First Among Churches

Every church tells a story or two. The architecture, ornaments, sculpture and names on the gravestones, pews, floors of the nave, plaques and  sarcophagi on display nurture seeds of knowledge – sketches of social history.

If the Brigadier General was interred inside the church yet his grandson was buried in the churchyard years later, maybe the family fell on hard times? Until the early 19th century only the notable (church benefactors, in fact), determined to be as close as possible to Christian piety, were buried inside the church. Not every body could be accommodated. Thereafter burial under the church floor was deemed insanitary; the smells were not that of incense! Hence, the origin of the term, according to the National Churches Trust, “stinking rich”. Good story?

Another enlightening church tale hails from the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Berwick, East Sussex. The church is resplendent with murals painted by Bloomsbury group members Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Vanessa’s son, Quentin, who all lived at Charleston, a farmhouse nearby. This artistic achievement came about because during the Second World War bombs damaged some of the church’s decorative stained glass windows. Rather than replace the stained glass, the Bishop of Chichester commissioned these artists to cover the walls with biblical scenes; the Sussex landscape is evoked; the models come from the locality, even the breed of sheep. The clear glass filling the windows allows light to filter in, illuminating the murals; and this is certainly a marvel to behold.

A most interesting ecclesiastical page-turner in Central London is St Bride’s, Fleet Street. This illustrious church, a stunning edifice designed by Sir Christopher Wren, has quite a distinguishing feature. For St Bride’s is known as the journalists’ church. Many people working in the press, printers and journalists alike, used to worship here when their offices and print works were located nearby in Fleet Street and the streets branching off. For several hundred years, Fleet Street was the ‘avenue’ of the manufacturing industry of the word. Incidentally, there was one rector, Prebendary Arthur Taylor, who had, unusually for a rector, a deep knowledge of printing and publishing. This was because he was a secretary of the Bible Society, which sends the printed – and now digital – gospel all over the world in every language. He served St Bride’s from 1918 until 1951.

The church still has strong links with members of the industry, some of whom still come to worship there, venturing often from far away. It holds an annual journalists’ carol service for all those working in the media industry, and a Remembrance Day service for them as well, commemorating the ones who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Readers are people who work in the industry. Both services are extremely well attended. Arrive early!

In the church’s journalists’ chapel, there are portraits on the altar of journalists who have died in the course of their work. Information underneath each picture details who they are and how they lost their lives. There are so many portraits for display, so the church ‘alternates’ them. One of the portraits shown is of Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal correspondent who was beheaded in Pakistan in 2002. His gruesome death shocked the world. Another face is that of The Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin. In 2010, she gave an address during a service to commemorate war reporters who had died since 2000. Two years later Colvin herself was killed during the slaughter of Homs, a city under siege at the time by the Syrian government. Another portrait is that of Jamal Khashoggi, the prominent Saudi journalist who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He was a contributor to the opinion page of The Washington Post. In the 1990s vigils were held for journalists John McCarthy and Terry Anderson, and Terry Waite, then the Archbishop of Canterbury’s international envoy, while they were being held as hostages in Lebanon.

The genesis of publishing in the church’s area began when the German immigrant Wynkyn de Worde, a pupil of William Caxton (known as the “first printer”), established a printing press near St Bride’s, in Shoe Lane, around 1500. Wynkyn is credited as being the first printer to use italic type. Another notable printer, Richard Pynson, who was born in France, also set up shop at the time, nearer to St Paul’s Cathedral, a short stroll away from St Bride’s. Pynson is credited with introducing Roman type to English printing. He was King’s Printer to King Henry VII and King Henry VIII. Both printers published works featuring a broad range of literary genres, such as romances, religious works, school textbooks and poetry. Other publishers and printers, following their lead, established themselves in the area. Some supplied texts for the legal world at the four Inns of Court nearby and catered for the fictional tastes of an increasing population of literate members of the public living in the City and its environs.

In 1702, Elizabeth Mallet, writing as a ‘him’, in Fleet Street, published London’s first daily newspaper, The Daily Courant. Within 100 years, there were 278 newspapers, journals and periodicals published in London, most of which were published in the region of Fleet Street. The exodus of the press from Fleet Street began in the 1980s, ending in 2005, with the departure of Reuters news agency. The offices of the major newspapers are no longer in one area. The Daily Telegraph is located near Victoria station; the Evening Standard is in Kensington. The Times is at London Bridge. Lawyers, accountants, the financial services industries, notably Goldman Sachs, have taken up the vacant property space.

If you walk along Fleet Street you will see several architecturally impressive buildings originally built to house the press. The Daily Telegraph Art Deco building, with its colonnade façade, bronze balconies and window frames and Egyptian ornamentation is especially impressive. Also of note is the building that was once home to the Press Association and Reuters. Edwin Lutyens, who is considered one of the greatest English architects of the 20th century, designed it. Among his many remarkable achievements is the Cenotaph in Whitehall. The ‘futuristic’ elegant black glass and chrome structure, designed by Ellis and Clarke with Sir Owen Williams for the Daily Express, is quite striking.

St Bride’s is the eighth church on the site of a series of reincarnations dating from the 6th to the 17th century. It is accepted that St Bridget (c. 451 – 525), a sixth century Irish saint from Kildare, founded the first Christian church. The skeleton of a woman who had been given a Christian burial has been found on site. Churches bearing the name of St Bridget are often found near wells, and St Bride’s well is known to have some religious significance.

In medieval times St Bride’s area was associated with several parochial guilds. Parish guilds were dedicated to supporting the worshipping life of a church. Members paid a fee and often gave property to the guilds. These guilds ensured that its members had proper funerals. Some guilds provided charitable services, such as schools or hospitals, for their members and the wider community.

The Guild of St Bride’s, established in 1375 and confirmed by a writ issued by King Edward III, is the oldest guild associated with the church. It  still survives today. Members, numbering one hundred, represent a cross section of interests and activities in the region of Fleet Street. They are distinguished at services and during opening hours by their livery gown of russet cloth, trimmed with black, and the medallion they wear around their necks. Each year the Guild funds a bursary of £3000 for a one year postgraduate MA in Newspaper Journalism at City University in London.

Notable historic parishioners have included the parents of Virginia Dare who in 1587 was the first English child to be born in colonial America. The parents of one of the leaders of the Pilgrim Fathers, Edward Winslow, were married at St Bride’s. Other remarkable parishioners were poets John Dryden, John Milton and Richard Lovelace, diarist Samuel Pepys and novelist Samuel Richardson, and the French physicist Denis Papin, who, in 1679, invented the first pressure cooker! The Edwardian novelist Anthony Hope, wrote his world famous novel, The Prisoner of Zenda, while living at the rectory; his father was the vicar at the time. Hope’s novel has been adapted for stage, screen, radio and television.

Today’s incarnation is quite breathtaking for its simple, dignified beauty. It is a measure and reflection of the genius of Wren, the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral, who was commissioned to design a new church on the site after the Great Fire of 1666. This church, alas, was again destroyed when it was bombed during the Blitz on the 29 December 1940. All that remained were the steeple and the exterior walls.

The archaeological excavations that followed after the destruction confirmed the existence of a series of churches on this site. One can view many of the remains in the Crypt Museum below stairs. There we see sections of the foundation walls that formed parts of the churches of the past, Roman coins, kitchen pottery and oyster shells – the Romans relished oysters – medieval window glass and floor tiles, gravestones, 16th century clay tobacco pipes, and an iron coffin, among other items.

Iron coffins were in use during the early 19th century. Their advantage was that, unlike wooden coffins, their lids could be secured tightly. This made it difficult for ‘body snatchers’ to steal the bodies for medical research. The fresher the body, the better, the snatchers reckoned! But, alas, iron coffins did not disintegrate as fast as wooden ones, so churches charged more for them if they were used as burial caskets, as they had to wait longer for burial space to be freed. As a consequence, iron coffins had a short commercial life.

Downstairs, you will also see a restored and redesigned 14th century medieval crypt chapel, which now serves as a war memorial chapel for those who worked with Associated Newspapers and lost their lives during the the two World Wars. The Harmsworth family, a newspaper dynasty, generously funded the refurbishment. There is a plaque on the south wall revealing the names of the 58 fallen inscribed in glass. The walls, ceiling and altar are for the most part chalk white and the lighting is subdued; the chapel has a very serene air.

If you attend the fascinating tour on Tuesday afternoons – the guide I met was extremely well informed and enthusiastic - you can also visit the charnel house (not otherwise open to the public), which contains some 7000 skeletal bones. When they were removed from the cemetery during the Middle Ages – to make room for more burials – they were arranged according to type, skulls with skulls, etc., and laid out in a checkerboard pattern. Also on view are numbered cardboard boxes containing the skeletal remains of 227 people buried between the late 17th to the mid 19th centuries, whose coffins, with identifying plates, were discovered during the excavations. The fact that the coffins were buried within the church confirms that the people were of a middle to upper middle social class. Students of dentistry, medicine and forensic science come to St Bride’s to study the bones in order to find out more about the health of a stratum of people who lived in the past. A pitted skull, for example, may indicate death from venereal disease. The distorted ribs of the women are the result of wearing tight corsets. Jelena Bekvalac, the curator of osteology at the Museum of London, is leading the research.

The present restoration, completed in 1957, is considered more akin to Wren’s original designs that what transpired in 1675. Godfrey Allen, the architect, “produced a faithful re creation” according to St Bride’s. As one discovers Wren’s churches, it is apparent that although each church has its own individual characteristics architecturally, and distinctive embellishments, paintings and sculpture, there are architectural characteristics distinguishing Wren’s style. Symmetry and Wren’s love of natural light are apparent at St Bride’s; we bask in his favoured clear glass windows with round tops. This is a sharp contrast to the stained glass windows of Gothic – or neo-Gothic - churches. The black and white marble flooring is also a distinctive Wren feature. Typically Wren, the Portland stone work is ‘clean’ and the ceilings are white washed with gilding; and there is a tower in the west end with an elaborate spire atop. St Bride’s spire is a series of octagons, with open arches, diminishing in size. As the church is not easily visible from the street, the art historian and former museum director David Piper has described it as being “like a hollyhock that escapes from the pressure of the undergrowth”.

The shape of the spire is the reason why the church is referred to as the “wedding cake church”. During the late 18th century, a pastry chef, Mr Rich, who lived in Fleet Street, modelled his wedding cakes on the tiered spire.

The collegiate arrangement of the stalls (with the choir sitting in the middle of the arrangement) gives the church quite an intimate aura. (St Bride’s is renowned for its professional choir and music.)

Above the east window are ‘illusionist’ mural paintings by Glyn Jones, designed to give the flat east wall the appearance of an apse, which is extremely effective. In front of the ‘apse’ is an exquisitely carved oak reredos – a screen - that is a copy of one in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, in Richmond.

Whether you worship in a church, a mosque or a synagogue or even if God is not your thing, visiting St Bride’s is an enriching experience. We explore the past in a beautiful setting, learning about what we did not know there was to learn about. Our spirits will be lifted not only for a few hours. Good stories await you.

Article by Jenny Kingsley Please visit www.stbrides.com for information about services, events, opening hours and tours.

After you visit St Brides, venture westwards down Fleet Street and explore Dr. Johnson’s House, an enchanting 300-year-old house in Gough Square. Johnson compiled A Dictionary of the English Language, which to this day is considered an outstanding achievement. For further information, see www.drjohnsonshouse.org.

The images of the interior of the church are courtesy of St. Bride’s church.

Sometimes only steak will do, and for those times there is Smith & Wollensky. The New York Times described it as “A steakhouse to end all   arguments”, and this US steakhouse has certainly enjoyed a triumphant expansion, from its original flagship premises in New York (opened in 1977), across the US and now into the heart of London, where it opened its’ first UK steakhouse in 2015. In keeping with a brand which has become known for its elegant dining rooms in intimate or iconic locations, the London steakhouse is no exception. Located in the monumental art deco styled Adelphi Building, situated between the Strand and the Thames, it forms part of the London Skyline as you cross Waterloo Bridge. Former residents of the Adelphi building have included JM Barrie (author of Peter Pan), George Bernard Shaw and Thomas Hardy, all notable in their fields, as Smith & Wollensky are in theirs.

It is interesting to note that ‘Smith & Wollensky’ was founded by Alan Stillman (creator of TGI Friday) and Ben Benson. You may be wondering, as I was, how they happened upon the name. In fact, the story goes that “Smith” and “Wollensky” were names selected at random from a New York phone book, late one night!

One thing that hasn’t changed is the style, quality and service that were present then, and the attention to detail. As you slip from the hustle and bustle of the Strand with its’ theatres and shops, into John Adam Street, you seem to not only leave the crowds, but also to step back in time. This feeling is perfectly evoked by the Martin Brudnizki designed interior, decked in mahogany. The ceilings are high and the space extensive (15,000 square feet), but the clever interiors manage to still create a feeling of intimacy. The art deco features are impressive; from the lighting and patterned floor tiles to the wall art and furnishings - there is a wonderful feeling of being in 1920s New York.

On entering, my wife and I made our way past well-spaced out tables and booths to the bar, where we relaxed with a cocktail whilst perusing the menu. There is a fantastic range of speciality cocktails, and I enjoyed my Scorpion (rum based) whilst my wife sipped her Greenhouse Gimlet (gin based). There are also American- sized (80ml) Martinis and Manhattans available – next time! We were shown to our booth by a waiter dressed in a pristine white jacket, where we knuckled down to the serious job of choosing our dinner. The starter choice is extensive and is mainly dominated by seafood including Tuna Ceviche (£9), Seared Chilli & Garlic Shrimp (£14) and Octopus & Chorizo Carpaccio (£16), with Fillet of Beef and Chop. My wife chose the Hand-Dived Scottish Scallops with Garlic & Parsley Butter (£19), and I selected the Half Cold Poached Lobster (£16). If you really want a feast then you should look no further than the two sharing platters which consist of a tower of Lobster, Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, Jumbo Shrimp, Pyefleet Pure Oysters & Cherry Stone Clams paired with Classic Cocktail Sauce, Cognac Mustard Sauce, Ginger Sauce and Sherry Migonette, priced at £90 for the ‘Charlie Smith’ (2-4 people), or £125 for the ‘Ralph Wollensky’ (4-6 people).

The mains are unashamedly dominated by steak, (well it is a steakhouse!) but for the sake of variety, there are options including burger, fish, lobster, chicken, salad and pork chop. Let’s be honest, it’s the steak that holds the headlines here. There is an enormous amount of knowledge and pride amongst the staff when it comes to the steaks. The meat is butchered and dry-aged on-site, and is hand-cut in their in-house butchery by their own butcher; making it the only steakhouse in London which offers a cut of meat that combines all three. Sitting alongside the American steaks are patriotic British and Irish cuts and premium seafood together with locally-sourced ingredients from the very best UK suppliers. All of this is enhanced through a careful dry-ageing process lasting 28 days which intensifies the flavour and tenderness. I went for the USDA Prime Sirloin (250g, £36) as I just love the rich flavour. My steak was chargrilled to perfection and served with a Béarnaise Sauce. There is an impressive selection of enhancements and sauces to choose from including rubs, crusts and even lobster tail. Other cuts include the Chateaubriand 600g (£80; to share), T-Bone 500g (£58) or a Kansas City Cut Bone-In Sirloin (£64). My wife had the Seared Tuna (£26), which was served with a cauliflower couscous, and complemented with a citrus dressing. To accompany our mains, we ordered French Fries (£5), Creamed Spinach (£10) – for me a must- have with steak - Onion Rings (£7) and Truffled Mac ‘n’ Cheese (£10).

There is a comprehensive wine list, including Smith and Wollensky’s own Private Reserve from California available as Sauvignon Blanc and Red Blend. On this particular evening, we enjoyed the house Californian wine. Prices per glass range from £5.25 (125ml) for a Chardonnay Blend to £12.50 (125ml) for the Private Reserve Red Blend from Napa.

From a previous visit, I remembered not to eat too much before coming here and I advise you to do the same, as the portions are American size, not UK. That said, when the dessert menu arrived, I suffered from an immediate case of ‘eyes bigger than belly’. Smith & Wollensky do not do things by halves and have their own pastry chef who prepares the desserts daily on site. I opted for the Gigantic Chocolate Cake (£18) which truly lives up to its name. This can be shared between up to 4 people and consists of moist chocolate layers of cake brushed with Baileys Irish Cream, sandwiched with chocolate mousse and covered with chocolate ganache. This was my kind of pudding, with the cake being light in texture and the mousse suitably gooey, but even with my love of chocolate, there was not even the smallest chance of finishing this gargantuan slice of cake, and some days later I was still to be found carving off slithers from my fridge at home (they are used to requests for a doggy-bag!). My wife, in addition to sampling the cake, opted for cheese and biscuits from the cheese trolley (£14) and enjoyed some fantastic British cheeses.

Smith & Wollensky’s stylish dining room is split over two levels, each with a separate bar, meaning they are well equipped to cater for large private parties. If your party is more compact in size, there are 3 additional private dining rooms for those special occasions. With such large and versatile dining space at their fingertips it’s great to see that they run a range of special events including Thanksgiving and 4th July celebrations along with Wine Events. Keep your eye on their website www. smithandwollensky.co.uk to find out details of these and other events throughout the year.

Smith & Wollensky offers a timeless, vibrant, yet relaxed atmosphere that envelopes guests in gracious hospitality. It takes many of the features of the Adelphi Building and its art deco style and marries them with the distinctive Smith & Wollensky brand, the result of which is a dining experience that offers simple refinement in the grand tradition and justifies their claim of offering the “best steak in London”. I am not sure my waistband agrees!

Smith & Wollensky Adelphi Building, 1-11 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6HT Telephone: 020 7321 6007 

19 October 2018 – 15 January 2019 Admission Free, 10 am – 5 pm, Mon, Tues, Fri and Sat www.islington.gov.uk/heritage

Visiting a famous, seemingly boundless museum, housing artwork by historic and contemporary artists, can be an overwhelming and exhausting experience. There is so much to see, indeed too much to see; we feel as if we do not have enough time to appreciate all these revered treasures in one visit. We ask ourselves: do we have the patience and energy to digest it all? The galleries are crowded; time to gaze is restricted. Frankly, we may not even like what we see although we are ‘meant’ to like what we see.

In contrast, visiting smaller museums can be a refreshing and relatively more intimate experience. The small ones are unlikely to be too crowded, and their focus, be it a particular craft (such as The Fan Museum in Greenwich), person (for one try the Florence Nightingale Museum in Lambeth), theme (there is the quite unique Museum of Comedy in Bloomsbury) or local history, is always enlightening because it is narrowly focussed and often unusual. Local history, in particular, allows us to feast on snapshots of every day culture.

Even if the tiny semi-precious museum gems do hold artwork by the great, the collections are not as vast as those of the majestic ones; we have the time to absorb what we see; and one cannot help but be moved by the sense of civic pride that emanates from the writing on the exhibit panels and the enthusiastic, often volunteer, staff. It has not been easy to find the funding to keep the building open, the collection intact, and curate exhibitions.

London has many such museums, in the centre and in outlying boroughs, housed in historic houses, libraries, and municipal buildings. One such commendable discovery is the Islington Museum. It is not only home to a permanent exhibition about local history but changing exhibitions with a local link. A recent one explored Holloway Prison, a former borough institution, unfortunately now closed amidst much controversy. (Holloway Prison was not only the largest women’s prison in the United Kingdom but also all of Western Europe.) The current exhibition, Raids, Rations and Rifles – Islington during the First World War runs until 15 January 2019. It is particularly relevant as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday fall on the same date in 2018, and, in fact, November 11, 2018 is the centenary of the armistice when the fighting in World War I ceased. Remembering is all the more poignant because of these coincidences.

What we learn is locally distinctive, not the prime ‘stuff’ of the capital’s Imperial War Museum, or the National Army Museum, where political strategy, weaponry and military logistics are prime topics in a national and international context. Moreover, what is local may inspire us to find out more about its significance in a wider historical and social context.

Perhaps our food banks, for example, could be developed to resemble the National Kitchens that were established by the British government during World War I in light of the shortage of food, especially imported food? They were intended to feed people inexpensively and economically. People of all ages and from all walks of life would eat in what were restaurants for “ordinary people in ordinary circumstances”. While standing on line, they would be served by volunteer workers and then eat their meals while sitting at long communal tables. The fare was meant to be nourishing, certainly not adventurous; food wastage during food preparation was unforgiveable.

Food production was also undertaken. Cornish pasties, for example, were made so that they could be ‘taken into the field’. In Islington, a National Kitchen, set up in 1918, made black puddings. It used the by-products of the cattle and livestock brought to the slaughterhouses at the borough’s Caledonian cattle and livestock market. Black pudding is traditionally made with fresh blood, usually pig’s blood, but possibly cow’s or sheep’s blood, some form of fat and rusk, such as oats or barley, and seasoning. The mixture is then put into a casing, beef intestine for example, and boiled. This can be fried or baked. Making a pudding with animals’ blood ensures that the blood does not go to waste. Indeed, blood pudding is a good source of protein, zinc and iron. Nowadays, oddly enough, blood pudding is included in many trendy British brunch menus.

Two years earlier a fair was held at the market site to raise money for the Allied Wounded Soldiers Relief Fund, a charity that helped to establish hospitals and provided money for ambulances. Two of the organisers were Harry Gordon Selfridge of the department store fame and the novelist Arnold Bennett. Among the sale items were 2,220 tons of coal and a champion British bulldog. At Mrs Arnold Bennett’s stall one could find books autographed by GK Chesterton, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Joseph Conrad. There were 25,000 people attending and £30,000 was raised, which in our time is the equivalent of £1.5 million ($1.95 million)!

Various enterprises in Islington contributed distinctively to the war effort. Exploring the variety of contributions reveals much about how people lived in the past.

The Whitbread Brewery in Chiswell Street was proud that some of its handsome and muscly draught horses, over one hundred – the Whitbread Shires - were commandeered for service. In common with other horses commandeered, they laboured behind the lines. Horses could move easily through mud, transporting medical staff, the wounded, supplies and artillery on wagons. Sadly, none of the Whitbread Shire horses ever returned. Disease, poor nourishment and hygiene, dire weather conditions, and the strain of the relentless work rather than gunfire caused many fatalities. In 1991, the Clerkenwell stables closed and the remaining horses were sent to a permanent home in Paddock Wood in Kent. Incidentally, many thousands of American horses were shipped to Britain to help with the war effort.

Dove Brothers, a large, well respected construction firm in Cloudesley Place, known for its civil engineering projects, shops, offices, Anglican churches and non-conformist chapels, turned its production over to producing wooden propeller blades. (Metal ones were manufactured after the war.) Both men and women worked at the site doing what was a highly skilled job. Workers had to ensure that the angles of the blade were shaped and balanced exactly such that the planes would work most efficiently. Municipal buildings were used in unusual ways to help the war effort. In 1917, The Bank of England took over the vacant St. Luke’s Asylum for the Mentally Ill in Old Street so that it could be used as printing works; war bonds were among its publications. The first such bond was printed by King George V during a Royal visit to the works in December 1917. Selling war bonds to the population was a means of raising money for the war effort; good patriots should show their support by buying war bonds.

The North Library in Manor Gardens became a hospital annex to the adjacent Great Northern Hospital for war casualties. It contained 80 hospital beds; its gardens were used for huts to house hospital orderlies. By 1919, 2,045 men had received medical and surgical treatment at the annex. The Central and West Libraries became recruiting stations. The Ministry of Food used the South Library for the Local Food Control Committee which regulated the supply of food.

The borough was also home to anti-war movements. In 1916 and 1917 unsympathetic and violent protesters disrupted meetings for pacifists at the Brotherhood Church in Southgate Road. The most eventful clash was after a meeting attended by 250 delegates, including the philosopher, historian and pacifist Bertrand Russell. It was sparked by the nearly 8,000 who gathered outside. In spite of police presence, delegates were physically assaulted and much church furniture was destroyed. Several months later the church was set alight and so damaged that no more meetings could be held there. Elsewhere in the borough the North London Herald League held mass anti-war meetings, one of which was addressed by the suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst. These meetings were regularly attacked by the members of the Anti-German Union who referred to the protestors as "peace cranks". One local notable resident and peace activist was Baron Archibald Fenner Brockway (1888–1988). He became a Labour MP for Leyton East in London, and years later the MP for Eton and Slough. Brockway spent time in the local Pentonville Prison for refusing to pay a fine for distributing anti-conscription leaflets. Later Brockway became a founder member of the movements War on Want and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Islington is proud of the fact that the oldest regiment in the British Army, The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, was located in the part of City Road that lies in the borough. Its battalions greatly contributed to the war effort. Many of its members received military awards. Two notable members were the actors Nigel Bruce, known for his portrayal of Dr Watson with Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes in a series of Hollywood films, and John Laurie, well known for his character Private Frazer in the Dad’s Army television comedy.

In the glass topped table displays in the Islington Museum are a variety of war memorabilia, including one soldier’s photo album. Soldiers were banned from taking photographs after 1915 in order to stop the British from seeing horrific images of war. This serving photographer smuggled his film in a hollowed out shaving stick. There are medals and cap badges on display and also a newsletter from the internment camp for 750 German and Austrian internees in Cornwallis Road. You can view a charming film montage showing various local patriotic events taking place during the war such as a garden party for the wounded. Quite a few of the people look very dour!

After the ceasefire, many celebrations took place in the streets of Islington; in the borough there are three prominent war memorials. Nearly one million people lost their lives in the war and almost 10,000 were linked in some way to Islington. Sadly, the residents of the borough experienced great economic hardship after the war, and although welfare programmes had begun to improve the lives of many, the darkening clouds of World War Two were threatening the advent of a stormy future.

As a resident of Islington, it was gratifying to view the exhibition; I have often walked past the sites we learn about in the Museum. Indeed, strolling through the borough alerts one to another distinguishing venture related to World War I: the plaques installed in many Islington streets, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, listing those service men and women who lived in the street and died in World War I.

The exhibition is a poignant and timely reminder of the sacrifices made by the people of Islington and elsewhere in order to bring peace to all corners of the world. We will remember them and all those who have fought and continue to fight in the spirit of humanity.

Article by Jenny Kingsley.

There is another fascinating museum in Islington which is well worth a special trip: the London Canal Museum, where you can see inside a narrow boat cabin and learn about the people who lived and worked the waterways and the horses that pulled the boats. The museum is housed in a former ice warehouse, which was built in 1862 for Carlo Gatti, a famous ice cream maker. There are exhibits exploring the history of the ice trade and ice cream. Visit www.londoncanalmuseum.org.uk for further information.

Images credits: Islington Local History Centre

Top image: Great Northern Hospital annexe at North Library, Manor Gardens. Last troops leaving the library in March 1919.

Middle image: The Honourable Artillery Company on a recruitment march in Finsbury Square, 1914.

Bottom image: Islington-born Evelyn Hilda Hutchings, aged five years, dressed as ‘Victory’, 1918/19.

Every time we have visited Planet Hollywood London we have always had a great time as the atmosphere is vibrant and the food is good. It is  always busy, and the evening we visited was no exception. Our children were very excited to join us, and enjoyed the buzz and party vibe as we entered the restaurant after a busy and sunny day in Camden. There were a number of other families, parties and couples around us also enjoying an evening out together.

Planet Hollywood, the world’s one and only dining experience inspired by the glamour of Hollywood, was launched in New York on 22nd October 1991. This innovative restaurant chain was launched with the backing of Hollywood megastars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Demi Moore.

Planet Hollywood London opened its doors in its’ original Trocadero Centre location on the 17th May 1993 in London’s buzzing Piccadilly Circus, and I really remember my first visit to this ‘place to be’ in 1993 for my 20th birthday celebrations. Earlier this year they celebrated 25 amazing years in London. In 2009, Planet Hollywood moved into its new home on the Haymarket (which is only a 3-minute walk from Piccadilly Circus).

As you walk through the entrance (by The Terminator) there is a large and welcoming cocktail bar. The main restaurant is a large space, and also comprises several themed areas: The Bond Room, British Room and the Beach Bar Style, Cabanas room. There are over 85 pieces of iconic movie memorabilia on display plus the popular Wall of Celebrity Handprints. Our booth was next to the chalice and whip from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade – one of my all-time favourite movie franchises and hero!

As we settled in we took in the atmosphere and some time to peruse the cocktail menu. With many traditional and speciality cocktails to choose from, on this hot day, I really fancied a Long Island Iced Tea, and my wife enjoyed her sweet and minty Mojito. The boys guzzled some delicious alcohol-free cocktails, recommended by our waitress.

With its impressive historic celebrity backing in mind, you would hope that the quality of the food matches the reputation of the venue, and luckily it does! The menu (it’s a book) is extensive, with a wide range of choices, but again the friendly waiting staff are on hand to give useful advice. The starters include Nachos, Garlic Pizza, Chicken Crunch, Buffalo Wings & Texas Tostados. We started with the VIP Platter (£21.50) – perfect for a family of four, providing a good sample of the other starters on offer. It includes five cheese dip with Corn Tortilla Chips, Buffalo Wings, Texas Tostados, Chicken Crunch and Potato Skins. This was a substantial platter and we especially enjoyed the spicy kick of the Wings. We also ordered (at the request of a very hungry 15-year old) Fried Jumbo Shrimp (£10.95) - six large Shrimp accompanied by a spicy sriracha sauce and served on cabbage slaw to complement the spicy sauce. I was allowed to sample one, and the shrimp was deliciously meaty, and tasted great with the sauce.

There is a mouth-watering selection of main courses, including Burgers, Steaks, Grills, Specialities & Fish, Sandwiches & Hot Dogs, authentic Asian, Pasta, Salads, Pizzas, and even an extensive Gluten Free Menu. Basically, a meal to suit every taste and appetite! There is also a great Kids Meal Deal for only £9.50, a good value pre-Theatre Menu, and a Group Menu for parties and bigger gatherings. They also offer special menus for Thanksgiving (22 November) including Pumpkin Soup and Traditional roast turkey.

Planet Hollywood is probably best-known for its Burgers. Their Burgers are served in a fresh baked brioche bun with a trio of assorted fries or a House Salad (you can upgrade to Sweet Potato Fries for £1 extra). They are also made from the finest dry-aged grass-fed UK beef from Royal Warrant holding butcher, Donald Russell. You can choose 200 grams or 280 grams options, and they are priced from £13.50 with a variety of appetising options including Surf & Turf. There is also a Veggie Burger (£11.95) or Cajun Spiced Chicken Burger (£12.95). My youngest son selected the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, topped with Hickory Smoked Bacon, barbeque sauce, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. This will satisfy any burger lover (count me in on this one), and was successfully cleaned up by our son.

I chose the Surf and Turf Prime Sirloin Steak (260 grams) - 28 days matured grass-fed beef, chargrilled to medium, and served with shrimp, creole mustard sauce, a trio of assorted fries, grilled tomato and green beans (£27.50). The steak was delicious, succulent and complemented well with the sauce.

Options from the Grills, Specialities and Fish menu are all very appealing. Our eldest son (the hungry 15-year old), chose the BBQ Pork Ribs (£17.95) which offered a full rack of tender baby ribs smothered in a deliciously tangy sweet barbeque sauce and served with fries and coleslaw. This boy loves his meat, and unsurprisingly his meal was heartily enjoyed, proven by the empty plate! My wife selected one of their Sizzling Vegetable Fajitas (£14.95) which were served with grilled mushrooms, broccoli sizzling onions, red and green peppers, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, mild red and white cheddar cheese, Mexican rice and flour tortillas, and she thoroughly enjoyed her choice. The portions were all large, and the pricing is very reasonable.

The wine selection offers plenty of choice, and we enjoyed a bottle of Pinot Noir (Australian, £27.50) with our meal. The large bar also caters for a fantastic range of beverages including beer, cider, Martini and Champagne.

I knew we would have to save some room for dessert - we had promised the kids after all! The dessert list offers a fabulous selection, and the range will appeal to any sweet-toothed individual. If my main meal hadn’t have been so big, I would have ordered the Toblerone Cheesecake, but instead we helped the kids select, and ‘sampled’ theirs. We enjoyed a ‘Super Nova’ Shake - Chocolate Comet (£8.50), which is a hand-dipped chocolate milkshake, covered in chocolate brownie frosting, candy, chocolate peanut butter cups, brownies and a cookie straw. The chocolate on the side of the mug just cracked off and we all shared the chocolate filled with the treats. We also sampled the hand-dipped Strawberry Milk-Shake; thick and creamy with 3 scoops of ice cream (£5.50) ... yummy and prevented a chocolate overload! The Key Lime Pie Star Jar and Double Chocolate Chip Brownie are also now appealing as I write this review, but next time I visit, I am planning to indulge in the Chocolate Brownie Super Sundae (£13.95), which I may, or may not share! It looks like a meal in itself.

As you enjoy your meal there is always something to entertain you, from the music videos, movie clips and messages on the screens (tell them beforehand if you are going for a special occasion), to the memorabilia that surrounds you. The music is loud (courtesy of the DJ), and there were many songs the whole restaurant embraced and enjoyed together. I can recall tracks from Abba and Dirty Dancing, which particularly excited the group of ladies next to us! From memory, they also run a camera over the restaurant, which you could see on the large screens – maybe it’s something they do later in the evening, and it all adds to the fun and party-like experience.

The service throughout was very good, and seems to work as a well-oiled machine. Staff are cheerful, pleasant and helpful with menu choices, and cater very well to the kids.

Planet Hollywood also undoubtedly houses some of the most fascinating and important pieces of film history, and there are always the high school placemats where we managed to work out each famous face! Take some time to look around if you can.

Whether dining with friends, family, colleagues or clients, Planet Hollywood is an ideal venue for large or small groups, with parties easily accommodated, for either lunch, pre-theatre or dinner. It is a fun venue, which is more than just a restaurant. If you haven’t yet visited, add it to your list – either book before or get there early, as it can get very busy.

57-60 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QX - Telephone: 020 7287 1000 - Visit www.planethollywoodlondon.com

Review by Lydia Parker

The Jungle, which has transferred from The Young Vic to the West End, immerses its London audience in the middle of the refugee encampment which was built up near Calais from 2015 to 2016. Playwrights Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson created the Good Chance Theatre in The Jungle in 2015, offering entertainment, music and workshops for the residents of the camp, which at its height numbered over 8,000. Rather than focusing on the activities on their theatre, the playwrights have written a fictionalised account of the founding of the camp by a few enterprising refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan, amongst other countries, and its demise a year later by French police with bulldozers. In between, a handful of well- meaning British people arrive, ranging from fresh out of Eton Sam to friendly alcoholic Boxer. The playwrights wisely do not centre the story on them but instead have Safi, a Syrian migrant and English literature major, act as narrator.

The Playhouse Theatre is completely transformed with audience members sitting on wooden benches (thankfully with throw cushions) around the action. On one side is Salar’s Afghan Café and the tables that some of the audience sit at double as walkways for the actors. Televisions dotted around the place play Bollywood Films. Delicious smells emanate from the kitchen, cast members offer round sweet chai and fresh bread. As the play begins, its starts at the end: the French authorities have ordered a “soft eviction” of the camp, saying the environment is unsafe. They have offered only 1500 homes around France, most of which will go to women and children. Meantime, a boy has been killed on the motorway, trying to get a “Good Chance” by smuggling himself into the UK in a lorry. The police arrive with tear gas and the makeshift city is destroyed.

The play then starts somewhere at the beginning, telling different story strands while still trying to move the whole cohesively forward as the refugees deal not only with their own dire situation but with the arrival of white British people who have decided to organise them. Young Sam plans to map out the city and build houses. Eighteen year old Beth starts a school and teaches English. Boxer is good at mending and building, while Paula looks after the children, many of whom are unaccompanied. It’s never clear exactly what Derek does other than bark orders and break up fights. Many of the young men are technically children but are looked after by the older men, such as fifteen year old Norullah, a cheerful trouble maker who works in Salar’s café and has become like a son to him. We hear the devastating story of Okot who escaped from Sudan only to be tortured in Libya as his captors demanded more money from his mother. Beth makes it her mission to help him get to the UK with the help of Kurdish smuggler Ali.

Crises small and large occur but, as Safi says, there is hope as well: the Muslims gather to pray together, no matter what their sect, Omid happily plays his guitar which he smuggled from Iran, everyone is learning English and every now and again there is good news from someone who has made it to the UK. Everyone has a mobile phone which they check constantly, searching for news from home and finding entertaining relief from their boredom of being in this limbo. We are reminded of how the British people can leave at any time when Sam suggests that he and Beth go to a hotel for night - just as friends of course – as they having been living in squalor for months and need a break. When Beth goes to rescue Okot from the police station, she takes both him and Safi to a hotel just to clean up the teenager who has been beaten by the police and needs a rest. It is illegal for refugees to be taken to a hotel as they have no passports, but Beth risks it anyway.

Although the play is happy to laugh at the sometimes misguided good intentions of the British, it is clear that they are there because their country is doing little for the refugees and they feel a need to help. Paula, most likely modelled on real life volunteer Liz Clegg, is the most effective in her clear intention to help the children. Sam takes on more than he can chew but although he comes from a privileged background, probably much like the Oxford educated playwrights, his heart is usually in the right place and he just wants to make a difference, as does Beth. The scene where she teaches the boys English by having them describe how they try to hide out in lorries is entertaining yet also drives home the point of how desperate and determined the migrants are.

There are outstanding performances that hold the play together and bring it authenticity. Chief among them is Ammar Haj Ahmad, a Syrian actor, who plays the kind hearted Safi. It is clear he will have a major career after this production and has already made a mark on the UK theatre scene. John Pfumojena, a Zimbabwean born actor, is brilliant as Okot. His monologue describing his perilous journey to Calais through which he says he “died many times” is delivered absolutely straight which makes it all the more moving. Mr Pfumojena is also the musical director and composer for the production, clearly an artist to be reckoned with. British-Iranian actor Ben Turner is excellent as the fiery but warm hearted Salar as is Mohammad Amiri as his young cheeky assistant Norullah. There is a nice mixture of trained, highly experienced British actors playing the migrants with performers who are actual refugees, such as singer Mohamad Sarrar and Kung Fu master Yasin Moradi.  Amongst the British characters, Rachel Redford as Beth and Jo McInnes as Paula stand out.

If I have one criticism it is that the play tries to do too much and may have benefited from telling the story from one person’s point of view. Although we do have sympathetic Safi at the centre, there is always lots of activity going on, actors running around and shouting in an attempt to depict the chaotic atmosphere of the camp, but it is sometimes too much. It seems petty to find fault when the creative team, directors Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, along with the playwrights and the designer, Miriam Buether, have worked hard to recreate the experience of The Jungle to share with the world.

This is an important play which poses questions with no easy answers. Did the British volunteers help or make a situation worse? When refugees could have claimed asylum in mainland Europe, was it right to encourage them to risk their lives trying to get to the UK? The camp has now been destroyed but migrants still gather in the thousands in Calais, trying to cross to England. Although there is not much hope at the end of this play, the playwrights are still running their Good Chance Theatre for refugees in France. And hopefully audience members will feel moved after the performance to make a difference in their own way to help the refugee crisis by volunteering or donating.

www.goodchance.org.uk  

www.helprefugees.org

Image: The Jungle by Marc Brenner