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between the tapestry of villages that would eventually
merge to form the London we know today but there
were no parks in the old City of London. Every inch of
the Square Mile was built on, the largest open space
being the yard in front of Guildhall, which would turn
out to be the original site of the Roman amphitheatre.
Before the Great Fire of London there were 108
churches inside the city walls, each the epicentre of a
cluster of trades. The parish of St Margaret Pattens,
for example, took its suffix from the pattens being
made nearby - wooden platforms to tie to your shoes to
raise you above the filth of the streets. The constantly
hassling tradesmen of Marrakesh annoyed me
intensely but the Londoner and history buff in me was
thrilled by the similarities of the old souk to the
medieval City of London with a mosque every few
yards instead of a city church and each thronged by
concentrations of particular trades and crafts.
In the mediaeval city if you wanted a bit of peace and
quiet your best bet was a churchyard, the only green
pockets inside the walls. Today the Square Mile is still
dotted with these green pockets though the churches
are often long gone and at lunchtime they fill with city
workers balancing their lunches on their knees.
Opposite the old GPO building Postman’s Park was
cobbled together from the yards of three churches only
one of which, St Botolph Aldersgate, still stands. The
postmen have long gone but the park is worth a visit
for the commemorative tiles erected here by an
initiative of Victorian artist George Frederick Watts in
memory of acts of fatal bravery. Drownings, scaldings
and tramplings by runaway horses prevail: the stories
here are both shocking and touching.
The Land is Enclosed
The wilderness has long gone. The primaeval Britain
of vast forests and wild moors was already being
tamed a thousand years ago when the Normans
imposed their manorial system leaving the people
with rationed access to common grazing lands. Over
the centuries more and more land was fenced off for
private gain and as the population increased so more
and more wilderness was cleared for cultivation and,
from Tudor times, for shipbuilding.
Early eco-warriors like Robin Hood fought for the
preservation of the forests and common lands but
the Enclosures Acts came and thousands died of
starvation or were forced off the land and into the
towns and cities. In the one hundred years from the
1760s seven million acres were fenced in – only a
19
th
century campaign saved Hampstead Heath and
Wimbledon Common from enclosure. In Great
Britain today, three quarters of the land is used for
agriculture or forestry and we call it the countryside.
Things were a bit different in London. Things have
always been a bit different in London. Here William
was not
The Conqueror
but simply
The Norman
who built the Tower of London not to protect
London against attack but to protect himself from
London. William had no choice but to agree to
respect the ancient rights, privileges and customs of
the City of London. The City had been the hub of
commerce, bordered by the Thames and strong
walls, from Roman times
.
A mediaeval Londoner could leave the safety of the
city walls and find plenty of open countryside spread
Romantic Holland Park