Okay, not really, but it felt like it. East London is not really my playground,. My friends and I used to joke that, as far as I knew, London stopped at Russel Square and nothing existed past that. I now intern at a charity in Canon Street, so I know more exists. But it still isn't terribly familiar territory, and I welcome the chance to explore it a bit more.
First I went back to St. Paul's to find the British Telecom building, which had eluded me the day before. On the way I passed by the plinth where the graffitied elephant had been, now it's just empty, with an elephant paw print spray painted on the astroturf. At least that's what I assume it was meant to be.
#211 - Hope - British Telecom Building (St. Paul's)#201 - The Elephant Outside The Room (plinth) - St. Paul's Churchyard
Next, I headed to the London Stock Exchange, where I thought there were two Elephants. I think I circled the building a good 3 or 4 times before I stopped to ask a terribly confused security guard and was informed, in no uncertain terms, that there were definitely no elephants in the building (I think he thought I was nuts). So I consulted The Magic List print out. Dyslexia/poor memory strikes again - turns out, there are two buildings with similar names. There's the London Stock Exchange, off St. Paul's, which is a rather boring office building, and then there is The Royal Exchange, near Bank.
My Mistake.
From such an impressive sounding name, you'd think it was an important location right? Nope. It's a shopping center, albeit a luxury one. A bit of digging (also known as going to Wikipedia) informs me that the Royal Stock Exchange building (the Exchange itself being founded in the 1500s) was opened in 1844/45 and the site of the Exchange until 1939. Now it's the shmanciest of shmancies, featuring Hermes, Cartier and Tiffany's, among other shops. Doesn't stop it from still being a very fine looking building, though. I just wish I'd had the time (or money, crikey it was expensive) to stop for a Coffee in the courtyard cafe. Sadly, even in my office duds I still didn't feel like I was dressed well enough, and the Elephant trail waits for no one. I did stop to pose with one of the Elephants though!
#173 - The Paul Smith Elephant - The Royal Exchange
(and me!)
#244 - Jewel-ele - The Royal Exchange
Supposedly #68 - Taxi Elephant is a very special one, because it lights up, like Luna in Westfield. This one is super special though, in that the lighting is solar powered. Only problem with this is that the elephants are in LONDON, and it was (shocker) cloudy. So no lights.
#68 - Taxi Elephant - The Royal Exchange#107 - Cartier - The Royal Exchange
From The Royal Exchange I was off to Lime Street (aka, the Shadow of the Gherkin). As I mentioned in my last entry, every so often while I am exploring London I am struck by a literary "Ah HAH! I've read about this!" moment. Today was the mother of all of moments though, because as I wandered through the Leadenhall Market, I stumbled upon this:
Oh yes, my Pride and Prejudice addicted friends. It's Gracechurch Street. Cheapside.
There was so much geekish squee going on, I don't know how I handled it. Barring stumbling upon Pemberly itself, I don't know that I could have had a better moment. Leadenhall Market. Turns out that the Gardner's actually were doing pretty well for themselves as merchants, eh?
Oh yeah...there was an Elephant there too.....and in some other places.
#196 - Izzy - Lime St, the quote says "Nine tenths of failures in this world are from not quite doing enough" - Isambard Kingdom Brunel#184 - The Human Disease (Hoxton Hotel, Old Street)
#60 - Map Elephant - 6 Devonshire Square#155 - Elephantastic - 6 Devonshire Square
In between Devonshire Square and Old Street, I stumbled across Bunhiel Fields. I'm one of those weird people who is vaguely enchanted by old cemeteries, so I took a peek inside. Turns out its the burial place of William Blake (Poet), John Bunyan (author of Pilgrim's Progress ((another geek squee re: Little Women))) and Daniel Defoe (author of Robinson Crusoe).
I stopped and spoke briefly to the grounds keeper there, who turned out to be incredibly knowledgeable about the area and the history. I commented that it was a little depressing that Blake's grave was in the middle of a stone walkway, it seemed rather barren considering, and immediately he said "Oh no, that's just a place marker" and walked me off through the headstones to a field. Turns out, that when Blake died he was poor and unknown, so he was buried in a common grave. The common grave area has since (above ground at least) been turned into a park and play area for a nearby school. So instead of be barren and stoney, he's buried (and the ground's keeper showed me to within about a foot of where he was) in a field where trees grow, sun shines and children play.
Fitting I think.
"He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sun rise" - William Blake
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