Page 91 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

In Roman times, the population of London (known then by its Roman name of Londinium) was
approximately 45,000. In the Middle Ages, The
City, as it is called today, was roughly the size of
this present-day, autonomous district. Nearly
half your time will be spent visiting the Tower of
London, which was established in 1078 and at
times served as a palace, fortress, treasury and
prison. Today, the tower is best known as the
repository of the Crown Jewels. Otherwise,
during this tour you will learn about the Roman
and Saxon histories of London and might see
some remains of the old Roman walls. You will learn about the Great Fire of 1666 which
transformed The City.

From the Tower you will make your way with your guide to the area of St. Katharine's Docks,
one of the few places in London where you can still see what commercial life would have been
like at the beginning of the 19th century. The most central of all London's docks, they were
designed by Thomas Telford to be part of the Port of London and
opened in 1828 on the site of St. Katharine's Hospital. The docks
specialized in luxury goods (ivory, spices, sugar, rubber and
perfumes) needing high protection from theft and a small part of
the high security wall is still visible. Walking around the basins
you can see the Ivory House and Marble Quay, one of the few
warehouses that survived the extensive WWII bombing.
Restaurants, coffee shops and luxury yachts now fill this
upmarket area. Even the Queen's barge, the Gloriana, is moored
here. Moving on from the docks, you will explore the
southeastern parts of The City and Whitechapel, which has a
completely different feel featuring narrow lanes and overhanging
railway bridges characteristic of the Victorian slums that were
once predominant here. This area was made notorious for its
poverty and dehumanizing conditions as highlighted by the
infamous Jack the Ripper murders. Little survives from that era as authorities sought to better the
living circumstances, but St. Botolph, nicknamed the "prostitutes' church" is intact, as is Mitre
Square, site of one of the murders. Today this is part of the financial heart of Britain and you are
more likely to encounter a banker on a lunch break rather than an "unfortunate" (or Victorian
prostitute)! Buildings old and new now stand side by side. Artifacts of other eras include the
Church of St. Mary Axe and the modern "Gherkin," as well as the remains of the 2,000 year old
Roman wall and Lloyds of London with its steel frames. The walk will conclude in Tower Hill.

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