The Cock and Hoop is a a Grade II listed pub in the Lace Market area of Nottingham. A house stood on the site in 1832 but from 1833 it was the County Tavern public house which conveniently had rooms set up so patrons could watch the public hangings taking place on the steps of what was then the County Gaol and is now the National Justice Museum. It became the Cock and Hoop in the early 2000s and is now part of the Lace Market Hotel.
I’ve been to the Natural History Museum lots of times before but on this trip I wanted to pay particular attention to the building’s architecture, and of course to see the whale skeleton that replaced Dippy the diplodocus.
I visited Billingsgate Roman House and Baths as part of Open House London. There was a small queue to get in, as numbers down to the remains have to be restricted but it passed quickly and we were given an interesting talk about the remains while we waited. First discovered in 1848, outside of the arrangements for Open House London they can be visited at only certain times between April and November, so do check their website before making a visit.
I hadn’t planned on visiting Custom House for Open House London but as I’d been wandering taking photos nearby anyway I thought I’d pop in to see what it was all about. It doesn’t look like a very impressive building from this side – it’s the southern part of the building that looks out to the river and therefore the approaching ships which is more ornate.
A few weeks ago I decided to head to Birmingham and visit the Sea Life Centre. I hadn’t been there for a good ten years or so and it’s still a nice place to visit, but very expensive even when booking online in advance. Not all of the creatures photographed particularly well and the lovely seals the Centre recently fostered from a coastal sea hospital (they have medical conditions that will prevent them ever being returned to the wild) were particularly active and difficult to capture, but you can find a few of my favourites below.
Penguins guarding their eggs
St Mary-at-Hill was one of those churches I decided to pop in and visit while I was wandering around the Billingsgate area of London. The entrance is hidden away down a narrow street, handily marked by the sign below, and is far bigger inside than I’d been expecting.
A few weeks ago I paid a visit to Stonebridge City Farm which I’ve written about on many previous occasions. This time I was delighted to see that they had lambs and kids in the fields, so here are a few of my favourite photos.
Leadenhall Market had been on my list for a while – I’ve taken a few photos there before but midweek it tends to be packed so the weekend of Open House London was the perfect opportunity to visit. In fact one of my favourite things to do is wander around the City of London at the weekend when it’s practically deserted.
The Nottingham Arts Theatre on George Street is a community theatre and registered charity. The building was originally the home of George Street Particular Baptist Church which was based there from 1815 to 1948. I’m afraid to say that I’ve never actually attended a performance there though it’s been duly added to my to do list.
After visiting St Andrew Undershaft I moved on to the nearby St Helen’s Bishopsgate. There was already a tour in progress when I arrived and as I’d already diverted from my original plan by some hours I decided to just wander around on my own taking photos.
