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Sendefolge
Zielgruppe
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Autoren Begleitmaterial
Reports in English
London's Bridges
Sek. I ab Klasse 7 und Sek. II
Christiane Lelgemann
Andrea Block, Martin Fritzen
Begleitmaterial
Content
I. Curriculum links:
II. Survey
III. Topic outline
IV. Cast
V. Tasks
1. Warm-up:
1.1. "Bilderbuffet": Classroom Instructions
1.2 “Bilderbuffet”: Special Download
1.3. Second hand poetry
2. Testing: viewing and listening comprehension:
2.1. Cloze Test (Prepositions)
2.2. While-viewing activity for advanced learners
2.3. True vs. False Statements
3. Creative writing:
3.1. Manual writing:
3.2. A Guided Tour of Tower Bridge
3.3. Writing a poem (advanced level).
4. In depth
4.1. The Thames Watermen
Materials 1 - 5
4.2. Poetry analysis (advanced learners)
M 1: Notes on William Wordsworth
5. Intercultural learning:
5.1. Working for a Mike Allan Production
5.2. Working with a London Map: giving directions / orientation in a complex and unknown
environment
6. References and further reading:
I. Curriculum links
“The Bridges of London” can be used within the following curricular contexts:
• As a 'one-off' for creating a linguistically rich environment in the context of Landeskunde /
interkulturelles Lernen of 'History Kaleidoscope' / 'History Pages'.
•
•
•
Another focus is on a bilingual history classroom where the 'Bilderbuffet' materials can be
used to supplement a sequence on the Industrial Revolution.
The section on working with a (London) map fits into year seven, when London and its
sights is part of the curricular context.
The components dealing with poetry writing or poetry telling can be used in GK 11 or in
literature courses in the Oberstufe as both tasks are designed for advanced learners and
require some mastery of the target language.
II. Survey
Mike Allan and his film crew visit Tower Bridge one of the top visitor attractions in London. They
witness the bridge in operation as the Seaborn Pride passes underneath it. Afterwards they
interview Eric Suthern, the Bridge Master who is responsible for its day-to-day running and who
takes the crew into the belly of the bridge – the engine room.
There follows an interview with the historian Alex Werner who takes the crew through the story
behind 2000 years of bridge building in London: from the first ever crossing of the Thames in
Roman times up to the Millennium Bridge.
III. Topic outline
0:03
0:29
2:03
2:57
4:12
5:01
6:34
7:15
9:20
10:02
11:11
12:58
Lead in by Mike Allan:
Tower Bridge being raised: one of the most breathtaking sights in London.
Mike Allan on the reasons for building Tower Bridge and its design.
Eric Suthern: How Tower Bridge is operated.
Eric Suthern: Radio contact with the Seaborn Pride and further on how the bridge is
operated
Mike Allan: Construction of the bridge.
Eric Suthern: In the bridge's engine room.
Alex Werner: The first bridge being build in Roman times.
Alex Werner: Old London Bridge and medieval London.
Alex Werner: New bridges at Blackfriars and Westminster and the reaction of the
Thames Watermen.
Mike Allan: New London Bridge and the 19th century.
Mike Allan: Millennium Bridge and its problems.
Lead-out by Mike Allan
2.000 years after the Roman crossing London Bridges are still making headlines.
IV. Cast
Mike Allen
Director
Eric Suthern
Alex Werner
reporter / producer of Ameba-Zebra Productions
Christine Magles
Bridge Master of Tower Bridge
Historian
V. Tasks
1. Warm-up
1.1. "Bilderbuffet": Classroom Instructions:
Tower Bridge
(1894)
London Bridge
(1973)
Old London Bridge
(1209)
Blackfriars Railway Bridge
(1869)
Westminster Bridge
(1750)
Millennium Bridge
(2000)
The collection of pictures can be colour-copied onto a transparency for the use on OHP or
enlarged and used as a picture display in the classroom. Another possibility is to present them
via laptop to a small circle of pupils or, via beamer to the whole class.
The teacher would set up a little exhibition of pictures (pictures freely accessible for the students)
on the tables or on the walls and have them choose the picture they find most appropriate for the
task. Students can walk around the classroom and pick their favourites. Several students may
choose the same picture but they all have to comment on their choice and discuss the
differences.
Where possible the years of completion of the bridges have been given in brackets.
1. Take a close look at the pictures. Make some notes on your emotional first
impressions.
Tool box for first impressions on bridges:
I think …
I like / dislike this bridge because …
From my point of view this bridge is …
To my mind the structure / materials used in building this bridge …
I don't agree with the idea that …
2. Think about the function of bridges: does any of these pictures appeal to you as
representing the ideal bridge for a certain function? Which one and why? Discuss.
3. Think about the symbolic meaning of bridges as well: on the one hand they function
simply as a connection between two shores but they can also serve as symbols of
power. What does the name of a bridge tell you about the bridge itself, its function and
the period when it was built?
4. Make notes on how bridge building has developed through the ages. Take materials
and ranges into account.
The follow-up discussion of the results should be used as a link to the film on the basis of its main
message: the diversity of bridge building through the ages. Here the Victorian ethos of progress
and change could be the subject of a critical discussion: e.g. are changes always for the better?
1.2. Second hand poetry 1
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pair the students.
Give one of the partners Daniels's poem, the other Wordsworth's.
Tell them to take their time and study their texts carefully and to look up unknown words
in the dictionaries or ask you for help.
Ask them to return the poems to you and to tell their partner about their poem so that he /
she gets a vivid impression of it.
Distribute the texts again, this time in reverse order, so that everybody has the other
poem.
Ask the class to get together in a circle and to talk about what they experienced.
The first poem is taken from: "Poems inspired by, or relating to, the River Thames", Open Poetry
Competition 2002/3.
Barbara Daniels, 'Homage'
The complex traffic of this river's flow
forms patterns on the waves: bright pleasure boats
set off for Greenwich as a seagull floats.
I watch the up-and-down, the to-and-fro,
the skimming, chugging, churning, fast and slow;
small craft beneath the bridge, the blurred, remote
1
Adapted from: Viola Beyer–Kessling et. al., Die Fundgrube für den handlungsorientierten Englisch-Unterricht
(Berlin, 1998).
outline of larger ships and wharves. My throat
catches. That day, so many years ago,
saw one lone barge, black-draped, carry its load
in silence for a battle fought and won
as we recalled his words, the way he led.
Even the sceptics knew how much they owed.
And then the final tribute: one by one
tall cranes in Dockland bowed their metal heads.
William Wordsworth, 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge', September 3, 1802.
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
2. Testing: viewing and listening comprehension
2.1. Cloze Test (Prepositions)
As prepositions, auxiliaries and articles turn up as weak forms in spoken English they constitute a
very sensitive field in foreign language learning and deserve special interest in teaching.
Experience has shown that especially prepositions constitute a major problem for learners.
•
•
•
The following clozes are taken from the transcript in chronological order.
Before you watch the film fill in the gaps with the appropriate prepositions.
While watching the film check and (if necessary) adjust your work.
0:03 – 0:29
This is one _______ the most breathtaking sights ______ London. Tower Bridge being raised
________ a huge ocean going liner passes underneath it. But Tower Bridge is just one _______
34 bridges that cross the river Thames ________ London. And their history and construction
have done much to shape England's capital.
2:03 – 2 :41
I'm in the north-east control cabin _______ Tower Bridge. We have two control cabins
_________ the bridge. There's the one I'm _______ at the moment and another one
___________ the south-west corner _________ the bridge. __________ this cabin I've got a
bank _________ colour TV monitors which give me an all-round view ________ what's
happening ________ the road and _________ the bridge. My control desk is ___________ of me
and _________ here I can control all the traffic, all the pedestrians, the locking and unlocking
procedures ________ the bridge. And I also drive the bridge using the joystick here.
7:42 – 8:15
Old London Bridge was the only crossing _________ the Thames in London for some 600 years,
often referred to _______ the eighth wonder ______ the world. ______ it were stalls, shops, 7storey high houses, even a chapel. It was also where heads __________ executed criminals
were put ______ display, on stakes _______ all to see. The bridge was only three and a half
metres wide - with all its traders, carts and animals it was a busy place.
9:20 – 10:02
The arrival _______these new bridges did upset some individuals. There were the Thames
Watermen who were really the taxi drivers _______ the river ________ this period, and they were
very unhappy with the new bridges because it actually put a lot _____ them out _______ work.
Basically, anywhere alongside of the river there would be hundreds of watermen crying
_________ trying to get your business, to row you across to the other side _______ the river.
Obviously once the bridges were built you didn't need to take a boat so much. There were still
areas where it was still quicker to get a boat ___________ the river, but they fought very, very
hard to try and stop those new bridges being built.
2.2. While-viewing activity for advanced learners
Below you find key statements of the video you will watch in class.
Before you watch the film: read the statements and try to put them in chronological order.
While watching the video check your arrangements and adjust them where necessary.
London's Bridges
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
The bridge became more famous for bits falling off it than
anything else.
I'm ready now to start the bridge lift and the first process
I must do is put the traffic lights to red and clear the
bridge of all the traffic. Once the traffic is clear I'm able
then to shut the road gates and the pedestrian gates.
And their history and construction have done much to
shape England's capital.
Unfortunately Jones died before its completion some 8
years later - its cost a then staggering three-quarters of a
million pounds.
The very first bridge across the Thames was built some
2,000 years ago by the Romans, on the site of the
current London Bridge.
The story of London Bridge is a fascinating one.
I don't think it would have been very pleasant to live on it
because it would have been so noisy.
My control desk is in front of me and from here I can
control all the traffic, all the pedestrians, the locking and
unlocking procedures on the bridge.
Old London Bridge was the only crossing over the
Thames in London for some 600 years, often referred to
as the eighth wonder of the world.
The walkways that run horizontally across the upper
section of the bridge offer today's visitors superb river
views but were originally used as pedestrian crossings
when the bridge was being raised.
However, not everyone was happy with these new
bridges.
The most recent is the Millennium Bridge, which links the
Hypothetical
No.
Actual
No.
13.
14.
15.
Tate Modern art gallery in Southwark to St Paul's
Cathedral on the north side.
And bridge building across the Thames still continues.
It was decided a new bridge was needed about a mile
further east than London Bridge.
The age of the commuter was just beginning.
Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
London's Bridges
The bridge became more famous for bits falling off it than anything else.
I'm ready now to start the bridge lift and the first process I must do is put
the traffic lights to red and clear the bridge of all the traffic. Once the traffic
is clear I'm able then to shut the road gates and the pedestrian gates.
And their history and construction have done much to shape England's
capital.
Unfortunately Jones died before its completion some 8 years later - its
cost a then staggering three-quarters of a million pounds.
The very first bridge across the Thames was built some 2,000 years ago
by the Romans, on the site of the current London Bridge.
The story of London Bridge is a fascinating one.
I don't think it would have been very pleasant to live on it because it would
have been so noisy.
My control desk is in front of me and from here I can control all the traffic,
all the pedestrians, the locking and unlocking procedures on the bridge.
Old London Bridge was the only crossing over the Thames in London for
some 600 years, often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
The walkways that run horizontally across the upper section of the bridge
offer today's visitors superb river views but were originally used as
pedestrian crossings when the bridge was being raised.
However, not everyone was happy with these new bridges.
The most recent is the Millennium Bridge, which links the Tate Modern art
gallery in Southwark to St Paul's Cathedral on the north side.
And bridge building across the Thames still continues.
It was decided a new bridge was needed about a mile further east than
London Bridge.
The age of the commuter was just beginning.
No.
No.
12
5
1
3
7
8
10
4
9
6
11
15
14
2
13
2.3. Post-viewing activity for intermediate and advanced learners
True vs. False Statements
After you have watched the video read the statements below. They contain some key ideas from
the film on "London’ Bridges". Make sure you understand what they are about. Now it is up to you
to decide whether each statement is true or false.
1.
2.
3.
4.
London's Bridges
True
But Tower Bridge is just one of 34 bridges that cross the river Thames in
London.
It was decided a new bridge was needed about a mile further west than
London Bridge.
In this cabin I've got a bank of colour TV monitors which give me an allround view of what's happening on the road and on the bridge.
My control desk is in front of me and from here I can control all the traffic,
all the pedestrians, the locking and unlocking procedures on the bridge.
False
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
When the bridge first opened it was lifted up to 3,000 times a year.
The gothic effect has been created by the use of wood cladding so that it
was in keeping with its much older neighbour the Tower of London.
Once opened Tower Bridge became known as 'the wonder bridge' and for
good reason.
In 1876 we reverted to the new hydraulic-driven system which is electrical
motors driving hydraulic pumps.
The word 'bascule' comes from the Italian meaning 'seesaw' - the basic
principle on which the bridge is built.
The very first bridge across the Thames was built some 2,000 years ago
by the Romans, on the site of the current London Bridge.
In fact several different London Bridges have been built on this site since
Roman times.
Old London Bridge. This is the bridge that had houses on it.
On it were stalls, shops, 10-storey high houses, even a chapel.
It was also where heads of executed criminals were put on display, on
stakes for all to see.
As London Bridge became more crowded, the demand for new crossings
grew and the 18th century saw the first major period of bridge building in
London, with new crossings at Blackfriars and Southwark.
There were the Thames Watermen who were really the taxi drivers on the
river at this period, and they were very unhappy with the new bridges
because it actually put a lot of them out of work.
As for old London Bridge, by the turn of the 17th century, time had taken
its toll.
The most recent is the Millennium Bridge, which links the Tate Modern art
gallery in Southwark to St Peter's Cathedral on the north side.
It soon became clear though that something was wrong as the bridge
began to wobble from side to side.
2.000 years on from that first Roman crossing, London's bridges are still
making headlines.
Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
London's Bridges
But Tower Bridge is just one of 34 bridges that cross the river Thames in
London.
It was decided a new bridge was needed about a mile further west than
London Bridge.
In this cabin I've got a bank of colour TV monitors which give me an allround view of what's happening on the road and on the bridge.
My control desk is in front of me and from here I can control all the traffic,
all the pedestrians, the locking and unlocking procedures on the bridge.
When the bridge first opened it was lifted up to 3,000 times a year.
The gothic effect has been created by the use of wood cladding so that it
was in keeping with its much older neighbour the Tower of London.
Once opened Tower Bridge became known as 'the wonder bridge' and for
good reason.
In 1876 we reverted to the new hydraulic-driven system which is electrical
motors driving hydraulic pumps.
The word 'bascule' comes from the Italian meaning 'seesaw' - the basic
principle on which the bridge is built.
The very first bridge across the Thames was built some 2,000 years ago
by the Romans, on the site of the current London Bridge.
In fact several different London Bridges have been built on this site since
Roman times.
True
X
False
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Old London Bridge. This is the bridge that had houses on it.
On it were stalls, shops, 10-storey high houses, even a chapel.
It was also where heads of executed criminals were put on display, on
stakes for all to see.
As London Bridge became more crowded, the demand for new crossings
grew and the 18th century saw the first major period of bridge building in
London, with new crossings at Blackfriars and Southwark.
There were the Thames Watermen who were really the taxi drivers on the
river at this period, and they were very unhappy with the new bridges
because it actually put a lot of them out of work.
As for old London Bridge, by the turn of the 17th century, time had taken its
toll.
The most recent is the Millennium Bridge, which links the Tate Modern art
gallery in Southwark to St Peter's Cathedral on the north side.
It soon became clear though that something was wrong as the bridge
began to wobble from side to side.
2.000 years on from that first Roman crossing, London's bridges are still
making headlines.
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
3. Creative writing
3.1. Manual writing
If all else fails ... read the manual. But manuals often confuse people.
Essentially a manual is a guide to doing tasks using a tool - whether the tool is a machine or a
piece of computer software. When writing a manual, a writer has to work out how to achieve tasks
using the product, then list these steps in clear, explicit language.
The better a task is understood in terms of the steps involved in completing it, the easier it is to
describe those steps in a manual.
By capturing every action and response, the writer can ensure that instructions do not leave out
essential steps or assume knowledge on the part of the user.
1:53 – 4:12
•
Take notes on what the bridge keeper explains about operating Tower Bridge.
•
Use these notes to write a manual on how Tower Bridge is operated.
•
The following step-by-step instructions will help you to write a manual:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Don't just start writing. First collect facts and evidences.
Arrange your material in a logical order.
Remember that manuals make use of a formal style.
Try to use neutral words.
The most important points are clarity, precision, and completeness.
[Use the passive voice].
Write your manual.
Let your neighbour check your draft for mistakes. Correct them and write a presentable
copy.
3.2. A Guided Tour of Tower Bridge
Guided tours are usually written for adults: hence they easily become boring for children.
Write the script for a guided tour of Tower Bridge for your age group.
•
•
Your tour can be either serious or a parody of the standard tours for adults.
Below you will find some materials that can help you in your writing process.
[If your classroom has access to the Internet, let your learners do some research about
Tower Bridge themselves.]
Take notes and use the information from the video to write the text for a guided tour.
0:03 – 2:41
4:12 – 5:35
•
•
•
•
Here is a list of some helpful phrases:
Hello and welcome to the beautiful …
Feel free to explore the …
The first bridge in London to ....
Also well worth a visit is the bridge's museum, containing …
Housing a fabulous collection of ...
Leaving the bridge, we stroll up …
Stand here with your back to the wall and look to your left / right at …
Here the … stood
A little forward, to the left hand side of …
Look right for …
As you pass, notice the …
Just a little further down …
You may want to start like this:
"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to one of London's top visitor
attractions: Tower Bridge. My name is XY and I'll take you on a tour of
the bridge this afternoon. With me you'll explore the secrets of this
wonder of architecture and technology." …
3.3. Writing a poem (advanced level)
The following ideas will show you some approaches of writing poetry:
William Wordsworth, 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge', September 3, 1802.
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
1802
•
•
Read through the poem above to gather ideas.
Choose a topic you would like to write on: i.e. a famous landmark of your choice.
•
•
•
•
•
Write down the associations you have with the subject and then add verbs to form
phrases.
Before you start the actual composition you may also want to try the following: Create
similies for the subject you want to write about: e.g. water is like … / a bridge is like …
Use each letter of the subject word / phrase (e.g. Golden Gate Bridge) as the beginning of
the first word in each line.
Remember, your poem does not have to rhyme or have a regular rhythm. Choose a form
that you feel happy with.
You might even decide to write your poem in groups - each person could contribute one
line.
4. In depth
4.1. The Thames Watermen
The video briefly mentions the Thames Watermen at 10:09:20. They figure as the taxi-drivers of
their time. The following is an in-depth task which takes up a historical perspective on how their
lives changed when the new bridges were built.
The tasks can be used in a bilingual history classroom and in a unit dealing with Shakespearean
London. Especially during the Renaissance the Thames Watermen where very popular figures,
as the example of John Taylor, also known as the water poet, suggest.
Split your class into five groups.
Hand out M1 - 5 to the groups and ask your pupils to read the texts and set them the following
task:
• Take over the role of one of the Thames Watermen.
• With the information you have in the texts either:
• [If your classroom has access to the Internet, let your learners do some research about
the Thames Watermen themselves.]
• Write a petition to the King / Queen of England complaining about more and more bridges
being built and you being afraid of loosing your job.
• Rehearse the presentation of the petition (remember body language and intonation) in
your group.
• Present your petition at court.
The teacher or a pupil takes up the part of the monarch, the petition is read to him / her and an
answer drafted.
• Write a petition to the Parliament complaining about more and more bridges being built
and you being afraid of loosing your job.
• Rehearse the presentation of the petition (remember body language and intonation) in
your group.
• Present your petition in Parliament.
For this task you will need another group that can take over the role of parliamentarians who
either support or oppose the bill.
• Prepare a speech to be held in an Ale house were you and your fellow watermen have
met to discuss your problems.
• Rehearse your speech (remember body language and intonation) in your group.
• Then do a presentation in front of the class (If possible stand on a table / chair).
As background information you may also want to show your pupils parts of Shakespeare in Love.
The Thames Watermen briefly figure in two scenes of the movie:
23:20 – 24:05 – chase of two 'water - taxis'.
40:30 – 44:00 – boat being used as a means of transportation/taxi.
The Thames Watermen (Materials)
The following texts have been adapted from: Peter Ackroyd, London. The Biography (London,
2001).
M1
Giordano Bruno, spy and magician, has left a striking description of his attempts to hire the
services of a wherry. He and his companions, wishing to travel to Westminster, spent a great deal
of time looking for a boat and vainly crying out 'Oars!' At last a boat arrived with two elderly
boatsmen - 'After much question and reply as to whence, where, why, how and when, they
brought the prow to the foot of the stairs.' The Italians believed they were finally on their way to
the destination but then, after about a third of the trip had been completed, the boatsmen began
to row towards the shore. They had arrived at their 'station', and would go no further.
M2
No wonder the watermen of the Thames, from the thirteenth century to the nineteenth, were
known for their rude and foul language. The violent and blasphemous abuse they used was
known as water-language, to which anyone could be subject. Monarchs were often reviled in this
manner when they took to the water and H. V. Morton, in In Search of London (1951), notes that
'remarks which on land would have been treasonable were regarded as a joke upon the Thames'.
It has even been said that Handel's Water-Music was composed in order to 'drown the torrent of
abuse that would have greeted the new king, George I, during his first river-progress' (1714). It
may be that the antiquity of the Thames has given its watermen the privilege to speak without
fear; in that sense the river can be considered the essence of that radical and egalitarian temper
so often associated with London.
M3
The first cab drivers in London were the "watermen" who rowed passengers up and down
the Thames. Up to the late 1500's, the Thames was the main thoroughfare for all kinds of traffic.
The diarist Samuel Pepys travelled by water from his home to his job at the Admiralty, using
boats belonging to a large operator named Cropp:
"[February 2, 1660.] In our way we talked with our waterman, White, who told us how the
watermen had lately been abused by some that had a desire to get in to be watermen to
the State, and had lately presented an address of nine or ten thousand hands to stand by
this Parliament, when it was only told them that it was to a petition against hackney
coaches; and that to-day they had put out another to undeceive the world and to clear
themselves, and that among the rest Cropp, my waterman and one of great practice, was
one that did cheat them thus."
M4
The watermen had been losing business to the hackney coaches and sedan chairs for decades.
In 1636 one waterman protested that: "They deserve to bee both thrown in the Theames, and but
for stopping the channel I would they were: for I am sure that where I was woont to have eight or
tenne fares in a morning, I scarce now get two in a whole day."
The most famous waterman was the so-called "Water Poet", John Taylor (1580-1653). Taylor had
served in the Royal Navy and saw action at the battle of Cadiz in 1597. On his return
home he worked for hire on the Thames and was active in the Waterman's Company, the
licensed guild. He made a comfortable second income by dedicating verses to noble patrons and
by engaging in publicity stunts which he afterward wrote about in pamphlets (in one stunt, he took
a trip from London to Queensborough in Kent in a paper boat). By the time he died he owned a
London pub.
Nevertheless, although their numbers were greatly reduced, watermen continued to survive, and
their trade added a few terms to the language.
M5
London's oldest highway is the River Thames. Rowing of both, small boats and barges, began on
it as early as the 13th century and resulted in a company of watermen who transported
passengers up, down, and across the Thames in and near London.
Until the opening of Westminster Bridge in 1750, London Bridge was the only crossing of the
river. Most passages across the stream and many trips within London were made by boat. Both
banks were punctuated by stairs leading down to ferries. The Thames watermen, who were
regulated in the 14th century, formed their own guild or company by 1603. Wagering by
passengers in different boats by the 16th century led to races, at first impromptu and later
organized. By the early 18th century there were more than 40,000 liveried watermen. After the
development of the railways, the river ceased to carry important traffic in passengers, despite
periodic attempts to revive its function as a means of mass transit.
The Thames watermen have always been associated with song and music. Their earliest known
chant being:
Heave and ho, rumbelow
Row the boat, Norman, row;
Row to thy leman.
4.2. Poetry analysis (advanced learners)
M 1: Notes on William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was born at Cockermouth in Cumbria, and educated at
Cambridge. He travelled widely through continental Europe and started publishing his poems in
1793. He became famous when he published, together with Samuel Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads
(1798), a collection of poems which heralded the Romantic Movement in Britain. Wordsworth
added his theory of poetic diction in a preface to the edition of 1800, in which he laid out the
beliefs behind Romanticism. Although his poetical power deteriorated after 1815 and his initial
radical idealism turned into self-righteous conservatism, Wordsworth remained the literary
authority of his time. He was chosen Poet Laureate in 1843. From 1799 onwards he lived mostly
in the Lake District, in north-western England. The following poem was traced out during a short
stay in London, while Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy were on their way to France in 1802; it
was first published, however, in 1807.
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
Show your students the slide of London's present-day skyline, taken from Westminster
Bridge and ask them to describe their impressions.
• Contrast with one of the pictures of Old London Bridge above. (s. 1.1.)
• Read out the sonnet to your students and let them read the text again silently. Ask them
to compare their impressions of the slide and of the poem.
With the background information on Wordsworth (M 1 above), who wrote the poem when he
came from the Lake District and was waiting to embark for France, the pupils can be asked what
their feelings are for their hometown and what they imagine to be the difference to be between
living in a city and visiting a city. (This might draw on first hand experience of places the students
have visited themselves).
•
Study questions: William Wordsworth: Composed upon Westminster Bridge
•
Wordsworth is generally known as a poet of nature, solitude and, in his words, "rustic life".
What role does his love of nature play in this poem about a city?
In the Preface to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth wrote: "What then does the Poet? He considers
man and the objects that surround him as acting and re-acting upon each other. [...] He considers
man and nature as essentially adapted to each other, and the mind of man as naturally the mirror
of the fairest and most interesting properties of nature. [...] The Poet binds together by passion
and knowledge the vast empire of human society, as it is spread over the whole earth, and over
all time. The objects of the Poet's thoughts are everywhere. [...] Poetry is the first and last of all
knowledge -it is immortal as the heart of man."
• Relate these statements to the poem and discuss whether you agree with Wordsworth's
ideas about poets and poetry.
Wordsworth argued that poetry should be written in a "language really used by men".
• Show how this poem stimulates the imagination by rather simple means of expression.
• What features make this a sonnet?
• In your opinion, for what reasons does Wordsworth not use the Shakespearean type of
sonnet? Describe the differences and explain their effects!
• Compare Wordsworth's sonnet with the following modern poem on London by the
American poet Amy Lowell:
M2
Amy Lowell, 'A London Thoroughfare. 2 A.M.'
They have watered the street,
It shines in the glare of lamps,
Cold, white lamps,
And lies
Like a slow-moving river,
Barred with silver and black.
Cabs go down it,
One,
And then another.
Between them I hear the shuffling of feet.
Tramps doze on the window-ledges,
Night-walkers pass along the sidewalks.
The city is squalid and sinister,
With the silver-barred street in the midst,
Slow-moving,
A river leading nowhere.
Opposite my window,
The moon cuts,
Clear and round,
Through the plum-coloured night.
She cannot light the city;
It is too bright.
It has white lamps,
And glitters coldly.
I stand in the window and watch the moon.
She is thin and lustreless,
But I love her.
I know the moon,
And this is an alien city.
M3
Lowell, Amy Lawrence (1874-1925) American poet, born in Massachusetts.
Her first volume of poetry, A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass (1912), was relatively conventional;
shortly thereafter she took up Imagism and in 1913 and 1914 visited England, where she met E.
Pound, D. H. Lawrence, and other writers active in or on the fringes of the movement, becoming
rather active in it herself. Her subsequent volumes, which include Sword Blades and Poppy Seed
(1914), Men, Women and Ghosts (1916), and Can Grande's Castle (1918), show her
experiments in what she called 'polyphonic prose' as well as her allegiance to Imagism. Her love
of New England is expressed in two of her own favourite pieces, 'Lilacs' and 'Purple Crackles',
published in What's O'clock (1925). She became well known as a public figure, vast and cigarsmoking, through her lectures and readings in America.
5. Intercultural learning:
5.1. Working for a Mike Allan Production
1. Study the video and take notes about its structure.
2. Work out the format that is used in a typical Mike Allan Production. e.g.: introduction /
Mike Allan / experts / linking commentary / lead out. For detailed information you may
also want to take a closer look at the topic outline.
3. Choose another landmark that is / was remarkable (e.g.: the Eiffel tower / the Empire
State Building / the Pyramids in Egypt / Statue of Liberty / … ).
4. Research its key facts from the Internet, local libraries and encyclopaedias at home or
in your school.
5. Think about the people / experts you would like to appear in your film.
6. Write a short (shooting) script for a Mike Allen Production.
7. Write also a short text that explains your choice.
5.2. Working with a London Map: giving directions / orientation in a complex and unknown
environment
Use one of the following URLs to copy the map of London onto OHP and show it to your
learners.
http://www.quickmap.com/walk2learn.htm
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-577392-map_of_london-i
• Ask them to study the map.
•
Set them the following task:
• You are staying in a youth hostel in Newington and you want to go on a sightseeing tour
on the other side of the river. You want to go to one of the following places by either taxi /
bus or train. On your way back you have to use a different route.
• Make notes on how to get to the sights and back to your youth hostel using as many
bridges as possible.
• Prepare to give a mini-presentation of your ideas.
• Present your route to the class by showing them the way you choose on the map.
Places to visit:
• Round Pond, Hyde Park
• Chelsea College, Chelsea
• Westminster Hospital, Westminster
• University of London, Bloomsbury
• Museum of London, City
• The Tower of London, City
Possible follow - ups:
Ask your learners to find further places on the map they would like to visit.
Work with the same restrictions as above.
Work with your partner:
Ask him / her which places he / she would like to visit.
Ask him / her how he / she wants to get there.
Select a place you want to visit and ask your partner how to get there.
6. References and further reading
The following books, web-links and the movie have been helpful in developing the materials
above. For further references see Ackroyd (pp. 781-93) and Heather Creaton (ed.), The
Bibliography of Printed Works on London History (London, 1994).
Peter Ackroyd, London. The Biography (London, 2001).
http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/
http://www.geocities.com/thameswatermen/
Shakespeare in Love, dir. J. Madden (1998)