Day 196 - Cremyll (and London II)

The Cremyll Ferry landing today.

Today, my friend Lez joined me here at the cottage for the next few days so that we can work on our research and writing together. So not much time to explore and therefore not too much to write. But I had said a couple of days ago that we would re-visit the story behind Cremyll. It is a village that sits across the mouth of the River Tamar and has been a ferry stop for centuries as it is the gateway to the Rame Peninsula (which is where Cawsand is located) and to Cornwall beyond.  According to the records, there has been a ferry crossing here since the 12th century, but historians believe that it could have been as early as the Bronze Age (2500 BC). 

When the Saxons battled the Cornish in the 8th century, it is believed that the Cornish crossed the river to raid Saxon territory. The name "Cremyll" is Cornish in origin and means "Crooked Pool." It began to flourish as a village during medieval times due to its status as the ferry terminus and entry way into Cornwall and a route to other Cornish villages and towns. Initially, only men and horses used the ferry, but in 1764 a larger boat was built that allowed coaches to also be ferried across.

When the Naval Dockyard was built on the Plymouth side of the river, Cremyll grew in importance and the Edgecumbe family who owned the ferry monopoly and the land on either side of the river profited quite well from the increased traffic. In those days the ferry was still rope towed. In the late 1800s, steam ferries were introduced on this route and the time to cross was reduced substantially (it had taken 90 minutes to 2 hours to cross previously). With the emergence of the automobile the time to go up the river, cross the river by bridge and drive back down into the peninsula was reduced greatly and this impacted the use of the ferry, and the growth of Cremyll. Today it is a tourist attraction with its foot ferry and the entrance to Mt. Edgecumbe Park, and of course there is a pub, the Edgecumbe Arms.

Ale of the Day: Trelawney Best Bitter, St. Austell Brewery, Cornwall.
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Out of town update

Amanda outside of the Tower of London near Tower Bridge...
the day was even made perfect by a London rain.

Back in London, Amanda and Ange continue their adventures. First on the agenda today was a visit to the Tower of London. We arrived fairly early, so initially had small crowds to deal with. We set off to decide which of the Crown Jewels we'd purchase if we were so inclined, but agreed their a bit gaudy for our taste (and the upkeep!). Then we joined a tour by one of the Beefeaters. They must all have to pass a Rodney Dangerfield comedy test before they can join ... they're funny in that way that's no longer politically correct, but you have to laugh at your grandfather kind of way.

The White Tower in the middle of the
Tower of London.

I'll leave you to review the history of the Tower. There is just way to much that has happened here to summarize in even a few paragraphs here. We joined another tour in the White Tower (younger than than the first, but same humour) where we learned far more about the various kings and queens and "guests" who had lived and died here.

Amanda thought a pub lunch was in order, so we went to St. Katharine's dock next to the tower to the Dickens Pub ... a massive wood-framed pub. It was here that Amanda began her Cider tour of the UK.

We walked to St. Paul's cathedral, taking a quick look inside, then considered our journey down Fleet Street reading headlines from various newspapers in tiles on the ground as went.

As we were passing the Royal Courts of Justice, I noticed that the door to the Temple Church was open. It has never been open when I've passed before, so Amanda was nice enough to indulge my interest and go inside. This church has a fascinating history and is part of a large complex of buildings owned by the Templers. 

We took a quick trip into the original Twinings tea shop, then went across the street to take a look inside the Royal Courts of Justice...but just a quick look as you have to go through a metal detector if you want to go inside for a closer look, although it is open to the public.

We walked down The Strand, passing several West End Theatres, and into Leicester Square to inquire about tickets to a play. However, nothing left by this point in the day was really catching our fancy. So, we caught the tube back to the hotel and enjoyed our usual dinner of free hors d'oeurves, fruit, cheese, bread, dessert and wine.