The weather is cloudy today with the threat of rain, typical bank holiday weather, wouldn’t you say? Nonetheless, we made the effort to go out for a ramble in the City.

St John Street

We started by going to the bus stop in St John Street where we had a choice of buses.

Aboard the 153

The bus we chose was the single-deck 153.

Near the Barbican

We left the bus at the bottom end of Goswell Road near the Barbican and started walking.

Charterhouse Square

We came to Charterhouse Square, a historically interesting corner of London.

A cobbled road

There are ancient and not so ancient buildings in the square but the site’s age is indicated by the road which is still cobbled.

One of the older buildings

As well as the buildings, which seem to be a mixture of residential and office accommodation, there is a central garden.

Charterhouse Square Garden

The garden was closed so we could not go in and explore.

The Charterhouse

The most important building in the square, and the one that gives it its name, is the Charterhouse itself. Built originally as a Carthusian monastery (hence the name) in 1371, following dissolution of the monasteries in 1547, it became a Tudor house. It has also served as a school, while part of it became an almshouse, a use it still has. Last but not least, the original building was founded on a plague pit! The Charterhouse can be visited though today it was closed.

Chequerboard wall

Here is another view of the complex, showing the chequerboard-patterned wall.

The Fox and Anchor

In Charterhouse Street is this fine pub called the Fox and Anchor. It was built in 1898 and is a Grade II listed building.

Smithfield Market

We passed the famous Smithfield Market. The present building is Victorian but the “smooth field”, on which it was built and from which it took its name, served as a place of trade from time immemorial. It was also at one time a place of execution. More details of its history will be found here.

Farringdon Station, Elizabeth Line

On a corner stands a new station. It is part of the new Elizabeth Line. The station is not yet open because the Elizabeth Line has not yet been finished.

The Old Red Cow

We came to the Old Red Cow. What looks like a passageway belonging to the pub is actually a public path leading to…

Passageways…

…a maze of passageways and…

Deserted streets

…and narrow streets. At weekends and bank holidays the area us deserted and feels oddly like a film set rather than part of a living and functioning city.

St Bartholomew the Great

We arrived near the entrance of the Church of St Bartholomew the Great, founded in 1123 as an Augustinian priory. It can be visited though we didn’t go in today.

St Bartholomew’s Hospital

Here too is St Bartholomew’s Hospital, known familiarly as “St Barts”, which was also founded in 1123.

London Vitality 10,000

As we continued on, we found ourselves in the midst of a huge crowd of runners. They were taking part in an event called the London Vitalty 10,000. I have no idea what that is.

Greyfriars

We passed by the garden and remnant building of Greyfriars and…

Postman’s Park

…entered Postman’s Park, a famous public garden which was originally the churchyard of St Botolph-without-Aldersgate.

G.F. Watts’s Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice

One of the park’s well known features is G.F. Watts’s Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice, a collection of ceramic plates with the names of people who gave their lives to save others.

Part of the memorial

George Frederick Watts (1817-1904) was a painter and sculptor who created his Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice in the last years of the 19th and early years of the 20th century.

Barbican Cinema

After a longish walk, we made our way back to the Barbican and, in particular, the section containing the Barbican Cinema. We were interested in its cafe!

Barbican Cinema Cafe

The cafe is a pleasant venue and we snaffled two comfortable armchairs.

Coffee and muffins

We ordered coffee and muffins.

Chiswell Street

Afterwards, we went to the bus stop in Chiswell Road.

Aboard the 153

We soon had a number 153 bus which carried us home to the Angel. In the picture, the bus is passing through the tunnel under the Barbican Estate.

As usual, we went round to Sainsbury’s this morning to do our weekly shopping. We were careful not to arrive too early as they open only at 11 am on Sundays.

Still queueing

We were annoyed, then, to find a static queue waiting outside the shop even though it was well after opening time. We waited… and we waited… and we waited. Eventually, some Sainsbury’s employees appeared, bearing a message: they could not open the the shop because the shutter over the doors was jammed and it would be at least an hour before the problem was resolved.

We decided, rather than going home and coming back later to a shop that might still be inaccessible, to give up on them for today. We will try again either tomorrow or Tuesday after work.

In Mercer’s

We made our way back home via Chapel Market and Mercer’s where we picked up our usual coffees.

Aboard the 205

Tigger had an idea of somewhere where could go for lunch. For this, we took a number 205 bus to Shoreditch. It was packed but we managed to find seats upstairs.

The Crown and Shuttle

We left the bus in Shoreditch High Street opposite this fine old pub, the Crown and Shuttle, dating, in its current form, from 1885.

Street artists at work

Nearby was a large building site with newly erected screens. We saw that street artists had already gathered and started work, decorating the screens with their own paintings.

Shoreditch High Street

It turned out that our intended lunch place was closed so we starting walking, looking for an alternative.

Church of St Leonard

We walked past the Church of St Leonard, half-hidden by its trees.

The railway bridge

We passed under the railway bridge.

We looked at several cafes and restaurants along the way but nothing appealed to us.

Paula’s Cafe

After a long walk, we found ourselves in Haggerston where we spotted Paula’s Cafe and decided to give it a try.

In Paula’s Cafe

The cafe was quite small and was busy so we had a while to wait but were served eventually.

Crondall Street

Afterwards, we went to a bus stop for the 394 in Crondall Street. We had to wait 23 minutes for the next bus.

Aboard the 394

Because of the long wait, when the bus arrived it quickly became crowded but as we were the first at the stop, we did manage to find seats. The bus follows a complicated route round the backstreets but it brings us at last back to the Angel.

This has been a strange day, what with Sainsbury’s not being able to open this morning. Happily, though, because of the bank holiday, we have another day to ourselves tomorrow. I don’t know yet how we will spend it but we will certainly think of something to do!