It's the Circle line, but not as we know it...

You might think not much happens in Moor Park, but on 30th August 1525 Henry VIII turned up to sign a peace treaty with the French. The venue was a magnificent moated palace owned by Cardinal Wolsey said to rival Hampton Court, and the outcome involved the surrender of land and a substantial annual pension. None of this feels remotely likely as you step off a Metropolitan line train and enter privileged leafy suburbia. But history was made here, just behind the detached houses on Sandy Lodge Road, when The Treaty of the More was signed exactly 500 years ago today. The history bit Henry VIII of England, Francis I of France and Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. For four years Francis and Charles fought a series of battles in northern Italy, with Henry nominally supporting Charles in the hope of gaining lands in France. In February 1525 the French were firmly defeated and Francis was taken prisoner, however Charles showed no interest in supporting Henry's claims. Henry thus switched sides, supporting French attempts to get Francis released and deliver a diplomatic peace. French ambassadors travelled to the More, a palace in Hertfordshire, and on 30th August 1525 signed The Treaty of The More. As part of this document Henry agreed to give up territorial claims across the Channel, Calais excepted, and in return the French agreed to pay him an annual pension of £20,000. The palace bit The More was a medieval manor house by the river Colne near Rickmansworth, nothing special until a wealthy London merchant called William Flete blinged it up with fortifications and a moat in the 1420s. The Archbishop of York bought the house in 1462, attracted by its 600 acre estate, before he fell out of favour and the Crown took ownership instead. In 1522 Cardinal Wolsey moved in, one of his many roles being that of Archbishop of St Albans, and set about enlarging it to palatial standards. It was thus the ideal place to show off to Henry VIII and the French in 1525 when The Treaty of the More was signed. A French ambassador said he thought the house more splendid than Hampton Court, but although it may have been as turrety it was definitely rather smaller. The location bit threads through the area, not a single river but a main channel plus various braids. You can still see the streams that fed the moat, or at least their evolved counterparts, if you walk round to the Withey Beds Nature Reserve. It's one of the few remaining wetlands in Hertfordshire and named after an old English term for a place of willow coppicing. I wandered in down its grassy path (alongside reptile mats labelled Do Not Remove) to the gate of a squelchy meadow where cattle graze, a scene that looked almost Tudor apart from the WW2 pillbox in the corner. A local wildlife group helps to maintain the reserve, and is currently trying to persuade the council to repair the boardwalk across the marshiest corridor after a tree fell and damaged it. It's a lovely spot but only fractionally accessible and also only reachable along a rather hairy road with no pavement. Now called Tolpits Lane it was once known as Wolsey's New Road, I guess 500 years ago, and still crosses the mighty Colne at a bridging spot Thomas would have recognised. Another history bit Catherine of Aragon was banished here in the autumn of 1531, just far enough from London to be conveniently forgotten. She spent only 6 months at the More before being moved onto Hatfield House, but this modern suburb never had a posher resident than the Queen of England. Another palace bit the Manor of the More was redecorated, repainted and hung with lavish tapestries. The grounds were also upgraded with facilities for archery, two deer barns and a couple of grandstands for watching the hunting. But later monarchs weren't so interested and by the time the Earl of Bedford took the lease in 1576 the fabric of the building was deemed too far gone to be restored. One of the biggest problems was the foundations, because it turns out building a palace alongside the River Colne was great for filling the moat but also made everything susceptible to flooding. A later Earl solved the problem by building a brand new house half a mile away on higher ground, this the building we now know as Moor Park Mansion, and the ruins of the More were summarily demolished. No trace remains, which makes a visit to the site essentially pointless. The site visit bit school's subsequently been built on top of it. Northwood Prep moved here in 1982, thankfully nudged to one side because the the manor is a scheduled ancient monument, hence they laid their sports pitches across the footprint of the former palace. These cover a conveniently large area and are completely screened from round about, hence the only way you get to visit the site is during games lessons if your parents are willing to fork out £8183 a term for your education. It must add a certain frisson to know that you're doing your rugby practice where Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon once slept, also it means the history department's field trips don't require travelling far. Since a merger in 2015 the school's been known as Merchant Taylors' Prep, the lower half of the prestigious private boys school on the other side of the railway. It's possible to look down into the prep school car park from a passing train, where apparently they have display boards recounting the history of the Manor of the More, but I didn't manage to catch a glimpse myself. Another site visit bit episode of Time Team where Tony Robinson and archaeological pals unearthed the foundations of the gatehouse under the cricket pitch because it's as comprehensive a nod to The Treaty of The More as we're ever likely to get. In Moor Park 500 years ago, who'd have guessed?

A glimpse into the future?

It's almost September again but never fear, London's putting on a last flurry of events, activities and happenings before the nights draw in and we're all invited. Here's my weekend-by-weekend guide to free September delights. (I've also included this weekend because the bank holiday was early so it feels quite Septembery already) All month Totally Thames (Sep 1-30): Once again a whole month of river-focused events, most ticketed, ranging from art to walks to virtual talks to a folksong singalong. Thankfully the website's events section is easier to scroll through these days, but I don't see many big highlights this year. Lambeth Heritage Festival (Sep 1-30): Dozens of free talks, guided walks and openings across the borough (plus a proper 32-page brochure to flick through, bliss). Hats off to whoever organises this every year. If you live locally you should definitely take a look. Weekend 0: August 30/31 Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (22 Aug - 6 Sep): This significant splurge of spectacular performances delivers artistic wonders annually. To see what's going on it's probably best to download the brochure. This weekend it's all about acrobatics in North Greenwich (1-5pm, both days). Creative Mile (Sat, Sun): Art in venues across Brentford, a full mile from the canal basin to the Steam Museum. Angel Canal Festival (Sun, 11-4): Waterside gaiety beside City Road Lock, now in its fourth decade. The Mayor of Islington usually arrives by narrowboat. I went in 2023. Brentford Festival (Sun, 12-6): Live tunes, stalls, vintage vehicles and the obligatory dog show in Blondin Park W5. Now in its 20th anniversary year. I went in 2023. Weekend 1: September 6/7 Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (Fri, Sat): On this final weekend it's waterborne theatre in Thamesmead and a heck of a lot of dancing in Stratford (Saturday affternoon only). Leytonstone Festival (Sat, Sun): Local performers - mostly actors and musicians - perform across E11 across the next week. The opening event is at St John's church. Includes Hitchcock screenings. St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival (Sat, Sun): Annual gathering of small boats near Tower Bridge, including Dunkirk Little Ships, dockside entertainment, opportunities to go on board and yachting celebrity Tom Cunliffe. Black on the Square (Sat, from 12): The Mayor's latest culturally-themed Trafalgar Square takeover, now in its third year. Performers include Janet Kay and DJ Wookie. Croxfest (Sat from noon): OK this one's not quite in London, but where else are you going to hear The Elastic Cats, Talk in Code, The Peppered Aces and Nothing But A Good Time other than on the Green in Croxley? Thames Barrier Closure (Sun, 7.15am-5.15pm): The annual all-day check that the gates still work. The spectacular bit is when the gates go into overspill around noon. Weekend 2: September 13/14 Open House London (this weekend and next): The grand-daddy of architectural festivals, with hundreds of weird and wonderful buildings throwing open their doors across the capital for two weekends. The online calendar currently includes 808 properties, over 500 of which are "just turn up". It's quite central-London-centric this year (5 in Havering but 80 in Westminster), although I always think the outer boroughs have some of the genuine treasures. It's possible to search by date, borough, event type and map location and also to filter out events that need pre-booking. As ever there's far too much to choose from, but if you need inspiration here are my reports from 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Be there or regret it for the subsequent 51 weeks. Heritage Open Days (Fri - next Sun): In an awkward overlap, the nationwide opening-up of historic buildings coincides with Open House this year. 87 are in the capital, including sculpturetastic Dorich House, E3's House Mill and tours of Woolwich Works (many appear in the Open House listings too). London Design Festival (continues next weekend): Hundreds of design-er events, many aimed at "the trade" but others more public-focused. The online programme is so diffuse I have already waved the white flag and surrendered. Step Inside 25 Weekend (Sat, Sun): Somerset House celebrates 25 years of public opening with an entire weekend of free events, including artists' studios, large-scale sculpture and pop-up basketball. Thames Tidefest (Sun, 10-5): River-based activities scattered between Brentford and Chiswick, with a particular marquee-focus at Strand-on-the-Green, W4. Markfield Road Festival (Sat, Sun): Art, DJs and a carnival procession, spilling out into the streets up N15 way. Hampton Court Open Gardens (Sat, Sun): One of half a dozen opportunities annually to explore the palace's historic grounds for free. Scadbury Open Weekend (Sat, Sun, 2-5): Archaeological excavations at the moated medieval manor house near the Sidcup bypass. I went in 2022 and I enjoyed. Route 54 Heritage Event (Sat, 10-5): Free vintage bus rides along route 54 in Lewisham and Bromley, and not just for People Who Like Buses. (yes there is far far too much going on this weekend, they should spread it out better) Weekend 3: September 20/21 Open House London: Weekend two Heritage Open Days Weekend two Bermondsey Street Festival (Sat, 11-7): A designery "village fête", plus the obligatory dog show, plus curated live music, plus food and stalls. The Great River Race (Sat from 10.15am): 300 craft engage in a spectacular paddle up the Thames from Docklands to Richmond. Peckham Festival (Sat, Sun): Since 2016 a celebration of creative Peckham, with food amidst the art, music and fashion. Japan Matsuri (Sun, 10-8): Trafalgar Square once again hosts a day of all things Japanese, including mass drumming, kendo, anime and okonomiyaki. Chiswick House Dog Show (Sun, 11-4.15): With a theme of The Great British Bark Off, celebrity judges give the hounds of W4 the runaround. Weekend 4: September 27/28 Chelsea Physic Garden Open Weekend (Sat, Sun): Annual freebie at London’s oldest botanic garden as part of the Chelsea Festival. Woolmen’s Sheep Drive and Wool Fair (Sun, 10-4): The celeb leading this year's first tranche over Southwark Bridge will be revealed shortly, but they'll do well to beat Mary Berry or Michael Portillo. Come too for wool-related trade stalls and lamb burgers. Liberty Festival (Wed-Sun): Wandsworth are hosting this year because they're the Borough of Culture. The programme of disability artists peaks on Sunday afternoon with a picnic in Battersea Park.

A year-round, natural water pool.