2014-03-02 - The Wards of the City of London Ride

Purrrfect opportunity ;)

Nrrrrrrgd!

Nice photos though

Gutted I couldn't make this ride.. Family stuff to sort out. Well done Mands for organising.

I have passed through the City of London many times but to stop and pause to see what was just around each corner was a revelation of unbundled amazement. Great to see new and familiar faces. It was very generous of several riders to provide us with live entertainment along the way by pretending to rapidly fall off their bikes so convincingly, a bit like Cirque du Soleil.

Cheers Mands for organising such an eye opening ride right under most of our noses.

Thanks everyone for a very enjoyable first forum ride! It was nice chatting to you all and great fun weaving through ye olden cittee. A very big thanks to Mands for organising too.

Thanks indeed Mands and everyone else for a sweet first forum ride - such nice places and friendly faces.

Great ride.

I found out why the clergy needs a trampoline.
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore - The Order of St. Beryl - YouTube

i'm not great at saying hello but thanks for another very friendly forum ride and thanks mands for organising!

i've got a route planned for something very similar to this but was planning to do it at night time. there'd be fewer stops but more information about each place - anyone be interested?

i've got a route planned for something very similar to this but was planning to do it at night time. there'd be fewer stops but more information about each place - anyone be interested?

Definitely, date permitting

sacredheart who were you?

Lol

I have passed through the City of London many times but to stop and pause to see what was just around each corner was a revelation of unbundled amazement. Great to see new and familiar faces. It was **very generous of several riders to provide us with live entertainment along the way by pretending to rapidly fall off their bikes so convincingly, a bit like Cirque du Soleil.
**
Cheers Mands for organising such an eye opening ride right under most of our noses.

Ha! Not suggesting said riders are clowns are you?

Good fun ride today. Thanks Mands. Very impressed by the fastidious planning you and Nic evidently did - no idea how you remembered that convoluted route!

Lovely to chat to so many new and familiar faces. Lucky with the weather too, just. :)

i'm not great at saying hello but thanks for another very friendly forum ride and thanks mands for organising!

i've got a route planned for something very similar to this but was planning to do it at night time. there'd be fewer stops but more information about each place - anyone be interested?

Aye!

Hey thanks everyone for coming and making the ride what it was.
Glad you all had a good time and hopefully learnt some new routes through The City.

Cool to meet some new faces and I'll see you around!

Oh and great photos guys! Post more if you have em.

Will somehow link timelapse here soon...

sacredheart who were you?

Lol

Sorry I misinterpreted the question. I was a Roman soldier stationed in the Temple of Mithras in a previous life.

No no, you got it right the first time.

No, it's me - I just found JB's question funny for some reason. :)

That was fun!

More pics here -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/55501350@N03/sets/72157641766306945/

Thanks Mands, was fun and definitely informative. I'd like to point out that I definitely did fall over and have a hilarious bruise on my side.
Was great to meet everyone/see again.
And Lucy - I can't quote on my phone but I'd be well up for that ride.

Great ride, Mands. Full of surprises in all those nooks and crannies. And great company. Looking forward to the next ride.

Gutted

Here's the route for those who dropped off and wanted to find out what they missed, or wanted to go back to places we just whizzed past.

• = places of interest
  
  
  

====START====
Millenium Bridge
*Plaque on Right and College of Arms
Continue onto Peter's Hill 0.0 mi
Left on to Knighrider St
Right into New Bell Yard
Turn left onto Carter Ln 0.3 mi
*Left on Wardrobe Place
Back to Carter Lane
Turn left onto St. Andrew's Hill 0.3 mi
*Shakespere Plaque
Right into Ireland Yard
Turn right onto Friar St 0.4 mi
Left on to Carter Lane
Left into Church Entry
*St Anns vestry Hall
Right to Ireland Yard
Left to Playhouse Yard
Right into Black Friars Lane
*Blackfriar Plaque
Right into Cobb's Court
Left into Priory Ct
Straigh ahead on Pilgrims St
Right into Ludgate Hill
Left into Ave Maria Lane *Worshipful Co of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
Amen Court
*Clergy Houses
And Warwick Lane *Cutlers Hall
Turn left onto Newgate St/A40 1.0 mi
Across the road - Blue Plaque of Grey Friars Monastery & Christs Hospital
Cross Holborn Viaduct

======HOLBORN SECTION========
Left into Furnival St
Left Cursitor St
Right into Macs Place
*Church Gardens
Left on Bream's Buildings
Right on to Fetter Lane
Left on to W Harding St
Right to Red Lion Crt
Turn left onto Fleet St 1.9 mi
Left into Johnsons Crt
*Back up past Dr Johnsons House
Continue Straight to Gough Square, past the cat
Turn right onto Gunpowder Square 2.0 mi
*Cannon
Continue straight onto Wine Office Ct 2.0 mi
Turn left onto Shoe Ln 2.1 mi
Right into Plumtree Crt
Up the Holborn viaduct *Houses on either side
*Crest on the bridge, dragons, muses.

=========SMITHFIELDS========
Turn left onto Giltspur St 2.5 mi
*St Sepulchre's Church
*Cock Lane
Turn right onto W Smithfield 2.6 mi
*Sherlocks jump
*William Wallace plaque
Turn right onto Cloth Fair 2.7 mi
RISING SUN PUB STOP
Turn right onto Kinghorn St 2.8 mi
Continue onto Bartholomew Close 2.8 mi
Turn left to stay on Bartholomew Close 2.9 mi
*Butchers Hall
Slight right onto Albion Way 2.9 mi
Left on to Montague St
Enter Rotunda 3.0 mi
Lap of Rotunda

=========BARBICAN========
Exit the roundabout onto Aldersgate St/A1 3.0 mi
Turn right onto Beech St/B100 3.2 mi
Left on to Bridgewaters
Turn right onto Viscount St 3.3 mi
Around the UBS building - Cripplegate St
Turn right onto Golden Ln 3.4 mi
Left on to Beech St
Turn right onto Silk St 3.5 mi
Right into Moore Lane
Right onto Fore St 3.8 mi
*Lap of the church
Come out and go back on Fore St
Turn right to stay on Fore St 4.1 mi
Turn left onto London Wall/A1211 4.1 mi
*Moorgate stop
*Keats Pub - The Globe
Continue on London Wall towards Liverpool St.

=======BISHOPSGATE SECTION========
Turn left onto Old Broad St 4.4 mi
Turn right at New Broad St - office buildings drive way 4.4 mi
Turn left onto Bishopsgate/A10 4.5 mi
Go overland on to Houndsditch and continue 4.6 mi
Turn left onto Outwich St/A1211 4.7 mi
Around Aldgate Roundabout for the church - St Botolphs without Aldgate

=========LEDENHALL MARKET SECTION===========
Keep left to continue on Duke's Pl/A1211 5.2 mi
Turn left onto Creechurch Ln 5.2 mi
*First Synagog plaque
Turn right onto Bury St 5.3 mi
*Gherkin
Continue straight onto Undershaft 5.4 mi
Turn left onto Great St. Helen's 5.4 mi
Turn left onto Bishopsgate/A10 5.5 mi
Turn left onto Leadenhall St 5.6 mi
Turn right onto Whittington Ave - To market 5.6 mi
*Dragons
Turn left at Market - Leadenhall Market 5.8 mi
Continue Straight to Ledenhall Place
*Lloyds Building
Left on to Lime St

======FENCHURCH ST SECTION======
Turn right onto Fenchurch Ave 5.9 mi
Right into Fen Crt
Turn left onto Fenchurch St 6.0 mi
Right into Fenchurch Place *Station - Toilet Stop
Left into Passage which runs left of station
Left into Hart St/Crutched Friars
*French ordinary Court
Come out go right on Fenchurch St
Right on Lloyds Ave
Straight on to Coopers Row
Trinity Gardens
*Tower of London
Right on Muscovy St
Right on Seething Lane
Left on Crutched Friars
St Olavs Church where we see Ward Board
Turn right onto Mark Ln 6.4 mi
If OPEN! Left into Dunster Ct
If CLOSED - up Marks Ln to Left on to Fenchurch St.
Turn left onto Mincing Ln 6.5 mi
Dunstan Hill cross the top of the church yard
Turn left onto Idol Ln 6.7 mi
Idol Ln turns right and becomes St. Dunstan's Ln 6.7 mi
Turn right onto St. Mary at Hill 6.8 mi
Cross the road to St Margarets Pattens Church - Ward Board
Turn right onto Eastcheap 6.8 mi
Left into Lovat Lane *descent!
At the end, continue left onto Monument St 7.0 mi
*Monument
Right on Fish St Hill
Left on Eastcheap

==========MANSION HOUSE HILLS==================
Continue onto King William St 7.1 mi
Slight right to stay on King William St 7.1 mi
Left on Clements Lane - Ward Board
Continue up the road - Ward Board
Left on to Nicolas Lane
Right back to King William St
Turn left onto St. Swithin's Ln 7.3 mi
Turn right onto Mansion House Pl 7.3 mi
Turn left St Stephens Row 7.3 mi - Ward Board
Turn left onto Walbrook 7.4 mi
Cross Cannon St
Continue straight onto Dowgate Hill (Along side the station) 7.5 mi
Right into College St
Right into College Hill
Left into Cloak Lane
Turn left onto Garlick Hill 7.7 mi
Turn right onto Little Trinity Ln 7.9 mi
Turn right onto Great Trinity Ln 8.0 mi
Turn left onto Queen St 8.1 mi

=======WATLING & BOW BELLS============
Turn left onto Watling St 8.1 mi
*Cordwainers Statue
THE WATLING PUB STOP
Turn right onto Bow Ln 8.1 mi *Bow Bells Church
Continue onto Cheapside 8.5 mi
Left on to Bread Street
*Arthur Phillip Statue
Right on to New change
Continue onto Newgate St/A40 - In front of St Pauls Tube 8.5 mi
Slight right onto King Edward St - Right lane /A40 8.6 mi
*Postmans Park
Turn right onto St. Martin's Le-Grand 8.7 mi
Continue onto Cheapside 8.8 mi
Continue onto New Change 8.9 mi

======GUILDHALL===========
Turn left onto Foster Ln 8.9 mi
*Goldsmiths Hall
Continue onto Noble St 9.0 mi
*The London Wall
Turn right onto Oat Ln 9.1 mi
*Pewters Hall and St Mary Staining
Right into Staining Lane
Turn left onto Gresham St 9.2 mi
Left to Wood St *Around the tower
Turn left onto Love Ln 9.3 mi
Continue onto Aldermanbury/St Mary Aldermanbury 9.3 mi
Turn left onto Aldermanbury Square 9.5 mi
*Brewers Hall and Garden
Back out (leftish) to Basinghall St
*Ward Board outside church
Enter the roundabout and go left on Basinghall St
Guildhall skidz
FINISH
(Final Pub - The Blackfriar)

guild of brewers and vintry held a strange fascination for some reason !

when i worked for hsbc used to swim in their vintners place pool
lovely building didn't realise the significance at the time

Difficult to tell this story to 30-odd people in the street but here is the tale of The Ghostly Fanny scratching in Cock Lane
The Ghostly Fanny scratching in Cock Lane