We were cycling through a not-at-all-beautiful area of London called Limehouse yesterday, when glimpsed amidst the traffic, discount stores and council estates, I spotted this handsome old house standing secluded behind some railings.
A notice outside said that it was the head office of the Royal Foundation of St. Katharine, an organisation I'd never heard of. I spotted a little notice, though, with an arrow directing passers-by to the Yurt Cafe, and that sounded interesting. So I followed a long wall, turned a corner and came to what looked, at first, like an industrial site. The trains of the Docklands Light Railway rumbled constantly over the nearby viaduct, but there was certainly a yurt there, as well as tables where you could eat outside.
The place had a name - St Katharine's Precinct - and it's run by the St. Katharine Foundation. And although you might think it looks a bit rough, believe me this is the cool style here in East London, just what many locals are hoping to see. So I was not surprised to find that inside the yurt it was very pleasant, with great coffee, good cakes and fairy lights around the walls (although you can't see the lights very well in my photo.)
And there was a Quiet Space just down the corridor, warm, relaxing and welcoming.
Most of the activity on the site was carried on in brightly painted metal containers. I stepped inside the Precinct office where I found photos of the sort of things that happen there, from printmaking to meditating to community gardening. I thought St Katharine's Precinct was such a nice place to hang around that I was a bit sorry it wasn't nearer home.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Foundation of St Katharine, and discovered it was founded by Queen Matilda in 1147 AD. It has offered spirituality, hospitality and service since that time. It even runs a b&b where you can stay.
I'm sure Limehouse has changed a lot since 1147, and probably not for the better, but I like the idea of going on a slightly monastic mini retreat in the grounds of that old house, in an oasis of spirituality and history in the midst of the heavy traffic, trains and noise.
I'm sure Limehouse has changed a lot since 1147, and probably not for the better, but I like the idea of going on a slightly monastic mini retreat in the grounds of that old house, in an oasis of spirituality and history in the midst of the heavy traffic, trains and noise.
Now, here is a slightly time-travel trip that you can take yourself in London. Go to this spot on Google Street View - it's Cleveland St., London. (Or at least, I hope it is - never quite sure with Street View). See the house with the round blue plaque on it? Charles Dickens lived there during his not-very-happy early life. Here's a photo of him looking young, earnest and just a bit teenagery.
Go back to his house on Street View, turn left along Cleveland St past Dennis Publishing and Middlesex House, continue a few more steps and you'll come to a boarded up old building, once known as Cleveland St. Workhouse. Charles Dickens would have walked past it almost every day, and it is thought to be his inspiration for the workhouse in Oliver Twist. Here it is on Street View, in case you missed it.
Cleveland St. Workhouse was built by 1778 to care for the sick and the poor. In its early days, it was humane, but by Dickens' time, workhouses has become cruel and harsh places, and Oliver Twist reflects that period in its life. Later, times changed again, and this building was returned to its original use of caring for the sick, becoming part of the large Middlesex Hospital.
The main hospital was pulled down a few years ago and replaced by "luxury" flats. Costing over £2m each for 2 bedrooms, you can take a look here, and you might agree that there is not much luxurious (or attractive or interesting) about them, really. London has many blocks like this which are aimed at property speculators. They usually don't live there but buy them in hopes of turning a profit later. Developments of this type create areas of deadness in the bustling city streets.
There is now a plan to gut the 18th century workhouse to create more of this kind of "luxury" and, in the graveyard beyond it, which is full of paupers' bones, another huge block is proposed, with, shockingly, no care about what happens to the remains of the dead human beings who lie there.
There's more about the workhouse and Dickens here on David Perdue's blog. You can also find the planning application for the graveyard flats here, where the links at the bottom take you to where you can comment to the planning board. If you do want to comment, deadline is really soon - 23 February, in fact.
Oh - and I've just heard fromphotographer Mo Smith, of the fascinating "Fresh Eyes on London" blog, that she has posted about this too.
A bit depressing, that, but never mind, Spring is on its way, even in the busiest parts of London. I was really delighted to see these brilliant crocuses in the nice park in Limehouse.
And it was wonderful to see so many flowers all together after the months of winter.
