The Cultural Mile takes on the money of commerce
EVER since the Ancient Greek traveller Pytheas circumnavigated the British Isles some time in the 4th century BC and introduced the name ‘Britain’ to the Classical world, Athena has been a proud Anglophile.
She would have been pleased if London had begun as a Greek trading post, but must grudgingly concede credit to her later protégés, the Romans, for establishing the camp at a convenient site on the banks of the Thames. Today it defines the City and it has grown, by degrees, into the business and financial heart of the great metropolis that we know today.
It would strain the truth to represent that growth entirely in positive terms. There have been terrible and destructive episodes on the way: the Great Fire and
the Blitz, for example, or such incremental changes as modern London’s mutating and soaring skyline.
Indeed, it’s extraordinary to reflect on the sheer volume of human endeavour—as expressed in engineering, architecture and art—that has vanished without trace during the remorseless redevelopment of the City over the past two millennia. It could undoubtedly be a much more beautiful place, had it been treated better.
There is no question, however, that what the City still preserves is astonishing: the wonders of its churches, for example, the halls of the livery companies ancient and modern, Roman ruins such as the Temple of Mithras—splendidly displayed thanks to Bloomberg munificence (how sad the vestiges of the Roman baths off the Strand appear by contrast)—the Guildhall Art Gallery and the Museum of London.
On top of these buildings and institutions, the cultural life of the City is no less extraordinary: lunchtime concerts, exhibitions and films at the Barbican Centre; Gresham College, founded in 1597 and providing free public lectures by some of the world’s leading scholars; and an increasing number of restaurants and cafes to sustain out-of-working-hours visitors.
Athena, ever conscious of the need to reduce her carbon sandalprint, has long felt that the City should be more conscious that it makes an excellent on-the-doorstep weekend city break. That’s particularly true given that it has often shown itself far too willing to sacrifice cultural riches for commercial gain.
So she enthusiastically welcomes the City initiative to create what is being called the Culture Mile to bring together, improve and market these cultural assets. It is a welcome recognition by the City government that it is quality of life and distinctiveness, as well as commercial skill, that keeps the City pre-eminent.
How seriously the City takes its cultural responsibilities, however, will be put to the test. Athena has heard of an intended skyscraper that will overshadow the celebrated western view of St Paul’s from Ludgate Circus. Will commerce or culture win?
There is no question that what the City still preserves is astonishing