Sam Horton joins us to discuss his record breaking day of visiting 12 historical landmarks in a day with Ben, focusing on the iconic St Paul's Cathedral. Staying on the theme of architecture and religion, Sam's alternative landmark pick is also in London and is probably one of the most visually stunning to date.
You can now buy us a coffee if you enjoy our episodes - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/benjaminsbritain
We'd love you to subscribe and rate us on when you listen to your favourite podcasts. Follow us at @benjaminsbritainpod on Instagram for social content and updates.
Sam Horton joins us to discuss his record breaking day of visiting 12 historical landmarks in a day with Ben, focusing on the iconic St Paul's Cathedral. Staying on the theme of architecture and religion, Sam's alternative landmark pick is also in London and is probably one of the most visually stunning to date.
You can now buy us a coffee if you enjoy our episodes - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/benjaminsbritain
We'd love you to subscribe and rate us on when you listen to your favourite podcasts. Follow us at @benjaminsbritainpod on Instagram for social content and updates.
Transcript
00:00:00 Ben
Welcome back to the Benjamin Britten podcast. I'm Ben, and for the last five years I've been trying to visit all the sites in Clive Aslet's book , Landmarks for Britain, 500 historical sites that made our history, and on this podcast we invite people who've been to some of those sites with me to chat about the highs and lows and.
00:00:19 Ben
We have a good old.
00:00:20 Ben
No chat history, geography and visiting sites around the UK with me.
00:00:24 Ben
As always going yellow.
00:00:26 Ben
Think you have it?
00:00:27 Nicky
Hi everyone I'm Nicky. I'm Ben's friend from Uni and General Historical keeno and editor.
00:00:33 Ben
Editor, producer, manager
00:00:37 Nicky
A few thing. So much like our last episode where we celebrated a birthday, we have got another birthday.
00:00:43 Nicky
Ben, it was your birthday on Monday.
00:00:45 Ben
Yeah, I joined you in the in the 30 club.
00:00:48 Nicky
Yeah, it's pretty fun here.
00:00:49 Nicky
And how did you celebrate?
00:00:51 Ben
Well Nicky, I didn't want to be working from home and I thought what's the one thing I want to do my birthday and of course it's.
00:00:57 Ben
A historical landmark.
00:00:58 Nicky
Of course.
00:01:00 Ben
So it took the day off and drove to the Dorset coast and visited an island off the coast which is itself and a historical landmark, which that's called the Isle of Portland.
00:01:09
Nice.
00:01:11 Nicky
So do you want to give us a roundup of some of the feedback responses opinions that we had on our first episode with Gemma?
00:01:18 Ben
Yeah, well, I really enjoyed listening back that episode, I must say.
00:01:23 Ben
The nicest review we.
00:01:25 Ben
Received was from Gemmas Mum.
00:01:27 Sam Horton
Yeah.
00:01:28 Ben
Got big shout out on the episode.
00:01:30 Ben
Not only was she very complimentary of what we're doing, but she is actually herself being inspired to go and visit the Isle of Iona.
00:01:38 Nicky
Wow, that's great.
00:01:39 Ben
Listening to episode I.
00:01:40 Ben
Nelson Nicky we are.
00:01:41 Ben
We are actually influencing people now due to this point.
00:01:43 Ben
Hi Matt.
00:01:43 Ben
00:01:44 Nicky
It would be great to hear if anyone else has been sort of inspired to go to, Umm, I don't know till brief or.
00:01:50 Nicky
So check the Warrens or I ate as much.
00:01:53 Nicky
Yeah, that's more of an actual visit though, is it?
00:01:55 Nicky
That's a full weekend.
00:01:57 Ben
Quite famously, in our last episode, Gemma exposed that you know, we've all got a lot to learn about history, including how many wives Henry VIII had
00:02:05 Ben
And previous guest Alex Fenton suggested that we might want to consider an entrance exam for guests historical entrance.
00:02:13 Ben
Before they go on the podcast, we're accessible, Nicky.
00:02:16 Ben
You know this is for anyone, no matter what their current, historical knowledge
00:02:20 Nicky
Yeah, exactly.
00:02:21 Ben
And generally we debuted it on his theme song, and that that's been getting most of our nice warm positive feedback.
00:02:27 Ben
And people seem to love it.
00:02:29 Nicky
So for this episode we have our mutual friend from University, Sam Horton and farmers.
00:02:36 Nicky
I suppose he would say a bit of a cool cat when it comes to land marking it.
00:02:40 Ben
Likes to pretend these two people are not.
00:02:42 Nicky
But really, what this episode that you're about to listen to exposes is the purest form of his nerdy side.
00:02:49 Nicky
I would say.
00:02:50 Ben
Absolutely.
00:02:51 Ben
It's a sound that I've seen before on our trips, but not many people get to see.
00:02:55 Ben
I'm like, please, it's now it's out there for the world to enjoy and listen.
00:02:59 Nicky
OK then, without further ado, let's follow over to our discussion with Sam.
00:03:03 Ben
Hope you enjoy.
00:03:05 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:03:05 Speaker 4
Oh
00:03:05 Speaker 4
00:03:10 Gav Penn - Music
Come and ride along with Benjamins Britain, get to know the places and spaces around you.
00:03:15 Speaker 4
2nd.
00:03:23 Ben
Joining me and Nicky today is someone who wandered into my dorm room on the first day of University almost 12 years ago.
00:03:31 Ben
He's a student of English literature and one of the most well read people I know.
00:03:36 Ben
He's a lover of whiskey and a man with the best collection of brewery based clothing.
00:03:41 Ben
Now he's in love.
00:03:43 Ben
Each relationship with landmarks.
00:03:45 Ben
Even though he says it's 40.
00:03:47 Ben
Four of them.
00:03:47 Ben
It's our good friend Sam Walton Sam.
00:03:50 Ben
Welcome to the broadcast.
00:03:52 Sam Horton
Having me Ben I appreciate it and yeah, I like a few of the callouts you made there, there's some interesting yeah, interesting things that you've chosen to you identify with me.
00:04:01 Sam Horton
And yeah, I feel like they speak to my personality.
00:04:03 Sam Horton
Thank you.
00:04:05 Ben
Do for yourself accurately reflected in that.
00:04:07 Sam Horton
Correction, I tell you and I like the way that it's taking me back to you. Whenever it was 2009 Exeter the the bands that were shared and the friendship that was born persevered for more than 10 years through ups and downs, highs and lows. I don't remember many downs, mostly mostly high, supposedly wisenheimers.
00:04:23 Sam Horton
Well then there was that period when he lost about 30 games of chess to me in a row.
00:04:27 Sam Horton
I'd say that was a bit down for you.
00:04:30 Ben
It's not.
00:04:30 Sam Horton
But not for me.
00:04:33 Ben
Oh yeah.
00:04:33 Sam Horton
I had actually forgotten about that period of my life and I I think I want as many as I lost.
00:04:38 Sam Horton
Anyway, maybe on balance, maybe your balance over the 10 years taking the app into account then.
00:04:43 Sam Horton
But yeah, I mean real physical chess.
00:04:46 Sam Horton
There's no, there's no contest.
00:04:48 Nicky
So Sam bends intro referred to as being an English graduate and they ever been interested in history.
00:04:48 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:04:55 Nicky
Or, you know, is it just something that bends forced you to do?
00:05:00 Sam Horton
So I've I've actually been immersing myself in history a little bit more than usual recently because I I'll.
00:05:07 Sam Horton
As Ben mentioned, I like to read a particularly particularly fiction, and I, you know, I.
00:05:11 Sam Horton
I dabble in a few different things.
00:05:13 Sam Horton
I love, you know, American detective fiction.
00:05:15 Sam Horton
I love sci-fi, but over the past, sort of six months, maybe more.
00:05:20 Sam Horton
I've been really fascinated by historical fiction.
00:05:23 Sam Horton
And particularly a series of books kind of set amongst the wars of the Roses which are absolutely fantastic.
00:05:29 Sam Horton
And I've.
00:05:30 Sam Horton
I've plowed through four or five.
00:05:32 Sam Horton
Of these books since Christmas, but what strikes me about it is that they're always drinking ale.
00:05:39 Sam Horton
Breakfast is the only thing that they drink, which is amazing before.
00:05:42 Nicky
Otherwise they’ll get Cholera
00:05:44 Speaker 4
'cause they got Cholera, you know I.
00:05:46 Sam Horton
Wish it was.
00:05:46 Sam Horton
Why is that not true?
00:05:47 Sam Horton
In modern society?
00:05:48 Sam Horton
You know why is it not acceptable to have?
00:05:50 Sam Horton
A breakfast ale I.
00:05:51 Nicky
Oh damn it, and I'll clean water.
00:05:53 Sam Horton
I think it's something that's really been lost over the years.
00:05:55 Sam Horton
In our society, you know, a comfortable breakfast Porter.
00:05:59 Ben
I, I think you could bring that back into fashion.
00:06:01 Ben
You know, I think you could launch a one man campaign to bring Ale back to breakfast with British breakfast.
00:06:06 Ben
Breakfast breakfast there.
00:06:06 Ben
00:06:07 Ben
For Sam you have visited.
00:06:09 Speaker 4
That's it.
00:06:10 Ben
Bought it for historical landmarks in my book.
00:06:13 Ben
Since 2016.
00:06:15 Ben
One of which we're going to talk about in.
00:06:16 Ben
Detail today, but I'd.
00:06:18 Ben
Love to know.
00:06:18 Ben
I'd love to know you know what?
00:06:21 Ben
What was your?
00:06:22 Ben
What was your reaction when when I when I explained you?
00:06:24 Ben
How did I?
00:06:25 Ben
I don't even remember introducing you to the concept of what became Benjamins Britain.
00:06:30 Sam Horton
So I can.
00:06:31 Sam Horton
I can tell you Ben, the first landmark that we visited together was on a night out in Bristol, maybe Georgian house.
00:06:39 Sam Horton
Yeah, in Bristol we had we had a great time.
00:06:42 Sam Horton
We were walking along trying to get home or going to another bar or whatever and you suddenly insisted that we go down this side street, take a picture outside.
00:06:51 Sam Horton
Random poorly lit house.
00:06:52 Speaker 4
All.
00:06:53 Sam Horton
Right K right this is a little bit weird, but yeah, whatever I wasn't even in that first picture.
00:06:59 Sam Horton
I I will I count it as a landmark, but I took.
00:07:00 Speaker 4
You
00:07:00 Ben
You work here.
00:07:01 Nicky
Right?
00:07:02 Sam Horton
I took picture.
00:07:03 Speaker 4
Yeah, yeah.
00:07:03 Sam Horton
I took the picture but I wasn't in the.
00:07:05 Sam Horton
Asia and that's my first memory of landmarks.
00:07:08 Sam Horton
It may have been my first one.
00:07:09 Sam Horton
It may not have been, but that's the first one I I vaguely remember, and since then I say it's been a bit of a bit of a love hate relationship.
00:07:16 Sam Horton
To be honest, absolutely.
00:07:16 Speaker 4
Yes.
00:07:18 Sam Horton
See it in general.
00:07:20 Sam Horton
I like visiting places, interesting places.
00:07:23 Sam Horton
I think it's I think it's a fun thing to do and.
00:07:25 Nicky
Interested in the keyword.
00:07:26 Sam Horton
Interesting being that being the keywords that the problem I have is that I maybe I've had some bad experiences.
00:07:33 Sam Horton
Maybe I've had some less than you know.
00:07:35 Sam Horton
Interesting grade landmarks in in my time and that that maybe has put me off perhaps?
00:07:42 Sam Horton
Yeah, my own competitiveness and they're bringing that spirit into this particular pursuit has also contributed to this sort of negative perceptions. You know, getting out ahead early, you know a bit of a bittersweet thing, because once you're there, you gotta maintain it, you know. And if you're doing that in the 1st 100, you've gotta, you gotta maintain it. For another 400 lap Bent 500 landmarks.
00:08:03 Sam Horton
Is a little landmarks and my attention span versus my competitive streak the balance isn't there for me to maintain that and Alex and Nicky.
00:08:11 Sam Horton
Have have the stamina settings, however I I simply don't.
00:08:13 Ben
The staying power.
00:08:15 Ben
But Sam, I do think you've done.
00:08:17 Ben
Your fair share of.
00:08:19 Ben
Landmarks we lovingly referred to as duds. We're about to about to talk about a really special landmark, but is there one that stands out to you for being the worst one that we've done out of the 44?
00:08:25 Sam Horton
Yeah.
00:08:30 Sam Horton
I'm I'm gonna.
00:08:31 Sam Horton
I'm gonna throw it back to the Slough Trading estate.
00:08:33 Sam Horton
Ben because it's the trading estate in Slough.
00:08:34 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:08:35 Sam Horton
I mean, there's not much to recommend visiting Slough at the best of times and trading estate in particular.
00:08:41 Sam Horton
I mean, had there been a Nando's in Slough, you know that would have been a good trip, but a trading estate where we could not even go in and read the plaque.
00:08:44 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:08:49 Sam Horton
Was somewhat of a of a disappointment to me and.
00:08:54 Nicky
Did you not even recreate the office?
00:08:57 Sam Horton
We didn't.
00:08:58 Sam Horton
We ate a Mars bar outside the gate and then drove on and had a lovely day out in in Eaton.
00:09:03 Sam Horton
I think afterwards or at Windsor or something like that.
00:09:04 Nicky
Yeah.
00:09:04 Nicky
I was gonna say you must have gone.
00:09:06 Nicky
To Windsor or something.
00:09:07 Sam Horton
Yeah we did.
00:09:08 Sam Horton
Yeah, maybe it was the juxtaposition of the style trading estate with these amazing beautiful historical buildings.
00:09:14 Ben
Yeah.
00:09:14 Sam Horton
Maybe it's the fact that I don't really like Mars bar.
00:09:16 Ben
Plus yeah, maybe it's the fact that I was slightly hungover and more so at that point in the day than later.
00:09:22 Ben
Yeah.
00:09:22 Ben
00:09:22 Ben
Yeah, listen that there were always going to be your Slough trading states, which just warrants a picture and a dash and.
00:09:30 Sam Horton
You know what I'd?
00:09:31 Ben
We're ready for them.
00:09:31 Sam Horton
Love to sit down with Clive. I'd like I think he'd be an interesting guy to sit down and have a drink with and see, you know, kind of why, why, why, these 500?
00:09:32 Ben
Hello.
00:09:39 Ben
I'm I'm desperate.
00:09:41 Ben
That conversation 5/1 day and maybe.
00:09:43 Ben
Is he listening, Ben?
00:09:43 Ben
He listening Ben.
00:09:44 Ben
I don't know.
00:09:45 Ben
Maybe he'll be a future guest, Sam maybe.
00:09:47 Sam Horton
Yeah, well, that would be that would be fantastic.
00:09:48 Ben
I believe.
00:09:49 Sam Horton
Look towards that.
00:09:50 Nicky
500
00:09:51 Speaker 4
Right?
00:09:52 Ben
500
00:09:53 Sam Horton
Speaking of 500th episodes, are you saving anything in particular for Landmark 500? Ben, do you have one in mind which you want to Crown off this glorious achievement with?
00:10:03 Sam Horton
Yeah.
00:10:03 Sam Horton
00:10:03 Ben
Yeah, I've got a few in mind.
00:10:04 Ben
All I know is it has to be a really special one because I've got an idea which I'm committed to and I'll put it on the podcast.
00:10:12 Ben
It's there so my 500. Anyone who's ever visited a llama is going to be invited to a party at the 500. Wow and and like one big group photo in front of the Violence Landmark and then and then the ceremonial destruction burial putting out to sea of the book itself.
00:10:20 Speaker 4
Huh?
00:10:32 Speaker 4
Ah.
00:10:32 Ben
So it would be nice to Bury it and leave.
00:10:34 Ben
The landmark I feel like that would be.
00:10:35 Sam Horton
Appropriate because once this is done, Sam I never want to see it ever again.
00:10:36 Speaker 4
And I.
00:10:38 Sam Horton
I think there may be some restrictions around burying Monday literature underneath their historical and possibly structurally unsound buildings, but yeah.
00:10:45 Nicky
Yeah, especially knowing which one you're thinking of.
00:10:49 Ben
Yeah, like I I got.
00:10:49 Nicky
You can pick you compare.
00:10:51
That's that's your choice.
00:10:52 Ben
I got 2M. I'm either gonna say Stonehenge for this because I want everyone to be there. I think it needs to be in London and I think it's gonna be Batman Palace and interesting.
00:11:01 Nicky
You're definitely not gonna be after fairy books under the either of those.
00:11:04 Ben
Yeah.
00:11:05 Sam Horton
You'll struggle with both of those unless they move Stonehenge back to Wales, which I know they've been talking about.
00:11:10 Ben
Yeah, exactly, that's what that's why.
00:11:11 Ben
I've been campaigned for.
00:11:12 Sam Horton
You could scrape out.
00:11:12 Ben
So one day.
00:11:13 Sam Horton
The spot where they're moving it to in advance.
00:11:17 Nicky
Or the the tunnel proposed underneath Stonehenge?
00:11:17 Sam Horton
You stay in handy.
00:11:21 Ben
Yeah, exactly, no, that'll be good.
00:11:22 Nicky
Just Bury it in the tunnel.
00:11:24 Ben
Somewhere there be a place to hide it.
00:11:24 Ben
Let me paste the.
00:11:24 Ben
00:11:25 Ben
Yeah, but that's a that's a.
00:11:27 Ben
It's a while off Sam we've we've got a.
00:11:29 Ben
Bit of time before we reach the giddy giddy Heights of 500.
00:11:30 Sam Horton
Yeah, we pay enough for fees by that by that point, so yeah.
00:11:34 Ben
Yeah, we'll be everyone.
00:11:35 Ben
Kids are invited.
00:11:38 Nicky
Yeah.
00:11:39 Ben
Excellent.
00:11:42 Ben
Sam, we have invited you to bring to the discussion. One of the 44 star landmarks we visited.
00:11:45 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:11:51 Ben
Yeah, and would you like tell us which one you've chosen and and why this one?
00:11:56 Sam Horton
So I'm going to talk about this particular landmark in the context of a very special day in my landmarking experience, a record setting day which will never be beaten, and I I'd like to lay this.
00:12:11 Sam Horton
Now as kind of like a tasting menu at a fine dining restaurant, right?
00:12:15 Sam Horton
You know where you get 10 different courses or you know I think it was actually 11 different courses.
00:12:20 Sam Horton
In this particular case.
00:12:21 Ben
It was 12 actually said well of.
00:12:23 Sam Horton
Course well, yeah, sometimes we don't count that the cheese course, but in this case we will.
00:12:23 Speaker 4
I'm upset.
00:12:29 Sam Horton
But then I'm like I.
00:12:30 Sam Horton
Have selected this Saint Paul's Cathedral, a fitting landmark. I think to mark your hundredth visit as part of this pilgrimage. Following Clive aslets. Absolutely and frankly, one of the most interesting buildings in London and probably one of the biggest draws when you're a foreign tourists coming to the city.
00:12:49 Sam Horton
You know when you think about London, suppose is right up there.
00:12:50 Ben
Absolutely.
00:12:52 Sam Horton
No, not only is it being splashed all over the popular media, but it.
00:12:52 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:12:55 Sam Horton
Is it was until?
00:12:56 Sam Horton
I think like 1967 or something, the tallest building in London. And yeah, yeah it was. It was legally, I think mandated to be the tallest building in London when it was overtaken by like Britannia House, which is in the city and which is nowhere near as interesting or as exciting.
00:13:01 Nicky
What, yeah, yeah.
00:13:01 Nicky
What, yeah?
00:13:12 Speaker 4
No.
00:13:15 Ben
Amongst landmarks, this is a.
00:13:17 Ben
This is a top tier landmark ship.
00:13:18 Sam Horton
This is not a dud.
00:13:19 Sam Horton
This is not done.
00:13:20 Sam Horton
However, what I will say is that on the day that we visited Ben it was a bit of a dud for both of us because I think it was.
00:13:27
Uh.
00:13:30 Sam Horton
It was pretty.
00:13:31 Sam Horton
It was a nice time of year as maybe the springtime.
00:13:33 Sam Horton
I was very busy.
00:13:35 Speaker 4
Uh.
00:13:35 Sam Horton
It was also very expensive to go in.
00:13:37 Sam Horton
I think I'm.
00:13:37 Sam Horton
Yeah it was maybe £20 a person and as part of this sort of speed landmarking tour of central London we could neither afford the entry fee nor the time on our very strict agenda to get around the rest of these landmarks. So I think you both you and I have visited the cathedral separately.
00:13:37 Sam Horton
Human it was.
00:13:37 Sam Horton
00:13:39 Ben
I think so.
00:13:48 Nicky
Yeah.
00:13:57 Sam Horton
Since taking the picture outside that that is correct.
00:13:59 Sam Horton
Uh.
00:13:59 Sam Horton
00:14:01 Sam Horton
But on the day itself, we obviously we got the Fantastic View.
00:14:04 Sam Horton
We saw Patternmaster square, you know all the good stuff, but we didn't.
00:14:07 Ben
Go inside well.
00:14:07 Speaker 4
Huh?
00:14:08 Ben
Sam, I think you need to accept quite a lot of the blame for this because this was the day where I had visited more landmarks 12 than any other day single day.
00:14:17 Ben
During this entire historical landmark Odyssey.
00:14:20 Ben
Yeah.
00:14:20 Ben
00:14:21 Ben
12 and a day it was impressive.
00:14:23 Ben
Sam, I'd say we were pushing ourselves to get on.
00:14:26 Sam Horton
We did push ourselves.
00:14:26 Sam Horton
Push ourselves.
00:14:26 Ben
We did the next cells Sam, you mentioned.
00:14:29 Ben
You're a competitive person and I think 2 a couple of things were motivating that day.
00:14:32 Ben
One I think I told you Nicky and then 18.
00:14:36 Ben
Secondly, I didn't don't think we started this day knowing we were gonna do 1212. I think I told you I think I told you oh that's my like 91st and like when you realize that we we were on track to do my 100th landmark right?
00:14:41 Sam Horton
I don't think you did.
00:14:41 Sam Horton
Don't think did.
00:14:51 Speaker 4
You stopped it.
00:14:51 Speaker 4
You stopped.
00:14:51 Sam Horton
I insisted upon it.
00:14:52 Ben
Absolutely motivated you.
00:14:54 Sam Horton
That that lit a fire under me, yeah.
00:14:55 Speaker 4
I mean.
00:14:57 Sam Horton
Let's be real, babe.
00:14:59 Sam Horton
Some of the landmarks that they were better than others.
00:15:01 Sam Horton
Let me tell you.
00:15:01 Ben
Let me tell you.
00:15:01 Ben
00:15:03 Sam Horton
There is a very convenient loophole and actually a much a great loophole for getting around paying the entry fee, which is going going to visit for a particular service, which is actually how I went and visited.
00:15:10 Nicky
I think I know what you mean to say.
00:15:16 Sam Horton
So I think maybe a year or so after Ben and I had been there, I went with my mum and we did even sold one Sunday.
00:15:21 Ben
Yeah.
00:15:24 Sam Horton
So not only do you get to walk around some pause on the day when it's typically closed, so there are no tourists there and it's absolutely amazing and you can see you know Jacob Wellington and his statue and all the various stuff in the you know in the crypt and you know it's amazing place.
00:15:33 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:15:37 Sam Horton
Yes, but you get to sit there while they're playing the organ and the this absolutely sublime choir singing some incredible stuff, so it's really.
00:15:45 Sam Horton
That was a great experience.
00:15:47 Sam Horton
That's that's the way to experience the cathedral as it's intended, like as a place of very formal worship.
00:15:53 Nicky
Do you feel like 'cause?
00:15:55 Nicky
Personally I'm not religious and I feel like I feel.
00:15:58 Nicky
But for going in for free to a service that I didn't really believe in, so do you feel like that you should do that only if you really feel.
00:16:07 Sam Horton
No 'cause I I.
00:16:07 Ben
'cause I I?
00:16:07 Ben
00:16:08 Sam Horton
I'm I may have grown up in a in a religious household, but I'm not personally religious.
00:16:13 Sam Horton
A term.
00:16:14 Sam Horton
Someone who has faith but not not religious, and particularly not very formal.
00:16:17 Nicky
Yeah yeah, yeah.
00:16:19 Sam Horton
Traditional religion, it's not something that I buy into, yeah, but you know, I think you can be respectful of those sorts of traditions and ceremonies and really appreciate them, even if it's not something that you directly believe.
00:16:32 Sam Horton
And even even if you're going there purely for the sake of the music, you know the very sort of traditional choral, you know, Christian music?
00:16:37 Nicky
Train.
00:16:39 Sam Horton
I mean, that's something that everybody can enjoy it to me.
00:16:41 Sam Horton
That stuff just sings of Christmas.
00:16:43 Sam Horton
You know, if I think you're listening to acquire saying it's Christmas, it's it's something splendid that anybody can listen to and just take something from, yeah?
00:16:44 Nicky
Yeah yeah, yeah.
00:16:51 Ben
I say I'm.
00:16:51 Ben
It's a proud Jew.
00:16:53 Ben
It's a little.
00:16:53 Ben
Bit more complicated some.
00:16:55 Ben
Ethical boundaries which might need to.
00:16:56 Ben
Be crossed for such activities.
00:16:59 Ben
Especially as a Saint Paul himself.
00:17:02 Ben
They have a controversial figure because.
00:17:03 Ben
Pretty sure a lot of.
00:17:04 Ben
Historical Christian anti-Semitism is being based on his writings.
00:17:08 Ben
So yeah, that's OK.
00:17:09 Sam Horton
Interesting.
00:17:11 Ben
You know that's OK because the.
00:17:13 Ben
The cathedral has nothing to do with.
00:17:14 Ben
The man it's just named after, so I'm OK.
00:17:17 Nicky
Small detail.
00:17:18 Sam Horton
When I was reading up on this, though, there was some interesting writing around Saint Paul being quite controversial figure after which to name a cathedral.
00:17:26 Sam Horton
It's very irregular.
00:17:28 Sam Horton
To name any sort of religious building after him as a St. Because he is somewhat controversial. I mean, Saint Paul's is such a store.
00:17:30 Speaker 4
It's interesting.
00:17:34 Sam Horton
Great and long history, you know.
00:17:36 Sam Horton
Well, four different religious buildings on the site where St pauses.
00:17:41 Sam Horton
It is so now I'm, you know, dating back to like Viking Times and destroyed by the pagans and rebuilt and rebuilt again.
00:17:46 Ben
Mm-hmm
00:17:51 Sam Horton
And in its modern iteration built by Sir Christopher Wren.
00:17:51 Speaker 4
Mm-hmm
00:17:55 Sam Horton
Interestingly, Sir Christopher Wren was looking to.
00:17:55 Speaker 4
Yes.
00:17:59 Sam Horton
Renovate Saint Paul's Cathedral two weeks before the Great Fire of London in 1666 and then the fire happened 2 weeks later and then he said Oh well, **** I've gotta do it now. 'cause the cathedral burned.
00:18:01 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:18:10 Nicky
Down so it's it was on purpose.
00:18:10 Nicky
So what you're saying, if it was?
00:18:13 Ben
That's what I'm hearing Sam, yes.
00:18:14 Sam Horton
I'm gonna start.
00:18:14 Sam Horton
I'm gonna.
00:18:15 Sam Horton
Conspiracy theory here though.
00:18:16 Sam Horton
Sister Red wanted to re architect the whole of the City of London, and May have started that fire in that bakery.
00:18:18 Ben
Trust him.
00:18:23 Nicky
It's a good business model to be honest.
00:18:25 Nicky
You gotta get some work you don't know where you're going to find it.
00:18:28 Nicky
Are people gonna really want higher?
00:18:29 Nicky
Well, everything burnt down they really architects.
00:18:33 Ben
Yeah, and Christopher Wren.
00:18:34 Ben
I mean, without the great fire of London and all the projects that you do afterwards, we would never know his name today.
00:18:40 Ben
So he's.
00:18:40 Sam Horton
A fascinating guy.
00:18:42 Sam Horton
Absolutely fascinating guy and you know, in some ways historically more interesting than the building which he created.
00:18:49 Sam Horton
I think he actually submitted designs to rebuild most.
00:18:53 Sam Horton
Of London after the Great fire.
00:18:54 Sam Horton
So plans he was like the Royal Commissioner or something so responsible for all major design works in in the country.
00:19:01 Sam Horton
But his plans for rebuilding London as a city were rejected and he was instead given responsibility specifically for rebuilding the 51 great churches of London that had burnt down there a variety of different churches that he.
00:19:13 Ben
It's there's so many churches, yeah.
00:19:16 Sam Horton
I mean some other impressive buildings like he built Hampton Court, or at least the yeah.
00:19:20 Sam Horton
Well, we have Hampton Court the the Naval College over in Greenwich and some really recognizable buildings.
00:19:20 Ben
So yeah, oh wow.
00:19:26 Ben
Let me tell you Sam Clive Osler.
00:19:28 Ben
Causing one of the greatest English.
00:19:31 Ben
Men with Saint Paul says his masterpiece, so Clyde is full of praise for Christopher Wren.
00:19:35
Yes.
00:19:37 Sam Horton
Well, I I'm not surprised. I think Saint Paul's was was actually built within his lifetime as well. That's an amazing feat 'cause most cathedrals that have been built are hundreds of years to construct. Whereas this was done within the lifetime of the architect. And actually, it's it's speculated that he died going to visit.
00:19:55 Sam Horton
His cathedral 'cause he caught cold but also it he he lived with the unprecedented ripe old age of 91 and it's only so yeah, uh, really increase.
00:19:56 Speaker 4
Hello.
00:19:57 Ben
Oh wow oh wow oh.
00:20:03 Speaker 4
Oh
00:20:07 Sam Horton
For life concept.
00:20:08 Nicky
It's also it makes you think. I mean, we're all just about 10:30. I hate to bring it up, but it does. It does make you think, how on Earth is some will fit all of that into their life?
00:20:13 Sam Horton
Whisper it whisper.
00:20:19 Sam Horton
In 91 years it's a.
00:20:21 Ben
Long time I think I read she was 35 years old and was appointed to design the new Saint Paul. So that gives us that gives us five years to get to the level that Christopher Reynolds and Quest.
00:20:27 Ben
No.
00:20:27 Ben
00:20:31 Sam Horton
We've got the big drop that.
00:20:32 Ben
We've got, we've got themselves.
00:20:32 Sam Horton
We need to.
00:20:33 Sam Horton
Do to start a fire that burns down the entire capital of the UK.
00:20:36 Sam Horton
Yeah, some.
00:20:37 Sam Horton
Of the really good plan.
00:20:37 Ben
Again.
00:20:39 Sam Horton
To rebuild the churches.
00:20:40 Nicky
I don't know if I'm making this up.
00:20:42 Nicky
Is there a link between some calls and the Vatican like bit architecture based sorts?
00:20:46 Ben
Yes, because.
00:20:47 Sam Horton
He was was inspired by by Michelangelo. Although his his Dome is bigger, so you know a little bit of dick swinging there on the part of Christopher Wren. You can look at Saint Paul's and it doesn't look.
00:20:53 Ben
2nd.
00:20:58 Ben
Anything like a lot of the other medieval cathedrals that you can see up and down the country?
00:21:04 Ben
I mean, there are a lot of cathedrals in in this book and this one really stands out.
00:21:09 Sam Horton
He actually architected the tower. There were sorry, the Dome around the original tower that was there from the old Saint Paul's Cathedral, which was a much more traditional kind of paramedical. I don't know what the term is. Gothic Spire of the Cathedral Gothic exactly, but he wanted to be kind of modern in his.
00:21:18 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:21:29 Sam Horton
In his design site.
00:21:31 Speaker 4
It's surprisingly.
00:21:31 Sam Horton
Hence there the references to France, the Roman pantheon and things like that.
00:21:35 Nicky
Uh, yeah, it's a.
00:21:37 Nicky
Bit similar to the then we went to the Sacre Coeur, it's like a similar kind of rounded.
00:21:41 Sam Horton
Yes.
00:21:43 Ben
That's right, interesting.
00:21:43 Nicky
3rd, I think it's really, really hard to make domes or.
00:21:47 Nicky
Obviously there's the element of they have to hold themselves.
00:21:50 Sam Horton
Umm, but it's built double.
00:21:50 Nicky
And.
00:21:51 Sam Horton
Layered it hasn't it?
00:21:53 Sam Horton
It has a wooden inner.
00:21:54 Sam Horton
Which is geometrically designed with like lead layered over the top of it and then like tile on the outside with a like a ornamental like stonecast monument on top.
00:21:54 Speaker 4
Huh?
00:22:07 Sam Horton
Like if you look at the architectural drawings of it, it's it's fascinating, but you can see how they've created that Dome, and you know that there's this.
00:22:14 Sam Horton
Famous thing it's impose like the Whispering Gallery.
00:22:17 Nicky
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:17 Sam Horton
It's we're using speak and it carried.
00:22:17 Ben
It's amazing.
00:22:20 Sam Horton
It makes an amazing thing.
00:22:21 Sam Horton
It was entirely accidental.
00:22:22 Sam Horton
It wasn't done by design, it's just a a very interesting design.
00:22:27 Sam Horton
And benefit I guess, or perk of the way that that Dome.
00:22:30 Ben
Works so for listeners who've never been Saint Paul's. If you're standing on the inside of the stone, which is humongous, you could stand at one side of this circular Walker on the inside. Lean against the wall and whisper something really quietly and somebody said standing on the opposite side of the Dome can.
00:22:36 Speaker 4
Whew.
00:22:43 Ben
Quietly.
00:22:43 Ben
00:22:47 Ben
Or he'll whisper amplified loudly.
00:22:50 Speaker 4
No.
00:22:50 Ben
It's an amazing phenomenon, and when the day I was there, there was so many tourists about that the whispers were just amplified everywhere.
00:22:59 Ben
That's the company of sound, and it wasn't.
00:23:00 Nicky
Do you feel like you're going mad?
00:23:03 Ben
Absolutely, uhm.
00:23:03 Ben
Absolutely.
00:23:04 Ben
Voices in your head yeah.
00:23:05 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:23:05 Speaker 4
00:23:06 Ben
It's it's really, really interesting to experience, and I I'd recommend going to Saint Paul.
00:23:11 Ben
Just to just to feel that.
00:23:13 Nicky
It.
00:23:14 Sam Horton
It's been deliberately recreated in various places around the world, one of which is Grand Central station in New York, where they have an oyster bar with the same kind of architectural design.
00:23:22 Speaker 4
Wow.
00:23:23 Speaker 4
Really.
00:23:23 Sam Horton
And to do that, and also the Berkeley, which is a Wetherspoons in Bristol.
00:23:27 Sam Horton
So you know.
00:23:30 Sam Horton
Various different whispering Gallery esque structures inspired by Sir Christopher Wren's design.
00:23:35 Nicky
I haven't actually been simple, even though my dad worked around the corner, even though I've worked in Holborn.
00:23:40 Nicky
I mean, I've been everywhere in London but not there, but I have seen it a lot on TV in film.
00:23:47 Nicky
And you know, in big events lots of people have had funerals there.
00:23:51 Nicky
Important people.
00:23:52 Nicky
Thatcher.
00:23:53 Sam Horton
Since Winston Churchill, the Big Dogs, yeah, big dogs.
00:23:55 Ben
Yeah.
00:23:56 Speaker 4
Well.
00:23:57 Nicky
Yeah, Charles and Diana were married there.
00:24:00 Sam Horton
Yeah, it's called honor to close that place down.
00:24:00 Sam Horton
It's called.
00:24:00 Sam Horton
00:24:03 Sam Horton
You know it's requires a really like major major event.
00:24:03 Nicky
Yeah.
00:24:06 Ben
I also read that the gunpowder plotters were hanged and disemboweled at thinkful, scabby drole.
00:24:11 Nicky
Oh, really.
00:24:13 Ben
Yep, in 1606 and it's not the.
00:24:15 Sam Horton
modern day st pauls cathedral then, the previous one
00:24:17 Ben
Very good point. Old Saint Paul's that's that's true, you know.
00:24:21 Sam Horton
I mean, it has been subject to terrorist plots.
00:24:23 Ben
And in fact.
00:24:23 Ben
And.
00:24:24 Sam Horton
In fact, one of the most interesting modern day ones is the suffragettes.
00:24:28 Sam Horton
They actually put a battery powered bomb under the bishops.
00:24:32 Sam Horton
Seat i St Pauls Cathedral sent to blow it up , but the battery didn't work.
00:24:32 Ben
Bow Wow.
00:24:37 Nicky
It's gone through so much and so many iterations where it's now immune because that obviously didn't work.
00:24:43 Nicky
The blitz faintly didn't.
00:24:44 Sam Horton
Yeah.
00:24:45 Speaker 4
Mm-hmm
00:24:46 Nicky
They didn't attach some pools.
00:24:48 Sam Horton
That's not true there.
00:24:49 Sam Horton
Are three things that happened during the Blitz.
00:24:51 Sam Horton
Yeah, we got hit by one bomb which demolished just more part of it.
00:24:55 Sam Horton
Another bomb exploded nearby.
00:24:56 Sam Horton
It actually shifted the Dome on its foundations by, you know a couple of centimeters or millimeters or something like that.
00:25:03 Speaker 4
Wow.
00:25:03 Sam Horton
So it really felt the impact.
00:25:05 Sam Horton
With that, but there was also a bomb which was dropped but didn't detonate, which landed inside the cathedral and was subsequently detonated elsewhere, but which would, which would have completely destroyed the cathedral, yeah?
00:25:10 Nicky
Yeah, I think I said.
00:25:13 Ben
Oh my gosh.
00:25:16 Nicky
But there's not code, though.
00:25:17 Nicky
Isn't there of absent calls in the Blitz?
00:25:19 Nicky
I think it's one of those famous pictures.
00:25:21 Nicky
Yeah, everything else is on fire around it and it's just standing there.
00:25:24 Nicky
How, how?
00:25:25 Nicky
They didn't manage to.
00:25:26 Nicky
Hit it well.
00:25:28 Nicky
Properly and actually destroy it on me.
00:25:30 Ben
It became iconic in that night.
00:25:32 Ben
I I'm, I'm sure, in the public imagination that there's some.
00:25:35 Sam Horton
I mean, given it was the tallest building in London for well over 200 years, I'd say it's probably pretty iconic before that. But you know, maybe that was the night. Maybe that was maybe.
00:25:40 Nicky
Yeah.
00:25:42 Nicky
True, true spicing it.
00:25:45 Sam Horton
That was the night.
00:25:45 Ben
Yeah, I think it's remained such a fixture in the public imagination because of surviving the blitz and it became a symbol.
00:25:52 Ben
Of Britain surviving the Blitz because simple was still standing. There is one thing about Saint Paul's we haven't mentioned and is that there are eight protected views for Saint Paul's around London where you are not allowed by law to build in front or behind Saint Paul's because it will block the view and one of them.
00:25:53 Sam Horton
Yeah yeah yeah yeah.
00:26:12 Ben
These protected views is in Richmond Park on King Henry Mount, which is 16 kilometres.
00:26:18 Ben
Away from Saint Paul's and there is a line through West London. Completely unobstructed and you can see Saint Paul's even the trees in Richmond Park and cut to allow a tunnel vision. Even the trees, which is just quite special.
00:26:29 Speaker 4
Eight in the trees wow.
00:26:32 Sam Horton
That's a massively influential building in the way that London as a city has developed as well.
00:26:37 Ben
100%.
00:26:37 Sam Horton
You think about it, most of the tall buildings in London are to the East of samples, right?
00:26:43 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:26:43 Sam Horton
Presumably so as not to obstruct these.
00:26:45 Sam Horton
Like the GS, which by the way was only a law that was passed whenever it was in the late 60s.
00:26:50 Sam Horton
Once it became the second tallest building in London.
00:26:52 Ben
Laugh right?
00:26:52 Ben
Laugh.
00:26:53 Ben
Nice, I know that the building that we called the cheese Grater is is sloped to not obstruct one of these views. Yeah yeah, yeah, Christopher Wren himself is buried in the crypt of Saint Paul's. His tomb says in Latin reader, if you seek his monument look.
00:26:55 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:27:00 Ben
Oh, is that why it's interesting how that?
00:27:12 Ben
Around you, which I just think is such a such a mic drop in terms of 2/2 inscriptions.
00:27:16 Sam Horton
Hey, that's pretty good.
00:27:19 Nicky
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:19 Nicky
00:27:19 Sam Horton
Yeah, particularly given that he built the monument as well and is responsible for that, another landmark that we also visited on that same day.
00:27:24 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:27:26 Sam Horton
Ben 2 Christopher.
00:27:28 Sam Horton
Read landmarks in the same day, brilliant.
00:27:30 Ben
Holy moly he.
00:27:31 Ben
Was he was the man of the day for us.
00:27:33 Nicky
So Speaking of the rest of the day.
00:27:36 Nicky
Give us a quick run through on what the rest of the day looked like.
00:27:40 Sam Horton
Well, I'm going to have to pull up a list because the rest of it was so hard.
00:27:42 Sam Horton
Memorable Nicky, but we started at Westminster Cathedral.
00:27:43 Nicky
Oh yeah, thanks.
00:27:46 Sam Horton
We then moved over to either John Murray Publishers, which which would absolutely make it as one of my least favorite landmark services.
00:27:54 Ben
My dog.
00:27:54 Sam Horton
Line 2 or mine too.
00:27:56 Sam Horton
It's it's there at the bottom the bottom 10.
00:27:59 Sam Horton
The shots being memorials, fairly interesting.
00:28:01 Sam Horton
That's the kind of ornate fountain that's very near Picadilly Circus the FCO.
00:28:06 Sam Horton
I don't even remember what the FCO is.
00:28:08 Ben
The Foreign and Commonwealth most of these were a quick picture and Sam Sam forcing us onto the next.
00:28:13 Sam Horton
Refresh me there.
00:28:14 Speaker 4
Sorry.
00:28:14 Sam Horton
Then Bedford Square, Russell Square, Mansion House Monument, Winchester Palace.
00:28:20 Sam Horton
Yeah, there were some.
00:28:21 Sam Horton
There were some interesting ones that day.
00:28:22 Sam Horton
But we we were.
00:28:23 Sam Horton
We were on a mission to hit as many of these landmarks as possible in maybe a six or seven hour period and then finish up with some very expensive bakhlava from the.
00:28:34 Ben
But the markets?
00:28:34 Sam Horton
Uhm Borough Market exactly.
00:28:37 Nicky
Of all the photos.
00:28:39 Nicky
That you took each photo.
00:28:41 Nicky
Sam has got a different facial expression in every single one.
00:28:44 Nicky
Interesting, but you know most of your photos are people, just like smiling or doing something nice.
00:28:49 Nicky
Yeah, in in.
00:28:50 Nicky
These ones there's there's gurning.
00:28:52 Nicky
There's grimacing, there's smirking smiling there's everything in between yeah just.
00:28:53 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:28:58 Ben
Yeah, I had noticed that.
00:28:58 Ben
I had noticed that.
00:28:59 Nicky
Yeah, very.
00:29:00 Sam Horton
Yeah yeah, you want to be remembered for being multifaceted rather than just, you know, a polite smile.
00:29:06 Sam Horton
And I take that very seriously.
00:29:09 Ben
I appreciated your vision Sam.
00:29:11 Ben
You knew your own attitude knew that you needed to get a big record, set a line drawn in the sand.
00:29:18 Ben
Then you could sit back and relax for a couple of years and.
00:29:20 Ben
Let others catch up.
00:29:22 Sam Horton
Exactly and others have caught up on this have surpassed me but that record.
00:29:27 Sam Horton
Will never be beaten.
00:29:27 Sam Horton
Ben and I can retire knowing.
00:29:29 Sam Horton
That while I may not be, you know, highly gabri Selassie, you know, I'm not going to break marathon records.
00:29:35 Nicky
Yeah.
00:29:35 Sam Horton
I am the Usain Bolt of Landmarking.
00:29:37 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:29:38 Sam Horton
I've got, I've got the world fastest landmark title under my belt and that's that's enough for me.
00:29:43 Ben
You do you do?
00:29:45 Sam Horton
What we've learned.
00:29:46 Sam Horton
As Ben rightly pointed out, is it's not a good way of doing landmarks.
00:29:49 Ben
It's not, it's not.
00:29:49 Sam Horton
Clean up the bad taste in your mouth.
00:29:51 Sam Horton
It's much better to do a two or three really enjoy them.
00:29:52 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:29:55 Sam Horton
Actually, spend some time at the place.
00:29:57 Sam Horton
Enjoy it.
00:29:58 Sam Horton
It's not a it's not a Sprint sport.
00:29:59 Sam Horton
It's a sport where you want to take your time and enjoy the enjoy the ride.
00:30:04 Nicky
Very exam, it's time to rate the landmark movements in Saint Paul's Cathedral and the first category is the historical significance. So we'd like you to rate it.
00:30:14 Nicky
Out of 10.
00:30:16 Sam Horton
I'm going to give it.
00:30:17 Sam Horton
An 8 I think it's been around since the year 604, so it's a it's a it's one of the older landmarks in the book, probably.
00:30:27 Sam Horton
In various different instances, but it's played a a central role in the London skyline for at least the last 300 years is one of the most recognizable British buildings, and probably was designed by Britain's most famous ever.
00:30:31 Ben
It's.
00:30:31 Ben
00:30:47 Sam Horton
Architect so I'd say that constitutes a pretty a pretty big score of eight.
00:30:52 Nicky
So the the second category is the fun factor.
00:30:56 Sam Horton
Uh, a date, which I would classify as a 10, but that particular experience is a quick snap and move on.
00:31:01 Sam Horton
You know, when we're both quite sweaty and then was quite.
00:31:04 Sam Horton
Uptight about landmarks, it was this 100 so we had to take maybe 7.
00:31:08 Sam Horton
7 rated photos.
00:31:11 Sam Horton
This ticket for Cathedral in general.
00:31:12 Sam Horton
I don't think it's for fun.
00:31:13 Sam Horton
You do it out of interest and maybe it's kind of a respectful visit.
00:31:17 Sam Horton
Slightly more somber visit than some of the other landmarks, so give it maybe a solid 5 on the fun factor.
00:31:23 Sam Horton
It's interesting, but it's kind of quiet and reserved.
00:31:26 Sam Horton
You can't really talk to your friends while you're inside or do silly things.
00:31:28
Straight.
00:31:30 Sam Horton
You can't be drunk.
00:31:31 Sam Horton
While you're there really a lot of respects.
00:31:33 Nicky
No, not like yeah.
00:31:34 Sam Horton
Getting that's a.
00:31:35 Sam Horton
Worship or to respect the history rather than to have.
00:31:37 Ben
Not obviously.
00:31:40 Nicky
And the the final category is its install worthiness.
00:31:44 Sam Horton
The the picture that we took for happy doesn't it?
00:31:44 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:31:47 Sam Horton
It certainly doesn't do it justice, but I think it's a 10 out of 10 for being a photogenic landmark.
00:31:53 Sam Horton
It's certainly instagrammable.
00:31:55 Sam Horton
I would say of or maybe of all the landmarks in the book.
00:31:59 Sam Horton
It would be in the top ten in terms of the most Instagrammed.
00:32:02 Sam Horton
If you did some research around it it.
00:32:04 Sam Horton
It would be a.
00:32:05 Sam Horton
Contender for the top spot of that list.
00:32:07 Sam Horton
So 10 out of 10.
00:32:08 Sam Horton
Fat Instagram ableness
00:32:10 Nicky
Speaking of Instagram and Saint Paul's, isn't there a bar near Saint Paul's that everyone goes to and takes pictures out on the balcony?
00:32:18 Ben
Yeah, it's true.
00:32:19 Nicky
Oh, it's in the background, yeah?
00:32:21 Sam Horton
I think it's the W Hotel which is very close by.
00:32:23 Nicky
They stick.
00:32:25 Ben
Yeah, I've been out there for a.
00:32:26 Ben
Date once it's uh.
00:32:27 Nicky
Ah, you're basic.
00:32:31 Sam Horton
Such charming and romantic.
00:32:33 Ben
It's a great.
00:32:34 Ben
It's a great sport in the city and.
00:32:36 Nicky
The first dates restaurant, isn't it?
00:32:37 Sam Horton
Then I think it's a pattern off the chop house, which is where it's filmed, so yes.
00:32:41 Speaker 4
Oh
00:32:42 Sam Horton
2nd.
00:32:45 Nicky
Same on the series, seeing what?
00:32:47 Ben
Well Sam, you have rated Staples Cathedral 23 out of 30 which which is a very good rate.
00:32:53 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:32:53 Speaker 4
00:32:54 Sam Horton
Yeah, it's a good school.
00:32:55 Sam Horton
It's a good school.
00:32:56 Ben
It's a good score. We've raised it 23 or 30 and I think we both say Sam, but we'd recommend any listeners actually turning up samples.
00:33:04 Ben
Help go for service.
00:33:05 Ben
Or pay the entrance fee and have a good explore.
00:33:11 Nicky
So Sam, for every guest we ask that you bring in an alternative landmark, something that's not in Clive Aslet book, not one of the final Now marks that Ben is.
00:33:24 Nicky
For the project of Benjamin Person and and something you think is deserving of being in a, you know if if we were going to write our own book, what would be in it?
00:33:33 Nicky
So Sam, please tell us what you've decided to come to.
00:33:38 Nicky
Talk to us about.
00:33:39 Sam Horton
Well, thank you Nicky.
00:33:41 Sam Horton
That's a wonderful introduction and.
00:33:44 Sam Horton
I'm going to ask.
00:33:46 Sam Horton
Ben Sullivan to cast his mind back to the 10th of January, 2015. This is something I've picked because to me it is a very special memory. I think it's a very interesting landmark there also.
00:34:00 Sam Horton
Takes us back to a pre landmark era. Both Ben and I have been to this place together so, but I'm asking you to cast your mind back to the 10th of January 2015 N London. A cold brisk Sunday morning in nice day.
00:34:18 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:34:20 Ben
Oh
00:34:21 Sam Horton
Visiting Nissan Temple or the BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Mandir of London.
00:34:28 Speaker 4
Amazing yeah.
00:34:28 Speaker 4
Amazing.
00:34:28 Sam Horton
It's a yeah, so it's commonly known as Neasden temple, which is, uh, he's Hindu temple and is one of the most visually impressive buildings that I've.
00:34:39 Sam Horton
Ever visited in my life and completely anachronistic with its setting right?
00:34:45 Sam Horton
It's.
00:34:45 Ben
Absolutely.
00:34:46 Speaker 4
Please.
00:34:47 Sam Horton
You know, Niesten, I'm sure it's a.
00:34:49 Sam Horton
It's a nice place to live, but it's very much a suburb of London, quite uninteresting historically, as far as I'm aware, so it has this amazing Hindu temple located there built by the local community, done in an incredibly historical fashion.
00:34:54 Speaker 4
Sure.
00:35:01 Speaker 4
Wow.
00:35:04 Sam Horton
I think there is this Hindu construction or architectural method.
00:35:07 Sam Horton
Cool man.
00:35:08 Sam Horton
There and after which it's based, so it's it's not using any modern building techniques, no, uh, no steel, no metal, no wood or stone.
00:35:16 Ben
Wow, wow.
00:35:17 Sam Horton
And it is the biggest Hindu temple outside of India.
00:35:21 Sam Horton
What which you wouldn't think would be in Neasden in North London.
00:35:25 Ben
This this building.
00:35:27 Ben
Is one of London's most amazing buildings.
00:35:30 Ben
And it feels like.
00:35:30 Ben
It should be.
00:35:31 Ben
Yeah in India.
00:35:32 Ben
Not off the grey.
00:35:34 Ben
Horrible North circular.
00:35:37 Nicky
So firstly want to know why pre landmarks you guys went there and it doesn't seem like the sort.
00:35:43 Nicky
Of thing you would do.
00:35:44 Nicky
Is how old are you? So I'm 24.
00:35:47 Sam Horton
Well, let's throw it back to 2015 and I think myself and Alex and Ben Williams seconded, is at Ben Solomon, for, you know, a night or two up in his up in his North London digs. And you know, we'd had a an interesting night, probably at the Hendon or equivalent. You know, some nice nice nice pub in in an interesting part of North London.
00:36:03 Ben
It might be that night.
00:36:08 Sam Horton
And then on the on the Sunday, I think we felt well.
00:36:11 Sam Horton
What what's called what's called to do around here, and if you Google like things to do in North London.
00:36:17 Ben
Yeah.
00:36:18 Sam Horton
If you look on time out, this place is one of the seven Wonders of London and hydrated by it by time out.
00:36:25 Sam Horton
So I think that's probably how we found it.
00:36:27 Sam Horton
We're very basic, we just saw OK. This is like 2 miles from where Ben lives.
00:36:27 Ben
Amazing amazing.
00:36:32 Sam Horton
Let's let's go check it out because we've got nothing better to do.
00:36:35 Sam Horton
We're really hungover so.
00:36:36 Sam Horton
You're going to a.
00:36:37 Sam Horton
Peaceful religious retreat in the busy in the busyness of city life.
00:36:43 Sam Horton
It's a nice relaxing way to spend our day.
00:36:46 Nicky
So it was genuinely because you thought let's go see something nice and.
00:36:50 Sam Horton
It was this was this was Landmarking Nicky in its purest form.
00:36:55 Nicky
It actually did.
00:36:55 Sam Horton
This was not landmarking in the context of trying to achieve the goal of.
00:37:00 Sam Horton
The 500 landmarks of.
00:37:02 Ben
Brexit, but aren't you a bit worried that this was the event which?
00:37:07 Ben
In my subconscious, planted a seed.
00:37:09 Ben
Which made the push.
00:37:10 Sam Horton
Then because the mic was given to you by your mother as a random Christmas present shortly after this event, years into this offense nearly a year to the day after this event.
00:37:10 Ben
Maybe want to do more.
00:37:15 Sam Horton
Maybe a year, maybe a year ago.
00:37:17 Ben
It was it was Christmas.
00:37:20 Sam Horton
But I don't think she was there.
00:37:22 Sam Horton
At least she's not in the pictures unless she was taking them.
00:37:25 Nicky
All the same.
00:37:26 Sam Horton
I don't think this did it.
00:37:27 Nicky
I've done a bit of research because I to be honest I'm quite.
00:37:32 Nicky
I have limited knowledge of Hinduism and this temple.
00:37:36 Nicky
These type of temples.
00:37:37 Nicky
What's interesting is that this temple isn't actually that old.
00:37:42 Nicky
So I think it's worth slightly.
00:37:43 Speaker 4
Smith and.
00:37:44 Nicky
Of being on a historical list, but the actual completion date is is something like 1990.
00:37:52 Speaker 4
Thanks.
00:37:52 Sam Horton
95.5
00:37:53 Ben
Yeah, oh, it's so recent.
00:37:56 Nicky
It took about three years.
00:37:58 Nicky
I believe.
00:37:58 Nicky
They actually had workshops in India where people made the pieces of the building and then shipped movements of Southampton over the course of three years and pieced it together like a jigsaw.
00:38:05 Sam Horton
Yeah they did.
00:38:10 Sam Horton
It's an incredible architectural story, nearly 3000 tons of Bulgarian limestone, 2000 tons of Italian marble, all shipped to India, carved by a team of 1600.
00:38:11 Nicky
Wow.
00:38:20 Sam Horton
Doctors in a workshop for this dedicated purpose ship to Neasden and then and then they built it and it is what I love about this is it was a community project, so it's entirely funded by the Hindu community that raised the funds for this building in North London and volunteered their time to actually build and put it together and.
00:38:37 Speaker 4
Wow, wow.
00:38:41 Ben
Wow.
00:38:42 Sam Horton
The largest ever concrete poured foundation in the UK, which is an interesting and little known fact, wow.
00:38:46 Nicky
Oh my God.
00:38:48 Speaker 4
Wow.
00:38:48 Sam Horton
Four and half 1000 tons of concrete at down in 24 hours. That's a lot of concrete.
00:38:52 Nicky
Like I mean, I think I was reading on this. They had a timeline on their website where basically it's relatively recent that Hindi faith came to the UK so 1960s they had an office somewhere in London I think he said Baker Street or something like that.
00:39:03 Speaker 4
Wow.
00:39:08 Nicky
And then sometime around the 80s they they basically set up their their worship in a warehouse in Neasden.
00:39:16 Ben
Oh my God.
00:39:17 Ben
Oh my God.
00:39:18 Nicky
Crappy old warehouse and that is where the site of this temple is now.
00:39:23 Nicky
They they said, actually, we're going to.
00:39:24 Speaker 4
Wow.
00:39:25 Nicky
We're going to.
00:39:26 Speaker 4
Yes.
00:39:27 Sam Horton
The building itself was built in one go, but they're the presence of this religious community and their establishment in North London developed over a period of probably a decade or more 15 years, perhaps before they actually built this temple.
00:39:39 Sam Horton
And wow, I really like.
00:39:41 Sam Horton
I really like that.
00:39:42 Sam Horton
I think you know it speaks to you.
00:39:45 Sam Horton
Hard work, community values, multiculturalism.
00:39:47 Sam Horton
In that part of London, which you know North London, you think Jewish community, but also has an enormous Hindu community.
00:39:49 Speaker 4
Yeah, yeah.
00:39:53 Sam Horton
There's a big Muslim community living living side.
00:39:54 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:39:56 Sam Horton
By side, I think it's one of the things I love about London.
00:39:58 Sam Horton
It's a very kind of international cosmopolitan.
00:40:01 Sam Horton
You know multi faith multi background place to be and this is you know one of the examples of that.
00:40:06 Sam Horton
I like you know I love and I hate the fact that this amazing building sits literally on the North circular right.
00:40:12 Ben
It's it, it is still our face.
00:40:13 Sam Horton
It's so it's it's such a weird thing.
00:40:16 Sam Horton
But when you step in there, I don't know if you remember it well, Ben, but it is such a place of like quiet and calm and peace.
00:40:22 Sam Horton
And yeah, I mean it's it transports you away from where you are.
00:40:22 Ben
That's right.
00:40:26 Ben
It it does, and I guess.
00:40:28 Ben
What's special about it being where it is is because that's where the community.
00:40:32 Ben
It's it's a if it.
00:40:33 Ben
If it was anywhere else, it wouldn't function as the clean space that it needs to be, which is which is quite special and I there because I did live nearby.
00:40:41 Ben
It been to the fantastic Indian restaurant next door a couple of times over the years and I thoroughly thoroughly recommend it.
00:40:50 Ben
If you're looking for Indian food.
00:40:52 Ben
No, that's London.
00:40:54 Nicky
This denominations of Hinduism has temples all around the world and I think they all look very similar. So not in America there's LA.
00:41:02 Sam Horton
Yeah.
00:41:04 Ben
It's a style.
00:41:06 Sam Horton
It's a particular architectural style.
00:41:08 Sam Horton
This this company has it designed accord designed according to their Shilpa Shaastra switches.
00:41:14 Sam Horton
A verdict text that develops Hindu architecture.
00:41:18 Sam Horton
So there is a like a traditional way of building Hindu temples.
00:41:22 Sam Horton
This temple follows that that architectural blueprint.
00:41:25 Nicky
And this one, as well as a lot of the others, have a huge staircase coming out of the front of them.
00:41:31 Ben
Yes it does.
00:41:31 Ben
It does.
00:41:31 Nicky
Yes, yes, and.
00:41:33 Sam Horton
Yeah, it wears you out getting into the temple in the 1st.
00:41:36 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:41:36 Nicky
Place waiting to pray off that that's right.
00:41:39 Sam Horton
I need to just sit down and meditate and just be calm as cool, beautiful, dark building.
00:41:45 Nicky
Yeah, when I when you look at these photos or if you're there in person, I feel like the striking thing is the intricacy of all the carvings around the whole thing inside and out and.
00:41:49 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:41:56 Sam Horton
This is what those 1600s you know. Men and women in India would we're doing and we're we're carving.
00:42:01 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:42:01 Nicky
No there.
00:42:02 Sam Horton
Like individual individual pieces of marble, I think each piece of marble they got from Italy was about a ton and each one was individually hand carved into this into a piece of this temple and then assembled.
00:42:15 Sam Horton
It's just.
00:42:16 Sam Horton
It's absolutely mind-blowing.
00:42:17 Sam Horton
It's like going to somewhere like the Taj Mahal or the Alhambra, where it's all very.
00:42:22 Sam Horton
Intricate hand carved marble and you're just taken away by the beauty of the art.
00:42:24 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:42:26 Sam Horton
I mean, it's it's stunning.
00:42:28 Nicky
So it kinda provide.
00:42:29 Nicky
Me of Angkor Wat.
00:42:31 Speaker 4
Yes yes yes yes ah.
00:42:31 Nicky
Cambodia.
00:42:33 Nicky
My cell phone.
00:42:33 Sam Horton
Is that is that Hindi is that Hindu or is that Buddhist?
00:42:36 Nicky
I looked it up because I'm thinking I'm sure that's a Buddhist temple like Buddhist temple and there's monks there, so that can't be right, but it really reminds me of it, so I looked it up and it was originally a Hindu temple.
00:42:49 Sam Horton
Right, interesting.
00:42:50 Nicky
We're talking 7th century or something for about 100 years. It was a Hindu temple and then it got gradually converted into the Buddhist term.
00:42:51 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:42:57 Nicky
Cool.
00:42:58 Nicky
Which I didn't know, but it now makes sense because it has that similar look to it.
00:43:00 Speaker 4
Wow, OK.
00:43:03 Sam Horton
Yeah, I think.
00:43:04 Sam Horton
What's whilst it is a modern building?
00:43:07 Sam Horton
The architectural principles on which it were based, dating back to like the 4th century or something crazy like that. So it's it's a modern building, but with very solid grounding in history so that building could have been built to exactly the same specification design if it was built 700 years ago.
00:43:13 Ben
Asking, fighting.
00:43:26 Ben
I love this song Sam.
00:43:28 Ben
I don't think and Nicky might know if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's a Hindu temple in Clive assets book.
00:43:33 Ben
There are synagogues there.
00:43:34 Ben
Are there are churches or Boyd churches, and there's even a mosque.
00:43:36 Speaker 4
It's not even.
00:43:36 Speaker 4
It's not.
00:43:38 Ben
It's even ask it, but I don't think there are any Hindu temples I love.
00:43:41 Ben
Hi.
00:43:41 Ben
00:43:42 Ben
I love that this amazing architecture.
00:43:46 Ben
Architectural.
00:43:47 Ben
Phenomenon is is inoltre.
00:43:49 Sam Horton
Yeah, well then it's a real mess from Clive because he's got the Mars Bar factory in there, but he's not got a Hindi temple. And this but perhaps he wrote the book before 1995 when it was when it was still so he didn't. He didn't say he's got no excuse.
00:44:00 Ben
He did, he didn't, he's talking.
00:44:03 Sam Horton
Excuse me like this, this hits.
00:44:06 Sam Horton
This hits a couple of key criteria.
00:44:07 Sam Horton
It's built in my lifetime.
00:44:10 Sam Horton
And somewhere that I've visited, it's somewhere that I distinctly remember.
00:44:10 Speaker 4
Huh?
00:44:15 Sam Horton
You know, being kind of transported out of myself as if it was, you know, two.
00:44:19 Sam Horton
Yeah period in history.
00:44:20 Sam Horton
Or you know just to another place in different culture, a different country, whatever it might be.
00:44:20 Speaker 4
Umm?
00:44:26 Sam Horton
Uh, we did it did it with some great friends and I didn't do it for a competitive landmarking.
00:44:31 Sam Horton
Yeah, I I did it 'cause I just wanted to visit this really cool place.
00:44:35 Sam Horton
So that's why it's special to me.
00:44:36 Sam Horton
You go there for.
00:44:38 Sam Horton
So then now you go there for the experience of being in that place and experiencing it, because there's less than 20 years of history to it.
00:44:46 Nicky
True.
00:44:46 Sam Horton
And you know, maybe you're getting familiar with a broader historical context of Hinduism, and you know Hinduism.
00:44:54 Sam Horton
You know establishing itself in the UK, but that's not what that experience about.
00:44:58 Sam Horton
It's simply about being there, appreciating the beauty of the building.
00:45:01 Sam Horton
And yeah, just relaxing in.
00:45:04 Nicky
The moment the hungover moment.
00:45:06 Sam Horton
They have to be hungry that that was a Zach.
00:45:09 Nicky
So obviously we know that you have actually already been there together and you did take photo.
00:45:15 Nicky
The very last thing we ask is what photo would you take?
00:45:18 Nicky
You've already taken photos, so would you take a different photo?
00:45:22 Nicky
I'm assuming you can't really take photos inside.
00:45:25 Sam Horton
You're not allowed to take photos inside, which is why we did not come the photo.
00:45:26 Speaker 4
Yeah.
00:45:28
Oh, really.
00:45:29 Sam Horton
I'd take it I I've sent to you.
00:45:31 Sam Horton
I would obviously take it a lot better than I have taken it, and with a much a far superior camera to whichever version of the iPhone I was using back then.
00:45:38 Ben
You
00:45:39 Sam Horton
But there is something.
00:45:39 Ben
Need a tripod?
00:45:39 Ben
Sam, you desperately need time.
00:45:41 Ben
Right?
00:45:41 Ben
00:45:41 Sam Horton
There is a view.
00:45:42 Sam Horton
There is a view when you're approaching the temple head on, you're seeing it through set of pillars and this majestic building, rising with an amazing.
00:45:51 Sam Horton
You know, early winter morning back.
00:45:53 Sam Horton
I mean, it's it's.
00:45:54 Sam Horton
It's a beautiful picture done better that picture would be the picture.
00:45:58 Nicky
I love it.
00:45:59 Nicky
No, no theatrics involved.
00:46:01 Nicky
Just beautiful temple.
00:46:02 Sam Horton
Yeah, just appreciate it for.
00:46:04 Sam Horton
What it says.
00:46:04 Sam Horton
A very impressive and relatively modern building.
00:46:07 Speaker 4
Oh
00:46:08 Ben
Sam, thank you.
00:46:09 Ben
So much for joining us for this episode.
00:46:12 Ben
It's been.
00:46:12 Ben
It's been an absolute delight.
00:46:14 Sam Horton
Thank you for having me.
00:46:15 Sam Horton
It's been really enjoyable actually talking about this stuff and reflecting on some very happy memories.
00:46:21 Sam Horton
So thanks for having me on board.