St Paul's to Temple

Everyone knows what St Paul’s looks like so thought I would use this picture taken from in between the 17th century Corinthian columns of the entrance to the cathedral.

Groveland Court is home to The Williamson’s Tavern, which claims to hold the oldest excise license in the City of London. Built not long after the Great Fire it dates back to the 17th century and typifies the narrow lanes and hidden secrets that make the city so interesting.

Ye Old Cheshire Cheese is in Wine Office Court, which gets its name from the sale of wine licences. The pub is one of the oldest in London and must be the only one still to have saw dust generously sprinkled on the floor. Built after the Great Fire in 1666 its oak beams and low ceilings have changed little since the 17th century. It’s the former home of a foul mouthed parrot that died in 1926 at the age of 40. The parrot’s passing was marked by obituaries in several newspapers due to the pub’s close association with Fleet Street.

The Temple is a strange place in a ‘Da Vinci Code’ sort of way. The land was acquired by the Knights Templar, a group of French warrior monks, in 1162 who had turned there attention to banking and property development. The area is now known as two of the four Inns of Court from where lawyers live and work. More details to follow.