Tower of London Castle

The Tower of London Castle was built by William the Conqueror (or, as the British refer to him, William the Bastard) in 1078. It was one of the first buildings in London built in stone.


Bishop Ranulf Flambard was the first know prisoner in 1100. Flambard was loathed by the English for exacting harsh taxes. Although he is the first recorded prisoner held in the Tower, he was also the first person to escape from it, using a smuggled rope secreted in a butt of wine.

Traitor's Gate - entrance for the accused, including Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, the 2nd and 5th wives of Henry VIII.

A password - updated daily - is required to enter or leave the Castle premises after it is closed to the public. These guards are on their way to disclose the password.

Hampstead has long been known as a residence of the intelligentsia, including writers, composers, ballerinas and intellectuals, actors, artists and architects — many of whom created a bohemian community in the late 19th century. After 1917, and again in the 1930s, it became base to a community of avant garde artists and writers and was host to a number of émigrés and exiles from the Russian Revolution and Nazi Europe.

This former hospital has been converted to higly coveted (and expensive) flats in Hampstead. Residents are said to include both Sporty and Scary Spice.

Christmas Tree in Holly Brush - the first pub on our tour -

and more Chrismas cheer -

Hampstead Village

My adventures last night took me on a pub crawl of Hampstead Village. Originally a Saxon Village, it developed rapidly in the 17th century as the wealthy from London moved out of the city to escape the plague and then the Great Fire. It has been known for it's health properties of clean air and water (imagine!) and now - apparently - is the home to the most UK millionaires per capita. Residents currently include Ridley Scott, Boy George and Ewan McGregor...formerly have included Dame Judi Dench, Elizabeth Taylor & Robert Burton, Winston Churchill and Keats. Sites in and around Hampstead are featured in several well-known movies, and the world premiere of Moulin Rouge was held at the village's art-house theater. Quite simply, it a lovely village in the midst of the city.

As my photos are all a bit dark & grainy, follow this link for more on Hampstead Village:
http://thevirtualtourofhampstead.co.uk/hampsteadvillage.htm

One of the many benefits to a pub crawl was meeting several interesting fellow-crawlers from Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and (of course) Britain. Our last pub included a casual game of Trivia Pursuit, resulting in two Americans and a (quite sauced) British grandmother kicking the trivial-tush of the young Brits, Kiwi and South African. Not a bad Saturday night!

O Magnum Mysterium

A little Latin to kick off this post? O Magnum Mysterium, arranged by de Victoria, was one of several choral pieces I performed today in a workshop with John Rutter. As an aside, the English translation:

O great mystery,

and wonderful sacrament,

that animals should see the new-born Lord,

lying in a manger!

Blessed is the Virgin whose womb

was worthy to bear

Christ the Lord.

Alleluia!

This piece struck a chord with me (tee hee) because ages ago I knew it by heart. I learned it in high school to perform with the Madrigals and am almost certain I have also performed it since (with King's College? St. John's?). It's a beautiful piece, soaring and reverent. And today I performed it in a drafty English church built in the 12th century by the order of crusading monks to protect pilgrims on their journeys to and from Jerusalem - under the direction of a world famous composer and founder of the Cambridge Singers. If you are familiar with choir music, you would likely recognize Pie Jesu from his Requiem.


Geeky choral facts aside, today I walked into a room full of strangers for the chance to do something I love to do - and happily, felt reconnected to friends and memories from decades gone by.


Sadly, I forgot my camera today, so I have included links to a few interesting pages about the Church and John Rutter.


Temple Church - History
John Rutter - Biography