Walk: London - City of Death & Film: Nightmare on Elm Street 2

Last night, a new Meetup group to me, Rewind Tours of London, which runs pay-what-you-think walks, started a special Hallowe'en walk - London: City of Death! (Actually running daily until Sunday, but I was going on this day.) The organiser messaged me the day before to say he was looking forward to seeing me - a good reminder, if I needed one. Indeed - I dug out cash, on the assumption he wouldn't have a card machine!

There wasn't going to be time to eat beforehand. Indeed, I almost didn't manage to get there on time at all - every bus seemed to be delayed! When I saw I couldn't possibly get there on time by bus - and considering the event page said they'd be leaving promptly - I knew it'd have to be Tube. Of course, then there weren't any buses to take me there.. so I legged it, caught the Tube, got there about 10 minutes early, in the end. And lo! there was nobody there. I stood and waited.. gradually, people started to arrive, the guide himself arriving pretty much on the dot of start time. We recommended he have a sign next time.. or maybe post a picture of where he'd be..

Anyway, the tour pretty much started on Charterhouse Square. I've been here before.. heard its sordid history.. but two things about this tour were immediately apparent: that it was to be about facts rather than legend (in this season of spookiness), and that the guide was very well-researched. Not a fact was left unturned.. being a plague pit was only the start..

Whence we went to Smithfield, with its lingering odour of death:

And ah, I always love a visit to St. Bartholomew the Great! And wow, they've finally installed railings at the steps down from the graveyard to the main entrance! Sadly, it wasn't open to visitors - particularly considering that our guide was using a picture of the statue of its patron saint (located inside) as his profile picture!

 

Naturally, that brought us on to the monument to the Peasants' Revolt (let's have a bit of sympathy for Richard II's part in this, he was only 14!):

And quite naturally, straight after, we came to the Wallace memorial:

Fair play to our guide for pronouncing the Scots Gaelic at the bottom! That phrase, "bas agus buaidh" (meaning "death and victory"), is identical in Irish, but by 'eck, the pronunciation is different! In fact, I thought I detected a hint of a brogue.. sure enough, he recognised mine as well, and as we discussed it, it transpired that his parents hail from Dublin, and although he was born here, he seems to have picked up the accent..

It wasn't far to the stop where we discussed body snatching - right across from St. Bart's Hospital, which, back in the day, might have had much use for the bodies!

On to The Old Bailey.. his address to us here was somewhat disrupted by a rather outspoken group of lads, further down. But fair play to him for keeping to it - and just raising his voice when nearby traffic got too loud! I admired his efforts at recreating the atmosphere of the prison that used to stand on the same site:

We stopped by the Cutlers' Hall:

..which used to be the site of the Royal College of Physicians!

Our tour finished by St. Paul's:

I take it this venture is a bit new - but as I said to the guide, although these are places I've visited many times, I got a lot more detail on this walk than I'm used to! and for me to learn new things is, in itself, remarkable, considering how many walks I've been on! I enjoyed it, I wish him well, and I look forward to new walks from him. Oh, and he carries a card reader..

Afterwards, a few of us headed for a pub that did food.. coming across The Paternoster, we settled on that. I had some trouble with the app, which is rather tricky to switch from food to drink within, but managed in the end. Had some chicken escalopes with a rather burnt coating - the gravy that was, unusually, served with them, rather helped with that, I found! And we had the most lovely chat - it is a joy to come across strangers that you can spend such a pleasant evening with! Very glad I came on this.

I was too tired to blog last night, and today ran away with me, with silly problems at work. This evening, The Hideout grabbed me again - we were headed to Nightmare on Elm Street 2 at Cineworld Leicester Square. And yes, meeting at Victory House again, and I booked for Bella Italia before that.

Ah, no bus.. well, not the one I wanted. When the one I got decided to end at London Bridge - I decided to get the Tube from there, not trusting that the other would even arrive. Of course, getting the Tube meant I was early for my restaurant booking - which wasn't a problem, they did have a free table. I was to be glad I'd booked again, it was packed! And it was delicious - the chicken wasn't burnt (to be fair, it hardly ever is), and I was excellently fed. And had a voucher for a free starter..

Off to the pub to meet the others, had a great chat, and so to the cinema. I'd got a free ticket from the organiser for this - a few of us were in the front row. Now, this is all about Freddy coming back to take possession of a teenage boy and turn him into a serial killer. And.. it's decent. I didn't regret watching it. I just don't see it as a classic - of anything. Nothing annoyed me, nothing excited me. The most enjoyable part of the experience, I have to say, was afterwards, when one of the group produced a replica of the glove (complete with knives) that Freddy wears, and I got to try it on.. that, now, was fun.. ;-)

Tomorrow, thinking of film again - as my co-worker says, it's my movie night - Urchin is at the Curzon Bloomsbury.

Appropriately, Hallowe'en weekend is all about The Hideout/Movie Roadhouse London (MRL)! On Hallowe'en itself, The Hideout booked another field trip - following the success of Shocktober, we booked for Haunt Fest. However, disaster.. just today, we found out the company behind it has gone into liquidation! Still considering alternative options, but they're determined to do something - watch this space!

On Saturday, planning to go with MRL to the 40th anniversary screening of Back to the Future in the Cineworld Imax - finally got a ticket booked, after some internet trouble. As usual, eating in Bella Italia, meeting the group in Victory House.

And on Sunday, I'm back with The Hideout for a new horror, Shelby Oaks, Leicester Square venue TBD.. unless they switch it to Friday. Now, someone just reminded me today of the Selfridge's exhibition around the new film, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein - tickets are free, but going fast! It's only running to the 9th, and the best option I could find was early on Sunday afternoon..

Finally, on Monday, fourth Meetup in a row, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Fatherland at Hampstead Theatre. Set in Mayo ("God help us", as the saying goes, due to its poor land..)

For Tuesday, thinking film again, and what's coming up is The Mastermind (which MRL saw tonight), a 70s art crime heist drama starring Josh O' Connor, closest showing in the Genesis Cinema, which I've never tried. Funnily enough, after my terrible review of Flat Iron Denmark Street, the management have offered me a free meal for two at a Flat Iron of my choice! Closest to the cinema is Flat Iron Spitalfields - so I'm headed there with my companion who so loves them, before the film. Given their miniscule steaks, management advised me to order several sides. Huh, at £4 a pop! So much for "reasonable prices". I actually think I'm going to order two steaks, that night.. they don't publish the weight on their menus, but I looked it up online and management confirmed it - their steaks weigh just over 7oz.. that's the smallest steak I've ever seen in a restaurant.. I'll easily manage two!

Next, a couple of days of post-Hallowe'en horror.. Next Wednesday, I'm back with Over 40 Living the Life, for the first time in a few months, to see a musical called The Coven, about a famous English witchcraft trial! Showing in The Kiln - and it's nearly two years since I've been there!

On the 6th, finally thinking about seeing the aforementioned Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein.. The Hideout saw it on the 18th, but of course I was otherwise occupied! Directed by the same man who directed my favourite film ever, Pan's Labyrinth, it has Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, an unrecognisable Jacob Elordi as the creature, apparently channelling Bill Skarsgard in this year's amazing version of Nosferatu, with the same type of growling voice: Christoph Waltz, and Charles Dance. I'll be in the office that day, and the closest showing to work turns out to be in the Curzon Soho!

Then I'm heading back to Ireland for the weekend, on my last trip this year, my weekends are looking so busy! On the 10th, a Meetup group called London Loves Jazz is advertising a concert by Kim Cypher in Pizza Express Soho. I liked the music I heard online, and bought a ticket - but baulked at joining the group, what with the joining fee, and the intensive questionnaire, including whether I was prepared to be "an active member".. so I'm just going alone. I didn't have a great experience with my last jazz group.

On the 11th, back with UITCS for Kindling in the Park Theatre. It's a comedy about a group of perimenopausal women who go on a camping trip.

On the 12th, back with storytelling - Winter's Night Wonder Tales, with Alys Torrance, is back at The Palmerston. Tickets through Eventbrite.

On the 13th, I'm with yet another new Meetup walking group - Walks and Tours - for a Xmas Lights walk around Mayfair. Meeting in the Mercato Mayfair. And as it's a Thursday, I'll be lugging my laptop, ouch!

On the 14th, back with The Hideout for Keeper, directed by Osgood Perkins - again, details TBA, but it'll be somewhere around Leicester Square.

The 15th is another ex-colleagues meeting - or perhaps just another meeting with James! We haven't seen Ivan since June, and Martin since last Christmas.. Probably in The Phoenix again.

And on the 16th, finally back with Mandy and London Herstory Walks for Rebel Women of the South Bank.