Wednesday 7^th May 2014

Weather today was a bit of a mixed bag, sunny with a few clouds then a few rain showers. Temperature was about 18°

Another day of travelling around London on the tube - first stop Blackfriars, then a walk to St Bride’s church near Fleet Street. St Bride’s was built in 1703 and is called the wedding cake church because of the shape of its steeple. A baker made a fortune making wedding cakes that resembled it.

St Bride's Steeple

We walked past the Old Bailey (law courts), down Newgate street (where the old Newgate prison used to be) and then on to The Museum of London, where we spent a couple of interesting hours learning about the history of the city of London. We then headed down Gresham Street to view the Guildhall. This is where the City of London has been governed since the first Mayor was appointed in 1189. The foundation of the current Guildhall was laid about 1411.

Continuing on our walk, we passed The Bank of England, (no samples were available) and the Royal Stock Exchange to reach Gracechurch Street, where I bought a navy blue blazer.

Stopped for a look at the beautiful Leadenhall Market on the way to Monument Station. Caught the tube to Green Park and walked along Jermyn Street to Prince’s Arcade where I bought my bowtie, scarf and a waist coat to wear to Kelly & Justin’s wedding.

Guild Hall

Leadenhall Market

Retail therapy is tiring so we stopped for afternoon tea before walking back to Piccadilly Circus to catch the tube back to our hotel to drop off our purchases. After visiting the laundrette we went to the Mitre Pub for a lovely dinner in their upstairs dining room before heading back to our hotel so Lynne could do some ironing -  I helped a bit.