Meeting at tower hill tube station, the first thing that strikes you is two of the few remaining pieces of medieval architecture in the city. The Tower of London to the north and part of the old medieval city walls to the east. They are surrounded by modern architecture and show evidence of repairs and updates themselves, and this impact of the old against the new sets the tone for our excursion.

We make our way to the site of St Mary Graces entering through a gate to what is now the under croft of a 1980’s building.  Looking at the remaining ruins again one can clearly see the contrast of the old against the new with additions from when the site was used as a yard for the Royal Navy. Owing to the ruins being essentially part of the basement it is difficult to gauge to size and scope of the buildings but the pieces of stonemasonry that are still visible begin to give an impression of the building as it was. We discussed the history of the place, its continued uses over time. In particular it is intriguing that it is only in recent years that the site has been used for anything residential. It seems that the stigma of the plague pits lingered.

After having a good look around the remains of the abbey we then walk through London taking in the contrast of London’s some of London’s few remaining medieval buildings, the lingering road names. We head to the Guildhall to view some manuscripts which could give us additional insight into the experiences of the plague.

The first of these documents provide details of the transference of Property between a Mother and her Daughter, both widowed, over the few years that the plague was rife. The documents give an excellent insight into the mentality of the pair, clearly concerned about what would happen to their property in the case of eithers death. It is also interesting to note that both are widowed at the same time which would have been highly unusual. We then see in a later document that the property is transferred back and at this time it can be seen marriage has been made to another member of their guild of the weavers, indicating guild practises of taking care of their own.

Going on to look at the other documents we see more yet evidence of the impact of the plague. Particularly striking are the details of the huge uptake of new members into the guild following the plague in one of the books, presumably to replace those that have died.

The books containing records have many pages added from later dates, pages left empty for new additions spaces left for the work of illuminators which have never been added. The books, like London, have morphed and changed over time. The materials used in the books have also changed with the shift to paper being very apparent to the touch.

It is apparent that though there are continuous changes both through the books and the buildings making it clear that it is vital not to take just a snapshot it time but also to consider what came before, what came after, and what may still be to come.

It is the victors who write history, and with that being said, there is not too much to be learnt about the experiences and struggles of the peasants during their revolt of 1381. One of the advantages of walking in the footsteps of these people, is that still just over 600 years later we are able to piece together a sense of what the city would have looked like, and felt like from their perspective. Perhaps the best example of this is crossing London Bridge which was the only bridge allowing people to get to the other side of the Thames. One can not only imagine the narrow and cramped nature of the crossing, but also the feeling of awe which would have met a crowd of country-men for which this would possibly be their first and last trip to the capital.

Obviously, trying to imagine a medieval city in modern-day London has its difficulties; a series of reformations, a great fire, a blitz, and not to mention the introduction of several new office-buildings, all serve to make such a task a real challenge. Having said that, one of the best ways to appreciate medieval London and what would have been there, is by looking at those things which do not change quite so quickly over the centuries – street names. London, like today, was a city centred on work. We can see for instance, street names such as Bread Street where bakers worked, Milk Street where cows were kept, Threadneedle Street which was where tailors would carry out their work, Bucklesbury which was possibly home to bucklers, and Cloth Fair where merchants would buy and sell their cloth at the market by St Bartholomew Church. We can tell that this latter street for example, would have been one of the wealthiest in London. Though the many monasteries of London are now non-existent, the street names still hold their legacy; hence we have the road names Greyfriars, Blackfriars, and Whitefriars.

The Tower of London and Westminster Abbey are the only buildings from the Middle Ages which have survived the test of time; this was because they were owned by the monarchy, and were therefore not pulled down in order to make money. However, there is still a lot to be learnt from looking at the remains of other buildings, or even reconstructions of old buildings. Temple Church, which dates from the end of the twelfth century provides a useful idea of what the churches of the era would have looked like. This being said, the round style of the church (which is based on those in the Holy Land) is much less typical of English churches, and bears more resemblance to those found far more frequently in Europe.

Though slightly off the route of the Peasants’ Revolt, again by looking at Staple Inn in High Holborn, it is possible to imagine the medieval street. This survived the Great Fire but was unfortunately damaged in the blitz. Nonetheless it offers a fine example.

London therefore is a source in itself. The Peasants’ Revolt can be traced and imagined; from picturing their determination to attack the lawyers at Temple, to their excitement at destroying the Savoy.