Crowds of tourists gather along a short stretch of the Pest bank of the Danube near to the Parliament building and the famous Chain Bridge – Lanchìd in Hungarian. They are attracted to this spot by the presence of a line of different kinds of lifesize footwear made of iron. These items are very close to the edge of the bank, inches away from the steep drop down to the water.
The models of footwear commemorate a dreadful tragedy. In the last year of WW2, Hungary was taken over by the Nazi Germans, and the Hungarian fascist militia, the Arrow Cross, wreaked a reign of terror on the population. 23500 people, of whom 20,000 were Jewish, were taken to the Danube, and shot at the water’s edge, their bodies tumbled into the river.
Before they were shot, the victims had to remove their footwear because shoes etc had become scarce in Hungary. The footwear of those who were massacred was stolen and then sold by the militia. The iron footwear along the Danube is a powerfully moving monument to those who were massacred at this spot. It was created in 2005 by sculptor Gyula Pauer.
The monument has become a major tourist attraction. It attracts ‘selfie’ takers and is not treated with the respect that such a memorial deserves. Although I spotted some of the shoes and boots had flowers and candles placed beside them, many of the others were filled with rubble, and even worse, with empty soft drink cans. When I saw the footwear and thought of the horrific events that took place along the riverbank, I shuddered. And I wondered how many of the camera and ‘phone toting visitors understood that the models of footwear were not merely yet another tourist attraction, but markers recording the potential of man’s ability to treat their fellow beings in such an inhuman way.
IT IS ONE hundred years since Sir James Cantlie (1851-1926), a medical man, died. He was the inventor of what we now call ‘first aid’, and one of the founders of The London School of Tropical Medicine. Also, he founded Chinese Medical College in Hong Kong in 1887. One of his students in Hong Kong was Sun Deming, better known as Sun Yat Sen (1866-1925).
In 1896, poor health forced Cantlie to return to London. That year, Sun came to England to visit him. Already out of favour with the Imperial Chinese government because of his revolutionary activities, private agents employed by the Chinese were sent to Liverpool, where he landed, to follow his movements. The first person that Sun visited after arriving in London was his old teacher Cantlie, whose London residence was close to the Chinese embassy, which was, and still is, in Portland Place. On his way there, Sun was kidnapped and held captive in the embassy. He would have faced death had not he persuaded the embassy’s English housekeeper, a Mrs Howe, to smuggle a note to Dr Cantlie. What happened next is related in my book “An Alphabetical Tour of England”.
Cantlie had a country abode in the village of Cottered in Hertfordshire. His house bears a plaque commemorating its connection with the Chinese nationalist Sun Yat Sen. When Cantlie died, he was buried close to the church of St John the Baptist in Cottered. His pink granite gravestone is next to the church’s southern entrance. It includes some carved Chinese writing (characters). These are a Chinese translation of the Bible’s gospel verse Matthew 5:7 (‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy’). Within the church, there is a wall mounted plaque, commemorating Sir James Cantlie. What makes it interesting in connection with his former student, Sun Yat Sen, is that the plaque was placed in the church by Sao-Ke Alfred Sze (1877-1958), who was Chinese Minister to Great Britain twice: 1914-1921 and 1929-1932.
Until we got stuck in slow-moving traffic in Cottered in 2021, I had no idea that this charming little village had a link with modern China. We were moving so slowly that I was able to catch a glimpse of the plaque on Cantlie’s former home as we passed it, and having seen that, my interest was aroused. We have returned to Cottered several times since that first fleeting visit, and had time to look at the church and his grave.
THERE IS A MEMORIAL that was recently erected in a tiny, picturesque seaport in Cornwall: Mousehole.
It commemorates the 7th anniversary of the disastrous fire that occurred at Grenfell Tower in west London, during which 72 people, including 18 children, perished. Since that tragedy, Cornwall has been hosting survivors of the tragedy as is explained in a newspaper article in The Packet (dated 12 June 2024):
“The plaque was the work of Cornwall Hugs, a Cornish charity that hosted hundreds of Grenfell Tower fire survivors, bereaved family members, and firefighters in the years following the disaster in London … The charity welcomed its 500th Grenfell guest in October 2023. Since then, many families have made their temporary homes in Mousehole. This village also saw Grenfell families unveiling a special street sign featuring a green Grenfell heart in 2019.”
The thoroughfare on which this memorial has been placed is called Grenfell Street. Incidentally, the name Grenfell is associated with several families in Cornwall.
QUETHIOCK IS A tiny village in Cornwall. It has a church, St Hugh, that contains many interesting features.
One small thing that fascinated me was a small brass plate attached to a wooden table. It commemorates Dr Erich Schneider of Aussig (Usti na Labem) in Bohemia, who was born in 1889, and perished in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944. His wife, Marketa, was interned in the Terezin concentration camp, but survived. She moved to England after WW2. The Schneiders had a son, Johann, who was born in 1921. He was educated in England. At school or college, he became friendly with Reverend Lintell’s children, and spent holidays with them in Quethiock. Later, Johann became an economist at the Treasury, and between 1987 and 2005, he was an assistant pastor at St Anne’s Lutheran Church in London.
It was a great surprise finding this memorial to a victim of the Holocaust in sucharemotepart of Cornwall.
WHENEVER WE VISIT the picturesque port of St Ives in Cornwall, we come across things we had not noticed on previous visits. On our latest visit, made in early July 2024, we discovered a monument that we had not noticed before and entered a chapel, which we had seen often, but never entered.
The monument is a bas-relief plaque mounted on one of the walls of the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart and St Ia Church. It is dedicated to the memory of John Payne, the portreeve (harbour master) of St Ives. He was executed in 1549 because he was a Roman Catholic. His demise occurred during the 1549 Prayerbook Rebellion. In case you had never heard of this – and it was news to me – the Prayerbook Rebellion (aka the ‘Western Rising’) happened because of something that happened during the reign of King Edward VI. Edward’s uncle, Edward Seymour, encouraged iconoclasm and the use of English (instead of Latin) during church services. This was unpopular in large parts of England, and when in 1549 the “Book of Common Prayer” was introduced, revolt against it broke out in Devon and Cornwall.
John Payne was hung in the marketplace of St Ives. His death was ordered by Sir Anthony Kingston, the Provost Marshal (c1508-1556). Payne was not the only Cornishman who was executed for his Catholic beliefs. The monument in St Ives is not only dedicated to him but also to:
“… all the men of St Ives who died to defend the Catholic faith in the Western Rising – 1549”
I am not sure when the memorial plaque was placed on the church, but it does bear the dates “1549” and “1949”.
Further into the town than the monument just described, one reaches the Smeaton Pier, where fishing boats unload the seafood, which they have caught. Wedged between a public toilet (for ‘gents’) and the small St Ives Harbour Master’s Office, there is a tiny chapel dedicated to St Leonard. This small building built with stones is entered via a few granite steps. Consisting of a small room (about 10 feet long and 6 feet wide. No one knows when it was constructed, but records indicate that it underwent some repairs in1577. The chapel was probably used by seamen setting out for sea and also provided shelter in bad weather. In 1971, the chapel was renovated and opened as a museum and a memorial to the fishermen of St Ives.
On the outside of the chapel, there is a plaque commemorating the record breaking 600-mile passage made by the St Ives lugger Lloyd from Scarborough to St Ives in 1902. The journey took 50 hours. Within the chapel, there are glass cabinets containing historical maritime items as well as old photographs and some models of sailing ships.
Although small, both the chapel and the memorial add to the fascination of the wonderful town of St Ives. In a future essay, I will tell you about some more of the things we ‘discovered’ during our latest visit to the place.
THE FIRST BLACKFRIARS railway station was opened in 1886. This station has been replaced by a 21st century station that now serves trains of the Thameslink network, which connects places north of London with places south of the city – no further north than Peterborough, and no further south than Brighton. Originally, when it first began serving passengers in the 19th century, trains carried people to overseas destinations including Leipzig, Naples, St Petersburg, and Marseilles.
The ticket hall of the current Blackfriars Thameslink station contains a reminder of the days when passengers departed for places much further afield than Brighton and Peterborough. It is a section of the original station’s facade, on which a list of destinations once reachable from the station is inscribed . The list includes many places on the European mainland as well as places in southeast London and Kent, through which travellers heading towards foreign lands had to pass.
I do not recall the old Blackfriars station, but the current one is an elegant example of modern architecture. What is particularly nice is that the platforms are on a bridge spanning the Thames. While waiting for a train, passengers can enjoy splendid views up and down the river.
FURNIVALL GARDENS IS a pleasant grassy open space that lies between the busy Great West Road (part of the A4) and Hammersmith’s riverside at Lower Mall. The park was created as part of the Festival of Britain (1951). Prior to WW2, the area upon which the garden now stands was mostly occupied by industrial premises and slums. Part of this area was occupied by the Quakers (of Hammersmith) Friends’ Meeting House and its adjoining Friends’ burial ground. A little bit of the land owned by the Quakers is now covered by the carriageways of the A4. The Quakers gave up their land to Hammersmith Borough Council when they were planning Furnivall Gardens.
There have been Quakers living and worshipping in Hammersmith since 1658 (see: https://hammersmithquakers.org.uk/history/). In 1677, they built their first Meeting House at number 28 Lower Mall near Hammersmith Creek (now covered up), which used to run along the western edge of what is now Furnivall Gardens. This tributary of the Thames ran through a very poor area of Hammersmith. In 1765, the meeting House was rebuilt and remained in use until a few years after the Creek was covered over in 1936. On the 24th of July 1944, this venerable Meeting House was destroyed by a flying bomb.
I have walked through Furnivall Gardens many times, but it was only today (the 18th of February 2024) that we took time to look at a noticeboard with its history. My wife noticed that the former Quaker Meeting House and burial ground are mentioned on this informative board. It indicated an area of the Gardens, where a memorial stone can be found. The simple monument in an area walled off from the rest of the park is surmounted by a circular metal plate on which the following words are inscribed:
“This garden is on the site of the Friends’ Meeting House and burial ground 1765-1944”.
It is an unassuming little memorial, which you might not notice if you did not know it existed. It has taken me several decades to become aware of it. I have driven along the stretch of the A4 that runs alongside Furnivall Gardens many times. And until today, I had no idea that my car’s tyres were racing over land where once Quakers were buried.
A NARROW ROAD LEADS away from the town of Mandvi (in Kachchh, a part of Gujarat) into an arid sandy area close to the seacoast. Scrubby bushes populate most of this flat terrain. After a few miles, a red building can be seen on the horizon. As you approach it, you can see that it resembles no other in the surrounding area, or, for that manner, in any other part of India. However, if you are a Londoner, it would seem familiar, although quite incongruous.
Replica of India House near Mandvi, Kachchh
The house in the desert is an accurate replica of a typical Victorian house, such as can be found in North London. In fact, it is a full-size copy of number 65 Cromwell Avenue in London’s Highgate area. The reproduction near Mandvi was built as part of a complex to commemorate Shyamji Krishnavarma (1857-1930), who was born in the centre of Mandvi.
Krishnavarma, who became a barrister and worked in various Princely States, moved to London, where he lived until about 1907. He moved to Paris, and then to Geneva, where he and his wife lived until they died.
In London, Krishnavarma lived opposite Highgate Woods. He invested wisely, and became interested in the works of English men, who had their doubts about Britain’s domination of India. He became an opponent of British rule in the Indian subcontinent. At first, his interest was mainly intellectual. However, in 1905, following the partition of Bengal, he became an activist.
One of his several activities was to purchase number 65 Cromwell Avenue. He had it adapted to become a ‘home away from home’ for Indians studying in London – they frequently had to endure the racist attitudes of English people. He named the building ‘India House’ (which should not be confused with the present Indian High Commission in London).
Apart from providing Indian food, some accommodation, and some leisure facilities, India House also hosted meetings that discussed the injustice of British rule in India. Soon, India House attracted the attention of the British police. This was because India House was becoming a nucleus or hotbed of anti-British activism. For example, some of the people who frequented the House experimented with bomb making and smuggling firearms to freedom fighters in India.
Krishnavarma left London in 1907, when he feared that he might be arrested. India House continued to be active until mid-1909 when one of its visitors assassinated an important colonial official.
Krishnavarma wrote in his will that after he was cremated, his ashes should be returned to India only after it had become independent of the British.
In the early part of this cemetery, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, then Narendra Modi, decided to bring Krishnavarma’s ashes to India – to Mandvi. Some years later, a complex to commemorate Krishnavarma was built outside Mandvi. Part if this is the replica of Highate’s former India House. The ashes of Krishnavarma and his wife are stored in urns on display in a building next to the replica.
If this story interests you and you want to know much more about India House, its replica, Krishnavarma and his fellow freedom fighters, including the currently influential VD Savarkar, you should read my, dare I say it, very informative book. I have produced two versions of it. One, the latest edition is “Indian Freedom Fighters in London 1905-1910), and is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0244270716/ . The other “Ideas, Bombs, and Bullets”, which can only be delivered to addresses in India in available here: https://store.pothi.com/book/adam-yamey-ideas-bombs-and-bullets/.
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON (1809-1892), the famous Victorian poet, had his home, Farringford House, at Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight. First, he rented the house in 1853, and then bought it in 1856. Because he was pestered by so many tourists, he moved to Aldworth in West Sussex in 1869. However, he kept Farringford, and spent most winters there. In 1860, his friend, the creative photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), bought a house, Dimbola, which was very close to Farringford.
In 1897, a memorial to the poet was erected on Tennyson Down, a clifftop high above Farringford and Dimbola. Designed by JL Pearson, it is a tall stone Celtic cross mounted on a stepped base. A gently sloped footpath leads from Dimbola to the memorial, but we did not use this. Instead, my friend Martin and I laboriously climbed a steeper path closer to it. The cross is impressive and dramatic against the wide-open sky – almost Wagnerian. The views from the clifftop were magnificent on the clear day we visited it.
Our descent from the clifftop was somewhat adventurous. This was not intentional. Because we could not remember the place the path (and staircase), which we ascended, began, we had to create our own route down the steep, almost vertiginous, wooded slopes. We had to be careful not to trip over the numerous tree roots and fallen branches that were hidden under fallen leaves that lay all over the place. I was quite relieved when we reached the car park without having fallen or strained our ankles. Next time I visit the poet’s memorial, I will use the lengthier but safer footpath.
You can read more about Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron, “Between Two Islands. Julia Margaret Cameron and her Circle”, available from Amazon sites such as:
IN THE 1980s when Yugoslavia existed, I used to visit the Bosnian city of Sarajevo regularly. In the centre of the town there was (and might still be) a museum about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Near this, there were impressions of two footprints in the pavement. These mark the supposed spot from which Gavrilo Princip fired the shots that killed the Archduke. You could stand in that very spot if you wished. I have no idea whether this curious memorial still exists but I was reminded of it when walking along the waterfront in Cornwall’s Falmouth.
On the 14th of June 1968, Sir Robin Knox-Johnson (born in 1939) set sail from Falmouth as a competitor in the Sunday Times Golden Globe race. In his small boat, the 32-foot Suhaili (a Bermudan ketch), he circumnavigated the World non-stop. Having won the race, he disembarked at Falmouth on the 22nd of April 1969.
Just as Princip’s exploit was commemorated by imprints of footprints, so was Sir Robin’s. However, at Falmouth there are two sets of footprints embedded in brass plates. One set has its toes pointing towards the sea, and the other, commemorating Sir Robin’s return, has its toes pointing towards the land (away from the sea).
Whereas the impressions of Princip’s footsteps make us remember the terrible consequences of his actions, those of Sir Robin celebrate a great achievement.
