A visit to the hidden archives of Westminster Abbey, 4th November 2015

The Thorney Island Society came into being as a result of saving London's first public library in Great Smith Street in 1985. So it was with a double reverence that we made our much anticipated visit to a far older library only a few hundred yards away in Westminster Abbey. Our objective was the Muniments Room where ancient documents, particularly about Abbey transactions, are stored. But to get to it you have to go through a library that Time has told to stand still. Matthew Payne, Keeper of the Muniments, had us enthralled as he explained the history all around us dominated by the overpowering hammerbeam oak roof dating back to 1450. Only three books survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1540s - probably because they were about coronations and not associated with the old religion - but the library has since acquired a book of 1477 and has a fragment of the History of Troy printed by William Caxton (c 1422 - 1491) at his press mere yards away from where we were standing.

 A wooden spiral staircase took us up to the Muniments room itself where we enjoyed a spectacular view of the inside of the Abbey - at least when we could take our eyes off the ancient memories around us including a long oak chest dating back to 1159, million believed to be the oldest in the country. Among other treasures shown to us were the beautiful prayer book of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry V11, who died in 1509 and what seemed to be a document of Offa - yes, he of Offa's Dyke - dating back to 693 though it turned out to be a 12th century reproduction.  However, the Abbey does have an authentic document that can be traced back to 959, which is long enough ago for most of us.

 With that we bid our farewells to a remarkable part of the Abbey beyond the reach of most visitors. Our thanks to Matthew Payne for showing us around and to Pippa Parsons for organising the trip.

Paddington Tower

UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2016
The developers of the 'Paddington Pole' have withdrawn their application. This is from the press release: 'Whilst GWD’s proposal has secured the support of many key stakeholders including Network Rail, Transport for London, St Mary’s Hospital, NHS (London) and the GLA there were concerns amongst local people around the height and impact of the tower element of the scheme on the local area.'  This is very good news and demonstrates that it is worth expressing our opinion. It is also a triumph for the Skyline Campaign, which has worked hard against this scheme. However this is not of course the end of the story - there is another large tower proposed near the junction of the Westway and the Edgware Road and this Paddington tower development may reappear in modified form.
 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE - JANUARY 2016
 
There is a threat to the Paddington area of a number of tall towers. Although this is well outside our area these towers are going to be visible from many parts of London including Hyde Park. We have objected to the scheme that is currently under consideration - see our comments on the planning page. If you want to sign a petition, or object personally, please use the links below:
You can read more and sign the petition here:
 
Up to 27 January, you can also write directly to the council to OPPOSE the scheme by clicking on:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thorney Tales (5) - Westminster Hall Roof

 
Westminster Hall is celebrated for many things not least because it is still there at all.  It is the largest survivor of the original Palace of Westminster of which hardly anything remains - at least above ground - apart from the Jewel Tower. Although it has been modified since it was built in the late 1090s by King William II, known as "Rufus", its architectural grandeur remains intact and nowhere more so than in its hammer-beam roof.
 
It was started in 1393 and remains the largest hammer-beam roof in the world, having survived two world wars and the 1834 fire which destroyed nearly all of the rest of the parliamentary buildings. It is difficult to believe that William is said to have wanted it to be twice the size. Is it possible that his nickname "Rufus", supposedly because of his ruddy face, could actually have been a phonetic mistake for "Roofus"?

Visit to new Parliamentary Education Centre, 28th October 2015

Discovering Parliament through virtual reality   

                                                                                                                        
Construction of the new Education Centre for Parliament has proved controversial for some Thorney Island members. This was partly because it encroached on rare green space in Victoria Tower Gardens and partly because it was difficult to believe that a new building costing £7 million was going to be "temporary" for just 10 years as claimed.



At the end of October we visited it and were very impressed with the facilities provided to enlighten school children of primary and secondary age about the history of our parliamentary democracy. A series of rooms mimicing the look of the House of Commons and Lords utilise augmented reality techniques to explain over a thousand years of history at rapid speed to 100,000 of today's techno savvy kids every year.

 

Thorney Tales (4) - The tomb behind one of Britain's biggest fortunes

St Margaret's churchyard is not short of famous dead bodies, being the resting place of
William Caxton, Sir Walter Raleigh, Wenceslaus Hollar, the brilliant engraver of London,
and the largest number of regicides you'll find anywhere.  But there is only one tomb
above ground.

Close to the road between St Margaret's church and Parliament Square, it is regularly ignored by passers by but is the source of one of the wealthiest families the country has ever known.

Visit to the RHS Lindley Library, 14th July 2015

                                                   
                     Raised flowerbeds in Thomas Hill's book of 1586

 

Queen's Walk Cycle Route, The Green Park

 

We were asked by the Royal Parks to comment on a proposal by Transport for London (TfL), as part of the Quietways Programme of the Central London Cycle Grid, to create a cycle path between Lancaster House and Picadilly. One of the possible routes would be on the much-used Queen’s Walk, along the eastern boundary of The Green Park. They also asked us to comment on their proposal to alter the ‘alignment of the paths in the south east corner of The Green Park, between the Canada Memorial and Queen’s Walk, in order to address the problem of informal desire lines / paths that are created by pedestrians using this area of the Park’.

 

Thorney Tales (3) - The Jewel Tower

 
The Jewel Tower, built in 1365, is one of only three buildings of the medieval Palace of Westminster which have remained more or less intact. The other two are Westminster Hall and Inigo Jones' Banqueting House. Its full glory has only recently been revealed because from the 17th century until the 1960s the Jewel Tower - located at the back of Westminster Abbey opposite the House of Lords - had buildings around it on three sides blocking the view to the general public. There were fears in the 19th century that it was only a matter of time before it was demolished.

Visit to Bridgewater House

Walking through the front door of Bridgewater House overlooking The Green Park, you are almost blown over by what you see. Instead of a hallway to a private residence you are immediately propelled into the Great Saloon designed by Charles Barry as part of a reconstruction and looking like the forum of Barry's Reform Club only it is even bigger. Standing on the million pound carpet and looking skywards towards the glass roof your eye is caught by a ring of domes, half of which turn out to be mirror images.

At one end of the ground floor is a set of murals by Jakob Götzenberger depicting scenes from the masque Comus which was actually commisioned from John Milton (who lived for part of his life on the other side of St James' Park in Petty France) by a former owner of the house and depicts the Earl of Bridgewater talking to
Milton. Bridgewater was an ancestor of Lord Ellesmere who orchestrated the present reconstruction in the 1840s and to make sure posterity did not forget, he  left dozens of his initials at strategic points throughout the house. 

The famous gallery with works by Titian, da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt and others is no longer there having been converted into offices but we were able to get a glimpse of its former glory by seeing the pillars at either end, one section of which has been converted into a small chapel.

Thorney Tales (1) - Britain's Hidden Treasure Trove

ThorneyPrintblog

What was it about this tiny stretch of land called Thorney Island, measuring barely 560m by 330m - that has had such an effect on the English-speaking world? If it had merely given birth to Westminster Abbey, where so many kings and queens of England were crowned and buried in competitive splendour it would have earned its place in history. But it also became the seat of government, and for over 500 years a palace for kings and queens.