Bells in a mold
The large furnace
Bells lying around everywhere
Molds for handbells
The large black form on the wall is for Big Ben
Bricks are used to form in the inner mold
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Founded in 1570 (or perhaps 1420), the Whitechapel Bell Foundry is the oldest manufacturer in London. It's where Big Ben (the bell inside of St. Stephen's clock tower at the Houses of Parliament) and the Liberty Bell were made. They are open for tours on a very limited basis -- only about 3,000 people a year can take the tour.
Bell molds were still warm from the previous day. Molds are filled with "loam", a mixture of sand, clay, goat hair, and cow manure.
Bells in a mold
The large furnace
Bells lying around everywhere
Bricks are used to form in the inner mold
A bell for Elizabeth's diamond jubilee
A frame for eight bells
A 14th-century bell in for repairs
Clappers
A bell on a tuning table
A handbell on a tuning lathe
Bells in a mold
The large furnace
Bells lying around everywhere
Bricks are used to form in the inner mold
Monday, January 30, 2012
Meerkat's big London Weekend
Tower Bridge!
Where's the Queen?
Friends, meerkats, countrymen!
Me at the V&A!
What a big memorial!
"And did those paws in ancient times..."
Fun on a Boris Bike!
I like riding on the top of the bus!
Picadilly Circus. Big deal.
National Gallery.
This is where Will and Kate were married!
Me at Big Ben!
Trafalgar Square
Buckingham Palace, again. Still no Queen,
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Advertisement about "strange US preference for frozen food."
Business week is running these print ads, which are also displayed in Underground stations:
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Afternoon Tea at the Ritz
In search of another iconic London experience, I had Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Hotel in London. There's some debate as to the difference between "High Tea" and "Afternoon Tea." Some say that "High Tea" requires hot food, others say that "Afternoon Tea" ends at 5pm and "High Tea" begins at 5pm. Since I had tea at 5:30pm, but there was no hot food, I'll stick with Afternoon Tea; also, that's what the Ritz calls it.
Tea is served in the Palm Court, which is a Louis XVI-style dining area that alternately looks beautiful or tacky, depending on how closely you look. Gentlemen are required to wear a jacket and tie, and I couldn't help but notice at the coat check that there were ties available there should the gentleman have forgotten his. They were all nicer than the tie I was wearing. The waiters (all men) are dressed in red waistcoats and tails, although the obviously clip-on bowties are a bit of a setback. I got the sense that most of the people in the room were tourists, given the number of photos being taken and the variety of languages being spoken. I did not take pictures, but here's a link to the Ritz website http://www.theritzlondon.com/tea/types-en.html
Once seated, your platter consists of:
There are about 20 teas to choose from, served in the most proper way, meaning:
After you finish your finger sandwiches (or, eaten as much of them as you can), they bring The Best Scones You've Ever Had, with jam and clotted cream. The only thing you need to know about clotted cream is that, regardless of the creamy texture, the fat content is so high that in the US it is classified by the FDA as butter.
Then they bring a lemon custard parfait.
Then they offer you additional desserts from a cart. I deferred.
The Ritz website says that bookings may need to be made 12 weeks in advance. Maybe so at Christmas time, but I booked five days in advance. That said, every table was occupied.
Overall, it was a very nice way to spend an hour and a half on a damp chilly Sunday evening, even if it meant missing the Giants-Falcons game.
Tea is served in the Palm Court, which is a Louis XVI-style dining area that alternately looks beautiful or tacky, depending on how closely you look. Gentlemen are required to wear a jacket and tie, and I couldn't help but notice at the coat check that there were ties available there should the gentleman have forgotten his. They were all nicer than the tie I was wearing. The waiters (all men) are dressed in red waistcoats and tails, although the obviously clip-on bowties are a bit of a setback. I got the sense that most of the people in the room were tourists, given the number of photos being taken and the variety of languages being spoken. I did not take pictures, but here's a link to the Ritz website http://www.theritzlondon.com/tea/types-en.html
Once seated, your platter consists of:
- Ham Sandwich with Grain Mustard Mayonnaise
- Cheddar Cheese Sandwich with Chutney on Onion Bread
- Cucumber Sandwich with Cream Cheese, Dill, and Chives on Caraway Seed Bread
- Chicken Breast Sandwich with Horseradish Cream
- Scottish Smoked Salmon with Lemon Butter on Rye Bread
- Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich with Chopped Shallots and Watercress
- Tea Pastries and Cakes (chocolate cake, strawberry meringue cookie, lemon custard tart, and something that looked like carrot cake that I didn't bother with)
There are about 20 teas to choose from, served in the most proper way, meaning:
- Loose tea right in the pot with the hot water
- A strainer that sits astride your teacup, so that as you pour the tea the leaves in the pot don't get in your cup (at least, the larger ones don't)
- An extra pot of hot water, so that if the tea in the pot gets too strong for you, you can dilute it
- Milk and sugar on the side. I am starting to appreciate a bit of milk in my tea, something I never did before.
After you finish your finger sandwiches (or, eaten as much of them as you can), they bring The Best Scones You've Ever Had, with jam and clotted cream. The only thing you need to know about clotted cream is that, regardless of the creamy texture, the fat content is so high that in the US it is classified by the FDA as butter.
Then they bring a lemon custard parfait.
Then they offer you additional desserts from a cart. I deferred.
The Ritz website says that bookings may need to be made 12 weeks in advance. Maybe so at Christmas time, but I booked five days in advance. That said, every table was occupied.
Overall, it was a very nice way to spend an hour and a half on a damp chilly Sunday evening, even if it meant missing the Giants-Falcons game.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
My favorite place in London
If I had to choose today, it would be Holland Park. Smaller cousin to Hyde Park, Holland Park is north of where I live, and I can be there in about 15 minutes on the bus.
What I love about Holland Park is that it is three parks in one. The southern part is open playing fields and wide paths to walk along. There will usually be cricketers happily sharing the fields with football players, and it is great for pets
Finally, the northern section of Holland Park is woodland, that makes you feel that you are no longer in a big city
They also stage operas in the summertime in a huge tent in Holland Park, although I didn't get to any this past summer (the prices are really steep).
What I love about Holland Park is that it is three parks in one. The southern part is open playing fields and wide paths to walk along. There will usually be cricketers happily sharing the fields with football players, and it is great for pets
The middle section of the park is very upscale and smart (I've learned that the word "posh" has taken on a derogatory meaning, and the appropriate word to say that something is upscale in an admirable way is "smart.") There is a cafe, carefully tended gardens, and sculpture.
A highlight is the Japanese Peace Garden
My first football match
Since my flat is a short walk to Stamford Bridge, the home stadium of the Chelsea Football Club, I got a ticket to see a game. Looking at the schedule (called the "fixtures"), there was a home game against nearby Fulham for a Friday night.
I arrived home a few hours before the game to do a conference call from the flat. The tube station I used took me past the stadium. Since there is no parking, and therefore no tailgating, everyone goes to the nearby pubs to "warm up" for the match. Many of these pubs had signs up that said "Home Supporters Only," and there was at least one that had a policeman outside checking your ticket. It's easy to tell if someone is a fan of the visiting team, because they all sit in one section (more on that later). The main street in front of the stadium is blocked off for about a mile, which is no small problem for traffic since it is one of the main routes west out of Central London. There were police every few yards, and even some on horseback. In all, it was a very calm and family-friendly atmosphere.
As you enter the stadium from a series of ramps, the first thing you encounter inside is a betting booth, where you can wager on the game.
Once I got settled in my seat, it took me a few minutes to notice that no one around me was eating or drinking. This is because food and drink are prohibited in the stands. This was my first indication that this was going to be a long night. There are no giant screens showing replays, and since there are no timeouts, there is no on-field entertainment (e.g. mascots, cheerleaders [note: cricket has cheerleaders]), and no sequences on the big screens like player interviews or highlights from other games. There was very little chatter amongst the fans, and most of what I heard was in Russian (I think). Since there are no timeouts or clock stoppages of any kind, for 45 minutes I had no choice but to watch the match.
The visiting fans are all seated together in the lowed deck of the south side of the stadium. They are surrounded by police. There weren't many of them there, and they seemed to be having a fine time.
The section above them featured the liveliest bunch of fans, who spent the game singing and chanting. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but they looked like they were having a jolly evening.
No one held up funny signs, nor were there any marriage proposals on the scoreboard (wherever that was, I don't think I saw it, but what's the point of a scoreboard when there is little chance of anyone scoring).
Football teams here for the most part don't have names other than their home location. So the Chelsea team is just called "Chelsea", instead of something menacing like the Chelsea Spitfires or the Chelsea QueueJumpers.
After 45 minutes, there is a short halftime. Everyone runs to get food, a beer, and a toilet break, and then back to their seats. This meant another 45 minutes of uninterrupted football, plus additional time that is added on to the end of the game for various reasons (injury time, etc), none of which have to do with the fans actually wanting to see more of this.
I left a bit early, which caused quite a bit of consternation among the security guards ("all you feeling ill, sir?"), so I guess that's another thing you don't do.
One final observation after watching the match as best as I could: these guys are really good.
I arrived home a few hours before the game to do a conference call from the flat. The tube station I used took me past the stadium. Since there is no parking, and therefore no tailgating, everyone goes to the nearby pubs to "warm up" for the match. Many of these pubs had signs up that said "Home Supporters Only," and there was at least one that had a policeman outside checking your ticket. It's easy to tell if someone is a fan of the visiting team, because they all sit in one section (more on that later). The main street in front of the stadium is blocked off for about a mile, which is no small problem for traffic since it is one of the main routes west out of Central London. There were police every few yards, and even some on horseback. In all, it was a very calm and family-friendly atmosphere.
As you enter the stadium from a series of ramps, the first thing you encounter inside is a betting booth, where you can wager on the game.
Once I got settled in my seat, it took me a few minutes to notice that no one around me was eating or drinking. This is because food and drink are prohibited in the stands. This was my first indication that this was going to be a long night. There are no giant screens showing replays, and since there are no timeouts, there is no on-field entertainment (e.g. mascots, cheerleaders [note: cricket has cheerleaders]), and no sequences on the big screens like player interviews or highlights from other games. There was very little chatter amongst the fans, and most of what I heard was in Russian (I think). Since there are no timeouts or clock stoppages of any kind, for 45 minutes I had no choice but to watch the match.
The visiting fans are all seated together in the lowed deck of the south side of the stadium. They are surrounded by police. There weren't many of them there, and they seemed to be having a fine time.
No one held up funny signs, nor were there any marriage proposals on the scoreboard (wherever that was, I don't think I saw it, but what's the point of a scoreboard when there is little chance of anyone scoring).
Football teams here for the most part don't have names other than their home location. So the Chelsea team is just called "Chelsea", instead of something menacing like the Chelsea Spitfires or the Chelsea QueueJumpers.
After 45 minutes, there is a short halftime. Everyone runs to get food, a beer, and a toilet break, and then back to their seats. This meant another 45 minutes of uninterrupted football, plus additional time that is added on to the end of the game for various reasons (injury time, etc), none of which have to do with the fans actually wanting to see more of this.
I left a bit early, which caused quite a bit of consternation among the security guards ("all you feeling ill, sir?"), so I guess that's another thing you don't do.
One final observation after watching the match as best as I could: these guys are really good.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)