Stalking the City’s Monastery Mulberries

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 30/05/2017
11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location
Blackfriars rail & tube station


In celebration of trees and woodland, we are supporting London Tree Week (27 May – 4 June 2017), with the help of the Mayor of London.

Stalking the City’s Monastery Mulberries – amongst the monasteries, churches and Temple law courts of the City of London 11.00am-1.00pm Tuesday 30 May Start: Blackfriars rail and tube station north entrance, Queen Victoria Street, EC4V 4DD

Many people associate mulberries with James I’s attempt to start an English silk industry in the early 1600’s, but they have played an important part in London life since they were first introduced by the Romans in the 1st century CE. Mulberries have a long association with medieval monasteries and the church, where they were grown for their delicate fruit, which sweetened the dishes of medieval dining tables and offered medicinal benefits too.

The walkshop is led by Peter Coles – urban nature writer and photographer, and champion of mulberries in London. He has been co-creating intriguing Stalking Trees walkshops for the Museum of Walking, in which participants get to know a thing or two about trees and how to photograph them.  Peter is working with the Conservation Foundation to conserve and build awareness of London’s heritage mulberries. Dip into the mulberry’s intriguing history.

The walkshop route will seek out mulberries in and around St Paul’s churchyard, St Bartholomew-the-Great, Charterhouse, Fountain Court (Middle Temple) and the Inner Temple garden.

This is a free event. Suitable for 16+. Children must be accompanied. Capacity is limited, so booking is essential: https://ltw17_monastery_mulberries_in_the_city.eventbrite.co.uk

This free walkshop has been made possible through the support of the Mayor of London.

Check out other walkshops we are producing for London Tree Week.

We at the Museum of Walking are not “tree huggers” but we do love trees, for we feel that they contribute more to our urban neighbourhoods than they detract.  Urban trees are a hardy bunch, able to absorb not only natural hazards, but also man-made pollutants, restoring the quality of air we breathe, and providing habitat for many species of wildlife.  Many trees have witnessed significant changes to their surroundings, so as our cities expand, some trees are threatened by development, others are planted to create new vistas, shade and shelter.

For several years, we have been getting people to share their knowledge and stories about trees, and more recently, with the help of urban nature photographer and writer Peter Coles, we have been ‘stalking trees’ to discover more about individual species and specimen, and how they can be photographed in different seasons. You can find out more about our Stalking Trees walkshops here.

Walking in Step with: