A "Putative Pootle", aka a City lunchtime ride

Our friend Stephen issued an invitation a few weeks ago on Cycle Chat (my forum of choice) for a lunchtime ride round the City.  This had instant appeal as, though I've been commuting by Brompton most days this winter, I've really been missing my Fridays clubmates -- to the point where I've caught myself counting down the days to our first ride of the season (overnight to Felpham at the end of March).

So I escaped from the office right on the dot of 12.30 and made my way down Bishopsgate to the London Monument. Within a few minutes, there were 8 smiling people (6 on Bromptons) all set for a wander round the City of London in the bright wintry sunshine.

Stephen took us on a mini architecture tour -- with commentary -- with the highlight to be Christ Church Spitalfields, home of the "the finest interior in England", according to Simon, our resident architect (and Fridays founder). Alas, services were in full flow, to which some of our number were certain to be allergic, so we clustered in the vestibule craning our necks while Simon presented brief but vivid arguments on why the interior -- indeed the entire church -- is quite special.

We were out for about 45 minutes, covering about 3 miles all told, during which we took in:

The Paleys upon Pilers, a popsicle-stick-birdcage-esque wooden structure erected a few years ago at Aldgate. This marks the location of the original "Aldgate", the London City Wall's easternmost gate. The original gate had a small house above, where the poet Geoffrey Chaucer lived from 1374 to 1386. The new structure was designed by architects Studio Weave, who claim they were inspired by Chaucer’s two dream poems which apparently featured elevated temples and which he wrote while living in the house above the old gate.

Some lovely detail about the structure itself can be found here.

This is a "fold of Bromptons".

 We stopped in Brick Lane

...to admire the spire outside the mosque

 

...and finally reached Christ Church Spitalfields on Commercial Road.

  

It was lovely to be out of on our bikes in the sunshine with friends. We'll do it again!