Return to My GANDER Line

Return to CONTENTS

Previous Page

Next Page

the City of London Cemetery, as was the case with other City churches, but there is no record of this being done. Their last resting place is now covered by the Fire Station and forecourt within Mondial House, one of the many imposing multi-storey office blocks in the area*

St. Swithin Stone Church was demolished in 1962 and is now the site of the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation building. This has had the old London Stone, formerly in the church wall, re-set into its wall in the same position.

The little area around St. Michael Paternoster Royal and College Street, near the Innholders Hall, retains some character, but opposite the street, in Bell Wharf Lane, stands a hideous multi-storey car park. Fortunately round the corner from this, next to Southwark Bridge, is the Riverside Inn public house which has a long terrace overlooking the river.

On the whole, the area appears lifeless and the impression gained is that neither James Gander nor any of the others would, like the writer, care to return.

PART 3
JOHN EDWARD GANDER 1850 - 1898

3.1 WORK AS A CARMAN AND MARRIAGE TO LYDIA SUSANNAH FLAHEY

ohn Edward Gander, James' youngest son, also became a carman. A carman was the van driver of the horse age. A carman's job was driving a horse drawn covered waggon, cart, van or dray conveying goods from place to place and in addition, sometimes involved looking after the horses and stables of their employers (see also Part 4.4).

As boys the two brothers John and James Henry must have seen the licensed city carman practically every day at their principal standings in Upper Thames Street and in Dowgate Hill just around the corner from where they lived.

Upper Thames Street has been considerably widened and is now a major highway through the City. The fast traffic and many pedestrian barriers, together with the towering office blocks, make it a very unattractive, if not positively hostile, area to spend any length of time in. Both All Hallows and Cousin Lane survive; at the end of Cousin Lane is the Bouncing Banker public house, tucked under the station viaduct. It has a small terrace at the river's edge but the views are hemmed in by both Southwark and London Bridges.

The old site of No. 82 is now covered by the widened street and the adjacent Public Cleansing Department building. The site of 171, opposite, also lies under both the new street and Dowgate Hill House, a four-storey office block*.

Cannon Street station has been completely re-built but the old brick viaduct walls and some of the structure remains.

Little Bush Lane became part of a re-aligned Bush Lane and this is now covered by a very recently completed multi-storey office block. The remaining part of Bush Lane now serves Elizabeth House, the Lloyds Bank building, and runs from Cannon Street to Suffolk House.

Previous Page

Next Page