Anglo-Saxons didn't have to have beards to own property: women, married or single, could do so, without needing the consent of males in the family. To think it wasn't till 1975 that a woman could open a bank account without permission from her father or husband...
You make a very valid point John. Luckily, many banks were ahead of the UK 1975 Sex Discrimination Act. My cohort of student nurses began our training in London in 1972 and were able to independently open accounts at several local banks. I believe, though, that it continued to be very difficult for women to independently obtain a mortgage before the 1975 Act.
I like to think that if Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, had wanted to open a bank account 1100 years ago, someone at the Tamworth branch of Coutts would have obliged her; but who knows?
This was a joy! I knew about the Tyburn, but the detail about the old London Bridge was a surprise - I cycled via that narrow passage (St Olafs Stairs) to the river for several years, first going under the "new" London Bridge, and I had no idea I was using the old bridge route. So much buried historic treasure.
Thanks Matt - my favourite one so far. I love reading the traces of the pasts in landscapes and it’s even more interesting when you look at urban form.
Thank you for the shout-out to John Rogers! I kept wanting to mention his great videos but I was reluctant to distract anyone from your excellent substack offerings!
Thanks Robert. We’re old drinking buddies. Hoping to make a video with him in the near future - a peculiar walk we’ve both, independently, wanted to tackle for a long time.
Hello Matt, I begin my walk about the Medieval Femal Proletariat at the needle and know what the architects say about what it represents, but I've never found the explanation coherent. 'Follow the needle downwards' even though the tip is pointing upwards? Years of wonderment about this.
No… look at my photo of the needle. In front of it is a line of flat paving stones on the same axis as the needle. The point towards where the southern bridgehead was.
Yes, it's not exactly obvious. You need ignore the elevation and just follow the sideways direction, if that makes sense... or follow the line that's marked in the paving in front of the needle.
You mean the bulky pyramidal white thing on the north side facing the river? That never occurred to me. Rob and I stop on the walk at the glass markers to talk about the old bridge, but the ones in Tooley Street itself are smashed and soon to disappear I think.
This was great, thank you--really enjoyed it a lot.
I just finished a semester teaching in London, and while there we discovered that we were living right along the now hidden path of one of those lost rivers, the Fleet, where it passes through a visible, above-ground pipe not far from the Tufnell Park Tube station and runs along York Rise.
Thank you. Aha, yes, I know that bit. It's weird isn't it... some water flowing through a pipe shouldn't be all that interesting, but there's something thrilling about knowing where these lost rivers flow.
Anglo-Saxons didn't have to have beards to own property: women, married or single, could do so, without needing the consent of males in the family. To think it wasn't till 1975 that a woman could open a bank account without permission from her father or husband...
You make a very valid point John. Luckily, many banks were ahead of the UK 1975 Sex Discrimination Act. My cohort of student nurses began our training in London in 1972 and were able to independently open accounts at several local banks. I believe, though, that it continued to be very difficult for women to independently obtain a mortgage before the 1975 Act.
I like to think that if Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, had wanted to open a bank account 1100 years ago, someone at the Tamworth branch of Coutts would have obliged her; but who knows?
I’m imagining it now !
This was a joy! I knew about the Tyburn, but the detail about the old London Bridge was a surprise - I cycled via that narrow passage (St Olafs Stairs) to the river for several years, first going under the "new" London Bridge, and I had no idea I was using the old bridge route. So much buried historic treasure.
The northeast pedestrian approach to London Bridge was through the porch of St Magnus Martyr https://tinyurl.com/4mej6we4
What a fabulous article. Super informative and fascinating. Thanks!
That gate makes me think if you used your imagination you could be whisked to another time.. Something Mr Benn would like.
Thanks Matt - my favourite one so far. I love reading the traces of the pasts in landscapes and it’s even more interesting when you look at urban form.
Great article! Enjoyed and learned from it 👍👏🫡
Absolutely fascinating! Many thanks Matt
I recently stayed in Marylebone and wondered why the Lane was shaped that way. Thanks for sharing these interesting facts about London.
Thank you for the shout-out to John Rogers! I kept wanting to mention his great videos but I was reluctant to distract anyone from your excellent substack offerings!
Thanks Robert. We’re old drinking buddies. Hoping to make a video with him in the near future - a peculiar walk we’ve both, independently, wanted to tackle for a long time.
Hello Matt, I begin my walk about the Medieval Femal Proletariat at the needle and know what the architects say about what it represents, but I've never found the explanation coherent. 'Follow the needle downwards' even though the tip is pointing upwards? Years of wonderment about this.
No… look at my photo of the needle. In front of it is a line of flat paving stones on the same axis as the needle. The point towards where the southern bridgehead was.
ah, another thing that would never occur to me and when I'm there meeting people it's always covered with us and them and everyone else walking past.
Yes, it's not exactly obvious. You need ignore the elevation and just follow the sideways direction, if that makes sense... or follow the line that's marked in the paving in front of the needle.
You mean the bulky pyramidal white thing on the north side facing the river? That never occurred to me. Rob and I stop on the walk at the glass markers to talk about the old bridge, but the ones in Tooley Street itself are smashed and soon to disappear I think.
Loved this. Thank you!
On my trip to London this summer, I will walk these streets and imagine the past!
Love York Watergate! I like seeing Pepys’ house behind it. Can imagine him staring out at the Thames from the gate
A fun read! Many years ago I lived in London for a couple years during my wandering years. Enjoyed all your details!
This was great, thank you--really enjoyed it a lot.
I just finished a semester teaching in London, and while there we discovered that we were living right along the now hidden path of one of those lost rivers, the Fleet, where it passes through a visible, above-ground pipe not far from the Tufnell Park Tube station and runs along York Rise.
Thank you. Aha, yes, I know that bit. It's weird isn't it... some water flowing through a pipe shouldn't be all that interesting, but there's something thrilling about knowing where these lost rivers flow.
We thought so too!
I absolutely loved this