Portobello Road and theTower of London

Portobello Road

The next Beatles?

Portobello Road has been on my London 'must do' lists since I was small.  One of my favourite childhood movies - Bed knobs and Broomsticks - had a scene where the characters wandered Portobello Road and its 'riches of ages'. When we visited in 1998 we were only in London during the week (the Market is only open Saturdays) and so didn't get the opportunity to see it for ourselves. Thus, a childhood dream to wander the stalls and get lost in antiques had to wait until my late 20s.

Portobello Road

We had made our first visit on Tony's birthday in May - exploring all of the winding galleries that go in one shop and come out in another lane - or sometimes 2 shops down. We purchased some old advertisements to decorate our bare walls - and some luscious silk scarves (it was still really cold). We both enjoyed it - but had no money so felt we couldn't really engage in a serious way - window shopping is only interesting for so long.

Kate in the bustle of Portobello Road

With my sister Kate in town for a visit I decided we should do a girls trip to explore it again. The boys (Kate's husband Cam and Tony) were not interested in the slightest - and instead spent the morning in the closest pub showing the Rugby in Australia (some Wales v Australia game).

I think Portobello is one of those markets that never gets old, and in fact gets better the more you go. There is simply so much to see that you are overwhelmed by the time you're only 1/3 of the way down. I took in far more on the second visit.

On our way in we passed a group of handsome boys playing Beatles covers in amongst their own stuff - and drawing a crowd. Kate picked up an interesting gold and turquoise bracelet for ￡20 in the first shop we went into - whilst I made a mental note to come back to do my Christmas shopping there this year.

Stag buttons from the 1880s

You can find anything you are after in the long street of stalls. My favourites so far are a shop that sells Harris Tweed (we picked up a new cap for Dad), a shop that sells old prints and maps (we came out with a Cecile Alden print of a dog for Mum) and a shop that sells buttons. So many buttons. The vintage cape I wrote about in Columbia Road Flower Market lost a button the very afternoon I got it home. I was very sad - and knew I'd have to replace all 5 of the lovely gold buttons because I would never find one to match. When I stumbled upon the button shop I was overwhelmed by choice - so many vintage buttons that could go on my vintage cape! I was sorely tempted by ones with a little soldier on them (but at ￡10 each I felt losing a button would become a costly exercise - especially having to replace all 5 each time). My second favourite were ones with a Stag, holding a branch in his mouth. They are solid - and quite heavy - and according to the little man at the shop - made in 1880. I am looking forward to sewing them all onto my cape.

The map and print shop is really quite amazing. It has maps (actual maps - not reproductions) of maps drawn in the 1400s - that don't have Australia on them at all, maps from the 1600s showing mangled versions of what the 'great southern land' must have looked like based on the glimpses of various explorers - and maps of early Australia - marked as 'new holland' and maps of early explorer's Australia - a large empty space only mapped up the rivers as far as the expeditions could make it. It feels like a journey back in time to flip through these maps - and I have a mind to collect a few to bring home.

Tower of London

The different phases of the Tower

I have just finished reading Bring up the Bodies - the sequel to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall - both novels providing a fictional account of Thomas Cromwell, Master Secretary to Henry VIII during the Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boylen and Jane Seymour period. So many characters spent time in the Tower of London I was keen to go visit again with fresh eyes and perspective on this historical site.

Part of the defences - Lions

The Tower of London has had a varies life - from a lived in castle and  royal home to prison to storehouse - people and things were sent there to keep them safe, it was used for ceremonial purposes (Anne Boylen was housed there in the lead up to her coronation) and of course its most well known purpose as a gaol.

Once there was a moat - then they grew vegetables. 

What fascinated me was how the buildings had changed over the years to suit the current purpose. In its days as a stronghold it had all the defences expected of a medieval castle - complete with moat, siege weapons - and even lions used to guard the gates. I think my favourite facts of the whole day was how the moat's purpose changed.

The Tower of London moat vege garden

Other defences - Trebuchet

When it was a functional castle, the moat served as the standard defences - but also smelled really bad as all of the Tower's waste was simply emptied out over the walls and out the windows into the water below. At one stage there was a polar bear (given to the Tower as a gift to the Queen) kept chained to the wall - with enough length so that it could go for a swim in the moat (yuck). During WWII, and long after the moat had been drained, they used the lush grassy flat to grow vegetables!

Traitor's Gate

The Tower was only actually threatened directly by England's own citizens - it never faced foreign threats - so the defences were never really put to the test. The only ones to ever breach the walls were a rabble of peasants. Oh well - it all looked very impressive and certainly deterred people.

In fact it seems that the Tower really was only used against its own people - imprisoning them for 'treason', be that difference of religious beliefs, inconveniently refusing to stand aside as queen to allow your king husband to take a new wife, or simply falling out of favour. It was fascinating to walk the towers where notable 'guests' had been held - often for years at a time - seeing the graffiti they had left behind.

One of the most interesting parts was the 'Traitor's Gate'. This water gate opened onto the Thames, and was how prisoners were brought into the Tower. Anne Boleyn was brought into the Tower through this gate in a small boat. It conveniently avoided any protesters, peasants or other rabble intervening. 

Henry VIII's Armour - a young Henry

The White Tower - the central 'castle' in the Tower of London holds a fascinating collection of armour - tracing the history of the armour of the Kings of England - and their knights and soldiers. Armour was not just for battle - much of the armour we saw was for jousting or just made in celebration. The suit to the left is was made for Henry VIII just after his wedding to Katherine of Aragon. H&K are worked into the hem of the 'skirt'. Off his horse this armour must have been pretty impractical - the skirt stuck out some distance from the body (and was completely rigid). If used in battle, once unhorsed, you'd have small chance of keeping your feet. I guess that's not something you really need to worry about as a king - so your armour can be impractical - and beautiful. 

Craft Beers

We dragged our tired feet from the Tower in search of craft beers to celebrate Kate's husband Cam's 30th. We found what we were looking for at the Craft Beer Co - a small pub with 32 beers on tap. We worked our way (1/2 pint at time) from one end to the other. We have really been enjoying discovering all of the boutique ales and lagers available in the UK. Having so many to try in one place took the effort out of seeking them out - but didn't diminish the fun out of the tasting. Even with each of us sharing our halves, having a sip or two of each beer was enough for all of us to roll happily out of there, via dinner, to home.

6 of the 32 beers at the Craft Beer Co