Holy Smokes It's the London Fire Brigade Museum

Just when I thought that there were few sites in London that I had left unseen in my years of traversing its streets, my grandson (who will be entering a college program in fire science this fall)  found one I had missed--The London Fire Brigade Museum.  You have to call to make a reservation, but they are most accommodating. 

It is located at 94a Southwark Bridge Road and is just a stone's throw from the Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern.

Some of the material is in an old fire house and the rest is in Winchester House next store, which was the home and workplace of London's Chief Fire Officer from 1878 to 1937.

Our group contained my grandson and me, a young firefighter and two girls from Glen Ellyn Illinois, and about ten women from London who were taking part in an adult education course devoted to out of the way, unusual, or neglected sites in the city.







That little sub-group was led by a natty British gentleman sporting a badge declaring him to be an official guide for the London County Council.

Our tour was conducted by Jane, the museum's curator. 

Inside the house, besides a stairway you would kill to have,





you will find a beautiful chronological history of fire fighting from the Great Fire, to
the development of private insurance companies competing for business, to the creation of municipal forces.  A particularly interesting part of the story dealt with the work of the Fire Brigades during the Blitz in WW II.  The picture below shows one of the 12 to 14 year old boys who were used to physically run messages during air raids as regular radio or phone communications were often down.  Several of them were killed or injured in the line of duty.  



 There are also lots of manikins dressed to show the evolution of fire fighter protective gear and uniforms. 




At the end of the tour we went back to the old fire station where you could look at a display of fire engines ranging from old hand pumpers and a period ladder truck to more modern equipment.

 

 All told it is an impressive collection and the story it tells is an integral part of how London became the city it is today and how fire protection has played a part in the development of all urban areas.

It was a short walk after our tour to Thameside and a lunch and Guiness on the outdoor patio of the Anchor pub.  Some years ago this was a dingy deck with some tables that you carried your beer and ploughman's lunch to from the bar.  Now it is an umbrella decorated outdoor eaterie complete with on-site beer taps, waiters,  and convenient credit card swiper ready to gobble up the cost of overpriced salmon salad and fish and chips.  What can you say!  I'm sure they are making more money now that Bankside is a mecca for tourists. 


 

    



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3 The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is a Must See

Christopher Robin of course went down with Alice. We went with Amy TJ and Mikel.  The crowds are massive and you don't see all that much, but it is still the primo touristo requisite for any first timer to London.

We arrived early and got a nice shot of the palace and our crew standing out front before the crowds arrived.

We then took up a position on the center island at the top of the mall that contains the Queen Victoria Memorial. As you can see it gets a tad jammed by the time the action starts.

 

 

Finally we get the horses trotting and the bands marching.

right in front of us

 

and into the courtyard gate.

Unfortunately, after that,  you don't see much of the actual exchange unless you have made an early decision to find a spot on the palace fence proper,


It's a good thing that the crowd and the monuments are often as interesting as the show inside the fence.  The bobbies are friendly but firm if you try to climb too high on the monument or the railings..

Noone climbs up here. 

 

 

or here.

 

Afterwards we walked down the mall to Trafalgar Square and on to Covent Garden.

 

 

where the boys loved the buskers entertaining in front of St. Paul's Covent Garden

The evening saw us at the theatre where we saw War Horse.  The original play is far superior to the film. You can't believe that you will accept puppet horses moved by visible manipulators.  Yet about five minutes in you totally accept the horses as living entities with real intelligence and emotions. The absolute supreme power of the imagination lives on in the live theatre.  

 

 

 

 

Day Two Features Greenwich

Day two was another gorgeous sunny day and it seemed appropriate time to explore London's oldest highway--the River Thames.  After breakfast we headed to Westminster Pier where we purchased a ticket to Greenwich on the 10:30 AM boat. 



The river is an ideal place from which to view the historic monuments of London,




some of the recent additions to the city scape, and






 and the vast array of modern skyscrapers with extraordinary shapes and fanciful names. 



The so called "Shard" above is now the tallest building in London but the "Walkie Talkie" on the left and  the "Gherkin" on the right in the shot below keep Londoners' sense of humor alive.

 
The old meets the new everywhere you look.  The Wren Church of All Hallows by the Tower is stunning  when placed against the crane bedappled top of the "Walkie-Talkie."



It doesn't take long from Westminster to reach Tower Bridge.  The view from under the bridge is not the normal scenic shot. 
 

As soon as you cross downstream of the Tower, you are in the old docklands area. The river is now lined with old warehouses converted into luxury flats and with new construction. 


Before you know it you are circling in front of Inigo Jones' Queen's House and preparing to land at Greenwich Pier.





Our initial destination was the Royal Observatory and we all had the chance to place our feet simultaneously in the eastern and western hemispheres on the "0" meridian.  






There was a bizarre "steamunk"  art exhibition inside the Observatory itself.


Just the view from Observatory Hill is worth the climb.



Back down the hill for some lunch and then a visit to the famous tea clipper Cutty Sark. 



Like the London skyline, It has changed a lot since our first visit back in the 70's.


Jan and David in 1972

Grandson TJ in 2014

 A massive fire during a restoration a few years ago was actually a good thing according to one of the ticket takers as it created a public campaign that raised a lot more money than had originally been assigned to the fixing the old ship up.

  The old tea clipper was completely restored and in an engineering marvel that has to be seen to be believed has been suspended in thin air on steel supports.



You can now have tea and crumpets underneath the massive hull of the ship.



The only problem is one feels just a bit uncomfortable down there with all that bulk suspended overhead.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's London Again

 

Five years ago we took my daughter and her 12 year old son to London. This year our younger grandson was in line for a trip and he wanted to go to London like his big brother had.  So we bundled up all five of us, rented a short term flat, and headed for my favorite big city once again.  My journal entry for June 18^th    was one big word. "CRAPOLA" as our departure was delayed by one day because of weather problems at O’Hare.  The 19^th was fine and our new route thru Detroit got us to Heathrow and our flat without further hitches.

Our days were planned to introduce our youngest traveler to the city so we began with the Tower of London.



Where of course we had to have the necessary photo with a beefeater.

 

We also ran into some other strangely garbed folks. 

 

They were taking part in some military gunnery demonstrations going on in the moat.

 

Mikel took the opportunity to practice some more up to date gunnery.

Something new for me was the new memorial at the site of the many beheadings within the tower precincts--including that of Ann Boleyn.

 

Then it was on to Tower Bridge and the Tower Bridge Exhibition, which none of us had seen. I was impressed with the chance to see the interior workings of the bridge and learn more about its history.  And the views of the city from the upper level of the bridge right over the Thames definitely knock out even for an old London hand like me.