OSA magazine Issue 90

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 9 0
THE 6th REUNION OF THE ’53 JOINERS
Attendees: Peter Critten, Wyndham Griffiths, Peter Knight, Keith
McKeown, Geoffrey Tapping, Roy Turner and David Cox
Apologies: Tony Farrington, Alan Green, Michael Hasler, David
Metcalf, Bill Niehorster, Stephen Pierson, Peter Redman and Anthony
Richards
And then there were seven: a mixed, but happy bunch, camaraderie
personified!
We again chose as our meeting point probably the grandest
Wetherspoon Tavern in the City of London, The Crosse Keys in
Gracechurch Street. Kick off was scheduled for 1pm but Wyn,
Roy and your correspondent could not wait until then to
reminisce about our hitchhiking days of yore (some 60 years ago)
and I had arranged without their knowledge for Wyn and Roy to
meet at noon at the barrier to the Northern Line at Bank
Station. I would pitch up a few minutes later to see the outcome
for myself. They had not seen each other for some 50 years and,
on arrival, I gather that they waited separately at the barrier the
one not entirely certain about the identity of the other just a few
metres away. Furtive looks passed between them. Finally, the
giveaway was Wyn’s OS tie and it was this that proved the
catalyst for the completion of their reunion. Roy had come all the
way from South Africa and Wyn straight from his vacation in
Nice to be with us on the day - “far as you roam” as Geraint was
accustomed to remind us.
Anyway, more about the mixed bunch. Perhaps I might leave it
to our contemporaries to try to put a face to the identity of the
attendees given the following pointers. We had an impresario, a
mountaineer, a multi-marathon runner, a late quantum physics
student, an intrepid hiker, a Spanofile and a surprising closet club
cricket watcher. Any answers by email to your correspondent.
By way of background, The Crosse Keys premises are the former
headquarters of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation. The grandiose building was designed by W.
Campbell Jones and opened for business on 22 October 1913.
The building takes its name from the inn that stood near this site
from the 1550s. The sign derives from the Keys of Heaven, held
by St Peter. Shakespeare’s troupe of actors, known as the
Chamberlain’s Men, were among those who performed plays in
the courtyard.
The Crosse Keys was destroyed in the Great Fire, and its
replacement burnt down in 1734, but was rebuilt. By the early
19th century, the Crosse Keys had become a busy coaching inn,
used by 40 or more coaches a day.
Its website makes very illuminating reading for those with an
interest in the history of the City of London and even includes
a framed illustration and text about the City Livery Companies.
As one of the smaller livery companies, The Worshipful
Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers does not,
however, have a mention per se in the accompanying narrative.
Here is the link to the website.
https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/england/london/thecrosse-keys-city-of-london
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