Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach. WARNING: This post contains no scientific content of any kind, just a story of our travels.
So we made it to London, a place that up ’til now I’ve only known through family stories, and books and song lyrics, viz:
Your old man took her diamonds and tiaras by the score
Now she gets her kicks in Stepney, not in Knightsbridge any more.
The Rolling Stones
So it’s great fun to actually see some of the places I’d only heard of. We’re staying in New Cross, south of Stepney. It’s great, kind of a low-budget district, lots of Africans live here so it feels down home. Today, we walked to the London downtown area along the Thames, here’s a 180° panorama I took looking both ways along the river.
(Click any photo to embiggen.)
It was kind of sad to see the river, thought, because what in my mind was still a huge artery of global commerce with wharves on both sides now has very little traffic, and that mostly tour boats. My great-grandfather sailed the world from England, so the Thames was his main highway, filled with adventurers, freebooters, slavers, whalers, scurve-dogs, freighters, pirates, and both high- and low-budget swabbies of all kinds … all gone now, but it’s still a lovely river.
From there, we walked along the river to the Tower Bridge:
Dang … if that kind of crazy skyline doesn’t inspire a man, nothing will. We crossed the river, and walked around the Tower of London, which isn’t a tower at all, false advertising if you ask me. From there, we wandered over to see Big Ben. Now that sucker should be called the Tower of London by my lights, I hadn’t realized it was so … well, in a word, “big” …
Then on to the Westminster Cathedral, home of the royal nuptials, lovely stone filigree, stained glass, and such.
From there we went and spent an absolutely delightful afternoon at the British Museum, looking at, well, everything that British explorers managed to plunder over the last five centuries or so, which adds up to a big pile of impressive loot. It was one of the most well-organized and pleasant museums I’ve been in.
Now, I like to ask people what surprised them the most about their travels. Some years ago a friend of mine from the Solomon Islands went to London for the first time. When she got back, I asked what had surprised her the most … she said “They have white people sweeping the streets!”
In any case, for me, the surprises so far have been:
1. The juxtaposition of the old and the new. Along the riverside, I saw new concrete poured around exposed stonework that was likely there 400 years ago.
2. Raw antiquity. The publican said “this is a fairly new pub, built in the late 1700’s” … the oldest building in Sonoma County (where I live in California) is from about 1870, and because of that it’s a state historical monument. Here, it would be considered a new building.
3. People of unexpected colors and appearances speaking English, not with the accent of their home countries, but with a broad British accent.
4. The British Museum actually thinks that there were people who were native to the Americas, they call them “Native Americans”. I guess the Brits didn’t get the news … as far as anyone knows, not a one of them is native to the Americas, they were all early Asian immigrants.
5. The Brits do love their bricks. Yellow brick, red brick, brown and black bricks, if the anti-neutron bomb made every brick in London vanish, there wouldn’t be one building left.
6. The occasional need for an “English-to-English” translation app for my iPhone … as GBS remarked, two countries separated by a common language.
7. According to the statuary in the British Museum, most of the Romans had tertiary syphilis that destroyed their noses, as you can see in this photo I took today:
So that’s the new news from the Old Countries including Rome …
Tomorrow I have to good fortune of a lunch meeting with Benny Peiser of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. We’re here in London through Thursday, then off to Stonhenge, then Bath, then ???.
The other good news is that I got a UK sim card for my phone, so for the duration of our UK travels you can reach me at 074 4838 1774.
My best to all, thanks for everyone’s comments, keep the travel suggestions coming.
w.
richardscourtney said (at 2:07) to steveta_uk: “Viscount Monckton … is a Member of the House of Lords”.
Not this again – sigh. Please cite your authority, else you in fact are the troll. The House of Lords Act 1999 Section 1 provides “No-one shall be a member of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage” (unless Section 1 is itself excluded by a Section 2 Order for a particular individual), and by Section 2(6) “Any question whether a person is excepted from section 1 shall be decided by the Clerk of the Parliaments, whose certificate shall be conclusive”. This is the law of the United Kingdom, enacted by our Monarch, Lords and Commons in Parliament some years before Lord Moncton succeeded to his title. In the UK there is no right of appeal or dissent from this law on any grounds – it can only be altered by new legislation, formally enacted.
Instead of producing either (a) a Section 2 exclusion order or (b) a certificate of the Clerk to the Parliaments (as the law requires), Lord Monckton just produces a lawyer’s opinion (given in October 2010 by someone he describes as “constitutional expert” – actually called to the UK bar in 2004 so of about 6 years’ seniority at the time of the opinion) that the “statement that he is a member of the House of Lords, albeit without the right to sit or vote, is unobjectionable”.
But in May 2011 (after this legal opinion was given) the case Baron Mereworth v Ministry of Justice (as to whether another hereditary peer was entitled to be summoned and sworn in, to lead to him being entitled to sit in the House) it was decided by the High Court that “reference to a member of the House of Lords” was “a reference to the right to sit and vote in that House”. This decision does not appear to have been appealed so amounts to persuasive judicial precedent.
Lord Monckton is a hereditary peer, but under the 1999 Act (the actual law of the UK) and the decision in Mereworth he is not a member of the House of Lords. In July 2011 the Clerk of the Parliaments (the same official authorised by the 1999 Act to give binding certificates as to exemptions from the Act) wrote “Dear Lord Monckton, my predecessor, Sir Michael Pownall, wrote to you on 21 July 2010, and again on 30 July 2010, asking that you cease claiming to be a Member of the House of Lords, either directly or by implication. It has been drawn to my attention that you continue to make such claims. I must repeat my predecessor’s statement that you are not and have never been a Member of the House of Lords. Your assertion that you are a Member, but without the right to sit or vote, is a contradiction in terms. No-one denies that you are, by virtue of your letters Patent, a Peer. That is an entirely separate issue to membership of the House. This is borne out by the recent judgment in Baron Mereworth v Ministry of Justice..”.
And why all the brouhaha – if Lord Monckton really doesn’t like using “Lord” or “Viscount” before his name why not just state his occupation as “hereditary peer” rather than (incorrectly) as “member of the House of Lords”?
With apologies to Willis – but this type of thing is something else you will probably only ever find to happen inside the UK!
Willis: Another great post. And as a native – of England – I have a lot of empathy with the ‘English-to-English’ translation. But with me, having lived in the US, the fact is, I intuitively understand what a ‘cell-phone’ is, but get really t’d off when an American visitor to the UK has to ask what a ‘mobile phone’ is. ymmv. 🙂
Enjoy your stay – and you must have Stratford-Upon-Avon on your itinerary (The Dirty Duck serves a wicked pint!)….
‘ Davidg says:
September 4, 2013 at 11:01 am
Maybe 200,000 people hear it wrong but the town name is Stedley, not Stepney!!! Use your ears! Listen carefully and you will see You were wrong!!!’
There’s only one problem with your repeated assertion about this place and its presence in the song. There is no Stedley listed in various British gazetteers or Google maps. It does not exist.
David Baker
I would agree SE London with the Hornimans Museum and almost opposite don the road is the entrance to Dulwich woods wich is part of the ‘great North Wood’ that covered I believe what is most of Surrey, west Kent, Sussex all the way to the south side of the Thames. Just opposite the entrance to Dulwich woods which also follows the old railway line that lead to Crystal Palace circa 1850 and closed when the Palace burnt down 1936. The entrance to the woods known as Coxes walk had a pub opposite called the ‘Grove Tavern’ , which apparently was Liz Taylors favourite pub. Anyhow I’ll stop there.
TimC:
re your troll post at September 4, 2013 at 11:24 am.
This thread is NOT about Lord Monckton, or the House of Lords, or the court case which has shown he is a Member of the House of Lords.
Troll somewhere else.
Richard
Even atheists can appreciate the beauty and skill involved in the creation of the abbeys and cathedrals of England.
It’s well worth having a look. If only to ponder how they were designed before a vector theory of force.
They are more impressive than the Savoy Hotel and cheaper too.
Oh and Mr Eschenbach, you are on holiday so forget about the trolls.
Have fun.
M Courtney:
At September 4, 2013 at 1:13 pm you say
Indeed, if anybody can tell me how the ancient masons invented the flying buttress then I would really, really like to know.
Richard
richardscourtney says September 4, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Clay models.
Architects learn from Lego.
Engineers learn from Mecanno.
In the Dark Ages there was no mass production so Masters would have had to teach their apprentices with bespoke clay toys. And the Journeymen would have made their own. Trial and error gave the confidence to build these structures (although many such towers collapsed in earthquakes).
But the question that confronts me is the theory of beauty that led to the forms that were chosen… and via symmetry (arches, buttresses, windows) led to structural strength.
This is the link between Ancient Greek philosophy and Enlightenment Newtonianism written in stone.
M Courtney:
Thankyou for your suggestion at September 4, 2013 at 1:40 pm, but “clay models” don’t explain the invention of flying buttresses.
It is the weight on top the buttress (usually in the form of a statue or other large decorative stone) which provides a vertical force which combines with the horizontal force to create the vector force which travels down – and inside – the vertical pillar of the buttress. They must have had a rule for doing this and, as you said, they did not know about vectored forces.
Anyway, Willis will see an excellent example of how the technology of the flying buttress was applied when he sees Bath Abbey.
Richard
Dear Willis,
Enjoy your stay – but you could do with a few months ….. people are right you should go on the 20 miles or so from Bath to Bristol. If you are heading towards Stonehenge before Bath you’ll probably be going down the M3 out of London. On your way back into London if you use the M4 then Windsor Castle is just 5 minutes off of it at junction 6 – that goes back to William the Conqueror…
One of the West country moors (Exmoor, Dartmoor or Bodmin Moor in Cornwall) is seriously worth visiting – and in Devon and particularly Cornwall there are wonderful little old fishing harbours that I suspect you would enjoy. The tin mines of Cornwall, big surf and high granite cliffs of the North coast, stone-age field systems still in use today with hedges (stone walls) dating back 2 or 3,000 years, Tintagel castle set out over the cliffs and rumoured to be King Arthur’s castle – the Minack Theatre where stone seats set into a bowl of the cliff face the stage whose backdrop is the ocean. Try Fowey and Falmouth, check out Lands End or the Eden project, artifical domes set in old china clay quarries with plants from all around the world…. and that’s just Cornwall.
Anyway just have a great time and take plenty of happy memories of dear old Engalnd back home with you.
All the best
Willis – Whitby Museum, great for whaling (Cook’s home town of course). And Avebury is fantastic and not fenced off. We are half an hour form that and Stonehenge, in the Domesday Book recorded village of Mells, south of Bath.
07749 231 063 should you be in the area. We could put you up I am sure. Treat you to some proper English cider 🙂
Before you leave London, nip downriver a bit and have a look at the Thames Barrier. Call at the Gatehouse and ask to speak to the Duty Operations Officer on the phone. Tell him who you are, and he might even invite you in to tell you their predictions of sea level rise …
Try to catch a bit of Hadrian’s wall. Neat way to control the bad guys and pick up some excise at the same time!
richardscourtney: I agree entirely that this thread is NOT about Lord Monckton or the House of Lords (or the court case which actually shows he is *not* a Member of the House of Lords).
So why did you start this [false] hare running, at 2.07am?
If you like medieval-y things and have a chance on the way to Stonehenge stop by the ancient city of Winchester. The cathedral is a marvel. Also, Winchester College, the boys’ public school there is worth a visit. It is the oldest continuously running school in the country, founded in the fourteenth century and still using the same (beautiful) buildings. Freeman Dyson went to school there.
Willis, welcome to England.
Please ignore the trolls and concentrate on having a good time.
Keep posting your impressions of England, as I find them fascinating, even though at times embarrassing.
My pennyworth for your route:
Bath, including the new Spa for the ladies
Bristol, for Brunel and things mechanical
Wells, for the Cathedral and Bishop’s Palace
Work your way down through Devon and Cornwall
If you want to visit and talk to fishermen, try Brixham in South Devon or Padstow in North Cornwall. Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant, though a bit pricey, would keep thge girls happy.
Enjoy your visit, and please keep those articles coming.
Troll posting as TimC:
At September 4, 2013 at 8:04 pm you again attempt to disrupt the thread by presenting a falsehood when you ask me
I DID NOT!
steveta_uk did at September 4, 2013 at 1:57 am
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/03/get-your-kicks-in-stepney/#comment-1407406
I shot that hare in a post addressed to steveta_uk at September 4, 2013 at 2:07 am
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/03/get-your-kicks-in-stepney/#comment-1407412
YOU RESPONDED BY RELEASING A SHOAL OF RED HERRINGS.
B*gg*r off, troll.
Richard
Edit: “the river, thought” though
Did you get a chance to visit The Monument, Hook’s pride?
richardscourtney – please be more considered in your use of language. I have no strong opinion on what Christopher Monckton calls himself. You clearly believe he is entitled to call himself a Member of the House of Lords, and you appear to believe that this is important. TimC believes that he is not entitled to call himself a Member of the House of Lords, and also seems to believe that this is important. TimC has disagreed with you, and provided considerable evidence to back up his position. This is not ‘trolling’: it is disagreement, and the basis for a discussion. You are both very welcome to criticise each other for being off-topic, and it would probably be a good idea if you took this discussion elsewhere, but neither of you is trolling..
richardscourtney: to be precise, in reply to steveta_uk saying “Careful there, Willis. When I foolishly quoted the UK Parliament last week and its statement that Lord Monckton is not a member of the House of Lords, I got flamed by the Lord himself and accused of being a troll”, at 2:07 am you asserted (flatly, unconditionally, without legal backing at all) that “The Third Viscount Monckton of Brenchley is a Member of the House of Lords”.
I rebutted your assertion, citing in full the legislation and judicial finding on which the issue actually turns (and ignoring the bluster and hype now seeming to surround this issue).
Again: please cite your authority (in support of your 2:07 assertion); absent that, you must be the actual troll here.
I Love Richard Courtney suggestion for Bath. By chance I am there on Saturday for a friends celebration of his golden wedding anniversary, I will put Richard’s ideas in my back pocket too. I have been to Bath many times, but these suggestions include many new ideas and would constitute the perfect day. There is the Jane Austin museum too, which I expect Wilis’ ladies would want to see.
Willis should not miss Salisbury cathedral – it is the highest spire in Britain and the small shops are fun.
I would not recommend Bristol city centre, but the docks and SS Great Britain are there (Have not seen it myself) – and if Willis is going to the West country via Bristol area he should take a look at the Clifton Suspension bridge.
I find it entirely appropriate that threads like these exist on a science blog. The best minds are broad minds with wide horizons and interests. The cathedrals are wonders of spirit, science and Art all at once. To pretend that these entities can be separated is artificial and superficial, an obvious truth that was always well understood in the renaissance; Leonardo Da Vinci’s artistic interests fed into his science, and vice versa. Gothic arches and flying buttresses were made in the Dark ages by masters craftsmen without degrees in engineering and mathematics, in the renaissance they thought sculptors made the best architects.
II always understood that concepts of perfection and beauty are the inspiration for science
Sorry for not giving Science a capital S – if Art has one Science and Spirit should too – typo!
TimC:
re your post addressed to me at September 5, 2013 at 2:25 am.
I repeat, B*gg*r Off!
Lord knows, I despise trolls!
Richard
richardscourtney: when the shouting and swearing starts and reason leaves the building, I know it is time to ask for my hat – so I will indeed now leave this thread to your usual interventions. But if you dogmatically, incorrectly, assert elsewhere that Lord Monckton is a member of the House of Lords you may find me back – or of course (assuming you actually come from the UK) the Clerk of the Parliaments, repeating the terms of his letter published on the UK Parliament’s website.
My apologies to Willis for interrupting this thread – again: how do you feel our coppers over here compare with those in the US?