Posting here more for historical than photographic interest.
Wandered into the quiet St Bartholomew’s Church in the City of London, in a side street near Smithfield Market and found it has quite a bit of history.
It celebrated its 900th year in 2023 and has one of probably only two pre-Reformation fonts still surviving in the city (the painter and satirist Hogarth was baptised in it). Benjamin Franklin also worked in a part of the church that had been sold off as a business premises but now is restored.
I didn’t take any pictures of the main part of the church, just the Lady Chapel where Franklin had worked, as it was quite dark and there were a few people sitting in meditation, but it has been featured in quite a few movies so there are some images on its website.
It’s a nice one. Really feels ancient in comparison to other London churches. Nearby you have the nice bridge and stair towers on Holborn Viaduct. There are some really cool photographs around from when the four towers were the only buildings on that stretch of road. They are now dwarfed by surrounding office buildlings. The spiral ramp of death (for cattle) under Smithfield is quite the thing as well if it’s still around.
Yes. I love that area. Cycled under Holborn Viaduct (there’s a raised cycle path there now) quite a few times on this trip. Used to drink in the sun trap outside the Balfour pub or Butcher’s Hook and Cleaver, next to Cloth Fair, after work when I worked in Finsbury Square. John Betjeman lived in one of the few houses still standing from before the great fire of London in Cloth Fair. William Wallace was also hanged, drawn and quartered right next to the church.
The shots I posted in the Capture thread are of the Betjeman building though not his house.
