City Churches, Michelangelo and the Glass Menagerie - a cultural smorgasbord

So Friday became, accidentally, a big cultural day. I say "accidentally" because the starting event, a walking tour of Wren churches, should have happened a month ago but was postponed because of the unavailability of the guide, and our evening theatre trip was the only night of the run we were both free. But honestly it was not as heavy a day as it sounds.

So first off was a guided tour of City Churches, the meeting point being ironically just outside my offices at Cannon Street station . There were six churches on the itinerary. Now out guide might not have been everyone's cup of tea, possibly a little detailed for the average tourist, but for Nigel and I he was just absolutely spot on. Perfect. We learned lots about the churches, architects and builders without descending into legends and heart warming stories that often litter these affairs. Our couple of hours went by very easily and I feel far better informed about the Reformation and much else besides, when I would have (wrongly) thought myself reasonably educated to begin with!

So first off was St Mary Abchurch, a Wren designed church but a few steps from my office, the square in front being a regular drinking spot in nice weather.

Now one feature of all these churches is they would be better portrayed by an artist's drawing than by photographs. This is because they are all to a greater or lesser extent hemmed in by other buildings so it is difficult to get a good perspective. This one should be a bit of an exception because it does have a square in front of it. But that square is full of tables. chairs and parasols of neighbouring bars and restaurants, so below is the best I could do. Really far too close up, but further back it would like a Parisian cafe

The really curious feature of the interior is that it has a dome. And that is curious because it only appears as a dome internally. Externally the roofline is square

The marvellous carving is by the brilliant English woodcarver Grinling Gibbons. And there was first new fact to me. He wasn't English, but Dutch. Wonderfully, the church records still include the invoice for his work

Second church was another St Mary's, but the only church not by Wren. This was by his famous apprentice Nicholas Hawksmoor. As this sits on a triangular plot with roads going either side you can get a bit of a perspective of St Mary Woolnoth. Amongst other things there is a memorial here to John Newton who started out a slave ship captain, but became a vicar, an abolitionist and most famously perhaps, wrote the hymn Amazing Grace.

Onwards to St Margaret Lothbury. This is a very easy church to walk straight past because it is in such a tightly packed row of buildings. 

While this is another Wren church it is more "original" than most on the tour by being the least damaged by the Blitz. Another thing I hadn't appreciated was that while most of the spires survived the bombings, the naves all went. And that was because the Luftwaffe dropped incendiary bombs, so rather than explode things, they burnt the timbers and the lead roofs melted and collapsed inwards.

Our guide also referred here to another cause of destruction of City Churches beyond the Reformation, the Great Fire and the Blitz. Some were also demolished during the 19th century because of dwindling congregations. This is relevant here because St Margaret's has a magnificent carved screen which belonged to a church demolished at the end of the 19th century to make way, brilliantly, for a brewery!

From there we went to St Lawrence Jewry which I have visited more often as it sits just outside the Guildhall. This was properly demolished by the Luftwaffe but re-built in splendour, not least because it is the Lord Mayor's church. The stained glass window below depicts Sir Christopher Wren in the middle. (Who lived to be 91 incidentally. Not everyone in the past keeled over at a young age. Just a matter of avoiding all that plague and pestilence)  

And lastly the slightly bizarre St Mary Le Bow. I say bizarre because look at the terrible Sixties monstrosity that adjoins the tower. There isn't just a tower, the nave is behind rather than alongside it. But really if ever a building was begging to be demolished.....

There is a really beautiful spire at the top,

And a beautiful interior too. The stained glass is unashamedly post war in design.

Tour finished so time for lunch. I took Nigel to the Montague. Obviously a nice large glass of red to fortify us for the rest of the day

The virtue of that place apart from the lovely surroundings and excellent food and service, is that it is round the corner from the British Museum, although never busy. Which allowed us to stroll around and visit the Michelangelo exhibition. And here is the man himself, drawn by a collaborator as an old man

From there I took Nigel to the secluded calm of Pied Bull Yard to let him make a long call with his architect over an extension. Its an oasis.

 And finally we took the tube to Highgate and walked through the woods up to Alexandra Palace Theatre to see a much acclaimed production of the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. not a play for a happy ending. Indeed the two main protagonists were still in tears while taking the standing

ovation.

That was our third theatre night in four days, having also taken in The Harmony Test and Between Riverside and Crazy at Hampstead. All were good but my personal favourite was the first, which being in the studio there was also by far the cheapest! The thing I would say is the three plays increased in theatricality, by which I mean the first, although a play, felt entirely real. Every conversation in it felt like it could have taken place. The Tennessee Williams displayed many truths, not least of the place of women, and especially a disabled woman, in US society, but it was also certainly contrived. It always felt a performance.

And finally I could walk home....