If you happen to be in Cheapside or near Mansion House
just behind St Pauls Cathedral
you must come and examine some of these little pubs and stuff
Look at that, that's really cool down there
a lovely little pub hidden down in an alley way
I love all these cute little pubs and everything
This is Wood Street and it's called Wood Street
because apparently the houses down here used to be made of wood
despite an edict from King Richard
telling people not to make their houses out of wood in case they burn down
Like in the fire of London?
Yes, exactly. They should have listened to their king!
So Wood Street is over and here on the corner of Gresham Street
somewhere behind this big mound of scaffolding is actually
buried deep beneath the ground
is the head of King James iv of Scotland
I think it's under here
it's just so horrible for filming here
it sounds like they were severing it just then!
I think they're looking for it
Excuse me,
There's a rumour around here that King James lV of Scotland
His head is buried under there
Have you found a head whilst digging?
We haven't found it yet.
It's been down there for 500 years
I can get someone....
Did you know there's a head buried under there?
King James lV of Scotland, his head is buried underneath this building
You didn't know that? Well you do now!
So the Battle of Flodden Field was in 1513
and it was one of the bloodiest battles in history between the English and the Scots
and poor old King James lV of Scotland was slain in battle...according to John Stow the historian
after the battle the body of the said king
being found was enclosed in lead
and conveyed to the monastery of Shene in Surrey
and the workmen there, for their foolish pleasure,
hewed off his head
and Launcelot Young, the master glazier to her majesty Queen Elisabeth l
seeing the dried head with the hair of the head and the red beard
brought it to London to his house in Wood Street
where for a time he kept it
but in the end caused the Sexton of that church to bury it amongst the other bones
when it got burnt down and bombed and everything they just left him under there
what amazes me is that they actually had a pub there
and it was called the Red Herring, which led me to believe this might not be a true story but it IS a true story
and I though, why on earth would they not call that pub The King's Head?! Out of all the pubs!
in the whole of London that should be called The King's Head
I want to know about the battle of Flodden
Flodden Field which is in Northumberland; the Geordies got him in the end
That's what happens if you go up north. Cheers.
Are you going to go for a walk down Love Lane?
It's ok, you can be in it. It's Love Lane; it's nearly Valentines Day
Would you consider a date in the Slug and Lettuce?
No, because I work just here
Oops, in the police station?
There's this rather lovely tower
which is called St. Albans
it was originally a medieval church
and it was investigated by Inigo Jones, thefamous architect
and he said, "Ooh, it definitely needs some reapair, this....it definitely needs some work done
So he rebuilt it but it burnt down in the fire of London like everything else in this street
Rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren
and then, of course, the Luftwaffe, bombed it
and this is all that remians, this beautiful tower
It's a private residence I think
It could just be a business
The tower is now private property
Do not enter!
It is private property
It looks like they've got some building work going on
Some more builders probably told them a pack of lies
"Yeah...I definitely think you need these timbers replaced..."
But over here there's a brilliant little thing
Now here on the corner of Wood Street and Cheapside is a very interesting tree, I rather like it
because this particular one appears in the famous poem by William Wordsworth
"At the corner of Wood Street when daylight appears
Hangs a thrush that sings loud, it has sung for three years
There is the bird. Perhaps that's what he was referring to
I thought it was a thrush
Oh yeah, it doesn't look like a thrush
Poor Susan haspassed by this spot and has heard
in the silence of morning, the song of the bird
Who's Poor Susan?
Some very poor working woman
Lives of working women in London was tough!
Like these working women?
It's a nice place to smoke apparently
I daresay that's what he was doing when he wrote the poem
What I really like about it is that these buildings, I heard, aren't allowed to be any taller than this
because this tree needs to have its light. This tree is protected
even trees have rights to light in London. I rather like that.
Between that and me I think I'm blocking out your light, so I'll leave you....