Walking Medieval London …. and peering into St Paul’s Cathedral ….. one to do

Now like a lot of people I have fallen into the orbit of Zoom, and fill part of my week with zoomy chats, zoomy meetings and above all zoomy lectures.

And I have to say if there is any positive thing to come out of this dreadful virus and its restrictions on social interchange, its being able to participate in talks presented by experts on a whole range of topics, from Dane Dare, Pilot of the Future, the music of Cole Porter or the saucy humour of British picture postcards.

Even in normal times, many of these talks would just not be accessible given that the venue was way outside Manchester and at a time which would require a hotel stop over.

And that is certainly the case with the talks hosted by the Guild Hall Library in London.

The first in the year was on Dan Dare, and this week’s will be on The Medieval Precinct of St Paul’s cathedral by Jill Finch, who will explore the “medieval precinct, the builds it contained and the events it saw that made history”.

All events require booking and take place online.

Location; London 

Pictures, courtesy of Guildhall Library 

Book through EVENTBRITE: WWW.GHLEVENTBRITE.CO.UK

*Guildhall Library Events and Exhibitions The Library of London, Aldermanbury, London, EC2V 7HH

guildhall.library@citypflondon.gov.uk

cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/libraries/guildhall-library

Tales from that other place …. The Guild Hall Library

This is a story I shall be returning to over the next few months.

The Guild Hall Library recently announced its programme of events from January through to April.

And given that they all occur in London I would normally clock the meetings, and move on.  

After all a day trip to London from Manchester, with the cost of an overnight stay while attractive was really a non starter.

But in the age of covid and zoom, all of that has changed.

I will now be able to enjoy talks about the city I was born and grew up in, without ever living south Manchester.

True … it’s not the spirit of adventure that took Cabot across the Atlantic, or Captain Cook to Australia, but this way I will still be home for tea.

There is a varied set of topics from the Romans, to the Tudors and on to  the 18th and 19th centuries, all of which are contained in the brochure, and so I make no apologies on highlighting the ones that most interest me, which are those to do with Roman London.

But as the talks start with Dan Dare Pilot of the Future I couldn’t resist leading with him, who will be for many of my generation the super hero of all time.

All events require booking and take place online, except for the walks.

Location; London 

Pictures, courtesy of Guildhall Library 

Book through EVENTBRITE:

WWW.GHLEVENTBRITE.CO.UK

*Guildhall Library Events and Exhibitions The Library of London

Aldermanbury, London, EC2V 7HH

guildhall.library@citypflondon.gov.uk

cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/libraries/guildhall-library