The Unexpected

The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association was an association set up in London by Samuel Gurney, a Member of Parliament and philanthropist and Edward Thomas Wakefield, a barrister, in 1859 to provide free drinking water. Originally called the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association it changed its name to include cattle troughs in 1867, to also support animal welfare.

As you can imagine at the time there were a significant number of horses in London and large numbers of cattle too, when they were herded into town for slaughter. Prior to the creation of the association, public houses had supplied water but not normally free of charge. Water was often free if alcohol was purchased. They didn't have "Drink and Drive" guidelines in those days and you can imagine that some drivers were drunk in charge of their horses.

They are of course no longer in use for their original purpose but as planters as is this one.

In the background of the photo you can see a medieval gate house. This was once part of St Bartholomew the Great, an Augustinian Priory founded in 1123. It was significantly reduced in size during the Dissolution of the Monasteries but the Canons' choir and sanctuary were preserved for parish use.

The remaining buildings survived the Fire of London and the two World Wars, making it probably the oldest church in London. However restoration in the nineteenth century has put a hideous cladding on the outside, which completely disguises the age and the beauty of within. I have walked past the church many time but today paid the money to go and look round. The £4 entry fee was well worth it. It is truly magnificent. My photos do not do it justice; hence I have not shared them with you

The age and beauty of the church means that it is often used for films, it is the last church in "Four Weddings and a Funeral". I often see the film vehicles and the many electric cables disappearing inside the church.

If you are in the Smithfield area, I highly recommend that you go and look.

For more information on the church select this link