ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL AND THE TENT CITY

CITY OF LONDON SURPRISES AT ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

Last week, in November, I went to Bank underground station and walked to St Paul's Cathedral.

TENT CITY 

I wanted to see the Tent City outside the cathedral and I took my sketch book to do some drawings.  The camp is also called Occupy London.

There were not many onlookers, until people came out of the cathedral.

The tents seemed very orderly and clean, with a row of Portaloos nearby.

There was a book stall, where I presume donated books were available to the protesters, as well as a place where they could obtain food.

There was no smell, and signs were on display prohibiting alcohol.

Several rough and dishevelled men, probably who usually sleep rough, were in somewhat noisy support.

No doubt they had a few bevvies off the site!

PENCIL SKETCH ONE

You can see the buses in the background, and the row of Portaloos. 

At St Paul's they make a Poppy Banner for Remembrance Day

 I noticed a young man painting a scene of the tents, in oils on a canvas, and he said he had given himself a deadline of 3 hours to complete the painting - he painted very slowly so I hope he was successful!

There was nowhere to sit in comfort, so I planted myself on the steps of the cathedral.

PENCIL SKETCH TWO

Here is a section from my second drawing, using coloured crayons.  Unfortunately, as is always the case when drawing in a busy spot, people kept standing in front of the scene I was drawing!

A Poppy Banner, a collage in red cloth on white

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

I talked to a couple of the people involved in sewing the red Poppies on to the white cloth, they said this was being done to display on Armistice Day, 11 November, (which was the day after I was there) and also on Remembrance Sunday, when the Queen always lays a wreath at the Cenotaph, during the commemoration of the ending of the First World War and the Second World War, as well as the conflicts following them.

There is a very large tent at Tent City with Tent City University on the roof, and one of the young women I spoke said she was there to present a course in meditation.

PENCIL SKETCH THREE

Here is my third drawing.  All round the camp, on the walls of buildings, were posters, notices and bills with inspirational quotes, some of them very funny. See them on the left of my drawing.

Tent City in St Paul's Churchyard, November 2011

After the drawings, I decided to go for a coffee, a nice place opposite the Cathedral, which was something I guess the protesters cannot do very often, it was over £2 for the coffee!  Such is the cost of living in London. It's also a place to use the Ladies, as we do not seem to have public conveniences here any more.

ATKINSON GRIMSHAW

Then I walked up to the Guildhall to see the Atkinson Grimshaw exhibition. 

Later I made my way to Westminster Abbey and walked round the Garden of Remembrance where some veterans were standing to attention as a bugler played The Last Post.  It was extremely moving and sad.