London Walk 3: Waterloo to Charing Cross Via Lincoln's Inn Fields

London Walk 3: Waterloo to Charing Cross via Lincoln's Inn Fields Leave Waterloo Station by main entrance 1 Waterloo Station * Britain's busiest station originally opened in 1840. * Station was very chaotic until rebuilding in early 20th century when 24 platforms were put under one roof. Finally completed in 1922 when the victory arch and war memorial were opened by Queen Mary. * In Jerome K Jerome's 1889 comic novel, Three Men in a Boat, the protagonists spend some time in the station, trying to find their train to Kingston upon Thames. After being given contradictory information by every railway employee they speak to, they eventually bribe a train driver to take his train to their destination: We got to Waterloo at eleven, and asked where the eleven-five started from. Of course nobody knew; nobody at Waterloo ever does know where a train is going to start from, or where a train when it does start is going to, or anything about it. The porter who took our things thought it would go from number two platform, while another porter, with whom he discussed the question, had heard a rumour that it would go from number one. The station-master, on the other hand, was convinced it would start from the local. * The London Necropolis Company ran a daily one-way funeral train to Brookwood cemetery from 1854 until 1941 when the station received a direct hit. * With just under 100 million passenger entries and exits between April 2013 and March 2014, Waterloo is Britain's busiest railway station by passenger usage.[9] The Waterloo complex is the 15th busiest passenger terminal in Europe,[10] and the 91st busiest railway station in the world. * Eurostar platforms opened in 1994 but closed in 2007 when trains transferred to St Pancras. * L&SWR War Memorial in entrance 2 Walk down to Royal Festival Hall terrace. This was the site of the Festival of Britain held in the summer of 1951 to provide entertainment and education for post-war Britons across the nation. * Construction of the South Bank site opened up a new public space, including a riverside walkway, where previously there had been warehouses and working-class housing. The layout of the South Bank site was intended to showcase the principles of urban design that would feature in the post- war rebuilding of London and the creation of the new towns. These included multiple levels of buildings, elevated walkways and avoidance of a street grid. Most of the South Bank buildings were International Modernist in style, little seen in Britain before the war. * The Festival became associated with the post-war Labour government of Clement Attlee and the South Bank Exhibition site (with the exception of the Royal Festival Hall) was rapidly demolished by the incoming Conservative administration of Sir Winston Churchill. 3 Cross over to east side of Waterloo Bridge The first bridge was built in 1811-17 designed by the famed engineer John Rennie. It was opened on the second anniversary of the victory at The Battle of Waterloo, for a private firm who charged tolls to cross. The bridge was taken into public ownership in 1877. Following damage to the two northern piers particularly in 1923, a temporary bridge was built alongside. Eventually the bridge had to be demolished in 1936. Its replacement was started in 1937 and completed in 1942; the new bridge was built to the designs of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Ladies’ Bridge – As the bridge was completed during the Second World War the work force was eventually predominantly female and the bridge was known as the Ladies’ Bridge. Little documentary evidence exists to prove this but people with memories of this are being discovered, not least the daughter of the owner of the firm who built the bridge, who visited it during the course of construction. Artistic Inspiration -There have been three films called Waterloo Bridge, a poem about the end of a relationship by Wendy Cope which became a song by Jools Holland and of course Ray Davies’ Waterloo Sunset. Garden Bridge – there are plans to build a bridge between Temple Gardens and the South Bank. It will be a pedestrian bridge, planted with trees, bushes and flowers. It is controversial because of the public funding involved, the loss of the classic view of the City and the building work that will be required North and South of the River. Turn right at Strand and go into Somerset House 4 The first Somerset House was built as the London home of the Lord Protector, Edward Seymour the Duke of Somerset and uncle of Edward VI. Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (d.1522), obtained a grant of land at "Chester Place, outside Temple Bar, London" from his brother-in-law King Henry VIII. When his nephew the boy-king Edward VI came to the throne in 1547, Seymour became Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector. In about 1549 he pulled down an old Inn of Chancery and other houses, a church, used stones from demolished monastic buildings. Two storey house built around a quadrangle with a gateway rising to three stories. Seymour fell out of favour and was executed in 1552 with Somerset Place becoming Crown property. Before becoming queen Elizabeth lived here. In the 17th century, the house was used as a residence by queens consort. During the reign of King James I, the building became the London residence of his wife, Anne of Denmark, and was renamed Denmark House. Then Henrietta Maria of France, wife of King Charles I, Royal occupation of Somerset House was interrupted by the English Civil War. Part of it served as an Army headquarters, General Fairfax (the Parliamentary Commander-in-Chief) being given official quarters there; lodgings were also provided for certain other Parliamentary notables. It was in Somerset House that Oliver Cromwell's body lay in state after his death in 1658. This was not well- received by the populace. With the Restoration, Queen Henrietta Maria returned and in 1661 began a considerable programme of rebuilding, the main feature of which was a magnificent new river front. After she left in 1665 it was then used as an occasional residence by Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II. Somerset House gradually went into a state of decline and during the 18th century and the building ceased its royal associations. Old Somerset House began to be demolished in 1775. During the 18th century there had been growing criticism that London had no great public buildings. Government departments and the learned societies were huddled away in small old buildings all over the city. In 1775 Parliament passed an Act for the purpose of, inter alia, "erecting and establishing Publick Offices in Somerset House, and for embanking Parts of the River Thames lying within the bounds of the Manor of Savoy". The list of "Publick Offices" mentioned in the Act comprised "The Salt Office, The Stamp Office, The Tax Office, The Navy Office, The Navy Victualling Office, The Publick Lottery Office, The Hawkers and Pedlar Office, The Hackney Coach Office, The Surveyor General of the Crown Lands Office, The Auditors of the Imprest Office, The Pipe Office, The Office of the Duchy of Lancaster, The Office of the Duchy of Cornwall, The Office of Ordnance, The King's Bargemaster's House, The King's Bargehouses". Sir William Chambers, Surveyor-General of Works was appointed at a salary of £2,000 p.a. to design and build the new Somerset House. He spent the last two decades of his life, beginning in 1775, in several phases of building at the present Somerset House. Chambers died in 1796; most of the building was completed after Chambers' death by James Wyatt. The building housed various learned societies, including the Royal Academy, which Chambers was instrumental in founding, and the Royal Society and Society of Antiquaries (the RA had been among the last tenants of the previous building). The University of London also had accommodation there and the learned Societies retained a presence in the building until the 1870s. Government use The main government department in the early days was the Admiralty, leading to the legend that Nelson worked in the building for a time Other departments in Somerset House during the first half of the 19th century were the Poor Law Commissioners and the Tithe Commissioners; in 1837 the Registrar General of Births, Marriages and Deaths set up his office in the North Wing, establishing a connection that lasted for almost 150 years. This office held all Birth, Marriage and Death certificates in England and Wales; indexes to these are now at The National Archives. From its foundation in 1837 the Government School of Design, which was much later to become the Royal College of Art, was housed in the complex, until in 1853 the Registry needed to expand its space. HMRC previously occupied the East, West and New Wings of Somerset House until early 2009 when almost all staff relocated with most moving across the street to Bush House. In 2004 it was proposed that the newly proposed Supreme Court of the United Kingdom be housed in the New Wing because of its proximity to the legal quarter nearby, the Royal Courts of Justice and Inns of Court; however, a decision was made to use Middlesex Guildhall instead. The West Wing of the House is home to the Representative of Anguilla, the diplomatic mission of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla.[6] Courtauld Institute of Art, including the Courtauld Gallery, which has an important collection of old master and impressionist paintings In the winter the central courtyard is home to a popular open air ice rink, The central courtyard also hosts ‘live’ concerts, film screenings and is used for film locations Leave Somerset House by south entrance turn left and walk past Kings College University 5 King's College London was founded in 1828-9 by a group of eminent politicians, churchmen and others.

Load more