Oranges and lemons,Say the bells of St. Clement's.

Mike's Tour of London.

Met up with Catharine, Mike, Alice (Weightman), Thomas and Holly for a Mike - guided tour of London, and we didn't talk about the cricket. (England destroyed us in the Ashes).

Starting at Nelson's Column and ending at Southbank Burough Market Coffee shop. We trekked to the Obelisk (which was found prostate on the ground in Egypt, and given as a gift for Nelson's defeat of the French) the Sphinx are facing inward the wrong way - they were moved for cleaning and replaced the wrong way - you'd think they would have got it right. Saw the pub which was cut half and a section removed to make way for an entry to an under bridge shopping strip. The pub exists but it is in 2 parts. Interesting. It still has a lot of charter, just cosier. Then north to the BBC (Bvsh Hovse) and Australia House. Had a look at St Clement Dane Church. "Oranges and Lemons" is an English nursery rhyme and singing game which refers to the bells of several churches, all within or close to London City. It is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index.
　

Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement's.You owe me five farthings,Say the bells of St. Martin's. When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey. When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch. When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney. I do not know, Says the great bell of Bow. Here comes a candle to light you to bed, And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!
　

Here is a longer version:

Gay go up and gay go down, To ring the bells of London town. Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clements. Bull's eyes and targets, Say the bells of St. Marg'ret's. Brickbats and tiles, Say the bells of St. Giles'. Halfpence and farthings, Say the bells of St. Martin's. Pancakes and fritters, Say the bells of St. Peter's.
Two sticks and an apple, Say the bells of Whitechapel. Pokers and tongs, Say the bells of St. John's. Kettles and pans, Say the bells of St. Ann's. Old Father Baldpate, Say the slow bells of Aldgate. You owe me ten shillings, Say the bells of St. Helen's. When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey. When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch. Pray when will that be? Say the bells of Stepney. I do not know, Says the great bell of Bow. Here comes a candle to light you to bed, Here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop chop chop chopThe last man's dead!

Various theories include that it deals with child sacrifice; that it describes public executions; that it describes Henry VIII's marital difficulties.

The identity of the churches clear, but the following have been suggested.
St. Martin's may be St Martin Orgar or St. Martin's Lane in the city, where moneylenders used to live. St Sepulchre-without-Newgate (opposite the Old Bailey) is near the Fleet Prison where debtors were held. St Leonard's, Shoreditch is just outside the old city walls St Dunstan's, Stepney is also just outside the city walls. The Bow isSt Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside.St. Helen's, in the longer version of the song, is St Helen's Bishopsgate, in the city. St. Clements's may beSt Clement Danes or St Clement Eastcheap both of which are near the wharves where merchantmen landed citrus fruits.

We will have to do the 7 churches as a challenge to ourselves.

We moved through the unique inner cities of the Inns of Court. The most famous is the Inner Temple.

The Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court along with Gray's Inn; Lincoln's Inn and the Middle Temple. The Inns are responsible for training, regulating and selecting barristers within England and Wales, and are the only bodies allowed to call a barrister to the Bar and allow him to practice. The Temple is an independent, unincorporated organisation, and works as a trust. It has approximately 8,000 members, with around 450 joining a year. Although the Inn was previously a disciplinary and teaching body, these functions are now shared between the four Inns, with the Bar Standards Board acting as a disciplinary body and the Inns of Court and Bar Educational Trust providing education.

The Knights Templar and the origins of the Inner Templar, began in the early years of the reign of Henry II (1154-1189), when the contingent of Knights Templar in London moved from the Old Temple in Holborn to a new location on the banks of the Thames. The first group of lawyers came to live here during the 13th century, although as legal advisers to the Knights rather than as a society. The Knights fell out of favour, and the order was dissolved in 1312, with the land seized by the king and granted to the Knights Hospitaller. The courts expanded over time and Inner Courts were established. They were converted to barristers' chambers and Inns, where the meals are cheap and every barrister must eat at "their" Inn, 4 time a year or else they must resign their barrister's rooms. These are so highly sought after that some one has to die before a new member can be admitted. So there is hope for you yet Gino Russo! Pack you bags babe and high-tail it over here. I could see you adding an Italian flare to Rumpole.

The "Inns of Court" are a city within a city. A place where a person can go to school, then university school of law, then to the Inns of Court. Swallowed up in a protected society. You can live, eat and be married here. They all have their own chapels and are protected by a porters and grounds-men. All needs are attended to and your position is highly prized. Reality? What is that? Men and women of Law yes, how much of the realities of life are learnt through what they read rather than what they experience. Their heads are full of books. Questionable.

We had lunch at the KnightsTemple Bar (very nice and) then walked to Southbank, passing Tate Modern and Globe to find a "Tea House" and instead we came to our favourite coffee shop at Borough Market. This was memorable as it was the first time I have ever seen Mike drink coffee. So un-English Mike.