Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Chancery Lane



To London, to have lunch with my younger sister at Brasserie Blanc, in Chancery Lane. Or, in my husband's case, memory lane, as this was the area where he spent a year reading for the Bar, more years ago than he cares to recall.


We filled in some time by going off Fleet Street to visit the Temple Church, first established in the twelfth century.  This is an area of London in which time appears to have stood still - ancient quadrangles and courts, free of traffic.  Of course, this is an illusion as there was bomb damage during World War 2, but the buildings were restored.


This is the monument to William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke.  We came across him not only in Pembroke Castle where you might expect, but also in Cartmel Priory in south Cumbria, at the other end of the country.


A current exhibition focuses on the stories of the very many members of the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple who were killed in the First World War.  It's very moving.


After a delicious lunch, we strolled back up Chancery Lane to Lincoln's Inn Fields where we visited the Sir John Soane Museum.  This was given to the nation in 1824 and is a group of three houses adapted to accommodate the collections of Sir John Soane who was the leading architect of his day.  It is certainly unique.  His Picture Room contains works by Hogarth and Turner with paintings hung on a system allowing them to be shown in rotation.  It is a collection which inspires amazement, more than anything else.

And this is a Little Owl, basking in the sunshine.   We have seen him there many times, but this is the first time he has been caught on camera.

1 comment:

Carol M said...

I enjoy your narrations of history, architecture and nature. Cute little owl!