Queen´s welcome at Holborn Viaduct

The young Queen Victoria proposed to Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and the two were married on February 10, 1840. The Queen loved her new husband deeply and his guiding hand saw her take up her royal duties with much greater confidence than previously.

However, Victoria´s beloved husband died of typhoid fever on December 14, 1861, at Windsor. The Queen was distraught and retired from public life. Her grief was all consuming and continuing. She was seldom seen in public and, as years passed, there was increasing comment at her failure to be seen to be carrying out her duties.

Sir Theodore Martin, was commissioned to prepare a five volume “Life of His Royal Highness The Prince Consort” which appeared between 1875 and 1880. He became a close friend of the Queen, staying at her Isle of Wight residence and coming to know her very well indeed. In addition to his monumental work, he also penned a small volume: “Queen Victoria As I Knew Her.”

He explained that it was pressure of work, rather than just grief, that kept her from public engagements. Victoria had learned from Albert to pay close attention to every detail of the vast amount of papers and policy documents that were sent to her by the government. She worked long hours, reading everything, and, commenting if she felt this necessary. In the past, Albert had taken a large share of this load but now the Queen had to deal with it alone.

The criticism of her failure to appear in public wounded her and in January 1868, she wrote to Sir Theodore asking him to “take means to let the public know the truth.” He advised against this, saying: “Whatever might be said by some, her people, I was sure, had entire trust in her doing what was best, and that she would appear in public whenever the necessity for doing so arose.”

In 1863 work began on a bridge that was to remove a barrier to the flow of traffic and people in London. The slopes of Holborn Hill and the valley of the Fleet River cut across the east-west axis and an impressive bridge and viaduct was designed by the City Surveyor, William Heywood. The project was not completed until 1869 and it cost some two million pounds. Today the bridge is known as Holborn Viaduct and is hardly noticed by the thousands of people who cross it in cars and buses each day. There used to be a Holborn Viaduct Station nearby but this is now a City Thameslink station.

Queen Victoria finally appeared in public to open the Holborn project, on November 6, 1869, and the event was a great success with a hugely enthusiastic reception from the crowds. Victoria wrote to Martin on November 11: “Nothing could be more successful than the progress and ceremony of Saturday. The greatest enthusiasm prevailed, and the reception by countless thousands of all classes, especially in the City, was most loyal and gratifying – not a word, not a cry that could offend anyone.” On the same day she also opened the new Blackfriars Bridge across the Thames.

Taking a walk across the Holborn Viaduct today, the four fine statues that decorate it still impress. The Fleet River has long since vanished from view and now runs beneath Farringdon Road which passes under the viaduct.

The two statues on the south of the viaduct represent Commerce and Agriculture, and are by the sculptor Henry Bursill. The two on the north side represent Science and Fine Art and are by the firm of Farmer and Bailey.

Queen Victoria and Albert can be found in many places in London, with statues and monuments. But the little bridge at Holborn has its own place in Victoria´s story.

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009

A fine London lunch

When it comes to a proper lunch there are few things more satisfying than a proper pork pie.

In the morning I had fought my way through the crowds at Selfridges to buy a ceramic pie vent in the shape of a blackbird so that I could have a go at making a traditional English pork pie at home. No doubt, the form comes from the old nursery rhyme: “Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.”

A pleasant walk in the May sunshine then brought me to the doors of Fortnum and Mason. The upper floors are now stuffed with tat for tourists but fine food can still be found in the basement and I was soon the proud possessor of an individual pork pie. Carrying this carefully in my Fortnum bag I walked along Piccadilly to the churchyard of St James, near to Piccadilly Circus. William Blake was baptized here. The church was closed but I found a seat outside and ate half the delicious pie.

Then I headed back along Piccadilly, on the other side of the road, and walked up to Grosvenor Square, buying a takeaway cup of Earl Grey tea from a café on the way. The remainder of the pork pie was eaten and the tea drunk under the shade of the huge plane trees, bright green in their early summer leaves. The square was originally at the center of the Mayfair housing developments, which started in the 1720s, of the Grosvenor family. In 1946 it was opened to the public and is now looked after by the Royal Parks. The Grosvenor family remains today one of the wealthiest in Britain with huge property holdings.

Grosvenor Square has a very close association with the United States. The country´s embassy opened there in 1938. A statue of President Roosevelt stands at the north side of the square. At the south side stands a monument to the American fliers of the Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Force who fought the Nazis with Britain before their nation´s entry into the Second World War. 244 Americans served with the squadrons. A quiet garden commemorates all the people who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York.

There are many over-priced restaurants in London and many scruffy cafes. But, when the sun is shining in early summer, all it takes is a cup of tea and a pork pie to make one of the world's great lunches.

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009.

The ultimate academic test

In Imperial China the competitive examinations for government office were open to everyone. Except for people like actors, of course.

Men from all over the country would compete in examinations at local, city and regional level. The very best would finally travel to Beijing to sit the highest level of examinations, supervised by the emperor himself. Students would be locked into cells for a week or so and told “write what you know.” Food was passed in through a small hole. The papers were marked by the most eminent scholars with comments added by the emperor.

Those who passed this ultimate test would be eligible for appointment to the higher levels of the Imperial government.

Scholarship gave the greatest status in China and the Imperial examinations required a vast memorized knowledge of ancient works of literature and history. Free thinking was not encouraged.

This picture, taken in about 1905 in the depths of the Beijing winter, shows the cells in which the scholars were locked for their ultimate examination.

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009.

The riches of tin

Rich river deposits of tin were the impetus for the settlement of the muddy flats that became known as Kuala Lumpur.

Tin produced vast fortunes, though not for the coolies who laboured to extract it. Chinese businessmen dominated the trade and their countrymen worked in the hot sun as indentured labourers, dreaming of a return home with plenty of cash, perhaps to find a wife and buy a house and farm.

The railway that connects Singapore today with Malaysia can be found in the heart of the city and it features a beautiful early 20th century building erected at the time when the island state was still a part of Malaya. The main salon is decorated with large panels showing aspects of life and business – including tin. The picture shows the tin panel.

Having completed the long rail journey from Singapore up to Penang, the advice is don´t bother unless you like looking at endless palm plantations and enjoy films played at full blast on a TV set in each carriage that can´t be turned off or down. However, the Singapore station is well worth a visit.

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009.

An Islamic inscription

The ancient city of Xian lies at the end or start of the Silk Road, depending how you look at it.

The Silk Road was, in fact, a broad collection of routes that connected the Middle East with China and the highly valued arts and products of China were packed onto camels, or dromedaries, for the long journey across deserts and mountains.

Not surprisingly, there was, and is, a sizeable Islamic community at Xian. A large and historic mosque looks, at first glance, like a Chinese temple but it is very definitely a mosque. The Chinese architecture and decorations are beautiful and Islamic inscriptions are prominent in many places.

However, no English translations are provided. This picture shows the inscription over the entrance to the main prayer hall. Can anyone translate?

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009.

An unusual chapel

An unusual chapel

The Gunners Roll of Hong Kong was founded in 1947. The Roll flourished with plenty of dinners and social activities. As time moved on, however, the requirement for artillery in Hong Kong vanished, with the likelihood of conflict evaporating and the focus turning to the return of the British colony to China in 1997.

As there were few, or no, gunners left in Hong Kong in the final years of British rule, I found myself president of the Gunners Roll, despite never having served with the Royal Artillery. Although membership was dropping, we still had a damn fine gathering each year for St Barbara’s Day, with formal dress and plenty of port and toasts.

There was a St Barbara’s Chapel on Stonecutters Island. This island situated in the middle of the harbour, had been in military hands since its acquisition by the British in the middle of the 19th century. At one time, it had been thought a good idea to construct a prison there but, after a batch of prisoners drowned, chained together, while being brought ashore, this was soon closed.

The structure, however, survived and one of the corner houses of the walls survived. There is a similar structure at the junction of Arbuthnot Road and Chancery Lane, on Hong Kong Island.

This little fort became the St Barbara´s Chapel. No doubt the building is still there, although being used for some other purpose. The Chinese navy now has its Hong Kong base at Stonecutters´Island.

Does The Gunners Roll of Hong Kong still exist and is St Barbara´s Day still celebrated?

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009.

What happened to Frank Riley?

One of the most annoying aspects of going through old photographs is when lack of captioning and a blurry shot give a tantalising glimpse of an interesting story.

In the early 1980s, I visited Perth, Western Australia. In a church, whose name I now can´t remember, there was a brass memorial on the wall. A slide found recently is blurred but the inscription is roughly as follows:

Frank Basil Riley
Born 20 September 1893 at Preston England.
Rhodes Scholar to New College Oxford from High School Perth.
B.A. Oxon 1919 M.A. 1920.
Served 1914-18 in 3rd Bat. Wilts Regt and in captivity in Germany.
In the Education Department, Iraq, and in the service of the Times(?) 1919-1927. Fell victim of an unknown fate at Checkchou(?), China, 23 July, 1927.
Always his friends remember him…(illegible).

The year 1927 in China was a tumultuous one with uprising and revolts widespread as the Communists and Nationalists fought for power. In February an uprising in Shanghai was brutally suppressed with heavy Communist losses. Nationalist troops attacked and looted the British and other embassies in Nanjing on March 24. The British responded with a barrage from its ships in the river, said to be to protect the foreign community. On August 1, the Communists attacked and soon took Nanchang – the date later being marked as the birthday of the Red Army. Somewhere in all this Frank Riley was killed.

If he was, in fact, a correspondent of The Times, perhaps the newspaper carried an obituary? Can anyone check that?

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009.

Keeping time with water and cymbals

To the north of the Forbidden City in Beijing there are two towers which used to provide time signals for residents of the capital city.

These are the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower. Every two hours one or other would sound a signal that would drift across the city letting everyone know the time. Naturally, there is a huge bell in the Bell Tower and huge drums in the Drum Tower.

But, the timekeepers needed to know the time themselves in order to start hammering on the giant drums or applying the clapper to the bell. An ingenious bronze water clock, known as a clepsydra, kept track of the time. This used four tanks with water flowing from one to the other. The original machine, from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) has been lost but a replica can be seen today in the Drum Tower. Originally the tower was known as the Qi Zheng, or Administration Unification Tower.

The top tank was known as the Sky Pond, the second as Calm Water, the third as Myriad Parting and the fourth as Water collecting. A little statue of a man, the God of Cymbals, clashed his symbols together eight times every quarter of an hour, triggered by the flow of water. Time could, therefore, be tracked.

The water clock was sophisticated as a wooden ruler protrudes from the bottom tank, supported by two dragons. Nearby is a rack with other rulers, and all are carefully marked with divisions. No doubt, different rulers could be used for different purposes. Being wood they would float upwards with the rise of water in the tank, allowing different time divisions to be marked.

Today visitors make the steep climb up to the drum chamber of the tower and every so often a team comes out and beats the huge drums. But the sound does not carry far across the roar of modern Beijing traffic. Few people do more than glance at the remarkable water clock.

***

©Phillip Bruce

An early Latin memorial at Whithorn

The oldest Christian monument in Scotland can be found at Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway. This is a memorial to a man named Latinus and his daughter who lived and died in the area about 450AD, some 50 years after the Romans had departed from Britain.

Originally, the memorial stood in the early Christian cemetery at the top of the hill where the current church now stands. The Latin inscription is translated as: “We praise you, the Lord! Latinus, descendant of Barravados, aged 35, and his daughter, aged 4, made a sign here.”

The stone is on display in the Whithorn Visitor centre and it is explained that until about 410 the northern border of the Roman empire was at Carlisle, a short distance from Whithorn across the Solway Firth. Although they were on the other side of Hadrian´s Wall, the leading families of Galloway adopted Roman culture and language. Latinus had taken a Roman name and he followed the official Roman faith – Christianity. But the fact that he refers to his Celtic ancestor, Barrovadus, shows that he was also proud of his heritage.

The stone was re-used in the construction of the medieval cathedral and it was rediscovered during archaeological investigations in 1890. There may be traces of the chi-rho Christian symbol, which looks like an x-shaped cross with a “p” running through it. This represents the first two letters of Christ´s name in Greek and is said to indicate Roman influences.

***
©Phillip Bruce 2009

A late Victorian pub survives

Walking the streets of London provides many pleasures and also some sadness, particularly when it comes to pubs.

So many pubs, once an important part of local life, have been closed in recent years. Where once people enjoyed a pint of bitter, a half of mild ale or a bottle of India Pale Ale, there are now scruffy cafes or shops. Some pubs have been converted into offices or homes. Others still function as bars or restaurants but have been given stupid names and sell fizzy lagers and alcopops while being blighted by TVs, gambling machines and large sports screens.

One very grand place that still survives and is flourishing is the Salisbury, which can be found at the end of the Grand Parade in Haringey, on Green Lanes at the junction with St Ann´s Road.

This fine establishment opened at the very end of the Victorian era, in 1899, and it was known as the Salisbury Hotel. In those days Haringey was a posh place to live with many fine homes for well-off families. The builder was the Scotsman, J.C. Hill. Although the pub had fallen on hard times, a full renovation in 2003 has restored the Victorian glory, with many fine interior features, such as the stained glass skylight in the back room and the impressive main saloon.

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009

Young man founders in China Seas

A forgotten memorial in the old cemetery in Stoke Newington, London, mentions a young man who died when a ship foundered in the China Seas in 1886.

The memorial is to members of the Shore family, whose patriarch of the time is listed as Thomas Goss Shore. Other members of his family are buried in the same plot. Except for his son Daniel.

An inscription reads: “Also Daniel, son of Thomas Shore, reported drowned in China Seas by foundering of S.S. Ferntower August 29 1886 in his 28th year.”

What was Daniel doing in the China seas?

John Shore, First Baron Tiegnmouth, was born in 1751 and died in 1834. His father had been a supercargo, or commercial manager of voyages, of the East India Company and his mother was the daughter of an EIC captain. In 1768, after schooling at Harrow, John sailed for India as a writer in the service of the Company. He progressed well and became a firm friend of Hastings. The Court of Directors of the Company appointed him Governor General Of India in succession to Cornwallis in 1792. He served in the post until 1798 when he returned to England. He was an enthusiastic evangelical.

There is no supporting evidence, but could the presence of young Daniel Shore in the China Seas be explained by some family connection to the former Governor General of India?

Why did the S.S. Ferntower founder?

The cemetery is now known as the Abney Park Abney Park Nature Reserve and Architectural Conservation area. It is well worth a visit. The graves are all of Non-Conformists, or non Anglicans, and the cemetery was opened after the Non-Conformists cemetery at Bunhill Fields was filled up. Amongst the people buried there are William Booth, Founder and First General of the Salvation Army.

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009

The Readymoney Fountain

A stroll in beautiful May sunshine through Regent´s Park in London turned up a link to the early days of the China trade.

The big avenue that runs right through the royal park is known as The Broad Walk and stately trees loom over the path as walkers stroll along.

Towards the London Zoo end of the Broad Walk there is a large fountain, constructed of white stone, known as the Readymoney Fountain. The ornate monument has a steeple rising above its four sides and is richly decorated. On two of the panels there are reliefs showing an Indian bullock and a lion, both with palms behind. There are weathered faces, one with a moustache probably of the donor, another with a tiara presumably of Queen Victoria. The letters “VR” indicate Victoria Regina. No water flows in the fountain today and the four basins are dry. Passing dogs poke their heads hopefully into the little recesses provided for them at the base where once Victorian dogs could find a drink. At the top of the fountain there are leaves and a stone fruit which also appears on four spires lower down. A clock is set into one side though, naturally, it has stopped.

So, who was Readymoney? A plaque explains:

“This fountain erected by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association was the gift of Sir Cowasajee Jehangir Companion of the Star of India a wealthy Parsee gentleman of Bombay as a token of gratitude to the people of England for the protection enjoyed by him and his Parsee fellow countrymen under the British Rule in India. Inaugurated by H.R.H. Princes Mary Duchess of Teck 1869. Restoration supported by The Heritage Lottery Fund 1999-2000.”

The Parsee, or Parsi, community in and around Bombay was already prosperous as the British established their empire in India. With their ancient beliefs in Zoroaster and the conflicts between light and dark, good and evil, the Parsis have always been noted for their tremendous charitable and public service achievements, which continue today.

One of the mysteries of the China trade in the early 19th century, was how relatively poor British men, such as William Jardine, could find the money to indulge in the China trade which, at the time, was a euphemism for the opium trade. Jardine was tough, intelligent and ruthless and he built a mighty firm running opium from India up to Canton and beyond. But, he came from a relatively humble Scots background and opium clippers, stocks of the drug and trade finance required a huge amount of money. A surgeon, he first traveled to India in 1802. By 1816 he had gathered enough cash to set himself up in London as a merchant. He sailed for India again in 1819 and on a visit to Canton met the man who was to become his partner, James Matheson.
By 1820 he was set up in Bombay in partnership with the Parsi merchant, Framjee Cowasjee. In 1822 he moved to Canton where he was an agent for Cowasjee and others, dealing in Indian opium. Jardine was to become the greatest of the opium merchants, known as The Iron Headed Old Rat by the Chinese after he shrugged off a blow to the head during a disturbance.

It can be speculated that Jardine provided the drive and administrative ability to make his firm flourish, while the Cowasjee firm provided the finance. They adopted the nickname “Readymoney” into their family name.

The boy who was to become Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney came from a wealthy family, but he started humbly enough at the age of 15 as a warehouse clerk in Bombay with Duncan, Gibb and Co. He learned fast and by 1846 was trading on his own account. In 1846 be became a Commissioner of Inland Revenue and revenues and efficiency increased significantly.

He became a leader of the Parsi community, an industrialist and philanthropist. Like so many Parsis, he saw charity as an essential obligation and today there are many buildings in Bombay that were financed by him, including the Sir Cowasjee Jehangir High School, which still flourishes, and the Convocation Hall of the University of Bombay, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. He was made a Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India in 1871 and was created a Knight Bachelor of the United Kingdom in 1872. He had made substantial donations to London´s Indian Institute and many charitable activities in Bombay, worth some 200,000 pounds. He had a particular fondness for drinking water fountains – hence the fountain in Regent´s Park, London.

In 1908, his nephew and adopted son and heir, Jehangir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney was created a Baronet. The “Readymoney” was subsequently dropped from the family name. The fourth Baronet, Sir Cowasjee Jehangir, was born in 1953.

The name Cowasjee is also spelled as Cowasji in some reference sources.

***

©Phillip Bruce 2009