Well the weather man was right about today being fine. So
off out we went down to the local overground station. Transferred at Canada
Water to Jubilee line and again at Stratford onto the circle line to Wanstead. A nice easy run. The with
our directions from Londontuberambles.com in hand we followed the instructions.
The first thing we saw was a drinking fountain commemorating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. How serendipitous is that ‘cos Queen Elizabeth has just celebrated hers.
On down St Marys road to St Mary-The-Virgin Parish Church.
Our guide said that it wasn’t open for ‘casual visits. ’ But our luck was in as
the cleaning crew arrived as we did and allowed us in. The information inside
said that it is considered to be the finest example of a small Georgian church
in the diocese. We also discovered that these have been a church on or very near
the site since 1200AD.
The present church was built about 1786, and almost exactly as it was when it was built. When new it only had three stained glass windows, two small round ones and an impressive large on behind the altar. Over the years several of the plain glass side windows were replaced with stained glass ones. A bit more possible serendipity here too, in the form of an elaborated monument to Sir Josiah Childs near the altar. No we’re not related. The serendipity is in the fact that he had connections with the East India Company. Where I hear you ask is the connection. Well my great granddad was a docker in London and could well have unloaded ships owned by this company. We spent a very interesting hour in the old church drinking in the atmosphere. I know it was an hour because the clock in the steeple stuck eleven as we entered and twelve as we left.
There were some unusual headstones in the church yard, one
that caught our eye was for a sea captain and decorated with a carved chain and
anchor.
Opposite it was what looked like a large mausoleum, but when we walked
around to the front of it we found that it looked rather like a sentry box. In
grave robber days this is where the guard would shelter from inclement weather
We had worked up an appetite by the time we
had done a turn around the old headstones and as there was a sheltered set in a
sunny corner we sat and had our lunch.
Fueled up we turned to our sheet of directions and found
ourselves in Wanstead Park. But more
about that tomorrow. Well I have to have something to write about just in case
the weather man is right and we wind up having a day at home.
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