Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Wednesday 16 February 2022

The Tower of London moat


There have been several newspapers reports recently about the scheme being carried out in the moat of the Tower of London by the Historic Roysl Palaces agency to turn it into a flower meadow with walkways to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The concept is that the various species of flowers will succeed each other and change the colour sequence as the months go by. This will doubtless be a striking way to mark the Jubilee, to set off the Tower and to utilise this open space in one of the focal points of London.

There are reports about the scheme from the Daily Mail at Plan to turn Tower of London's royal moat into flower meadow and about the related archaeological investigation from the Daily Telegraph at Rare treasures unearthed at Tower of London moat shed new light on capital’s ‘formidable fortress’

As a Jubilee commemorative event this is no doubt fine but the scheme appears to be conceived of as being a permanent feature. As I wrote in 2021 I would argue for re-flooding the moat - the Thames is far cleaner than it was in 1845 - and not only restoring a feature of the historic fortress but also providing an enhancement to it, reflected in the waters surrounding it. My post from last year can be read at The Tower of London moat

In it I attempt to answer doubts as to the feasibility of such a plan as set out in a article from 2015 which I link to.



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