CANTO 12
BLACKFRIARS
“I WILL SHOW YOU DOWN A ROAD OF CRUSHED OYSTER SHELLS…”
‘Body 115’ leads the poet down the course of the River Fleet to it’s discharge point at Blackfriars…
NOTES:
“WHERE A BANKER SWINGS BENEATH A BRIDGE”
Roberto Calvi (13 April 1920 – 17 June 1982) was an Italian banker, dubbed “God’s Banker” because of his close association with the Pope. Calvi’s death in London, his body found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge, is a source of enduring controversy and was ruled a murder after two coroners’ inquests.
“…AND THE ALICE AND THE MARCHIONESS LIST…”
The Alice /ˈalɪs / SS Princess Alice was a British passenger paddle steamer that sank on 3 September 1878 after a collision with the collier SS Bywell Castle on the River Thames. Between 600 and 700 people died, all from Princess Alice, the greatest loss of life of any British inland waterway shipping accident.
Marchioness /ˌmɑːʃəˈnɛs / The Marchioness disaster was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 51 people. The pleasure steamer Marchioness sank after being hit twice by the dredger Bowbelle.
BODY 115 