Aldgate
I arrived in London this morning flying overnight from Tampa. A noisy, rattly and bumpy flight meant I got little sleep but I was able to check into my hotel at 9am, which although I felt like crap, there was something to be said for lying in bed all morning with just the TV for company. I never do stuff like that.
It was a lovely day in the city so I went for a long walk this afternoon and met someone for a few pints in the Lamb Tavern.
Leadenhall Market doesn’t change, but my recent obsession with the city and how much it has been transformed continued as I walked for miles around its eastern edges.
I used to work in Aldgate in the early 90’s and I swear that we were in the only office up there back then. Good to see that my old post work haunt the Hoop & Grapes was still standing, sticky floor and all.
I would have flown in on Friday so I could have watched us against Wrexham, but it was our daughter’s 15th birthday yesterday so that took precedence, and I didn’t think the club needed me to help fill the seats anyway.
I’ll wait until a more humdrum L1 Valley game later in the season.
Hi, CA started my working life in the City, right near Leadenhall Market and ended it there, after I had just had enough. I then got a job quite locally as an Activity Coordinator, in a Care Home then finally in a Mental Health Care Home, which in all honesty this experince gave me more satisfaction & enjoyment than all my years in the City as I was putting smiles on peoples faces, who had very little to look forward to and along with the staff we all had a lot of fun & laughter, but also some very sad times!
Unfortunately had to give that up, as Covid came along and whilst I was going to go back as I had been off for a few weeks ill, not Covid, my daughter pleaded with me not to go back, so I had to make a very hard decision, but had to stop , as my daughter would have just continued worrying about me, though my son just said its up to you Dad! Typical Boy 🙂 Anyway in the end glad she persuaded me not to go back, as the owners were just out to make money, didn’t make the proper safe guards they should have and Covid struck the home through their negligence, whith various residents & some staff getting it and several residents died. They are both married since, so at least I am still here, but for the grace of God, to see my daughters grandchild!
Anyway the Lamb Tavern & the Hoop & Grapes are well known to me, but on visiting the Tower of London a few months ago, I told my partner we would go and have some lunch afterwards at few good places I knew, unfortunately all the ones I remembered had long since gone and and it just wasn’t the same, so in the end we just ended up going to a Gregg’s on the way to London Bridge just for something to eat!
I knew Algate very well as often down the lanes at lunchtime, looking for cheap clothes or a new suit or lovely bagels and also use to go to the then called the City Of London Polytechnic, as someone had set up a club in their gym, which they had agreed at a price. Therefore we all paid between us the amount each year so we could use their gym at lunchtime, which gave the University some extra coffers and us a cheap gym to use, though most just used it as a base for running.
As you said Leadenhall Market itself hasn’t changed too much, with the exception of, apart from the pubs, the cheaper good old restaurants being replaced by up market more expensive ones!!!
PS Do you remember the Curry resturant in the centre of the market, real old fashion fantastic curries, no fine dinning, with a very elderly woman and man serving?
I am happy you listened to your daughter, Mike 🙂.
I do remember the curry house. There was also a great Italian? Valente’s? Was downstairs. The Tapas Bar and Luc’s a great French Brasserie. Now there is a Nandos?
Aldgate , happy days of working there for Natwest in their newly opened Data Centre in Alie Street off Leman Street, from 1976 until 1999 when I ‘retired’ with good old traditional pubs all around but nowadays Aldgate is another world 😁👍
it’s so different Bob, although Commercial Road and Whitechapel High Street haven’t changed that much.
Hi CA
I too remember the Lamb as it was just round the corner from my office in Fountain House in Fenchurch Street. Spent many a happy lunch time there. Those were the days of 2/3 hour lunch breaks, of course naturally doing business with Brokers as well as sinking the odd pint or three! From memory it used to open early to catch the market traders – mainly fresh meat. I think a pint then was under a pound.
I also know Aldgate, when I was little my parents were landlords of the Artichoke pub in Sydney Street (of the siege of Sydney street) Whitechapel and with my elder brother we used to get the trolley bus from Whitechapel to Aldgate (Gardeners Corner) fare penny halfpenny and go to Woolworths and buy our Airfix Kits, 2 shillings then. Happy days.
Fountain House is all boarded up now. Presume ready for demolition.
I started work in the City back in1974 and still just clinging on now over 50 years later. I remember a traditional “greasy spoon” near Monument called Georges where I had to buy a pud to make up a 25pence luncheon voucher. The place stank but the food was great, although everyone in the office knew where we had been as our clothes reeked. We then moved east of Aldgate pump where the centre of Aldgate was a huge NCP with parking a fiver a week. Working in Lloyds as a broker I spent many an hour in the Lamb and was there when they filmed a John Wayne film (cant remember the title). I recall the Indian Mike refers to in the market and also the great shoe shop down Brick Lane where was also the best Chinese around.
I dont get up to the City nowadays post Covid and just look after my clients from home, which in all honesty has extended my working career as physically I cant commute.
Such happy carefree days back then, when even supporting Charlton was fun at the old Valley.
Great days. In the mid 80’s the luncheon voucher going rate was still 25p a day, but you definitely still got lunch for that.
i was in Lloyd’s yesterday. Was great to still see and feel a real buzz about the place. Only busy for TWAT’s though (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s).
I have not been to Lloyds since pre Covid, but but much preferred the old old Lloyds (now Willis I believe) with all the old characters. I even remember broking to an old WW2 holder of the Victoria Cross which was a real privilege back in the days when you called all underwriters Sir and had real respect.
Your blog brings back so many memories, the Lamb Tavern being one of them. My best friend and I worked for a Bank in Gracechurch Street and he was a passionate Addick. He took me to the Valley for my first ever game. It was a win against Southampton, 6-2. I’ve been hooked ever since. Keep writing about our past and legacy. I love it.
I will do. I was at that Southampton game with my Dad. Under the lights. 1976. Great game.