Across The Pond: Historical Bits

Then and Now!

Here are some of the places that I saw that meant a lot to me, due to their historical significance.

Covent Garden, St. Paul's Church

Then:

The sound stage of My Fair Lady, modelled after St. Paul's

Another shot of the sound stage

Now:

Langley Court (where family used to live)

Then:

In the doorway is a woman actually related to me!
I believe a great, great, great aunt (Uncle Bill's aunt)

Now:

Corpus Christi Church

Then:

My great-grandparents, Hector (Canadian) and Margaret (English)

Now:

At the same entrance! See the same column?

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More on Mary King's Close

We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I found this one on the internet.

This was only one of the sections of the underground close. It was no re-creation or imitation, it was the real thing (apart from the clothes lines)! This part was a section of what used to be a longer close, originally open to the sky. It was so narrow and surrounded by at least ten story buildings on each side. There were shops through some doors, like an old blacksmith, and other doors led to apartments and narrow living spaces. One door, for example, belonged to a man who had a three story Victorian style apartment. Other small tunnels running inside these walls were very low to the ground and were small, stone rooms that used to fit up to 12 people, with one small pot in the corner for a bathroom. They would have been dirty, smelly, cold and dark, and were reserved for the poorest of people.

We were shown other rooms where a family lived who all died from the plague. Another apartment was said to house a small girl who also died named Annie, and it is said her ghost still remains in her bedroom. There is a wall of toys and dolls donated to this Annie, because it is said that a medium once heard the ghost say she lost her doll and then went up to the Royal Mile above and bought her one. Ever since, people bring the ghost of Annie toys and dolls and leave them in her room.

The coolest thing about the close was that it was the real thing. It was the actual street people used to live and work on up until the 1700s. It was amazing to see!

Some more pictures from around where the Close attraction was.