Last October, a group of members from Tenby Arts Club spent a weekend in London; the object of their visit was prompted by a talk given to the club by John Beynon, who later agreed to lead a tour of part of the city of London. The theme of the tour was to trace the origins and history of the city through a study of the streets, buildings and place names. Starting at St. Paul's Cathedral, the party discovered that the city was Roman by origin, later becoming an important mediaeval trading centre, controlled by guilds and livery companies. Between the 11th and 17th centuries, there was much building, later destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. The rebuilding of the city was overseen by Sir Christopher Wren, culminating in his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, presently preparing to celebrate its 300th anniversary. A large part of the city was again destroyed in World War II by bombing. The buildings have subsequently been rebuilt in the modern style. Much of the surviving street patterns are exactly as they were in mediaeval times. The longest street is Cheapside and its famous St. Mary le Bow church; one of numerous churches named 'St. Mary'. This area is associated with Richard Whittington, four times Mayor of London in the 15th century. The narrowness of the streets is evident in Watling Street, a Roman road from Dover to the Welsh borders. The tourists heard the histories of the London Stone, London Bridge, the Monument (commemorating the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire), Pudding Lane, Lombard Street, Leadenhall Market and the ultra modern architecture of the newest building, Richard Roger's Lloyds of London. Perhaps the dominating presence of Norman Foster's Syline or the Gherkin, as it is commonly known, is the outstanding feature of the area, with its space-age aspect. Such prestigious buildings as the Stock Exchange, the Bank of England, the Mansion House and the Guildhall, are almost dwarfed by this latest addition to the city. The ancient remains of the Roman London Wall took us to the other extreme of history. The many churches in the city also provided interesting histories, as did the large number of statues. The original meanings of street names gave an insight to the customs and the way of life over many centuries. The three-hour tour ended close to St. Paul's again in Paternoster Square, near the newly-erected Temple Bar, the oldest gate of the city. John Beynon's illustrated talk was most interesting and informative. His wide knowledge of the subject together with his humorous observations and excellent photographs were completely fascinating, leaving everyone wanting more. We are most grateful for the pleasure he gave the Arts Club. These sentiments were reflected in Lew Day's vote of thanks. Today (Friday), a lively evening of jazz is in prospect with the Memphis 7, old friends of the Arts Club. Non-members are welcome at 8 pm in the Main Hall of the Tenby Community Learning Centre. Admittance £3.
J. R.