfield has already been trading for seven hours.
As well as the more
conventional items, the market will sell you crocodile meat, zebra, kangaroo,
wild boar. There is Royal steak on offer from the Prince of Wales’ Scottish
estate. Or would you care to casserole one of the thousand sheep’s heads that
the market sells every week?
No end of fascinating sights and stories await our group as
we begin to make our way along the Buyers’ Walk ………
Answers to May’s “Do you know?”
1. c, 2. b, 3. a,
4. c, 5. b, 6. c,
7. a, 8. c
How good is your knowledge of the City’s Livery Companies? Try this month's quiz on http://www.walkingthecity.co.uk/City_Walks_London/file/blog.php
