Stationers' Hall, A brief visit to a London Gem

A rare sunny day in London as I walked past st Paul's cathedral. Tourists were picnicking in the festival gardens and chatting on the west entrance steps. Just around the corner was Ave Maria lane, but I had to ask a nearby doorman where to find the Hall of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper makers. The unassuming gateway led to a secluded courtyard and the cool shadow of the hall.

I was attending the annual meeting of the German-British Forum. Arriving early, and with permission of the manager in charge, I had the great opportunity to wander around and take pictures from the stock room, the main hall and the court room where the event was to take place.

If the slideshow below does not play on your device, visit the image collection here: https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/StationersHallLondon


The current hall was rebuilt over 1670-1673 after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and has gone though several internal decorations. Glowing stained glass, rich panelling and the shields carried by Liverymen in the Lord Mayors procession of 1749 are some of the images I captured in that short half hour.


As a publisher and writer, it was a particular pleasure to visit the Stationers' Hall. The Stationers ' Company was formed in 1403, when the scribes and lymners (book illustrators) were granted the right to a single trading company to oversee their affairs. They set up their stalls in St Paul's Churchyard and were known as 'stationers', for being at a fixed site rather than itinerant vendors.


Later, the stationers, obtained a royal charter from Queen Mary in 1557 giving them the exclusive right to print and sell books. The right to control all printing and the need for all new books to be authorized by the company meant that a register of approved books was held at the hall - a system of control and censorship for the government. This right continued through till 1695.


In 1710, the Copyright Act came into effect and this gave those who registered their books with Stationers' Hall protection, along with a requirement to provide a legal deposit in one of the copyright libraries. This tradition of mandatory and then after 1911, voluntary registration with Stationers' Hall finally came to an end in 2000, ending 450 years of tradition.


Now the company continues its other long interest, the administration of charity through the Stationers' Foundation. This assists young people with the cost of education and helps schools with printing equipment etc. They also offer help to those in the industry suffering hardship.


The fact that these premises can be hired is an additional benefit to the lucky visitors who can enjoy the preserved heritage.


A special thank you to Stationers' Hall which let me take these quick snapshots of one of London's gems. Please do visit their pages at http://www.stationers.org/

Some stained glass of St Lawrence Jewry, London

After a meeting in the Armourers' Hall to hear a talk on the future of the International Financial System, I took a walk through Cheapside and came upon the church of St Lawrence Jewry. It is the official church of the Lord Mayor of London and the City of London Corporation and stands in the Yard of the Guildhall.

The original church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Seriously damaged during the bombing of London, it was rebuilt in the style of Wren by 1957.

The stained glass windows also date from the restoration in 1957. The ones that caught my attention were the three in the Commonwealth chapel, which depict countries part of the Commonwealth in 1957. The East Windows, of St Paul and St Catherine show the figurative style at the time.

I also photographed the Thomas More window as he apparently was born in Milk St a few yards away from the church.

All the pictures photographed here were designed by Christopher Webb. They are present at full resolution, 10 Mpx, so that you can zoom in on the detail if you wish.

This is one of four articles relating to a visit to London on 23rd November 2011:

• The Armourers' Hall of the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers
• The International Monetary System is to local crises like the climate is to weather
• Walk from Moorgate to Holborn, via The Armourers Hall, St Pauls demo and St Laurence Jewry
• Some stained glass of St Lawrence Jewry, London

Stained glass in the cloisters of Worcester Cathedral

Travelling back from Hereford on a dreary, wet Monday, I stopped off at Worcester and went to visit the Cathedral for the first time. With only a couple of hours and my small pocket camera, I liked the story in stained glass all around the cloisters.

The cloister windows on three (and a bit) sides, facing the herb garden, give the story of the English church through the ages, from Saxon times to the end of the 19th Century. Then there was a major new work, the Window of the Millenium, by the artist Mark Cazalet. This was an etched window and was easier to view from the Herb garden.

Photographically, the lighting was very poor due to the grey winter weather. Exposure times ranged from  1/8 to 1/25, averaging at 1/15, a challenge for me, trying to find support, and for the anti-shake function.

I've uploaded the pictures at full size (10Mpx) to the Picasa album so that you can zoom in to see the detail - follow the link from the slideshow above.

Worcester Cathedral is now definitely in my books for a return visit - with a tripod and the SLR - on a better day!