Or strawberry tree. In the yard in front of the Dean's quarters at Westminster Abbey Seen on my Hidden Highlights tour that I went on this afternoon.
A rushed work day it seemed - the morning was full of meetings, a long late lunch break to go on the Hidden Highlights tour and then back to madly catch up with emails, urgent peer reviewing and finding out who was in and who was out in Rishi's new cabinet. Unbelievably Suella is back at the Home Office having been fired apparently for a serious security breach. Mmmm.
The Hidden Highlights tour was excellent - only open to Abbey Association members. One of the first highlights was the foundations of an old medieval sacristy - unearthed as part of works for a new visitor centre. Bones and skeletons of actual Anglo-Saxon monks - both in and out of chalk-lined coffins were fully visible. Totally amazing. I refrained from photographing them.
Other highlights included beautiful rooms like the Jericho chamber, with its 16th century wood linenfold panelling and huge 30-year-old book listing all the abbey services, including the recent state funeral. The Jerusalem chamber had a gorgeous medieval roof and 16th century tapestries of Flemish silk as well as a 1620s fireplace. Apparently, Isaac Newton's body lay here before burial.
The medieval hall is now used for Westminster school lunches with its medieval cellars being used as kitchen storage. In the yard outside was this lovely strawberry tree and gas lamps that still work. Also visited the library - the original location was lost in the Reformation but this one houses books donated in the 1620s.
The official tour ended in the new galleries at the top of the tower which looked really interesting and worth a more thorough visit. The tour was advertised as visiting Edward the Confessor's shrine which is out of bounds normally except for services but the tour guide said they'd stopped doing that. But he also said we could ask one of the volunteer guides if they would kindly show it to us.
One of our number was very bold and did exactly that so we got in to see the original tomb - 11th century ffs. Just so old. Plus the tombs of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Black Prince and Henry III.
Had to work quite late to finish off things after that.
3 good things
1. Amazing antiquity on my (work) doorstep.
2. 3 other team members in work today - was fun to sit together and chat.
3. Learning a new tune that then spiralled around my head all night.
Morning fountain and gulls
https://365project.org/boxplayer/extras/2022-10-25
25 October 2022
Westminster SW1
