Home | Join Us | Walks Information | Walks Program | History | Picture Gallery

Picture Gallery

Lea Valley Friends

Essex Area 25th Anniversary Walks September 2009

To celebrate the Essex Area’s 25th Anniversary weekend we had two delightful walks in Essex.   Both days were warm and sunny for late September ensuring a good turn out. 

Our first walk took us from Chipping Ongar to Greensted village via the Tolpuddle Martyrs cottages and the wooden church where we stopped for a break before making our way back to Chipping Ongar.

The second walk was from Epping through the forest to Copped Hall where we stopped to chat with the ‘Friends of Copped Hall and look at the restoration work being carried out there, before making our way back through the forest to Epping.

Outside the wooden church at Greensted

                                                                 Back to top

Giving the ‘Friends of Copped Hall’ our Green Flag award for their work in restoring the hall back to its former glory

Home Page

Join Us

Walks Information

Walks Program  

History

Picture Gallery

Christmas Lunch December 2009

Forty one members and friends attended the Lea Valley Friends eighth Christmas Lunch at the West Essex Golf Club.  We had an excellent three course  meal followed by coffee, mints and mince pies.  Moo Ling organised a quiz, to ensure we did not doze off before the speeches! This raised £17.50 for the Social Fund. 

Visit to Bletchley Park October 2009

On a warm sunny Sunday in October we met up at the world famous home of the Code Breakers.  Standing in front of the old Victorian mansion, it was hard to imagine that in these now peaceful surroundings, up to 8,500 people worked round the clock to break the Enigma codes.

Dispatch riders would be arriving with coded messages from Y Stations, while buses lined up to take people back to their lodgings. Security was vital - in Churchill’s words, the people of Bletchley Park were “the geese who laid the golden eggs and never cackled”. The logic and mathematics involved in breaking the Enigma codes were way above my head. For the computer illiterate there are a wide-ranging variety of exhibitions in the huts and buildings around the grounds. One I found particularly poignant was the part played by the quarter million “feathered warriors” of the National Pigeon Services in every field of warfare at home, abroad and even at Bletchley park. They certainly deserve their place on the Animals in War memorial in Park Lane.

There are many other attractions and exhibitions about communications during the war as well as displays of life on the home front; a maritime display of both naval and commercial vessels and even a fully working model railway.  After absorbing so much information we were able to take a stroll round the lake and relax in the beautiful park.                                                                                                                                                 Back to top

Historic Hackney - Visit to St Saviour’s Priory 

After another tour of the historical East End of London led by Dennis, we ended our walk at St. Saviour’s Priory run by the sisters of the Society of St Margaret, who have lived and worked in Haggerston since 1866.  We were greeted by Sister Elizabeth, who gave us a brief history of the Priory and told us how the work of  the sisters has evolved over the years. Much of their original work has been taken over by the National Health Service and today their work centres on helping  the homeless; supporting issues of equality; retreats and spiritual direction; lay ministry and being a part of the local community.  This introduction was followed by a tour of the facilities on offer. Above all, St Saviour’s Priory is a house of prayer and contains two chapels with a selection of daily services.  After the tour we were given coffee and biscuits which we were able to enjoy in the tranquillity of the Priory garden on a lovely sunny day.  It was so peaceful it was hard to believe we were in Central London.

Thanks go to Dennis and to Sister Elizabeth for such an interesting trip                                 Back to top

Someone spotted this appropriately named inn on one of our walks and could not resist taking a photograph

 

 

                                                                 Back to top

Admiring the beautiful Wisteria in Haggerston Park

Enjoying the tranquillity of St Saviour’s garden

EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY WALK

 

On Saturday 13 February the traffic noise on Rangers Road, Chingford was almost drowned out. The Lea Valley Friends were celebrating their eighth year of walking. The group was very large numbering thirty five people. There was noisy chattering as greetings were exchanged and excitement to see so many old friends. Gwen came up from Surrey. Barbara came down from Suffolk and Gail bought along her friends as did Helen, who had visitors from Yorkshire. Margaret led the customary walk ensuring we knew that we could have a hot drink at the Owl and if inclined could lunch at The Royal Forest. The morning was cold and bright. The pace was brisk and soon we had left the golf course entering it seemed dog walking territory. We had a flurry of snow but it passed by. We arrived  at the Owl and took our break having the all important photographs taken to mark the event. Conversations were in full flow, such a happy scene. Once back at the Royal Forest Hotel we unrolled our banner for all to see and flew our balloons and took more photographs. This done we headed inside to lunch, which everyone seemed pleased with and then held our raffle. With lunch over Dennis started a rendition of Happy B’day and we all joined in. Reg really is right you know, you could be forgiven for thinking this is Lea Valley Friends Talkers and not Walkers we really do know how to enjoy ourselves. I am sure at this point we want to wish founder members a heartfelt thanks for establishing our group and giving us all new friends, new pastures and lot’s of good walking days.

Pauline Macfarlane                                                                                                                                        Back to top

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday on the Isle of Wight 2009

Moo Ling’s London Nursery Rhyme Walk – 30^th January 2010

 

We had been looking forward to this walk since Moo Ling mentioned it at the Lea Valley Friends’ Christmas meal.  We were intrigued by the title and, knowing how much research goes into her preparation, we knew there would be some interesting anecdotes.  We were not to be disappointed.

Our explorations started from London Bridge Underground Station.  The weather was bitterly cold but bright - moments in the sun were relished by our leader’s 44 hardy followers. Moo Ling had helpfully prepared a leaflet of nursery rhymes whose secrets were to be revealed during the course of the walk. The first rhyme Moo Ling told us about was .‘London Bridge is Falling Down’.  We learned about the various bridges that were built on the site starting with a wooden bridge which could easily be pulled down or burned by invaders sailing up the Thames. Whatever did passersby make of our rendition of ‘London’s Burning’ sung as a round? It sounded great to us!  Of course, London also burned at the time of the Great Fire, and we passed the Monument commemorating the site where it was believed to have started.

As our walk continued, we learned the true meanings of many of the rhymes which have their roots in historical fact, often being satirical responses to current events (as open dissent was discouraged).  Moo Ling told us that the heads of opponents to those in power (dipped in tar to delay decay) were displayed prominently on the gates at the end of the bridge to deter further so-called traitors.

‘Mary, Mary Quite Contrary’ describes the persecution, torture and execution of Protestants by the Catholic Mary Tudor.  On the other hand ‘Goosey, Goosey, Gander’ refers to the search by Protestant monarchs for Catholic Priests hiding in private homes.

In this area close to the Thames are reminders of London’s merchant heritage.  We walked past buildings with connections to various trades and guilds that made use of the Thames’ waterway.  These included fish-mongers, fruiterers, furriers, candlestick makers, dyers and vintners.  The latter two groups, along with the monarch, are entitled to own swans.  Ownership was proved by a nick on the bill of the swan, carried out in the annual ‘swan-upping’.  In front of a statue of the Vintner’s swanmarker and a swan, Moo Ling brandished a swan’s feather and told us how much longer this would have lasted than a goose quill for writing.

One of the churches we passed had a stained glass window depicting Dick Whittington, “Thrice Mayor of London”, and his cat.  Apparently he funded the re-building and extension of this church, St Michael Paternoster Royal.

Outside St Mary Abchurch we stood around the site of a plague pit and heard about the link with the words of ‘Ring-a-Ring of Roses’.  The interior of this church has scarcely altered since its construction by Wren and is worth a visit. Our walk finished outside the Church of St. Clements, Eastcheap.  It is thought that this church is referred to in the rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’. Imported fruit would have arrived in London via the nearby Thames.

These are just a few of the fascinating details we remember (mis-remember) from the walk.  We apologise for leaving out many more which Moo Ling and other members of the group contributed during this enjoyable morning in a small but historically rich area of London.  Many thanks to Moo Ling for her research and enthusiasm which leaves us keen to further explore London’s intriguing past.

Gail Smart and Daphne Harvey

Those who would like to find out more might like to visit this website: http://www.rhymes.org.uk 

Or consult the following book:  Jack, A. (2008) Pop Goes the Weasel – the secret meaning of nursery rhymes   London: Penguin

We are the two standing together front left in black and   purple. The group contemplate the finality of the plague pit  and their own mortality in the bitter January cold