Just back from an early morning bike ride by the sea. A really beautiful morning - clear, crisp and quiet. However I have London on my mind. From time to time I have a day out in London. Yesterday was one of them.
Yesterday was a grim weather day. Wet, dank and uninspiring - so the perfect day to be inspired indoors - ha! I caught the 6.47 Catamaran from Ryde Pier Head for the connection to London. The Cat is full of commuters off to work off the Island. Quite a number are in cycling gear - so they can get to work in the environs of Portsmouth (as Norman Tebbitt - literally got on their bike to find work). My thought is hats off to these people. It is tough being a commuter day to day. They are making a real effort. Many look tired before their day gets underway. I am not going to get all political now but these people will be quite heavily taxed on their earnings. There are plenty of people on the Island and elsewhere who could work but don't have the same resolve or self respect as my fellow travellers on this morning. They idle on benefits and successive governments have let them get away with it. The taxes paid by these hard working commuters is too often flitted away by welfare benefits for the undeserving indolent and feckless (and it is wrong - well done the Tory government for trying to reel it in). (I digress!).
The plan is to go to the British Library. The BL was rehoused in a brand new purpose built building in 1997! I have been meaning to go there since then! I finally made it. This is the opening wiki entry for the BL at St Pancras :
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the largest library in the world by number of items catalogued. A Grade I listed building, the library is a major research library, holding around 170 million items from many countries, in many languages and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. The Library's collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial holdings of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 2000 BC.
In the end I spent about 4 hours in the BL. I really enjoyed it. It was great. First of all the ambience. The public spaces have a special atmosphere. Formal and informal - conforming. Quiet but whispering. Reading and socialising. Ernest and relaxed. Everything is done well. It is not in anyway ostentatious but it is big and modern and well and purposefully utilised.
First of all an explore of the building and sight of the many reading rooms - then proper coffee in one of the cafes (free wi fi.) I felt - sat there - that I was part of something good. It was a good place to be - a worthwhile place to enjoy and appreciate. The opportunity for reading and learning is a wonderful privilege of course, one to value and not take for granted. It is a truly world class facility and evidently there are people here from all parts of the world.
My plan was to go to see the (free) Sir John Ritblat "Treasures" Gallery exhibition. Here is a link to give you more information : http://www.bl.uk/events/treasures-of-the-british-library
I spent over two absorbing hours in the gallery looking around. Time flew. It was special and I would highly commend it.
This is from the promotional web site :
The Sir John Ritblat Treasures of the British Library Gallery hosts more than 200 beautiful and fascinating items: magnificent hand-painted books from many faiths, maps and views, early printed books, literary, historical, scientific and musical works from over the centuries and around the world. Here are just a few of the objects you can see: Gutenberg's Bible of 1455, Magna Carta, The Lindisfarne Gospels, Magna Carta Codex Sinaiticus, Leonardo da Vinci's notebook, Shakespeare's First Folio, Diamond Sutra - the world's earliest dated printed book, Handel's Messiah - in the composer's hand, Celestial globe 110cm across and handwritten lyrics by the Beatles.
What I found so wonderful about the exhibition is while each item is of course behind glass you can rest your elbows and actually read the book - your nose inches from it. For instance - just me reading a letter written by Charles 1 while imprisioned at Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight describing how his plan to escape was thwarted because "my body is too thick for the bredth of the widest window.
These of some of the other documents I looked at (I will admit to sensing some sort of personal connection now with some of the writers). This feeling suprises me - without going all "luvvy" - moves me a little - seems rather incredible! I think the explanation might be that the documents I have been reading on my own are handwritten and therefore highly personalised. It feels something like I have had a one to one conversation I suppose.)
Anyway I looked at :-
A hand written note from Michelangelo to a nephew advising that he felt birth, health and disposition of a future partner was more important than wealth and beauty.
A note book written in the small and careful hand of Captain Scott of the Antartic.
A report written by Florence Nightingale from the Crimea about nurses.
A letter written by Karl Marks (appropriately) in a small left leaning hand.
An unfinished letter written by Nelson to his Lady Hamilton. In the letter he says the French have been spotted off Cape Trafalgar and that he will finish the letter on his return! Should I mention Nelson was killed at the battle of Trafalgar.
Notes written by Alexander Fleming relating to his discovery of penicillin.
A signed typed letter written by Winston Churchill during the war about how steps can be taken to protect our national treasures.
A letter written by Guy Burgess the notorious Cambridge 5 spy.
Letters written by the Suffragette leadership.
A letter written by Elizabeth 1 regarding Ann Boleyn.
One thing that was not there - no plays written by Shakespeare's own hand now exist.
There were also fantastic manuscripts and books - for instance :-
Sheet music penned by the great composers - Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin and many more.
Leonardo da Vinci note books showing calculations and experiments in meticulous small writing.
One of my favourites is a letter written by Galileo in 1633 outlining why he adopted the Copernican theory that the earth was not a fixed star but a planet orbiting the sun.
There are unbelievably detailed ancient hand drawn maps and calligraphy as well as a huge globe. The man hours involved in their production must be mind boggling and all done without electric light!
One of the 4 original copies of the Magna Carta granted by King John. In a nutshell it states all men including the King are equal under the law. It was written in Latin on sheep skin in 1215 so it was impossible to read. The writing just seemed like one long sentence - no breaks or paragraphs. We all recognise Magna Carta - one of the world's most famous documents and which now has worldwide significance as a symbol of justice and freedom under the law. It was a great thing to see.
Next to it is the Papal Bull - the document issued by the then Pope in an attempt to revoke Magna Carta.
There are quite incredible hand written books - hand illuminated - that must have taken scribes life times to produce. Gold leaf everywhere. Many 6 7 8 hundred years old and absolutely beautiful and priceless. Standout ones were the Lindisfarne Gospels and a copy of Homers Illiad produced in Venice in 1466. Most have religious connections or are religious books. There are books representing every major faith. Incredible Bibles, Torahs, Koran's, and Hindu and Buddhist books.
One the most famous documents on show is a Gutenburg Bible produced in 1455 I think. It is a deeply significant document because the Gutenberg Bibles (there were 180 printed) were the first major books produced by moveable printing type. The world was never the same again. One Bishop observed 3 printers for 3 months could produce more leafs than 3 scribes working for a life time. Books gradually became affordable and available to the masses.
You can tell I enjoyed it!
After I left I realised I inadvertently missed the Beatles documents - stuff written by the hand of Lennon and McCartney I guess. It is clearly appropriate that Beatles related articles are there. Their song writing and lyrics are landmark. I acknowledge the Beatles as great - their song catalogue truly outstanding. I have seen Paul McCartney perform live. I do not hesitate in acknowledging he put on a fantastic personal show. However having said all that it is the Rolling Stones that do it for me - and I am not too bothered I missed the Beatles stuff - ha!
One other thing to mention the lunch time food at the BL is great - and good value.
One final thought - I wonder whose E Mails will make the Treasures Gallery in a few hundred years time - there certainly won't be any handwritten letters to display!
As a bonus the trip to the British Library takes you to King's Cross and St Pancras railway stations.
King's Cross railway station is a major London railway terminus which opened in 1852 on the northern edge of central London. King's Cross is the southern terminus of the East Coast Main Line, providing high speed inter-city services to Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. Virgin Trains East Coast is the main inter-city operator with destinations including Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Other inter-city operators serving the station include Hull Trains and Grand Central.
King's Cross is also a terminus for Great Northern which provides commuter services to North London, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Norfolk.
Immediately to the west across Pancras Road is St Pancras International, the London terminus of Eurostar services to continental Europe. The two stations share King's Cross St. Pancras tube station on the London Underground network and taken together form one of Britain's biggest transport hubs. The station is 820 yards (750 m) north-east of Euston, the southern terminus for the West Coast Main Line.
What is incredible about both these stations is they have both been modernised and upgraded. They are both spectacular and worth a look at if you get a chance.
Finally a beer was a good idea. I love going to old London pubs. Yesterday it was The Cock Inn in Great Portland Street off Oxford Circus. A Samuel Smith's house. £2.90 for a fantastic pint of real ale in a pub that has not changed that much in a 100 years.
A brilliant day out!
Yesterday was a grim weather day. Wet, dank and uninspiring - so the perfect day to be inspired indoors - ha! I caught the 6.47 Catamaran from Ryde Pier Head for the connection to London. The Cat is full of commuters off to work off the Island. Quite a number are in cycling gear - so they can get to work in the environs of Portsmouth (as Norman Tebbitt - literally got on their bike to find work). My thought is hats off to these people. It is tough being a commuter day to day. They are making a real effort. Many look tired before their day gets underway. I am not going to get all political now but these people will be quite heavily taxed on their earnings. There are plenty of people on the Island and elsewhere who could work but don't have the same resolve or self respect as my fellow travellers on this morning. They idle on benefits and successive governments have let them get away with it. The taxes paid by these hard working commuters is too often flitted away by welfare benefits for the undeserving indolent and feckless (and it is wrong - well done the Tory government for trying to reel it in). (I digress!).
The plan is to go to the British Library. The BL was rehoused in a brand new purpose built building in 1997! I have been meaning to go there since then! I finally made it. This is the opening wiki entry for the BL at St Pancras :
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the largest library in the world by number of items catalogued. A Grade I listed building, the library is a major research library, holding around 170 million items from many countries, in many languages and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. The Library's collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial holdings of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 2000 BC.
In the end I spent about 4 hours in the BL. I really enjoyed it. It was great. First of all the ambience. The public spaces have a special atmosphere. Formal and informal - conforming. Quiet but whispering. Reading and socialising. Ernest and relaxed. Everything is done well. It is not in anyway ostentatious but it is big and modern and well and purposefully utilised.
First of all an explore of the building and sight of the many reading rooms - then proper coffee in one of the cafes (free wi fi.) I felt - sat there - that I was part of something good. It was a good place to be - a worthwhile place to enjoy and appreciate. The opportunity for reading and learning is a wonderful privilege of course, one to value and not take for granted. It is a truly world class facility and evidently there are people here from all parts of the world.
My plan was to go to see the (free) Sir John Ritblat "Treasures" Gallery exhibition. Here is a link to give you more information : http://www.bl.uk/events/treasures-of-the-british-library
I spent over two absorbing hours in the gallery looking around. Time flew. It was special and I would highly commend it.
This is from the promotional web site :
The Sir John Ritblat Treasures of the British Library Gallery hosts more than 200 beautiful and fascinating items: magnificent hand-painted books from many faiths, maps and views, early printed books, literary, historical, scientific and musical works from over the centuries and around the world. Here are just a few of the objects you can see: Gutenberg's Bible of 1455, Magna Carta, The Lindisfarne Gospels, Magna Carta Codex Sinaiticus, Leonardo da Vinci's notebook, Shakespeare's First Folio, Diamond Sutra - the world's earliest dated printed book, Handel's Messiah - in the composer's hand, Celestial globe 110cm across and handwritten lyrics by the Beatles.
What I found so wonderful about the exhibition is while each item is of course behind glass you can rest your elbows and actually read the book - your nose inches from it. For instance - just me reading a letter written by Charles 1 while imprisioned at Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight describing how his plan to escape was thwarted because "my body is too thick for the bredth of the widest window.
These of some of the other documents I looked at (I will admit to sensing some sort of personal connection now with some of the writers). This feeling suprises me - without going all "luvvy" - moves me a little - seems rather incredible! I think the explanation might be that the documents I have been reading on my own are handwritten and therefore highly personalised. It feels something like I have had a one to one conversation I suppose.)
Anyway I looked at :-
A hand written note from Michelangelo to a nephew advising that he felt birth, health and disposition of a future partner was more important than wealth and beauty.
A note book written in the small and careful hand of Captain Scott of the Antartic.
A report written by Florence Nightingale from the Crimea about nurses.
A letter written by Karl Marks (appropriately) in a small left leaning hand.
An unfinished letter written by Nelson to his Lady Hamilton. In the letter he says the French have been spotted off Cape Trafalgar and that he will finish the letter on his return! Should I mention Nelson was killed at the battle of Trafalgar.
Notes written by Alexander Fleming relating to his discovery of penicillin.
A signed typed letter written by Winston Churchill during the war about how steps can be taken to protect our national treasures.
A letter written by Guy Burgess the notorious Cambridge 5 spy.
Letters written by the Suffragette leadership.
A letter written by Elizabeth 1 regarding Ann Boleyn.
One thing that was not there - no plays written by Shakespeare's own hand now exist.
There were also fantastic manuscripts and books - for instance :-
Sheet music penned by the great composers - Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin and many more.
Leonardo da Vinci note books showing calculations and experiments in meticulous small writing.
One of my favourites is a letter written by Galileo in 1633 outlining why he adopted the Copernican theory that the earth was not a fixed star but a planet orbiting the sun.
There are unbelievably detailed ancient hand drawn maps and calligraphy as well as a huge globe. The man hours involved in their production must be mind boggling and all done without electric light!
One of the 4 original copies of the Magna Carta granted by King John. In a nutshell it states all men including the King are equal under the law. It was written in Latin on sheep skin in 1215 so it was impossible to read. The writing just seemed like one long sentence - no breaks or paragraphs. We all recognise Magna Carta - one of the world's most famous documents and which now has worldwide significance as a symbol of justice and freedom under the law. It was a great thing to see.
Next to it is the Papal Bull - the document issued by the then Pope in an attempt to revoke Magna Carta.
There are quite incredible hand written books - hand illuminated - that must have taken scribes life times to produce. Gold leaf everywhere. Many 6 7 8 hundred years old and absolutely beautiful and priceless. Standout ones were the Lindisfarne Gospels and a copy of Homers Illiad produced in Venice in 1466. Most have religious connections or are religious books. There are books representing every major faith. Incredible Bibles, Torahs, Koran's, and Hindu and Buddhist books.
One the most famous documents on show is a Gutenburg Bible produced in 1455 I think. It is a deeply significant document because the Gutenberg Bibles (there were 180 printed) were the first major books produced by moveable printing type. The world was never the same again. One Bishop observed 3 printers for 3 months could produce more leafs than 3 scribes working for a life time. Books gradually became affordable and available to the masses.
You can tell I enjoyed it!
After I left I realised I inadvertently missed the Beatles documents - stuff written by the hand of Lennon and McCartney I guess. It is clearly appropriate that Beatles related articles are there. Their song writing and lyrics are landmark. I acknowledge the Beatles as great - their song catalogue truly outstanding. I have seen Paul McCartney perform live. I do not hesitate in acknowledging he put on a fantastic personal show. However having said all that it is the Rolling Stones that do it for me - and I am not too bothered I missed the Beatles stuff - ha!
One other thing to mention the lunch time food at the BL is great - and good value.
One final thought - I wonder whose E Mails will make the Treasures Gallery in a few hundred years time - there certainly won't be any handwritten letters to display!
As a bonus the trip to the British Library takes you to King's Cross and St Pancras railway stations.
King's Cross railway station is a major London railway terminus which opened in 1852 on the northern edge of central London. King's Cross is the southern terminus of the East Coast Main Line, providing high speed inter-city services to Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. Virgin Trains East Coast is the main inter-city operator with destinations including Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Other inter-city operators serving the station include Hull Trains and Grand Central.
King's Cross is also a terminus for Great Northern which provides commuter services to North London, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Norfolk.
Immediately to the west across Pancras Road is St Pancras International, the London terminus of Eurostar services to continental Europe. The two stations share King's Cross St. Pancras tube station on the London Underground network and taken together form one of Britain's biggest transport hubs. The station is 820 yards (750 m) north-east of Euston, the southern terminus for the West Coast Main Line.
What is incredible about both these stations is they have both been modernised and upgraded. They are both spectacular and worth a look at if you get a chance.
Finally a beer was a good idea. I love going to old London pubs. Yesterday it was The Cock Inn in Great Portland Street off Oxford Circus. A Samuel Smith's house. £2.90 for a fantastic pint of real ale in a pub that has not changed that much in a 100 years.
A brilliant day out!
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| The plaza in front of The British Library |
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| Paulozzi's massive Newton bronze in the plaza |
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| Cameras are not permitted inside! |
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| Kings Cross station |
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| Amazing Kings Cross roof - like a waterfall in reverse. |
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| Part of the adjacent St Pancras Building. Part hotel part Eurostar staion |
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| Beautifully clean quiet and upmarket! |
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| There are several items of art on display to the public at St Pancras. At the south end of the upper level, a 9-metre (29.5 ft) high 20-tonne (19.7-long-ton; 22.0-short-ton) bronze statue named The Meeting Place stands beneath the station clock. Designed by British artist Paul Day, it is intended to evoke the romance of travel through the depiction of a couple locked in an amorous embrace.[25] |
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| The Cock Inn Great Portland street before it started to fill. The original floors and ceilings are wonderful |
Jealous !!! Reading though your tempered discourse, I realise you might have found my previous post impolite. Thing is that once you get that bit out of the way there's really no need for any other discussions about Islam. Rotherham yes, Brussels yes, the nice Muslim at the shop yes, Islam no. Although I am absolutely fascinated by it's many-faceted layers of evil, quite obsessed, because it throws so many areas of goodness, made murky in our modern world, into relief. I have been reading some medieval Maqama literature. All those romantic stories with Arabian and Persian flair that seem so enchanting are in fact dedicated to making bad seem good and vice-versa. Maqama are collections of tales recounted in a mixture of poetry and prose and each vignette describes the accomplishments of a sly trickster who hoodwinks his adversaries using deceptive rhetoric, just like what we see today. It's a specialty. The British Library has an extensive collection but I don't know how one could appreciate the beautiful illustrations and calligraphy after learning what the story is about.
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