tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37664282024-03-28T07:00:33.133+00:00diamond geezerLife viewed from London E3Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-1380406620978316262024-03-28T07:00:00.122+00:002024-03-28T07:00:00.136+00:00The great Banksy cover-upI visited the new Banksy on <a href="https://osm.org/go/euu5nA6b--?m=" target="_blank">Hornsey Road</a> on Day 3, which proved the optimal time.
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On <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68592907" target="_blank">Days 1</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68596824" target="_blank">and 2</a> it had been rammed with people crowding round the railings, so getting a decent photo was difficult.
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On <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68612242" target="_blank">Day 4</a> someone chucked white paint over part of the artwork closest to the road and the original was scarred.
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But on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53615513816" target="_blank">Day 3</a>, i.e. Tuesday of last week, it was pretty much as intended.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53615513816" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaSqUbz8EqHtwAWzV8bexhREHsE2y0iP1JXMMUo4AsX7RxcCH6H66komGvJp9iL_kTz4KsURnVCdZVVUsX38c4wq12zIOHg821FAidUHuMk9QOX8vdwaZaIHvRJq8FMT7G6P5hqPRl3gc1YqvHx5Y-Vu-cxJNdP_zzSND03O9mO2ZURFa5tFekg/s1600/perfect1.jpg" title="Banksy on Hornsey Road, day 3" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
A splash of green paint all over the end wall of a four storey building. A small green figure holding a hose, which had supposedly sprayed the aforementioned paint. A heavily pollarded cherry tree at one end of a railinged lawn outside a block of postwar council housing. And a vantage point at the entrance to Christie Court from which it looked like the green paint formed the leaves of the bare tree.
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You either like this sort of stuff or you don't, and if you don't then nobody's forcing you to head to Finsbury Park and deliver a sermon on perceived inadequacies. But it's certainly more interesting than the blank wall that was here before and which nobody would have travelled a long distance to see, let alone en masse.
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Later on Day 3 Islington council came along and erected metal barriers around the lawn because the railings had proved too easy to clamber over. You could still take photos of the artwork, either up close to the new fence or further away with a grey blur, but the morning of Day 3 was really the optimum time.
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On Day 10 a new barrier appeared - a perspex screen covering the majority of the original artwork and entirely wrecking the view. I thought I'd go down and have another look.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrIKWhFPDTZB2KakzfijyHW0j2PWNB2-jIupaM-Ob0ts0OgpcpE_L1yMW6H7S-aPrvgVjFdUlTWCxlNzxOmeWiLd7Jh8swTm3y48twU04rUIqH-rGcX7iQakvnAI8WNuBkRjRt4ng48Ea0MNiN6BlEDwMeLszJ1Oy7QgKoaaSu-isu6H0YvpaNQ/s1600/messy.jpg" title="Banksy on Hornsey Road, day 11" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It was now <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68672630" target="_blank">Day 11</a>, and improbably yet another barrier was in the process of being added.
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This time it was a chipboard screen, specifically around the tree and the area of lawn directly underneath the artwork. Two blokes from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53615720483" target="_blank">Hillingdon Fencing</a> had turned up and were busy nailing together several panels to create a private corral to deter further incursion. They were both coming under intense scrutiny from those watching, some of whom had evidently flown in from abroad, but were also good natured enough to use spectators' cameras to take the occasional photo from their side of the fence.
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Because I turned up mid-job I didn't see what the end result looked like. But I've seen reports and the intention is that the gaps in the chipboard wall will be filled with clear plastic panels. What a depressingly obstructive state of affairs.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYsKgADAXeA73TbsPxT6t3VKxPmvJupT9Rbr6Y0PdL5btVcZpmIhtzldMvsMwDfg-3UvNbXDRrm4EB0c4S0U9dKeIvl54otNNzown0On-5QRFczS-86-XdKWTL12x6Oh-k5n7T2pKBSnKyzICwCFKnwLo2rnImDqgwnOM2PkYoqpdnIPGGRP4Lw/s1600/panelz.jpg" title="new obstructive hoarding" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The perspex across the mural was actually installed by the owner of the wall, a local independent estate agent. People who suddenly inherit Banksys have a tendency to do this to protect their windfall, which could be worth hundreds of thousands, even if this instantly destroys its attraction as an artwork.
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In this case the screen's a right mess with a wooden frame as well as clear plastic sheeting, the timbers crossing the artwork once vertically and twice horizontally. Also it doesn't reach to the top of the greenery, so I suspect if you had a bucket of paint and a good aim you could probably still cause significant permanent damage.
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The new hoarding on the lawn is courtesy of Islington council, an upgrade to the railings added last week. According to a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/mar/27/banksy-mural-north-london-plastic-cover" target="_blank">council spokesperson</a> "The Banksy artwork has attracted huge crowds and there is a need to protect the art and local residents from the impact of visitor numbers. To give people more security and privacy, and to protect the tree, we’re installing a hoarding which will include clear plastic panels to protect the artwork and allow clear views."
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53615720483" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96jMASQhlQlctzdLsYNPXdqggRpd6H-rq63CXeIrBy96wlOJ_c2lvV856F6lSxiU9p8AblW17_dUttJ4NoXVHfFLKlNoKgNu07LVsixA5kRDF1k9OA5HsuAjRPSlH9pc0vms9ATfoz6UH7eM1KfBOa0TKvZkyko4ccwjOzmuRBws3-sgeZN2kNw/s1600/hilling3.jpg" title="Hillingdon Fencing truck" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
It can't be much fun living next to an unexpected Banksy if it's not your building it's been painted on. That's especially true once the initial novelty's died down but the crowds keep on coming, because nobody wants strangers congregating outside their window on a tiny lawn that was never meant for access. As for the need to protect the tree it already looks pretty much savaged by the council pollarder, but a laminated sign saying "Please do not climb" does suggest general marauding has been overintense.
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As for the council's idea that large plastic panels will still allow an appreciation of the work, that's plainly laughable. They reflect light, they refract and they get dirty, so will ruin any view or photo you might be intending to take. They're also only in place around part of the hoarding, plus the view from the pavement is already skew and doesn't create the intended illusion of a tree anyway.
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Had you stood at the far end of the lawn on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53615513816" target="_blank">Day 2</a>, as sightlines intended, you'd have seen green paint resembling foliage behind a pollarded tree. If you stand in the same place today you first see metal railings, then a chipboard hoarding, then just the top of the tree, then a plastic screen and finally the green paint on the wall, partially splattered. So degraded is the view that it's barely worth turning up to see any more.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7fRWk5erZTgixHJ4YzO__JEP_mzNFB6l93rPKjtSNpxpFP4TEiJtJvDYwth2DQXsa2tDX1QFdt3P9mbY-jtFw_CXEdu9D0WZUlbfNnM2livk5V31PiXHv47HgsMEoBJiTH7CSCOU34-lGjre6eqPq5semEoaVOpRVpnG30tOAi13HPQDpMW3mw/s1600/barrierz.jpg" title="The great Banksy cover-up" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It's amazing how often a new Banksy looks like a welcome gift to a rundown neighbourhood but swiftly descends into a wealthgrab by the lucky recipient and a miserably obscured experience. But Islington's great Banksy cover-up is undeniably worse than usual thanks to joint overprotectiveness from both the owner and the council. Always get there by Day 3, never after Day 10.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-55590480475848090392024-03-27T07:00:00.136+00:002024-03-27T07:00:00.129+00:00World Cup of London WalksThe best thing about the creation of the Green Link Walk is that it brings the number of <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/top-walking-routes" target="_blank">Walk London walks</a> to eight.
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Because once you have eight of something you can hold a knockout tournament to find the best one.
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So let's do it, let's bring on the <b>WORLD CUP OF LONDON WALKS</b>.
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The eight walks fall naturally into four pairs, so that's the opening rounds sorted.
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<i>Two rivers:</i> <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/thames-path" target="_blank">Thames Path</a> v <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/lea-valley" target="_blank">Lea Valley Walk</a><br>
<i>Two greens:</i> <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/green-chain-walk" target="_blank">Green Chain Walk</a> v <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/green-link-walk" target="_blank">Green Link Walk</a><br>
<i>Two orbitals:</i> <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/capital-ring" target="_blank">Capital Ring</a> v <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/loop-walk" target="_blank">London Loop</a><br>
<i>Two jubilees:</i> <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/jubilee-walkway" target="_blank">Jubilee Walkway</a> v <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/jubilee-greenway" target="_blank">Jubilee Greenway</a>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbntFE5Z0s_vytA9T1psEoSbyMsLRYk_D9K_F6WdlBaMo_iiCJTCiVnaL-__DuDgSJqhgz6MUkf9hZWopnfRdw_JX5lQlrTTzUZBmXsQOJ0UmNLNNBC-iOanT2hjNGcsjYRQJtAxGaQ_MDtI1_ziXw9Idiy4S-sfkvp3KEN13r1-BI1J1Vd96iLQ/s1600/thameslea.jpg" title="Thames Path v Lea Valley Walk" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><font color=blue><i>Battle of the rivers:</i></font> Thames Path</b> v <b>Lea Valley Walk</b>
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You already know which river's going to win this. Both are impressive waterways, both have lengthy paths and both are brimming with birdlife, but only one is known across the world. The Lea Valley Path very much holds its own, not least because being navigable it has a proper towpath so you can walk alongside the water's edge almost all the way. It evolves along its length from marshy silence to tidal creek and it hits the heights of the Olympic Park along the way. But the Lea also slums it in places and in the Lower Lea Valley briefly fades out because nobody's ever been able to sort access, so it can't really hold a candle to the river it flows into. The Thames Path winds past grand houses and World Heritage Sites, flips from royal meanders to desolate estuary and literally divides the capital in two. It has to be our first winner.<br>
<i><u>Winner</u>:</i> Thames Path
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOF_s-qYYOa3hVhEPPLwHXZBLct_B3_Mqd9TEKlZNF89q5nt4y8Q95pgo6gJ_cG-tvhf4A4Zy83sa4ChJeLZiyYWTVHOTXgasttOUQQkFmB3NDzsziEhI0ZOabPTWZdqMwfvKV1uLVUnyiRc7gcaqIyJBfJSaghZ143o3D0SXUAd_b3A53ze9SKg/s1600/chainlink.jpg" title="Green Chain Walk v Green Link Walk" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><font color=green><i>Battle of the greens:</i></font> Green Chain Walk</b> v <b>Green Link Walk</b>
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This is also a battle of the ages, with the Green Link Walk not yet one month old and the Green Chain Walk having been waymarked as long ago as 1977. What's different about the Green Chain is that it's not one walk, it's 15 segments which join to make a network of paths across southeast London. These are parts of Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley you might never think to visit, and yet they contain glorious woodland, parks and alleyways which the Green Chain helps bring to focus. Some might say it's too diffuse, so less satisfying and much harder to complete, but that's also its strength. I wandered through Oxleas Wood yesterday unworried by maps, simply following the signs on the little brown posts but still sure I'd make it out safely to the other side. The Green Link Walk is less comprehensive, less diverse and (as we've seen) far less green, so cannot be our winner here.<br>
<i><u>Winner</u>:</i> Green Chain Walk
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl-DyfUDyxLgHnuRav5CuGeRvMe3UsQCUpZAuvPk-fOanY0zKBBOKk0YCdKpwxfp9lZ_NRiBqe3hOYBW2F41tw6iyPBpTzAVBD90Vp9Eb9xS1fN88xAS4vVHLmINNUzu48zUaF7T0QMgAzLEVhhXanxYWjVebbYarSvDOITXYfVbaVx2Yh7HvCg/s1600/ringloop.jpg" title="Capital Ring v London Loop" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><font color=cc0033><i>Battle of the orbitals:</i></font> Capital Ring</b> v <b>London Loop</b>
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But this one's tougher to call. Both are classic circuits, both are carefully constructed and both have tempted thousands of Londoners out into the wilds. The <a href="https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/ideasforwalks/capital-ring-guides.html" target="_blank">Capital Ring</a>'s the accessible one, approximately straddling the border between inner and outer London, with fifteen very different sections to follow. The <a href="https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/ideasforwalks/loop-guides.html" target="_blank">London Loop</a> is more of a peripheral trek, on a dozen occasions stepping beyond the Greater London boundary, but also a more sensory rural experience that's likely to get your boots muddy. One has Richmond Park, Horsenden Hill and the Parkland Walk, the other Riddlesdown, Bushy Park and the Havering redwoods. Both are well known, both are well signed and both deliver a real sense of satisfaction on completion. How do you pick between the two?
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I thought I'd pick the Capital Ring, given it's the only one I've chosen to walk in full twice. I like the fact that whoever devised it had multiple paths through the urban environment to choose from rather than a few sparse rural footpaths, so could come up with a really good route. It's also easier to walk spontaneously, or in winter, without wishing you'd have worn something much more sensible. But the London Loop perhaps has greater merits, being a truly eye-opening tour of the outer suburbs and the fields beyond I might otherwise never have thought to explore. It also has the best section of any Walk London walk, namely Hamsey Green to Coulsdon South, and threads through multiple very different environments. I was still torn.
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I turned to data. The Inner London Ramblers <a href="https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/articles-62328/news-category/438-2023-annual-report-for-the-capital-ring-london-loop-and-green-chain-walk-project.html" target="_blank">annual report</a> reveals that 230,000 people have downloaded its guidance for walking the Capital Ring and only 120,000 that for the London Loop. The Green Chain is way behind with 15,000 downloads, which just goes to show how far ahead these two great circuits are. But maybe this wasn't the best way to judge things either so instead I crowdsourced on <a href="https://twitter.com/diamondgeezer/status/1772559034001801604" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, setting up a poll asking people to select the best London walk. I left it running for 10 hours and it turned out that the result was remarkably close, as if the general public couldn't choose between these circuits either. But in the end the London Loop scored five more votes than the Capital Ring, so on that flimsy evidence I'm calling this battle for the outer orbital.<br>
<i><u>Winner</u>:</i> London Loop
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjGWvgOQON84a9zl4PJXV-HvxjDnPzEvGiaQveTjRK1GBJjAxddlvNoLP0KzasFLkxLjIvfB0Isvsc2biuY7oEKGxRCwLNpa_x1hCiN9tplFZDQItRmtxlO_Bbgi33bgS0csG-O9c49RCGYqKEVPxor_iVoA1vP93HECHiCSIV9YwWHOcoMFf_Q/s1600/jubjub.jpg" title="Jubilee Walkway/Jubilee Greenway" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><font color=#4c4f41><i>Battle of the jubilees:</i></font> Jubilee Walkway</b> v <b>Jubilee Greenway</b>
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That's 1977 versus 2012, or Silver versus Diamond if you weren't sure. The Jubilee Walkway is totally tourist friendly, tracing five separate short loops around central London past utterly iconic sites. If you've never thought to walk it that may be because it feels overfamiliar or because it's mostly unpublicised, but it's none the worse for that. The Jubilee Greenway loops out much further because it had to be exactly 60km long, and because 2012 was the year of the London Olympics it also links all the major Games venues. But it also feels like it was concocted on the cheap, piggybacking multiple existing sections of the Capital Ring and Thames Path plus the whole of the Regent's Canal. Of the eight I'd say the JG probably earns the wooden spoon for being the least relevant and the most overlooked, so it can't win here.<br>
<i><u>Winner</u>:</i> Jubilee Walkway
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<b><i>Semi-final 1:</i> Thames Path</b> v <b>Green Chain</b>
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Well that's easy. My apologies to the Green Chain, which is excellent, but the Thames Path is plainly the superior experience.<br>
<i><u>Winner</u>:</i> Thames Path
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<b><i>Semi-final 2:</i> London Loop</b> v <b>Jubilee Walkway</b>
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Well that's even easier. The Jubilee Walkway might have Big Ben and the Tower of London but the London Loop beats it by a country mile.<br>
<i><u>Winner</u>:</i> London Loop
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<b><i>Final:</i> Thames Path</b> v <b>London Loop</b>
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But this is a much closer contest. A stately promenade alongside England's longest river or a 150 mile circuit exploring the diversity of the Green Belt. Do you want hills, fields and variety or the elegance of waterside living? Do you need regular pubs or are you happier near horses? Do you prefer your mud underfoot or revealed at high tide? Do you mind starting in Erith? ... although that's actually both of them so not a helpful divide. One thing the Thames Path definitely has on its side is that it exists on <i>both</i> sides of the river from Kingston to Canning Town so you can walk it twice. And one thing the London Loop definitely has on its side is that it allows you to get totally away from it all amidst nature and much cleaner air. You could argue for both to be the winner here.
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So once again I turned to Twitter, indeed exactly the same poll I mentioned earlier. I'd actually offered three options - Capital Ring, London Loop and Thames Path - and the Thames Path comfortably smashed it.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/diamondgeezer/status/1772559034001801604" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFH9l2j-2GcXgLDd_7-A9h79WSR4wiSC3BHg2JXHU8J0euQoakUTyfMsei4e2f1IGxVsHm9TSDYp3wQ0sqAFx-ntHFXyvI0sMT8yWvcu_rf9QLbjmldr2X6jxMvz8_h8eyzZaof2P5G3Gn51xl8N1SN_254gUWr4LMOKj-f83o0KG6hrSkSO40_Q/s1600/walkpoll.gif" title="Twitter poll (CR 18%, LL 20%, TP 63%)" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="225" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Very roughly it won two-thirds of the public vote and the other two merely shared the rest. There's no guarantee that all these voters had walked the choice they voted for, but I dare say it's a good bet that they had at some time walked beside the Thames in London because pretty much everyone's done that. Not all the way past Barnes and Kew, perhaps, nor way out east to Crossness, but the river is its own best advert and the Thames Path is a proper string of pearls. And so we've finally confirmed the name of the greatest walk in the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/top-walking-routes" target="_blank">Walk London</a> portfolio, because a World Cup knockout never lies.<br>
<i><u><b>Winner</b></u>:</i> Thames PathUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-70775201408847682042024-03-26T07:00:00.624+00:002024-03-26T09:24:51.799+00:00Green Link Walk 4<i>I've now completed London's newest official walkway, the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/green-link-walk" target="_blank">Green Link Walk</a>, which was launched on 1st March. If you need a map try <a href="https://footways.london/the-green-link" target="_blank">here</a>, if you need an app try <a href="https://walks.gojauntly.com/collections/green-link-londons-newest-walk-200" target="_blank">here</a>, if you want 45 pages of walking instructions try <a href="https://cdn.gojauntly.com/walks/pdfguide/cf711a26-54bd-469a-b6e0-7d5421505d2f.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>, and if you're reading this several months in the future try <a href="https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/articles-62328/news-category/448-introducing-the-green-link-walk.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Here too are my reports on <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/03/green-link-walk-1.html" target="_blank">section 1</a>, <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/03/green-link-walk-2.html" target="_blank">section 2</a> and <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/03/green-link-walk-3.html" target="_blank">section 3</a>.</i>
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<a href="https://walks.gojauntly.com/walks/green-link-walk-section-4-13781306431303586286" target="_blank">Section four</a> is the South London section, the GLW having finally crossed the Thames. It's also the most baffling, because with all of Lambeth and Southwark spread out before us the route's designers have decided to head for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3Rsp65GmtUS7wWnoYe0RPuHqvbmF2YKpQ1-DJQLDoQMBsl-PmJuhWeL6hbHnA6G5jFYmThkCgtuE1w9r40aoSZrSiVJ03nQpBMqXUzKu_h3pBZXuEqr79mcau0reVGA5RBg20kboU_UZHgJF0M36s1yYoVkty9DAvGrRNp5Z68dgHS6whLf_hw/s1600/glw.jpg" target="_blank">Peckham</a>. No other strategic walks go there so we're not linking to anything, and if the intent instead is to "link areas of green space" it barely does that either. Admittedly you can't conjure up green spaces where none exist, but it takes a ridiculous amount of time before this section finally meets some grass and a full two miles before crossing some. The route gets much (much) better later, but the hour before you get to Burgess Park is positively underwhelming.
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In good news it's all very well signposted. On the previous three sections I'd have got intermittently lost if I hadn't whipped out some instructions but in this case I walked the entire four miles without once checking a map, instead merely following the green signs. So that's a win.
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<font color=green><b>WALK LONDON<br>
<i><u>Green Link Walk</u></i></b> <font size=1><i>[section 4]</i></font><br>
<font color=#996600></font><b>Blackfriars to Peckham</b> <i>(4 miles)</i></font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz19gTJo3xr2FRWjPBRzsYxCpp32cIXR1wnzrL8OdmtMav9pDR23i3IiroRpmHWyItUEwUNO62Hw_Ml-Gk3Bd6hh5hstl2BHwc-vB3qDBdvX_mDjYQKfO7iBZECHK6I00isj0YmvBgjK-fcOIOug2ZD-iUoEi5Kh0kROIiuqFG8Ylp9ozjBiz67g/s1600/glw4a.jpg" title="Over the Bridge - at Tate Modern" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
If you choose to walk the GLW in sections then section 4 <a href="https://osm.org/go/euu4o_yht-?m=" target="_blank">kicks off</a> on the South Bank outside Tate Modern. This spot also has the GLW's strangest sign, a fingerpost saying "Over the Bridge", presumably because the Millennium Bridge is sacrosanct and can't even be stickered. We're not going that way, we're going round the back of the gallery to head deep into the Southwark hinterland. Do make the most of the scruffy waterlogged lawn out front because it's genuinely the last grass-based greenspace you'll be encountering for at least half an hour. As you head round, enjoy the irony that it's incredibly easy to see into the flats at the bottom of the glass towers whose upper residents were so furiously litigious about being overlooked. Come on, there are pavements to be plodded.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_1NSxaAW4NV0yWAuDP8mDiSwKpDKjgTHaNCyDA_l7EskfZLKYDp6p7CzjM4DBlkpV_eXFX2MyTXZUz0ag1FLndQWt73loOFwbltVXTDx3xXrDYwf3KAeBD18wkkUpdTNLSqZcDLJpxJTWW50Qxv3v0dxUydQq-iSN0Oyu8aajTFqKal4teV7Dw/s1600/glw4b.jpg" title="Great Suffolk Street" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
To start with we're following the famous orange lampposts, eight of them, before they turn off to link to Southwark tube. Instead we pass deeper down Great Suffolk Street, passing several hotels and boho eateries and underneath a lot of railway viaducts. If these excite you then you should spin off and walk the <a href="https://lowline.london/" target="_blank">Low Line</a> instead, a BetterBankside concoction where food, drink and participatory consumerism top the menu. Faced with how best to negotiate the maze of streets ahead, the Green Link Walk instead dodges off and misses them all, bar a tantalising glimpse of a cosy terrace on Glasshill Street. The blossoming fruit trees along Pocock Street currently mitigate the scaffolding in front of the council flats somewhat, but for eleven months of the year this is no scenic route.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenZmWXP3BXeBzY_enljFRpmJnR4EFVqWu3seU1-iVQSh3usSAcL9i8XHW-fmJHaz9x1Q7vJbQ1Cipdebdfw7XqkY6LSiNLrwKjkVa-rZ9iEpvGC50FTU41xBCfffRbILgoV9BGZ0cRmEZiVifJBhxH_hYqZyHgdBTOkGjJvJ2bLW0H2M7iezJEA/s1600/glw4c.jpg" title="Pocock Street" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Suddenly we're on Blackfriars Road, a busy trafficked artery. This does at least have broad pavements but also a lot of flats, with 19th century social housing facing off across the street against 21st century private glitz. GoJauntly's instructions wax lyrical about the coffee shop here, even namechecking "fun-loving and super friendly barista Eurico!", but you might feel more comfortable in the Tesco Express. Continue to St George's Circus with its fabulous obelisk, note that the former pub on the corner has been absorbed by London South Bank University and prepare to enter student territory. I was a bit surprised to see the GLW sign pointing <i>through</i> the campus but yes, the upcoming ambience is all resource centres, subject blocks, library facilities and (on the day I walked it) dozens of milling lecturegoers. It seems a walking route that deliberately dodges traffic isn't always quiet.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMoXQ9qJOAsJDg7vqZ9_DBmCNx4FeQiNMsayPuHJjRDQC-N7C8MSLYeD2rbfdLdbuK6Y2Zfq9k8VxU9PSSRFHi7_qx8pWDlZUkvQ64lg9qN5-wyHbkkQch9Zg4Wkl1yUQCtoxYpd8lciuxf1xl4L_V3PE6ez_8Mf5hV3HRxnsPzCRRd0BVwfSCw/s1600/glw4d.jpg" title="Elephant Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
And so we emerge at Elephant & Castle, a throbbing nexus which is rapidly turning into somewhere else entirely. Thankfully we'll only be crossing the first two arms of the ex-gyratory, thus dodging the unashamed upthrust of the former shopping centre. Instead we're aiming for the cohesive community Southwark council previously displaced, namely the Heygate Estate... or as it's now known <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2021/05/elephant-park.html" target="_blank">Elephant Park</a>. For a tiny reflection of the past look under the railway arches - proper coffee, cooked meats, auto repairs - and to see what's replaced it look everywhere else - gelato, sushi, margaritas, dogs. We're stepping into the sanitised space between the towers to enter the actual Elephant Park, the first greenspace of the walk, although you won't be stepping onto the "biodiverse grass" because it's all roped off for winter. Also the Green Link Walk doesn't follow the central paths, it hugs the restaurants, because the route is always drawn with wheels rather than curiosity in mind.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYEyoeuEM_zfH6mdRsvxAn63H81x5EXa3Pj5ul6zBu0IrxnIE0i9BYzA2vo_sN0vK8wZUuFowj7FuORgUN3u_fce-bBHUEnqdWTWW7DB7uhRl_KXXeq826FXQuiqGNjv4933CTP9KNBP4gls3K5_50bDMyug2uwwOlTaK_mTBHf0eO5oYsIX3CQ/s1600/glw4e.jpg" title="Balfour Street" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Don't worry, a genuine greenspace lies straight ahead, immediately beyond a patch of 25-storey apartments they haven't built yet. Alas the Victory Recreation Ground has been locked since November for a major revamp, currently at the reseeding stage, and the Green Link Walk has of course been signposted to skirt three sides of the perimeter fence. Come back later in the summer and totally ignore the signs, I say. Balfour Street has some cute flowerbeds and stonking cherry trees draped with blossom, courtesy of more Heygate infill, and Chatham Street pointedly does not. What it <i>did</i> have on my visit were large crowds of mourners waiting for a coffin to emerge from number 67, a mortal jolt confirming that the most memorable part of an urban walk is often the people rather than the places. And then - don't look too shocked - an actual walk through an actual park.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziAjU9h4tuAqfFtBmQRbqEu85YFri6d3S35EVUOlq9pSH5HvSOgktcSnH6usBLC0sUFs8k-wIb2L9a0nZV9e_aKjuJMCcxXAv2avH4HqrfA4Vn3OVUaIZsJw3z5S3SPJaOD0Jq9LmEXZy__GVtkOIG-myZEVDLsf3NzjBCCA8gKuY1xSDbQRV5Q/s1600/glw4f.jpg" title="Salisbury Row" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
This is Salisbury Row, an irregular park covering the footprint of 100-or-so blitzed homes once deemed slums. It has humps and bumps, a decent playground and pleasant benches, plus the joy of hosting two minutes of the official Green Link Walk. Alas just when it looks like we're going to get all the way to the far side the signs divert to the road at the edge, past the cafe, before ducking past a long row of garages and through an alley underneath Eugene Cotter House. If you were genuinely trying to link as much green as possible you'd have continued to <a href="https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=18.0/51.4917/-0.0863" target="_blank">Beckway Street</a>, but maybe that didn't have enough drop kerbs, I don't know. Whatever, best steel yourself for threading through a multitude of council flats intermingled with terraced holdouts, a few streets back from the Old Kent Road, including a community centre so oldschool it still displays a Courage cockerel.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53611442966" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYX6L8aVZty97qC5RqcWcJqDbp6dFjgQzJ6rANNv432I8ylSz_EC59HTM_pTPBcFZiVBD8xXZUawBnC2EjU4UdgC_XkLRMlEBAuJf9x2fcKyESX1JcuUS2as4NqCdi5-pxRVnjMVo40wadEHFHbneLq439M7MbZmXO7gPJKwMsSFyYm5YVJpXxw/s1600/glw4g.jpg" title="Aylesbury Estate from Surrey Square Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
I confess to blinking somewhat when I realised we'd be walking past the back of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aylesbury_Estate" target="_blank">Aylesbury</a> <a href="http://www.aylesburynow.london/regeneration/phasing" target="_blank">Estate</a>, the somewhat notorious 1960s rehousing scheme, whose massive <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53611442966" target="_blank">slab blocks</a> now exist in a state of council-aided decay. You're not getting herons and meadows on this walk, sorry, but brutalist walkways, peeling windows and disused garages. I wasn't complaining, I love a concrete bulwark I don't have to live in, but this won't be what anyone on the GLW will be expecting when they set out. Rest assured several adjacent streets are older and some aren't even council, plus there's the benefit of another proper greenspace called Surrey Square Park. I merrily followed the signs through the gate whereas had I followed the written instructions they would again have skirted round the edge in the traditionally tedious manner, and it is perhaps just as well that the walk perks up after decanted Ravenstone.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWGxisPlyD5SRUWFrVNLB44xtMs4rzHccyK3PoG4sFEHtbcwOkpMKR4ZR3RrEhpYJ7Q7Izfh_EyZ2-IqfpFkIDorFjBK3wyu_Dw6Q1QTReUVkFkLfTFbNCHajJRjYL8tAL7yQ2UbXV4IIoIN-ZFWIq8yWgip2NlfC8nM-0WM6o6UGKkv_rTBsmA/s1600/glw4h.jpg" title="Burgess Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Hurrah it's <a href="https://www.friendsofburgesspark.org.uk/history-in-burgess-park/the-history-of-burgess-park/" target="_blank">Burgess Park</a>, one of south London's largest, a postwar coalescence of former residential streets and industrial land. The GLW could have been out of here in ten minutes had it taken the shortcut footbridge across the lake but <a href="https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=16.0/51.4844/-0.0795" target="_blank">no</a>, it doubles that by taking a dogleg diversion almost as far as the butterfly mural. The outward leg offers sweeping green vistas - the first since Walthamstow Marshes ten miles ago - plus probably a lot of dogs, joggers and pushchairs. The return leg follows the disused Surrey Canal which was filled in 50 years ago, and which also explains the gorgeous steel lattice <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-bridge-to-somewhere.html" target="_blank">footbridge</a> that now pointlessly spans the path. It's also Cycleway 35 so expect to pass a lot of bikes as you head up a long avenue of trees as far as the wildflower meadow. Greenwise this is the paragraph that finally makes up for the previous seven.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqaVvOp7X-3mwpVWgydhfyLP_C1fDRxVN8JF1pJPcvB9Avh9eyfCDY8SVwV1XFgkRj_AUCAhOoK23NxpXVnW-j-h_W25DqQk1dsy8_rYf2DWraKhpG-G8PFSSyoPWJ817rN7PX8Nq8McRN4Ml6cS8wbCSLa5j79xyZRjTdaW-tzGcKSqlsdCDlw/s1600/glw4i.jpg" title="Surrey Canal Linear Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
To finish off we're following the Surrey Canal's Peckham arm, a kilometre-long cut dug in the 1820s to double down on commercial opportunities. It too is now a paved path ideal for off-piste walking and cycling, but in this case it meanders somewhat in a way the canal never did. The best bits are the two perfectly preserved 1870s bridges where the trail ducks underneath the road alongside a raised section of actual cobbled towpath. I've blogged <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2019/02/surrey-canal.html" target="_blank">all this</a> before, should you crave more detail, but again this is top notch walking territory. What I didn't see last time was the carpet of celandines near the allotments nor, on the very final stretch, two hoodied forms attached at groin level enjoying oral sex in the shrubbery. That was a first for a strategic walk I can tell you.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZqJHPwZPwwkl74CTwF3yjXc9S2KSIQW_7S5pcCNLaiNoWNMpYU52rWoU0F5eEeJgjPH-cbthMtefjilTlQxu9c_S91nWST6T5ot2R0VWFqFP0pXtIeivip_WpdMyO4tmIxLbw-BRT2eAMxKkf4O5dqA2cG3C7YG12L4mArgR64RtcaC6cFVMAA/s1600/glw4j.jpg" title="Canal Head - Peckham" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The end of the canal comes at the former dock basin where you'll now find Peckham's sports centre and elevated <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/3937673461/" target="_blank">library</a>, plus streetfood options, plus the very last green sign because the Green Link Walk terminates here. Personally I'd have carried it on to Peckham Rye Common or Nunhead Cemetery, there to link up with the Green Chain, assuming I could have found a decent backstreet route dodging Rye Lane. Personally I'd have routed a lot of it differently, as aforementioned, in an attempt to thread green spaces properly as opposed to just grazing them. But don't let me discourage you from tackling the capital's newest strategic walk, all 16 over-pavemented miles of it, because the soul of London is more about making links than chasing the green.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-52106218203912132152024-03-25T07:00:00.101+00:002024-03-25T21:31:19.647+00:00Mystery tourYesterday I went on a <b>mystery tour</b> round London.<br>
I visited nine places in nine different boroughs.<br>
I travelled between each location on one bus.<br>
All you have to do, collectively, is identify them.
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<i><u>Clues</u></i><br>
I've written nine not-necessarily-helpful descriptions of the nine locations.<br>
I've added nine even-less-helpful photos.<br>
I've told you how long each bus journey took.
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<i><u>Notes</u></i><br>
The things you need to identify are marked by <span style="background-color: #ffccff;">pink boxes</span>.<br>
At 7am all the pink boxes were answer-less. They may be filled in later.<br>
I will not be answering questions.
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<i><u>Rules</u></i><br>
<b>If you leave a comment, please wait 1 hour before leaving another one.</b><br>
Your comment can include as many guesses as you like, but if any of those guesses are incorrect I'll just write 'No' underneath.
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<i><u>Additional clues</u></i><br>
I started and finished at <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">z3/4 stations</span>.<br>
All the boroughs are <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">in Outer London</span>.<br>
I didn't use <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">the Superloop</span>.<br>
Words hidden behind <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">blue strips</span> may be revealed later.
<br><br><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3tnxAv6R6chZATxKaO8SVXawqDpTKOe7lmsLJa1Wlbx_PxiyMxx9iWx6-LYTjUI-CrpOxbE5k4lOHTWR666bsDL3FPbwwmmC7935T0hA9CXtYZdo1i_jZbppvzGTjV2Cxjbwn-EKWofBHQCZZ0doMv7I2416RStDjna3hVk71qJcxc0zk2evcA/s1600/mystery1to9.jpg" title="9 mystery locations" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euuzZcaa--?m=" target="_blank">Hendon station</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Barnet)</i> </span><br>
My starting location ticks many transportation boxes. The Hotel is closed. The ticket office is closed. A notice in the window says PLEASE NOT instead of PLEASE NOTE. Two new housing developments are signed in yellow on a lamppost. The parcel locker is green and says Hello. The odd-looking church was built in 1930. Cranes are visible nearby. The blossom's out. The most screamingly obvious thing has been here since <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">the 1970s</span>. The end is nigh. Airports get a mention on the street corner. I have never seen anybody meeting at the Meeting Point. Crossing the road is done by zebra. The digits of the 'A' Road add up to a multiple of 3. You can see a long way from the <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">motorway bridge</span>.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 183 </span> <font size=1>(10 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euux_VWj--?m=">Roe Green Park</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Brent)</i> </span><br>
As parks go, it's a nice one. The willow trees are already in leaf. Daffodils are scattered all over. The garden won an award in 2018. A sign says <i>Please do not feed the birds</i> but dozens of pigeons are tucking in anyway. A curve in the path marks the point where there used to be a vehicular barrier. Someone's left four pints of milk beside a tree near the entrance. The <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">borough arms</span> have been placed atop a signpost. The manor's vanished, although its house number (288) is still displayed on a post. The Mediterranean restaurant has a sign saying WE ARE OPEN NOW even when they're not. If you drive too fast the THINK! sign lights up. The <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">swimming pool</span> is now tennis courts.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 324 </span> <font size=1>(10 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euu0iTm6--?m=" target="_blank">Queensbury Circle</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Harrow)</i> </span><br>
The shops are from the 1930s. The chippy's been a regional champion (but doesn't mention how long ago). One shop claims, over-reachingly, to be a <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">Shopping Mall</span>. A lone red poppy remains attached to a lamppost. The roundabout is watched over by CCTV, a phone mast and hanging baskets. One of the hanging baskets still urges locals to remember Hands Face Space. The daffodil count is fairly lacklustre. While I watched, a banner advertising an event on 7th April was attached to the safety barriers with cable ties. A cycle path has replaced a lot of previous pavement. You can be fined for drinking in public here. The service station didn't have a <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">Tesco supermarket</span> in the 1950s.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 114 </span> <font size=1>(35 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euubmI8_--?m=" target="_blank">South Ruislip (Brackenhill)</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Hillingdon)</i> </span><br>
Oh look it's another roundabout. This roundabout is sponsored by a van rental company. For some reason it has a small brick shelter in the middle. The Gas Board (or modern equivalent) are digging up the road and some of the verges alongside. A lot of their barriers have blown over. A banner advertises a local funfair where, it seems, the minimum admission price is £20. Pedestrian crossings would be useful here, rather than further up each arm. The grass outside the retail park has already had its first mowing of the year. Some carpets are currently half price. Casualties on the main road are decreasing. The <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">Post Office</span> is actually in a different borough. The care home has a <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">copper turret</span>.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 282 </span> <font size=1>(15 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euua9cuD--?m=" target="_blank">Northolt Clocktower</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Ealing)</i> </span><br>
If I mention the most obvious thing here, especially what's on top of it, someone'll guess the location much too quickly. It doesn't say 8. Building works are taking place. Again several of the barriers have fallen over, but only one of the important ones. Again there's a 1930s parade, again with a chippy. Eastern European <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">dumplings</span> are readily available. The spring bulbs are newly planted. The new boundary hedge has yet to be added. According to the official sign, the council are adding layby's and tree's. The board detailing a local walk is currently inaccessible. The sign for the cash and carry is wonderfully anachronistic. The <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">village green</span> is sponsored by an estate agent.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 120 </span> <font size=1>(55 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euuPrEQi--?m=" target="_blank">Hounslow (behind the Treaty Centre)</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Hounslow)</i> </span><br>
The busiest spot yet. What could be a drab traffic island is mainly grass. Only one end has pansies. Two other smaller traffic islands aid pedestrians crossing. The nearby pub is named after something you can see from here. Its chalkboard advertises HOME MADE PIZZA'S. To contact the religious community charity use the secretary's email address provided. The nearby <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">shopping centre</span> presents a wall of recessed brick. Within is a concession selling musk, a lot of snazzy flooring and an underwhelming food space. One homebound shopper is carrying a small mattress and a Wilco carrier bag. The intermittent <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">aerial</span> racket is readily explained. Two similarly-numbered 'A' roads meet here.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 281 </span> <font size=1>(35 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euukMOlq--?m=" target="_blank">Teddington (Ferry Road)</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Richmond)</i> </span><br>
The nicest spot yet. It looks like there are two churches but only one still is. One's fundamentally Tudor, the other's blatantly Victorian. One has a lovely yard with leaning gravestones, the other's promoting two exhibitions. The hyacinths are pink. The Rubbish Taxi is not a rubbish taxi, it does waste collection. The sensory area has some wonderful tulips. Two police cars are queuing at the lights, followed shortly afterwards by a third. The area's perhaps best known for something that's now <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">flats</span>. Alternatively it's best known for something you could easily see from that bridge. The two pubs are lovely locals. At the road junction are signs for toilets, a cafe and a <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">National Path</span>.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 285 </span> <font size=1>(15 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euuh1k6_--?m=" target="_blank">Kingston station</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Kingston)</i> </span><br>
Busier than number 6. Very much a focal point and hasn't always been pedestrianised. Less about lingering, more about dispersal. The biggest sign on the front of the building has copious pigeon spikes, some diagonal. That tree may be in a planter but it's still in full blossom. The toilets are closed. Explore The Past and Taste World Cuisine. The easiest cuisines to sample nearby would be Turkish, Japanese and Portuguese. An 8-storey lattice of girders is still being constructed. The <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">tallest</span> building is named after its shape. Family Times Good Times (also Milkshakes). It's hard to tell if the dry cleaners are permanently closed or if it's just Sunday. Students live behind the <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">orange clock</span>.
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<font color=cc0033>→ <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> 57 </span> <font size=1>(30 mins)</font> →</font>
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<span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <b><a href="https://osm.org/go/euuj9fua--?m=" target="_blank">South Wimbledon</a></b> </span> <span style="background-color: #ffccff;"> <i>(Merton)</i> </span><br>
One last road junction. Adverts for nights out at Glam and Musik In Motion are tied to a prominent lamppost. Bike racks are available. A girl is filming the yellow box junction using a camera on a big tripod, overseen by someone who looks like her Dad. The local chicken shop has a Texan theme. Sri Lankan and Vietnamese food options might be preferential. The former bank on the corner is now occupied, appropriately, by <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">accountants</span>. The bus lane doesn't operate on Sundays. Somewhere I recently blogged about is signposted 9 minutes walk away. Portland stone is very much in evidence. The upmarket grocery store has vacated <span style="background-color: #7dd1c2;">Charles Holden</span>'s shop, whereas across the road Tesco (est 2013) is still going strong.
<br><br>
<font size=1 color=#666666><i>I've either made this much too hard or, collectively, much too easy.</i></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-88643054826209600012024-03-24T07:00:00.130+00:002024-03-24T08:09:55.681+00:00Sunday transport news<b><u>Some transport news</u></b>
<br><br>
<font color=#d42e12><b><u>Central line news</u></b></font>
<br><br>
It's <a href="https://madeby.tfl.gov.uk/2019/07/29/tube-trivia-and-facts/" target="_blank">well known</a> in tubular circles that the longest direct journey on the Underground is between Epping and West Ruislip on the Central line. It's 54.9km long (34.1 miles), comfortably ahead of Uxbridge to Cockfosters on the Piccadilly line which is 50.9 km (31.6 miles). But this weekend a 60 mile journey is possible, all aboard the same train, thanks to engineering works closing the Central line between Woodford and Epping. In the temporary timetable all trains are running from the far west of the line through central London, round the Hainault loop and then back again.
<br>
<blockquote><font color=#d42e12>• West Ruislip → Woodford → Hainault → Newbury Park → West Ruislip<br>
• Ealing Broadway → Newbury Park → Hainault → Woodford → Ealing Broadway</font>
</blockquote>
West Ruislip trains are running round the Hainault loop clockwise and Ealing Broadway trains anti-clockwise, cunningly creating a seamless service. And if you catch one of those trains at West Ruislip you get to ride from almost Buckinghamshire to actual Essex and back again, a grand total of 97.1km (60.4 miles). Unbeatable.
<br><br>
<i><u>caveats</u></i><br>
<i>1)</i> On Sunday morning and Sunday evening a few trains are also starting at White City, but otherwise it's stonking great end-to-end loops all the way.<br>
<i>2)</i> If you try travelling from West Ruislip to West Ruislip using Pay As You Go, not only will it take you 2¾ hours but you'll be charged a maximum fare (approximately £7-ish) for lingering too long on the network.<br>
<i>3)</i> Actually you'll be charged <i>two</i> maximum fares because the software'll assume you started a journey you never touched out, then ended a journey you never touched in, so you'll be about £14 out of pocket.<br>
<i>4)</i> Ah but is it a proper unbroken journey? A pedant would argue it's only proper if it says 'West Ruislip' on the front all the way round and obviously it doesn't do that. Also, what if they turf everyone off somewhere on the loop, then it wouldn't be a proper direct journey at all. So I checked.
<br><br>
I didn't do the whole 60.4 miles because I have a life. But I did go from Leytonstone back round to Leytonstone, a journey you can't normally do on one train, on one train.
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJhvtCffjBGpMKHJH4HZkswGxW_WbtaZCEintG6SrJqOcx3bxpvvyQS5G23WywyYSxmBJ2cWXCNDKAT0IGgiTnUFYZkOSob6vWa2QGctT8LJ79SdkwZw_h_uAmNYPRBult9QwZ1fVV6s3aB02QefT2WDGCssAZHe0yeCyQH7iHR_zGSg8wjKOXg/s1600/viawdford.jpg" title="lots of trains via Woodford" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It was odd seeing every train on the board have Hainault as a destination, alternately via Woodford or via Newbury Park. It was even odder that absolutely no announcements were being made about how unusual this situation was, nor that anyone bound for Epping would need a 'Hainault via Woodford' train to change for the replacement bus. Hainault via Woodford always used to be very rare, even before they made a shuttle of the last bit, and since <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2020/01/woodford-via-hainault.html" target="_blank">2020</a> it hardly ever happens at all.
<br><br>
It's been an absolutely brilliant weekend for residents of Roding Valley, Chigwell and Grange Hill, Normally they only get a train every 20 minutes and they have to change, but this weekend they have a service every 6 or 7 minutes and it goes straight through central London. Not many of them were out to take advantage.
<br><br>
And as we pulled into Hainault station, dammit, the driver played the 'This train terminates here, all change please' message. This probably negates the 60 mile claim, as does changing the destination from Hainault to West Ruislip. But nobody got turfed off, we didn't hang about, we just picked up fresh passengers and continued towards Newbury Park, so I'm calling that one journey. The entire loop took 35 minutes, if you've ever wondered how long a loopy train would actually take, before continuing all the way back to West Ruislip. If you're not a pedant and can mitigate the possible financial outlay, the tube's longest possible direct journey is rideable again today.
<br><br>
<font color=#cc0033><b><u>Old Bus news</u></b></font>
<br><br>
Every so often the <a href="https://www.londonbusmuseum.com" target="_blank">London Bus Museum</a> organises a running day somewhere in the London area at which a heck of a lot of old buses turn out and offer rides for free along current and/or historic routes. They did it yesterday <a href="https://www.londonbusmuseum.com/routes-62-145-heritage-day/" target="_blank">to celebrate the centenary of Barking bus garage</a>, and the two routes chosen for the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rm1422/albums/72177720315646909/" target="_blank">parade of vintage vehicles</a> were the 62 and 145. Buses ran roughly every ten minutes. It was all extremely well done.
<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53607006155/in/dateposted-public/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt-uT12eyK7w0W2hPKTiJEsOZa3EFoWbYs86ZqQvX8OJZF7PYHa30XLC2HaE4gGWHw6hntuhgtD4LV6c83Xvc7lO_X_DB_c_MO3Yj3TB9XUIzl4P0s4zMfAcvD3wL115BwmjPVtz7hRj-9U99n8ui4V2dsyD-JPoqHR6g1YRwI3Nza2YAml8M9A/s1600/old145.jpg" title="145 in Dagenham" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<i>All the usual vintage bus day observations applied:</i><br>
• All ages were present, but especially over-65s<br>
• All genders were present, but very especially men<br>
• Enthusiasts with big-lensed cameras were everywhere<br>
• Surprised passers-by took almost as many photos as enthusiasts<br>
• Passengers expecting a bogstandard bus were utterly delighted to get an old one (or totally baffled)<br>
• Over-65s were even more delighted to get an old bus than everyone else<br>
• Some bus conductors issued unnecessary paper tickets<br>
• Even the boxy 1970s/80s buses were popular<br>
• There were so so so so many buses<br>
• It was great
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7beeJ8NJkpoJiZ9rtd8_KHeaKDeh4htG7Z4l57KAqKd5lqg6DicxfoG6bBPi3hy_N1J73GAHGnBgmYVveAj4RP6WoV6ZZWt1SfurPy5uyqOSbv2RnWXJ0xJ7C_dqNlqr164wo1-kS22kgSs_kYPS8XLhiAtdUyMDQASZ4BNyg2WoknXBRFIpQ_g/s1600/old62.jpg" title="62 in Becontree" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<i><u>Local notes</u></i><br>
» The centenary was actually in January, but better to wait until March.<br>
» Barking Bus garage was stuffed with vintage buses and open to the public for a £5 fee. Most visitors took <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/197941089@N08/albums/72177720315627002/" target="_blank">even more</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/b777-200_g-ymmh/albums/72177720315636636/" target="_blank">photos</a> and many purchased nostalgic bus paraphernalia.<br>
» The people of Barking and Dagenham seemed especially pleased to see the unexpected buses, perhaps because it's not a borough where anything like this normally happens.<br>
» I was extremely lucky and boarded a 145 before its advertised first stop so had the entire top deck to myself for the first four miles. Top decks were a lot busier later.
<br><br>
<u>Dates for your diary</u><br>
<i>Sunday 9th June:</i> <a href="https://www.londonbusmuseum.com/route-406-heritage-day/?event_date=2024-06-09" target="_blank">Route 406 Heritage Day</a> (Kingston/Epsom/Reigate/Redhill)<br>
<i>Saturday 14th September:</i> <a href="https://www.londonbusmuseum.com/route-61-heritage-day/?event_date=2024-09-14" target="_blank">Route 61 Heritage Day</a> (Bromley/Orpington/Chislehurst)
<br><br>
<font color=#61207f><b><u>Dangleway news</u></b></font>
<br><br>
East London's favourite cablecar is getting <a href="https://otp.tools.investis.com/generic/regulatory-story.aspx?newsid=1801503&cid=858" target="_blank">a new operator</a>. Since 2012 it's been operated by Mace, the company who built it, but from 28th June it'll be operated by FirstGroup instead. They also run Avanti West Coast, GWR, SWR and a lot of buses, plus the Croydon trams so they're not exactly new to working for TfL. This isn't a change of sponsor, merely a change behind the scenes, so most people will never notice.
<br><br>
<i><u>Notes</u></i><br>
• The contract is for five years with the option to extend for a further three.<br>
• FirstGroup anticipate revenues of £60m over the eight-year period, i.e. about £8m a year.<br>
• They're promising to "improve the service", "develop the customer proposition" and "place the service at the heart of its local community", whatever any of that means.
<br><br>
<font color=#e86a10><b><u>Overground news</u></b></font>
<br><br>
Would you like to read the digital style guide for using the new Overground line names and colours? <a href="https://blog.tfl.gov.uk/2024/03/08/london-overground-lines/" target="_blank">Here it is.</a> TfL are very keen that dual lines are <i>always</i> used, and that disruptions are displayed with the word 'Overground' as an additional label.
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfrBRadg8ScZFTK_dKAQROoArLiHfYhBr1sHM1Zykt4mhIFrF5Dt5C0gHS_pBOtznbFHhG3i9K5VQVRGWhMN8VkNwYdiAzshPSdSF-JDXGm-yKZLTFAEC1yw3r7NS6ZlgEMCzSWoOLUeNe89uflXNIU6eVQBE1f5a3POudL7faluyqY3azMpPjw/s1600/minordelays.gif" title="how to display minor delays" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Also if you'd like to know how the £6.3m costs of the renaming process are broken down, an awful lot of curmudgeons have submitted <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-4153-2324" target="_blank">FoI</a> <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-4140-2324" target="_blank">requests</a> asking the same thing. 37% is going on updating all kinds of signage, 18% on changing all kinds of tube maps, 14% on changes to trains, 12% on digital updates, 11% on awareness, 6% on staff costs and less than 2% on the engagement process that came up with the names.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-89812605348074996652024-03-23T07:00:00.013+00:002024-03-23T15:40:28.462+00:00Poet in residence<i>A unique opportunity has arisen for creative narration,<br>
Courtesy of medieval charity the City Bridge Foundation,<br>
They seek applications for <a href="https://www.citybridgefoundation.org.uk/news-and-blog/poet-sought-to-celebrate-londons-bridges-in-verse" target="_blank">the post of poet in residence</a>,<br>
The holder has to write a few poems and attend some events.<br>
The fee's ten thousand pounds and the role lasts a year, <br>
Imagine how this opportunity could advance your career.<br>
The subject matter is bridges, the <a href="https://www.citybridgefoundation.org.uk/what-we-do/bridges" target="_blank">five</a> maintained by them:<br>
Tower, London, Southwark, Blackfriars and Millennium.<br>
If you think it could be you there's one month to <a href="https://poetrysociety.org.uk/projects/city-bridge-poet-in-residence/" target="_blank">apply</a>,<br>
Though you'd be up against me, I'd be great and here's why.</i>
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZNqhesuFGSzT6t0_IwygvHT76IV0YZW_Nsx_JlFq4hq4yIIBXewtkQGWugNZuunvzRJh7paWMe9E0X7x5tI9YUKDQlsMQsX0X2rBubIOUYcddDyCaFnfpucKBOt0wQlB7F1mcw/s640/towrbrij.jpg" title="Tower Bridge" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><u>Tower Bridge</u></b>
<br><br>
It's world-renowned<br>
Goes up and down<br>
Not just iconic<br>
But also Gothic<br>
If there isn't a ship<br>
You can walk over it<br>
But it's not in the City<br>
And that's a pity
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQxN7VnzqO16gFBU9tyjLoYb3avAIupZEYaXYhe8LQPhxiQ-UXT3dY_PrF9P4ygR-K7-2Zh1q1QwK1HPbRilvPFKZ-mobt4qOUyezGvghQmWD3xOvksCkheRrffmGBCSQ0qAh/s640/lbridge1.jpg" title="London Bridge" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><u>London Bridge</u></b>
<br><br>
Since a Roman pontoon first joined Londinium to the marshes,<br>
Since soldiers passed through on arrow-straight marches,<br>
Since horses and carts tripped across low timber arches,<br>
How many have crossed the river here?
<br><br>
Since medieval masons built a stone span with central chapel,<br>
Since traders drove their livestock to market to sell,<br>
Since Kentish peasants revolted to raise merry hell,<br>
How many have crossed the river here?
<br><br>
Since pilgrims passed through in reverent migration,<br>
Since traitors were spiked for their bold defamation,<br>
Since shops and houses burned in a great conflagration,<br>
How many have crossed the river here?
<br><br>
Since Rennie's five stone arches were added upstream,<br>
Since dockers and lightermen were held in high esteem,<br>
Since bowler hats and omnibuses started to teem,<br>
How many have crossed the river here?
<br><br>
Since the latest replacement with pre-stressed box girders,<br>
Since cycle lanes were fortified to prevent further murders,<br>
Since changing patterns quelled the armies of office workers,<br>
How many will cross the river here?
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxE_Hr267Dj40AMfJqiPlHqz8loo9yfx254VH1uBMPZu9JSaQm7b95eqStCCaONSjB9CVNsAqDdIiD1U1UWdwfSXO3aD6nvQkgjkhJLl6-4eWUuK8DvpWRENVGtA5-pLHWBMhSCAL_73PCSIalG_DYlnIezSRNdOvPmIl6ti1KM18SYxck9L6jlQ/s1600/sthwrkbr.jpg" title="Southwark Bridge" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><u>Southwark Bridge</u></b>
<br><br>
When City hustle grows too loud<br>
I make my way to the quietest bridge<br>
And stand in my granite pulpit<br>
To watch the river
<br><br>
When boats pass underneath<br>
I stand astride the ploughing waves<br>
And picture their meandering path<br>
Into the grey estuary
<br><br>
When the tide grows low<br>
I step down to the muddy foreshore<br>
And pick my way over glistening rubble<br>
To my arched shelter
<br><br>
When dusk turns to twilight<br>
I return to the illuminated deck<br>
And let lamps cast my triple shadow<br>
Onto the flow of history
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltcD4QiWUUuEm_n5jm_lq8I74c6_b-HRzN6ofYhznkh8XJvjFBXQM5AcXmSX6QlwuruJgwr7onXsaK7lqqsf8GrzJyhJ13faGnEbDIIbFqb29qDiX8N1NbcWuo9iVqWgXEIqvCh7Jwpp4uUXQHdPmEjA7snFZuCRTsBjN4ZbGUd4uT_PQ8amvEA/s1600/millenibr.jpg" title="Millennium Bridge" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><u>Millennium Bridge</u></b>
<br><br>
She kneels upon the silver blade,<br>
A ragged hump beneath a shawl of blue,<br>
Hunched and motionless in penniless plea,<br>
Her hands outstretched, her cup on view,<br>
They all walk by.
<br><br>
The tourists on their merry way,<br>
Families, sightseers and giggling mates,<br>
They cluster for a well-posed snap,<br>
They've done St Paul's, the Globe awaits,<br>
But all walk by.
<br><br>
Her crooked silhouette never flickers,<br>
Until a string is tugged and one man stops,<br>
He gets no reaction so checks his pockets,<br>
And into her cup some coinage drops,<br>
He didn't walk by.
<br><br>
She never saw her Good Samaritan, only felt.<br>
Her thanks, if muttered, were never heard.<br>
Her hand reaches briefly to grab the alms,<br>
Before she refreezes amid the unseen crowd,<br>
They all walk by.
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcnt0O1gd4nbPJPn9x4nyu8NRRAmXXc-AfU3SlyCuL7rOcL935ZrIN1HPEwuIHVyU10nCXDgea4rZZZ8qevfhCo1nagmdCxpoh7Am-j5qNywr0tnIHyKEo2yfrh4J1qh1zO04-vSBEtFW5V5pbf9zsDeHYWmZeH5dYwsTD7XYqnrHbXwAj6oshg/s1600/blackfr.jpg" title="Blackfriars Bridge" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><u>Blackfriars Bridge</u></b>
<br><br>
The thing about bridges is they link two sides like a screaming metaphor.<br>
North and South, them and us, here and there, war and peace, rich and poor.<br>
How much better life would be if we were all like bridges, united.
<br><br>
The thing about bridges is they rise above the torrent like a contextual trope.<br>
The sea of misery, the river of nightmares, an emotional kaleidoscope.<br>
How much better life would be if we were all like bridges, elevated.
<br><br>
The thing about bridges is they enable connections like a convenient simile.<br>
Bringing people together, healing the divide, ending divergency.<br>
How much better life would be if we were all like bridges, attached.
<br><br>
The thing about bridges is they stand firm in the flow like a clunking analogy.<br>
Keep the faith, trust your gut, support the weak, have no truck with bigotry.<br>
How much better life would be if we were all like bridges, strong.
<br><br>
The thing about bridges is they're an absolute gift to a wannabe poet.<br>
You can churn out verses on any topic with diversity to show for it.<br>
How much better life would be if I could pontificate about bridges, rewarded.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-44938067456026982322024-03-22T07:00:00.191+00:002024-03-22T08:51:20.408+00:00In JailAfter Pentonville Road the next square on the Monopoly board is Jail. It's not assigned a location - the corner squares never are - but I wonder if they had Pentonville Prison in mind when placing Pentonville Road beside the Jail. The two aren't close in real life, Pentonville Prison's a mile north of Pentonville Road, but the nominal disconnect might not have been evident to two Waddingtons employees from Leeds enjoying a day trip to London.
<br><br>
Here's the front of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Pentonville" target="_blank">HM Prison Pentonville</a>, facing <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/51.54490/-0.11630" target="_blank">Caledonian Road</a>.
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cd6cgdarr59EKxYxkD_vzZmEi5F5hmU9KeGh7otBUJ7WLiT12hvrOwWWZMiyjdlo9Yv8PAtja8TbfKhWluzyJ-ZrUjVQZIUJndMV3Qm7MIdPOTYa0pFRqci47VIZvOcrIKbfybpC8EPwhVFbCbhvsxMaev6Jl2aizIlxwLnJ5F3Q427B054wpg/s1600/pentpris.jpg" title="HM Prison Pentonville from Caledonian Road" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It's not exactly welcoming, nor is it meant to be, but neither is it entirely obvious it's a prison unless you read the signs outside. 'Serving the community for 175 years' is perhaps not the way I'd have phrased it. Other clues include bars on the windows and a significant number of CCTV cameras, almost all of them pointing in rather than out. The front of the building has visible cracks, which isn't ideal in a prison, which'll be why an £11m project is now underway to renovate the gatehouse and reception area. Much greater problems are highlighted in a recent report which found the prison 'unfit' and 'inhumane' with inmates often sharing tiny cells with open toilets, not to mention issues with water, heating and vermin, but that's underfunded Victorian infrastructure for you.
<br><br>
The <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/79/213379-004-0FE40CC3.jpg" target="_blank">footprint</a> of the prison building resembles a gingerbread man sprawled on his back, with the chapel as the head and four long wings extending from the central body. Cells are stacked three-high along open galleries, although all you really see from the outside are the arched windows at the end poking up above additional fortifications. It must be somewhat oppressive to live in one of the townhouses on Wheelwright Street and have as your view a set of railings in front of a high brick wall running the entire length of the street. The wall's plainly not high enough either, because multiple signs warn you not to throw things over the top of it and that a two year prison sentence might follow if you try. Other signs point out that this is a drone-free zone, a modern problem somewhat neutered by the metal netting now draped across the cell windows.
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLPoH1IfjFcLfnqtLGxAVGdEL9b2g1rHvA8_LF6s-yR_oXm1BUGamCZvIrJla7QIEHVkI5oTlWICYNx5HBfi0WJo0YSqJpy0j3gJ6mgqg-wnx_BLxElxctox8AwdcC_HfHlzm1GC5ofWeMLSlf6N533PIQHbXqvl7zz62wLvmR7fqQxVLK8cloA/s1600/pentpriz.jpg" title="HM Prison Pentonville from Wheelwright Street" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Round the back of the prison at the Roman Way Gate I found a dustcart waiting patiently to enter the compound, so filed that away in case I ever end up writing an unlikely prison escape novel. But the perimeter's not exactly the most welcoming place so I didn't linger long, hence the remainder of today's post will be eight lists relating to London's prisons.
<br><br>
<b><u>London's prisons</u></b><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Belmarsh" target="_blank"><b>Belmarsh</b></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Belmarsh#/media/File:2017_Thamesmead_aerial_view_02b.jpg" target="_blank">(Thamesmead)</a> (high secure unit) <i>[men]</i><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Brixton" target="_blank"><b>Brixton</b></a> (Brixton) <i>[men]</i><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Feltham" target="_blank"><b>Feltham</b></a> (Feltham) <i>[young offenders]</i><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Isis" target="_blank"><b>Isis</b></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Belmarsh#/media/File:2017_Thamesmead_aerial_view_02b.jpg" target="_blank">(Thamesmead)</a> <i>[young offenders]</i><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Pentonville" target="_blank"><b>Pentonville</b></a> (Barnsbury) <i>[men]</i><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Thameside" target="_blank"><b>Thameside</b></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Belmarsh#/media/File:2017_Thamesmead_aerial_view_02b.jpg" target="_blank">(Thamesmead)</a> <i>[men]</i><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Wandsworth" target="_blank"><b>Wandsworth</b></a> (Wandsworth) (<i>[men]</i><br>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Wormwood_Scrubs" target="_blank"><b>Wormwood Scrubs</b></a> (White City) <i>[men]</i>
<br><br>
<b><u>Not quite London's prisons</u></b><br>
» <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Bronzefield" target="_blank">Bronzefield</a>* (Ashford, Surrey) <i>[women and young offenders]</i><br>
» <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Coldingley" target="_blank">Coldingley</a>* (Bisley, Surrey) <i>[men]</i><br>
» <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Downview" target="_blank">Downview</a>* (Banstead, Surrey) <i>[women]</i><br>
» <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_High_Down" target="_blank">High Down</a>* (Banstead, Surrey) <i>[men]</i><br>
» <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Send" target="_blank">Send</a>* (Ripley, Surrey) <i>[women]</i><br>
» <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mount_%28HM_Prison%29" target="_blank">The Mount</a> (Bovingdon, Herts) <i>[men]</i><br>
* <font size=1>part of the London region</font>
<br><br>
<b><u>London's prisons by age</u></b><br>
<i>1820:</i> Brixton<br>
<i>1842:</i> Pentonville<br>
<i>1851:</i> Wandsworth<br>
<i>1875:</i> Wormwood Scrubs<br>
<i>1910:</i> Feltham<br>
<i>1991:</i> Belmarsh<br>
<i>2010;</i> Isis<br>
<i>2012:</i> Thameside
<br><br>
<b><u>Ten previous London prisons</u></b><br>
<i>1)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prisoners_of_the_Tower_of_London" target="_blank"><u>Tower of London</u></a> (1100-1952): The original London lock-up, the White Tower being mostly inescapable. Royal prisoners include Henry VI, Edward V, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth I, additionally Thomas More, Sir Walter Raleigh, Guy Fawkes, Samuel Pepys, Rudolf Hess and the Kray twins.<br>
<i>2)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clink" target="_blank"><u>The Clink</u></a> (1151-1780): On the South Bank serving the Liberty of the Clink, under the control of the Bishop of Winchester, now a tourist attraction I have never felt the need to visit.<br>
<i>3)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgate_Prison" target="_blank"><u>Newgate</u></a> (1188-1902): The first prison to house the accused before trial, mixed sex, rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, executions took place outside.<br>
<i>4)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Prison" target="_blank"><u>Fleet</u></a> (1197-1844): Catered for the well-off and the poor, you got what you paid for, destroyed during the Great Fire and the Gordon Riots, replaced by Ludgate station.<br>
<i>5)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshalsea" target="_blank"><u>Marshalsea</u></a> (1373-1842): Private prison in Southwark, particularly used for debtors, best known for Charles Dickens' father being incarcerated here.<br>
<i>6)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridewell_Prison" target="_blank"><u>Bridewell</u></a> (1556-1855): Henry VIII's palace converted to 'a place of correction for wayward women' and eventually a full-on lock-up.<br>
<i>7)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tothill_Fields_Bridewell"><u>Tothill Fields</u></a> (1618-1853): Aka the Westminster House of Correction, greatly enlarged in 1834, a prison in circular 'Panopticon' style, site now occupied by Westminster Cathedral.<br>
<i>8)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldbath_Fields_Prison" target="_blank"><u>Coldbath Fields</u></a> (1795-1885): Also known as the Middlesex House of Correction, often used by short stay prisoners and debtors, site now occupied by the Mount Pleasant sorting office.<br>
<i>9)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millbank_Prison" target="_blank"><u>Millbank</u></a> (1816-1890): Hexagonal fortress with pentagonal petals, near Vauxhall Bridge, often used as a holding depot for convicts prior to transportation, Tate Britain now on site.<br>
<i>10)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Holloway" target="_blank"><u>Holloway</u></a> (1852-2016): Significant women's prison, once Western Europe's largest, sold to Peabody for <a href="https://hollowayparkcommunity.co.uk/about-holloway-park/" target="_blank">housing</a>, redevelopment finally underway, first of 985 homes due to open in 2027.
<br><br>
<b><u>London's prisons in order of capacity</u></b><br>
<i>1)</i> Wandsworth: 1541 inmates<br>
<i>2)</i> Wormwood Scrubs: 1257 inmates<br>
<i>3)</i> Thameside: 1119 inmates<br>
<i>4)</i> Pentonville: 1111 inmates<br>
<i>5)</i> Brixton: 798 inmates<br>
<i>6)</i> Belmarsh: 792 inmates<br>
<i>7)</i> Feltham: 768 inmates<br>
<i>8)</i> Isis: 622 inmates
<br><br>
<b><u>UK prisons larger than Wandsworth</u></b><br>
<i>1)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Berwyn" target="_blank">Berwyn</a>* (Wrexham) 2106 inmates <i>[opened 2017]</i><br>
<i>2)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMP_Fosse_Way" target="_blank">Fosse Way</a>* (Leicester) 1930 inmates <i>[opened 2023]</i><br>
<i>3)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Parc" target="_blank">Parc</a> (Bridgend) 1800 inmates <i>[opened 1997]</i><br>
<i>4)</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMP_Five_Wells" target="_blank">Five Wells</a>* (Wellingborough) 1680 inmates <i>[opened 2022]</i><br>
* <font size=1>not yet up to capacity</font>
<br><br>
<b><u>London's prisons by category</u></b><br>
<i>A:</i> Belmarsh<br>
<i>B:</i> Pentonville, Thameside, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs<br>
<i>C:</i> Brixton, Isis
<br><br>
<b><u>Three famous inmates</u></b><br>
<i>Belmarsh:</i> Ronnie Biggs, Jeffrey Archer, Julian Assange<br>
<i>Brixton:</i> Oswald Moseley, George Lansbury, Mick Jagger<br>
<i>Feltham:</i> Oliver Postgate. Richard Reid, J Hus<br>
<i>Pentonville:</i> Dr Crippen, George Best, Boy George<br>
<i>Wandsworth:</i> Oscar Wilde, Gary Glitter, Boris Becker<br>
<i>Wormwood Scrubs:</i> John Stonehouse, Leslie Grantham, Pete DohertyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-55032016170153544182024-03-21T07:00:00.179+00:002024-03-21T07:00:00.131+00:00Pentonville Road<table style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" border="2" cellpadding=1 cellspacing=0 align=right>
<tr><td width=100 bgcolor=#87CEEB> <br> </td></tr>
<tr align="center" valign="top" bgcolor=#f3ffff><td><br><b>PENTONVILLE<br>ROAD</b>
<br><br><br><b>£120</b><br> </td></tr>
</table>
<b><i><u>London's Monopoly Streets</u></i><br><br>
<font color=#000000 size=4>PENTONVILLE ROAD</font></b><br>
<i>Colour group:</i> light blue<br>
<i>Purchase price:</i> £120<br>
<i>Rent: </i>£8<br>
<i>Length:</i> ¾ mile<br>
<i>Borough:</i> <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1gtG9ILSHGKzRcXzpU1CKa8VuPLAUtfI&usp=sharing" target="_blank">Islington</a><br>
<i>Postcode:</i> N1
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The last of the light blues connects the other two, namely <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/03/euston-road.html" target="_blank">Euston Road</a> and the <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-angel-islington.html" target="_blank">Angel Islington</a>. That's because it's another segment of the New Road, London's first <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Road,_London#/media/File:A_plan_of_London,_Westminster,_and_Southwark_%285384794369%29.jpg" target="_blank">bypass</a>, which was driven across fields in the 1740s to help speed livestock to market. It's named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentonville_Road" target="_blank">Pentonville Road</a> after the 'new town' of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentonville" target="_blank">Pentonville</a>, an early suburb which grew up in those fields in the 1770s, which in turn was named after the local landowner <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Penton_%28the_younger%29" target="_blank">Henry Penton</a>. It became more industrial in the 1800s, then more mixed, and today it's a not entirely attractive hotchpotch with a few heritage leftovers. A one-way system in the King's Cross area means it's only possible to drive the full length from west to east so I'll be walking it that way too, even though it's uphill.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53599703187" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzkc3A9cCa4FoKvzCGTMivK6a8ttdVlzVg2HfC3kcrBaARCYLtHLlf-M32PV8mKNQotzQsTByBA4jhyphenhyphenTR3VUG6s4h5ilT2GxbYeZLU-Q2LuC7vvCNL-WJ1c_cLlwy7ln3ZlxlFxZITOSdL68hn0GT_i2alP3JA8vr9mXg_co8eMYUhlu_NISw8g/s1600/pento.jpg" title="The Lighthouse at the start of Pentonville Road" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Pentonville Road <a href="https://osm.org/go/euu4w9qwz?m=" target="_blank">kicks off</a> at the major road junction outside King's Cross station under the watchful eye of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53599703187" target="_blank">The Lighthouse</a>. This lead-covered <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/castrovalva/560454147/" target="_blank">tower</a> sits atop a flatiron-style block of shops built in the 1870s after digging the Metropolitan Railway had messed up the area somewhat. Today the sharp end contains a Five Guys restaurant and the upper floors have recently been gutted to create swish <a href="https://www.landmarkspace.co.uk/blog/post/a-look-inside-the-lighthouse-building-in-kings-cross/" target="_blank">office space</a> with meeting room names like Atari and Abacus, which just goes to show that appearances can be deceptive. The northern side of the road starts with a McDonalds, then an unprepossessing alleyway leads to the first fruits of a major redevelopment called <a href="https://rqconsultation.co.uk" target="_blank">Regent Quarter</a>. I watched as workmen at the former <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRt_ET9atHuPkoHbT2RFVJz_ZG8OQeI7WTzdZqmrMHVVxLB9jeEiknwEH0RfNDODJLN712V3ebUtYpAVFgG4oU8DwKTs3rFcWO8XL7g-lwKiyAxcz-f6qmP-mGt2657aajH06F22_kivIl7S-NEbBQ3oK942TQK0mbTRSKUHvvnwXfoqTYTEfiA/s1600/pompidou.jpg" target="_blank">Pompidou Cafe</a> smashed up the floor tiles and ripped out the counter, this because a traditional 'Breakfast Sandwiches Pasta Salads Cakes Coffee Coca-Cola' offering alas has no place in the RQ vision going forward.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4d2KuWtltVY0ag1gmMV6nSrRmPM2gUJIYeZ0PBn6OJ7_m_JxqQD9YCK6ooYdrEp8kAiZiq1EMhAsHKZGkB9w66xvIe44KDqYgy8__341QnLVZ8DCRdGxQwZpVBwzyguj18Cslas55qvLftRVZL9rd1cHLBaVvRLtJX86H5J3rLz-R8hgsVdKjA/s1600/scala.jpg" title="The Scala" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/34894977/" target="_blank">next</a> major landmark is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scala_%28club%29" target="_blank">Scala</a>, originally the King's Cross Cinema when it opened in 1920, which is topped off with a chunky dome. A <a href="https://scala.co.uk/s/2022/07/scala-to-unveil-a-blue-plaque-commemorating-the-50th-anniversaries-of-two-live-concerts-which-changed-music-history/" target="_blank">blue plaque</a> on the wall confirms that Lou Reed and Iggy Pop played their first gigs here in July 1972 and, less obviously, that it's also where their respective album cover photos were taken. In the 1980s the film offering went more leftfield, then went bust, and since 1999 the building's housed a fairly iconic nightclub (where yes I absolutely have). Alongside is the former satellite entrance to King's Cross station which closed 'temporarily' during lockdown, is now fully <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/53269648203/" target="_blank">boarded up</a> and in the absence of cash is unlikely to ever open again. As footfall fades the retail offering starts to decline, now with minimarkets and off licences amid the eateries, although it is still possible for wandering travellers to buy a wide selection of London postcards. And then the climb begins.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQjMXhyphenhyphenqNy3hRsOz3U_3UMJJyBBwsYEMxP87jYEpBJCSPkniNAYiMOgkvTflBE_U4Yi_lF5vEN_10Z9w4tfI3lHxiZ4SeHl8DVbcAxWtNKQCaacMSktZCyvAjiHbZbuz7buPXHyzfNto-DBZb8s076KOUbOaOzwpM2M6aZblK8GLw-gIi55Fjcw/s1600/facade.jpg" title="facadism" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
A second <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaS-1b6mwADqUhRCK_DSc9eHG65rW_udkAZi4GcH_N4sQPZbbLutqOY6DGmQyrI_jeBNehmInfNJpTIoKFyzxAcR1tM0PAK6weg18UylEWZORqXC-TAC0VJeW_wg3LDusXlNVjpu1xvkn9JFnYhIinLQKx_DBdCczljV0oBEpw5o1lEcoQL7SfgQ/s1600/flatiron.jpg" target="_blank">flatiron</a> building protrudes on the corner of King's Cross Road and is again propped up by a sitdown burger chain. The Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church merely shows its <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluebeart/4473814011/" target="_blank">backside</a> to the street, and has been saving the souls of Ethiopians and Eritreans living in the UK since 1990. Nextdoor the blight of facadism is in full flow, the front and side of a former Victorian terrace propped up with scaffolding so that fresh floors of office space can be concocted behind. It's just another chapter in the story of Pentonville Road's former fabric being sequentially destroyed, indeed it's proved to be a highly replaceable street. Already modernised, across multiple former footprints, are chunky office developments called Malvern House, Caledonia House, York House and something glibly called Chapter, a panelled bulwark where student accommodation is available from, eek, £315 a week. If you're the white-haired man who at this point asked me 'Are you lost?' thanks, but I was merely taking notes.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53601036785" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QaenNQrGP74JwUq8iIwo07EP5lfJbrjEEgu564Rv9gpzpOJcdOeUmuNAqBolDjzmiM9npdz2xLvm1Adm7Wkmmj0GqeqUIFnbS8UbY6cEzSizC1CVXzX9_uJibp1ncyOxEQPwgh95y9iUnBtEBJvHqW79BYJHmuHC8Ch7CpoMRfUksEcESzsbtQ/s1600/grimal.jpg" title="Joseph Grimaldi's grave" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
In good news Pentonville Road has an interesting bit and we've just reached it. It's <a href="https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/londons-pocket-parks-joseph-grimaldi-park-n1-25147/" target="_blank">Joseph Grimaldi Park</a>, a former churchyard where the gravestones have been <a href="https://www.latzundpartner.de/en/projekte/klassische-landschaften/grimaldi-park-london-gb/" target="_blank">shifted</a> to create lawns, gardens and recreational space, indeed the local primary school appear to use it for their PE lessons. Joseph Grimaldi's <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53601036785" target="_blank">grave</a> has not been cleared but is instead surrounded by ribboned railings and decorated with red roses, creating a point of panto pilgrimage for the famed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Grimaldi" target="_blank">Regency clown</a>. An odder tribute is a black <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonmatt/41418821090/" target="_blank">coffin-shaped panel</a> embedded in the grass closer to the road, which it turns out is made from springy panels with bells underneath, which you're supposed to jump on like a game of musical hopscotch. And the building in the centre isn't the original chapel, merely a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgDmDJfEGlbj-92_DXADhrmg9EBRtCjc8VKW7Ex4uNdMc1V7WrROYLBvNdFx-C7RbWjgWkd56IvfpjLcdHhHhVcFYjfYMWfDoyPeuDrl2G5R5KLoIt5PYg2nJyEojYC-OpMSf0eaFAcfH3zyh3T9nSohl7AcOOExjIQ4Uo6ZY9yWCWK-81aCr4g/s1600/rnib.jpg" target="_blank">1990s office block</a> designed to resemble it, and which since last summer has been the cutting edge <a href="https://www.burohappold.com/projects/royal-national-institute-of-blind-people-rnib-grimaldi-building/" target="_blank">London office</a> of the RNIB. Told you it was interesting.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAnNvJE1Oe8rmU0Yx73Zq6mmZ_m8OzihYZWq-viWGuvVaDq2g2rkyIX_cZTMNoNNTkDOx4uCN7Nf5s2IWNLm8EdxZp1XfkBc27H0W-1t7P7lGtSHJpIZnpIrOBMAcF7ShSsRGEKCiK4J5meHH8WyLpIHxFtskyo8_w0cWkyBi0_7aXRcN1xLmNA/s1600/prubber.jpg" title="Pentonville Rubber" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Back on the main road a brief interlude of multi-storey <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFogBoHdqRvvi_2ACdXDB1x-EWoEnm-bbMOm_pvayW9h52P67kLqry9LmRjQltl-m-WYTveEm0sgx1qxd8BrrXo9qvOP5QUxFGmzIRUie265DxPoO6v7Iv8eyM_iKNv4wCeALiHpu5t0sZaPEQMd_c5aZ3c8ntVRwg1pRy8HQS1rliOf0hZAi52g/s1600/council.jpg" target="_blank">council housing</a> is followed by a lot more tediously modern commercial development. One's got a Tesco under it, one's occupied by another sensory-based charity and one substantial former <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoImLXbVUydVpNlt817sSJLgHNVmsU9ulXTye2AzJbvrIvt6mmppJrMDs_uTnbjtlElYUw2l_aVJGNQitQlvfjdTm4Zk9b_vlUmKMYXxWFBsyGUYlAFtwGr91KQ9ZAAYkXzNjYPHAYZyqhUx8pJ3jcKBF137DRkaQz5E7Gf9n_77ssDRaSPM3DWw/s1600/selfstore.jpg" target="_blank">warehouse</a> is now used for lockable self-storage. Only one pre-war parade of shops survives and it includes the street's most intriguingly named store, <a href="http://www.pentonvillerubber.co.uk/aboutus.html" target="_blank">Pentonville Rubber</a>. You may or may not be disappointed to discover it's a proper <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/19176374/" target="_blank">old-school</a> business specialising in flooring, sheeting and piping, where aproned gents will cut you multiple thicknesses of latex and whose window display is currently promoting different shades of memory foam. Long may it survive. The next turnoff (by the pub) is called Penton Street and was originally a footpath leading from Clerkenwell up towards Highgate before the suburb of Pentonville came along.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwojiBDPmmXRAsH_rgbVVybCW6jSBmWfHQyHBv__i06-zZ9wwumXQ8Jey4U_uL87ntmwc984m2SnZ5XYBbmHhaWUq7SThbbkoJO1YMIekRcN569oWnrh2yQyBkR7PEKxqvOHjwAbpf3CRYC9-vTTtxMz8mZYkiCoefyyQkGEDvhmQSzYroODrhw/s1600/pentreserv.jpg" title="Claremont Square reservoir" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The unusual thing about <a href="https://knowyourlondon.wordpress.com/2022/04/25/claremont-square/" target="_blank">Claremont Square</a> is that it has a reservoir in the middle. Normally it'd be the three sides of pristine Georgian terraces that'd draw the eye but instead the 4m-high grassy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/9989290953/" target="_blank">mound</a> in the middle is dominant, especially when scattered with daffodils. This conceals a Victorian reservoir capable of holding 16 million litres of water, which itself was built on the site of the Upper Pond added by the New River Company in 1709. The north side of the square on Pentonville Road instead boasts dull prestige flats, plus a DoubleTree hotel I once paid to stay in but then spent the night in an entirely different room. Just before The Castle pub a green road sign points in capital letters towards <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/50970091503/" target="_blank">The NORTH</a>, suggesting you turn off here via White Lion Street (another Pentonville spine road) rather than staying on the ring road until the Angel.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27pxjVYQ8qv3zE-eGq2BLOP1fG_QuV5GHUK7lG5nIPV-RUbisA91XfgfiliAHmhlfbldm3HMtIvxJTJx7vW6QvC1f5EufUSADBieJ7SIEUcUfcepFtm5pK-i4t9yUYcEoy-yTHRtkXa1gVQXOfKV-ANc4ixnOrgI-vAAWRgkal2Rtd0XF-krNmw/s1600/penterrace.jpg" title="Georgian terrace" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
You finally get some idea of Pentonville Road's former glories from the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4qBDseRcvod3KNyto0rTvGhsIK1_81ztqdKqOsUqORdpfNL5KC4s1TBKLLTW4NafPic5q-sR0VYjYJGxcRfgkLqbCQJMkhvLJ_Mmf1BEgZnk85XhcXFPuvWJ_K5lewDrWYNtxED_fgX2G8VIbf1hJHmR7_Oq-1oiJDKBWJ3xfIsyNyPHLcwcrA/s1600/pentonterrace.jpg" target="_blank">mighty</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevencollis/26633131774/" target="_blank">terrace</a> comprising number 25 to 73. This magnificent run of four-storey houses dates back to the 1820s and followed the then-rule that all buildings must be at least 50 feet back from the roadway. Residents have semi-shared front gardens behind a line of iron railings, and judging by the letters ABCD on most front doors must get only one floor of each building to themselves. The <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7I4YFHrmYhl426_YlW5saAMnqVwKtcRx6yzsa0MKGvIw44NXzqqu_5ejCqprISxGWPmRPiM5A4AnuRVpui2WvLWHYdnl8k2kVfWf4ATBd8Z98pNYafMbe31EGi3XDBUcTN_qpj2xYUQr2NxZHbVj-3hul96rWrrK6lxE6vIlaNDBAJGxIQNpfA/s1600/craftcoun.jpg" target="_blank">chapel</a> opposite has recently been converted for use by the <a href="https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/about-gallery" target="_blank">Crafts Council</a>, and I would have gone inside to enjoy their latest exhibition had I not passed by on a day they're closed. As modern architecture re-intrudes, including a particularly horrible grey cuboid that replaced a bike shop, we reach the empty shell of a former Co-op bank. And that's the site of the <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-angel-islington.html" target="_blank">Angel Islington</a>, the first of the light blue squares I reported on a few weeks' back, so the first side of the board is complete.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-4168082581013796692024-03-20T07:00:00.001+00:002024-03-20T07:00:00.133+00:00Extremities of extremitiesFor today's post I've visited the least extreme points in London's most extreme boroughs.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4K9CEJoFAcAli5QBz2ZH1RaJQWuQHH437Wq-K5X8eWORNaDQ_67DGbb9gxQpkjZU6OG1LDSPqcqzTMwTDcEFmDj4wT7VbLCnU2kpXEA2mUi3Za_mQUpNnIbbDLOg43XWUQIqeW371ECFjadvWfyfKHWUlJTQkq-wTLDOtQsXkPcLyZzrWFZAb3w/s1600/news.gif" title="extremities of extremities" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
That's the easternmost point in the westernmost borough, the southernmost point in the northernmost borough, the westernmost point in the easternmost borough and the northernmost point in the southernmost borough.
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As posts go it's a lot of effort for scant reward.
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<b><u><font color=#8a004f>Hillingdon East</font></u></b> <font size=1><i><a href="https://osm.org/go/euuan9b?m=&relation=183779" target="_blank">[map]</a></i></font><br>
<i>Borderline with:</i> Ealing<br>
<i>Location:</i> Yeading/Southall<br>
<i>Specifically:</i> bend on Grand Union towpath<br>
<i>Distance from Charing Cross:</i> 11 miles
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This is the nicest of the four, a quiet <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53598628085" target="_blank">bend</a> on the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal opposite Willow Tree Open Space. The canal forms the Ealing/Hillingdon boundary all the way down from Southall Cricket Club to Bull's Bridge, a distance of 2½ miles, but this bump is as far east as it gets. I was expecting the dividing line to be down the centre of the waterway but no, it's actually the inner edge of the towpath, thereby creating a long thin strip of Hillingdon cut off from the rest of the borough by water. Spring's a great time to be here with the blossom out, some tentative budding and moorhens making merry in the cut. It's difficult to be certain which is Hillingdon's easternmost tree, but let's say it's the large sprawling one whose trunk and inner branches are totally smothered by ivy.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53598628085" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzq7e6Ll9ihS6OR2JFsxAgqpTU4Vm9ZG2puc7pwvnTBIGrWwcYsA-LohMRRZvTcEh8uPqbfP5g4B8WyDwxUHjEYqRVcsUmAd1drxbB_wqAZk6cKzY7EJ7XwCAMa4sqFOgMypdj6MxgR2mI-UGpxhl9kXt73KRSIa5l53fE74x-XK1uMhlxB2EGw/s1600/hillE.gif" title="Grand Union Canal by Willow Tree Open Space" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
The towpath's well kept and clean with just the one can of Red Bull discarded beside our point of interest. Temporary visitors during my visit included sequential joggers, a posse of tentative canoeists and an off-yellow butterfly. On the far side a white and blue narrowboat called Picnic had tied up, its owner taking full advantage of the quietest corner of Willow Tree Open Space to do some waterside chores. To get there on foot requires a brief walk to cross one of London's <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53598380743" target="_blank">most photogenic</a> footbridges, so long as you get the reflection of the arc in the water right. But for an easier escape simply step through the permeable woody strip alongside the towpath to enter King George's Field, a larger than necessary recreation ground, but that's in Ealing so need not detain us here.
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<b><u><font color=#8a004f>Enfield South</font></u></b> <font size=1><i><a href="https://osm.org/go/euu_kH~p-?m=&relation=51841" target="_blank">[map]</a></i></font><br>
<i>Borderline with:</i> Haringey/Waltham Forest<br>
<i>Location:</i> Meridian Water/Tottenham<br>
<i>Specifically:</i> River Lea by Edmonton Bus Garage<br>
<i>Distance from Charing Cross:</i> 8 miles
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What a difference the weather makes. Again this one's waterside but I visited while it was chucking it down so the ambience was damp grey. The southern edge of Enfield runs mostly east-west but near the old IKEA it bulges south to embrace a large block of formerly-important post-industrial estate. To find the borough's tip aim for the River Lea and seek out the Chalk Bridge, the footbridge which marks the end of Tottenham Marshes. This narrow crossing is marginally in Haringey whereas the foot of the giant pylon just beyond is a denizen of Enfield. Any fridges, cupboards, chairs or windowpanes dumped beside the towpath could be in either borough. The borderline structure is actually the High Maynard Eel Transfer, or so it says on Thames Water's heavily fortified gate, behind which the borough triple point lurks in the middle of a flood relief channel.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/34106281446" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdiGX85FF60jH-3aIRNFYgULEYT2fjQofctBW_AoGmwAEtpZueIIHXjnRoxBK2zG80DjNKVHPYvBo4Xnao0Cmqo_trM2YxXWKl5eNx3GRn0o9Jk4GIFwbMIT-j7mFX-Gk94ocSxu01zUOPKdFZGIwbG_YxqqXuiFpdGWIA7iBhmGr6F4TWfgG3w/s1600/enfS.gif" title="River Lea by Chalk Bridge" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Enfield's southernmost commercial enterprise is Arriva's Edmonton bus garage, a remote depot surrounded by vehicular detritus whose access road is a puddled waterside sprint. They're one of the last surviving tenants of the Stonehill Business Park which is being sequentially demolished as part of the <a href="https://www.meridianwater.co.uk/map-2/" target="_blank">Meridian Water</a> masterplan. Every time I walk <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/34106281446" target="_blank">this</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/34106279316/" target="_blank">way</a> something else has gone, in this case the hutlike <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/3863217098" target="_blank">Leaside Cafe</a>, and in its place are three huge humpy sheds that house (checks website, blimey) <a href="https://www.meridianwater.co.uk/projects/troubadour-meridian-water-studios/" target="_blank">Troubadour Film Studios</a>. I wasn't hanging around at this point, I was dashing for shelter under the North Circular, leaving a bass-pumping narrowboat and (potentially) some eels to fight it out as Enfield's southernmost residents.
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<b><u><font color=#8a004f>Havering West</font></u></b> <font size=1><i><a href="https://osm.org/go/0EEWx0h5-?m=&relation=185478" target="_blank">[map]</a></i></font><br>
<i>Borderline with:</i> Redbridge/Essex<br>
<i>Location:</i> Hainault Forest<br>
<i>Specifically:</i> Hainault Golf Club<br>
<i>Distance from Charing Cross:</i> 14 miles
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Here's the remote one you need sensible footwear to reach, especially after all the wet weather we've been having because a mile of squelchy footpaths can be difficult. It's located at the top end of <a href="https://hainaultforest.org" target="_blank">Hainault Forest Country Park</a>, but not quite at the high point on Cabin Hill where all the footpaths meet because that would be too easy. Instead it's a tad to the east, not deeper into the ancient woodland but across the divide within the embrace of a private golf club. You might think that would scupper my challenge but no, thankfully a public footpath threads between the fairways, indeed it's the same footpath that carries London Loop section 20 so you might well have been to this utterly liminal spot yourself.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tVqbFkmkjhqLjdW8wAAhvQ91199LlnwltNc3UwL4WK7Rthp2eT9ajOQ_NPcHbG-DPeRT1t59QvJ4DLRWu_7hA-AJo9-biJMYRytpY3C6b83V7rXS3ag25v0Od3HdZsJssQNS0yDHJZIEiW2RkNYdMNtL0lTRNj5UF_6GIfuMxd7BIr9ilayzdQ/s1600/haveW.gif" title="Mile Long Plantation, Hainault Golf Course" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
To enter Havering I only needed to cross the 10th and 11th holes, and because no golfers were thwacking their balls there was no need to take shelter in the silver birch cluster. Beyond the 10th tee the path enters the Mile Long Plantation, a perfectly-named woody strip which weaves downhill between lofty trunks, fallen logs, holly bushes and empty conker cases. Officially you're supposed to follow the signs along the public right of way but I trespassed minorly by continuing to the edge of the adjacent course (they have two) for a better view. Even Collier Row looks pretty when seen beyond tumbling trees and open fields. And then I trespassed minorly again along the perpendicular path, having checked for groundsmen, because the triple point with Essex is slightly uphill where the plantation merges into the forest. It looked much the same. As punishment for my transgression I did get even muddier on the long hike back.
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<b><u><font color=#8a004f>Croydon North</font></u></b> <font size=1><i><a href="https://osm.org/go/euusjm6u--?m=&relation=51907" target="_blank">[map]</a></i></font><br>
<i>Borderline with:</i> Lambeth<br>
<i>Location:</i> Streatham/Norwood<br>
<i>Specifically:</i> the tip of Streatham Common<br>
<i>Distance from Charing Cross:</i> 6 miles
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And here's the easy one, being on a main road with a regular bus service rather than on a towpath or deep in some woods. The London borough of Croydon spreads a lot further north than Croydon itself, encompassing Selhurst, Thornton Heath and most of the Norwoods. It finally draws to a close along Crown Lane and Crown Dale off Crown Point, which as all those crowns suggest is a bit of a highpoint. The critical point comes just before Streatham Common begins (another greenspace that's objectionably muddy underfoot at present should you step off the paved paths). It would once have been at the very tip of the common but someone built a house in the corner, I'd say in the 1970s judging by the flatness of the roof. We are therefore looking for the point where the streetsigns change.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xPr3N0gA4XD0sWavMQJeOxrrdmgTuwqncFGQwOOXu-MxxUUxYAq0c0U9yTIeYVuiy7odKpHIN1-a1hGxlivpGJ1Fy2u7l27fFM7aqGPZYadTVwkdwu7SgA5h2JNBpn2rUtrjfajdIjBxqd9FsTU1eseTne5prWPgoRR3lQnGbK29tou0zr6ABg/s1600/croyN.gif" title="Crown Lane/STreatham Common Road" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Here we are, with a Croydon-style street sign on the left and a Lambeth-branded street sign on the right. The last house in Croydon is number 55a, another late arrival, I'd say from the 1980s judging by the fake Regency pillars propping up the porch. I hoped to prove this was Croydon by checking the bins but they must keep theirs round the back, through the wrought iron gate, so I had to walk all the way up to the top of Ryecroft Road before I found a confirmatory pile of municipal green binbags on the verge. Very officially the northpoint is in the middle of the road, but because there's no traffic island you can't safely stand there, so best just look out for the enormous pine tree instead. Like I said, scant reward.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-64917299203127540732024-03-19T07:00:00.072+00:002024-03-19T07:00:00.127+00:00Green Link Walk 3Let's return to London's newest official walkway, the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/green-link-walk" target="_blank">Green Link Walk</a>, which was launched on 1st March. If you need a map try <a href="https://footways.london/the-green-link" target="_blank">here</a>, if you need an app try <a href="https://walks.gojauntly.com/collections/green-link-londons-newest-walk-200" target="_blank">here</a>, if you want 45 pages of walking instructions try <a href="https://cdn.gojauntly.com/walks/pdfguide/cf711a26-54bd-469a-b6e0-7d5421505d2f.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>, and if you're reading this several months in the future try <a href="https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/articles-62328/news-category/448-introducing-the-green-link-walk.html" target="_blank">here</a>.
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<a href="https://walks.gojauntly.com/walks/green-link-walk-section-3-3657684381420163566" target="_blank">Section three</a> is essentially a nice walk from the Angel Islington to the Thames ending on the far side of the Millennium Bridge. For central London it's an impressively quiet route, carefully constructed to follow backwaters rather than busy roads. But once again the Green Link Walk is very much not green, indeed there are several places where it deliberately skirts small green spaces rather than deviating through and I will flag these🚩 as we pass by. This is partly because big parks are non-existent hereabouts, but mainly because the route's designers were charged with the requirement that the GLW should be accessible to users of wheelchairs, mobility buggies and pushchairs. Best not moan, and remember you can always step off the designated route whenever you fancy.
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<font color=green><b>WALK LONDON<br>
<i><u>Green Link Walk</u></i></b> <font size=1><i>[section 3]</i></font><br>
<font color=#996600></font><b>Angel to Blackfriars</b> <i>(2½ miles)</i></font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64UAmqpBf5Z1uYY4XmSKXATkDfsEahG83fudRVsYI4Zx7-h8p63C47thkCy-xt8ufM6I6gIOqm67LUXu_UVB8R-EY4pkkLSqpPhznQx8veLpxhEr_Skxuc7LqgrrJTsVOrAVSTFHA-St2hvupNRGySRGUMJK0TkeiWMnYcMmvOu9R5Gep3FUYbw/s1600/glw3a.jpg" title="Duncan Terrace Gardens" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
If walking this from scratch you start outside Angel tube but I'm starting where section 2 <a href="https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=18.0/51.533/-0.1033" target="_blank">ended up</a>, pretty much above the mouth of the Islington canal tunnel. Here's the first signage failure of the walk, the only sign on the post pointing back towards Hackney and not onwards to the City. Here too is the first inexplicable shunning of a greenspace, namely Duncan Terrace Gardens🚩, a linear park following the footprint of the New River. Strict GLW-adherents get to follow the pavement south rather than nipping beyond the railings for two glorious minutes of snowdrops, hyacinths, camellias, bee hotels and full-on squirrel action. I'm baffled because it appears to be level access throughout so maybe it was just more difficult to sign or maybe it's because it's 'only' open from 8am til dusk and some jobsworth's attempting to be inclusive. Whatever.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqA5M0Lo9U5AGCw9xabpy-3dX0Uv2aihW19UEGYTizr2Jgtkm1hQYyX1nT6YEXxfqpJnTNoLiSO7Y8KCUgjiaRMfNYZWLH21HXY3QxaBz99Duh4NO6DbAqK-wsbYtOz6YoVZUvSpNalBVKZXf44kdEJbtSeXkhUoPquxxL35DeaoOdYHe2ltYsJw/s1600/glw3b.jpg" title="Chadwell Street" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The A1 is swiftly crossed, then Owens Field🚩 is the second small greenspace to be briefly avoided. "Continue
walking on the tarmac path" say the Go Jauntly instructions, lest you be inordinately tempted by some grass and a rockable metal sculpture. But Chadwell Street is a better indicator of what's up ahead, i.e. classic Georgian terraces with period lamps and traffic calming, indeed you'll likely have to dodge several bikes because the Cycleway project adopted this backway first. It gets even lovelier as you enter Myddelton Square, a large residential square centred around St Mark's where the obvious green route would be through the churchyard gardens🚩 but no, the GLW skirts <a href="https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=18.0/51.53/-0.1084" target="_blank">outside</a> instead. With written instructions highlighting drop kerbs and traffic islands I'm starting to sense that the directions have been optimised for those on wheels, which is admirable but the majority are consequently missing out.<br>
<font color=#666666 size=1>Underfoot, unmentioned, are a varied selection of circular manhole cover designs, so do look down.</font></font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EtbqqbYRNR3jo05PeNY1MpjvPXXG0XsbvjUpcwrPkiEgnUHoKzYw8bjAVwFPKju0DXOulwAvdMSywMAANiMSrgIK8ekTBl7v9ruvMV97LXJaam8c9W50YymSP5ZP7JbxEoyDPT8Y-_EFCGklWqxbPWm2hd_v551zZ9t8dxD8cOKmfnwjP8Z4bQ/s1600/glw3c.jpg" title="Lloyd Baker Street/Myddelton Square/" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Lloyd Baker Street has some fabulously unusual Georgian mansions, and also private communal gardens you won't be getting into. If you're never explored round here before you're likely to be thinking "oh I'm glad I came" and "oh do I have to turn left now?", but yes you do because eventually we have to end up at St Paul's. Go Jauntly's instructions do have an occasional tendency to head off-kilter specifically to see something. but in this case it's a 1930s mansion block currently covered in scaffolding which you could have seen close-up simply by going straight on. They also suggest you might want to "have a whirl" round Wilmington Square, which I would have given a flag except it only has one entrance/exit so could never have been part of the official route. It is lovely though.<br>
<font color=#666666 size=1>Very nearby, unmentioned, is New River Head if you fancy a brief burst of municipal water supply heritage.</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbFXUL1sLpkFMuO5SVxRFlwImV_-YyZ91IuH2cBLNWsql6gHg2ZGZdAjh8wUBaP8f63-nSxrEg6Qe-FejtI8jqZ4OYwif3r_dFxcFUwKvbSYmUN-pRQxqklbIt1Ntcd-EBS__GF7asu6nUP0KOcy509FSSZywu2HsSTJ3MrpVH5lLA-L64v95Ig/s1600/glw3d.jpg" title="Spa Fields" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Here's where we cross Roseberry Avenue and then don't quite explore Exmouth Market, only look down it. You might be thinking the GLW signage points that way but no, it's merely been overzealously used to direct you across a zebra crossing which, given the lack of traffic, probably isn't going to be necessary. I thought the next part might be our first 'green' section but alas no, it only crosses the <a href="https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=18.0/51.5256/-0.1074" target="_blank">neck</a> of Spa Fields🚩, a paved strip divided from the lawns and playground by yet more railings. As the largest greenspace on section 3 it's a shame the route can't take full advantage, indeed it could have done by exiting Wilmington Square via a different street, but only at the expense of safe crossings and wheelchair-friendly alleyways and they of course take precedence.<br>
<font color=#666666 size=1>Nearby, unmentioned, are the London Metropolitan Archives which usually have a excellent exhibition on.</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFNcMvNxMIdqpzjBxUlN2RP-9oTH6UjLRSYNaPtglHWlC9L2QQy49AMOYaC4FpP5SaXu1RnpXSJPTRcbExTDlbpNRU9LLzKMbq5MSC_CNqN0BKZMshxAbBVRZM2FFYYDU0-yClfv67FAI4sc33D51NqSv81zqQ_8V0jkZKDL1450r6j8bVWYfYw/s1600/glw3e.jpg" title="Clerkenwell Green" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Clerkenwell Close is a historic throwback, a quiet narrow curl passing between former Victorian workshops. Having been advised that "Traces of the cloisters of the Nunnery from 1140 can be seen on the wall" I spent a fair while looking, but because they never specified which wall I never found them. GLW3 then makes its most egregious green omission, <a href="https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=18.0/51.5235/-0.1055" target="_blank">skipping</a> St James's churchyard🚩 in favour of more pavement. This may be because two of the exits have steps and another's too narrow for a chair, making a through-route tricky, but if these don't worry you far better to head inside because you'll end up at Clerkenwell Green anyway. Again I can imagine many Londoners have never been here before and will be impressed, indeed we are ticking off some sequential goodies here.<br>
<font color=#666666 size=1>I haven't been mentioning it but yes, this section is pretty well signed in a multiplicity of ways.</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgifRAtwG1aqp8rzlJxYnEAn3dS6U6ANbkplywkpg2y4WH7_IsgggGpxmTNjSRY5rnge97eB5GrQ9MRiNttU8vuBumYBwsiMDQvZUUXnN3fbgdBERE1uer6nyhAEiV6Ttdg0qYR7kpGtG0yMDSRWp_xUWwJ9Y8FVeiwyQv3LkgGwo3u-YCt-3sA/s1600/glw3f.jpg" title="St John's Gate" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Here's a thing to make this hour-long walk last a bit longer, the <a href="https://museumstjohn.org.uk/" rel="nofollow">Museum of the Order of St John</a>. A small outpost exists beside their ancient church where you simply wander off the street into two rooms (and perhaps enjoy the tranquil garden beyond). But the main attraction is further down, Wednesdays to Saturdays only, its entrance underneath the former gatehouse to Clerkenwell Priory. Beyond the obligatory giftshop is a small museum in two parts, one devoted to the medieval religious military order, the other to the good works of the St John Ambulance brigade. It's all quite modern, occasionally audiovisual and very nicely presented, not to mention free. Don't feel you have to be following the Green Link Walk to come here - it's not that far from Farringdon station - but it does make an appropriate diverting break.<br>
<font color=#666666 size=1>To delve deeper into St John's Gate and its historic secrets you'll need to book a tour.</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2S_4ieJvwAPJkEEBO-2Z_ymzp0Q8IXfqiNsTO410LNnBv7eErZg3UtHIosbCKU7Jnx8T40ZYQo07J4hvsW4N_vxnkentpgkiaOPr07ayzeOBfy0x2I9Cvgrm7pl40oYCQ7OB6yvGNZ79inYm4MTs3ZQ-WoU-fche7qzZz4Q-l8XLO8nNKrDoF2A/s1600/glw3g.jpg" title="Smithfield market" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
St John's Lane leads to St John Street and thence, excellently, passes through Smithfield market. At the weekend that's the colourful quiet space with four photogenic phone boxes under colourful arched ironwork, whereas on a weekday morning I dodged forklifts, watched men in white coats load Angus steaks into a van and inhaled the pungent tang of meat. Beyond this point the signage gets a bit more temporary, mainly flappy plastic rectangles, perhaps because we're in the City of London now and permanent permission hasn't yet gone through. Prepare to follow Little Britain, the actual street, and to pass along one edge of St Bart's Hospital. The final greenspace the walk deliberately avoids is Postman's Park🚩, the one with the amazing tiled <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-memorial-to-heroic-self-sacrifice.html" target="_blank">memorial to heroism</a>, but that's because the exit at the other end has steps so officially the route couldn't get out. You can.<br>
<font color=#666666 size=1>Nearby, unmentioned, are the amazing St Bart's Church (free) and the small St Bart's Museum (reopens 2025).</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdnFP1nYdNOLHgN7P1HmIiRKSQKT4tWvCMFiiOt1Xf5wlur4ZMObvaCsZ7035PECiyB_DNOE3WncKOp1U0hY7pDnbVJCtXvhoMoQbjJmQpNF5CrIPHegNquq-7ffePliBCczN-wwtvv28Q3r2ysFqDsA1CRcnqhNEzi5SeNm0kTocfNGe_s9RNA/s1600/glw3h.jpg" title="St Paul's Cathedral" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
We're now careering towards St Paul's Cathedral and, uniquely on this walk, actually going inside the gardens to enjoy some green. The instructions do point out you don't have to, you could go round the edge, but when I saw a marker pointing through the gate I almost cheered. You can probably guess where we're going next, which is over the incredibly wide pedestrian crossing and then down Peter's Hill towards the Thames. I'm not sure what international tourists will make of GLW roundels stuck to the paving but they might inspire Londoners to Google and discover the full walk. These stickers are to nudge walkers across the Millennium Bridge with its world-beating panorama, this being the optimum crossing point for a strategic walk linking north and south London. Section 3 has to end on the south bank to create a <a href="https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=17.0/51.5083/-0.099" target="_blank">link</a> to the Thames Path, but rather than follow that it'd probably be better to mill off towards Tate Modern or any nearby tourist attraction, you're utterly spoilt for choice.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjKzqhdNJgXIT-3Z3lDDMxcl9ucUxjuzPhTb_oRcy8xdKM6Q6IMJMhLdwFEHHis5sa7ygLlCpz2ptH0T0em2xm17Vd5iHmvpMs3eqmKvCklNnUVTLghiCRKuI1px2RVoDe5zGaandrJPhF5b8U0yJWXLvA-3ZY23cTr2tmVgyPd3mbBtmAKN8iw/s1600/glw3i.jpg" title="GLW sticker at the top of Peter's Hill" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
I've grumbled a lot but this is a great backstreets walk, even if describing it as Green is almost against Trades Descriptions. It's also overly risk-averse, as if devised by the Tufty Club, so live a little and deviate off route if you want and if you can. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when the Inner London Ramblers finally publish <i>their</i> written guidance it'll be a bit more practical and a little more inspired.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-64578262225666519062024-03-18T07:00:00.036+00:002024-03-18T15:23:08.216+00:00Not the Metropolitan line extensionEight years ago the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croxley_Rail_Link" target="_blank">Metropolitan line extension</a> to Watford Junction was <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2016/12/has-metropolitan-line-extension-been.html" target="_blank">cancelled</a> when the incoming Mayor chose to ditch the outgoing Mayor's underfunded project. The people of London barely noticed - they had no desperate need to go to west Watford and the money saved went on projects closer to home. But in southwest Hertfordshire a long-held dream was extinguished, indeed as a former resident I'd been harbouring it for <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-croxley-rail-link-1975-2020.html" target="_blank">over 40 years</a>. So every now and again I like to go back and see how the disused railway that should have become a tube line has become an even more disused railway than it was <a href="https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/threads/croxley-green-to-watford-the-goldilocks-triumvirate-just-right.15235/" target="_blank">before</a>. Sometimes I even get to stand on the old rails and sigh at what might have been. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/metextension24" target="_blank"><font size=1><i>[12 photos]</i></font></a>
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<font color=#8a004f><b>Croxley</b></font>
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Still operational. Still trains to the West End every quarter of an hour or so. Still <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/9137307300/" target="_blank">evocatively</a> Metro-land and about to celebrate its centenary next year. No change here. But at the far end of Watford Road...
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<font color=#8a004f><b>Croxley Green</b> <i>(disused)</i></font>
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...this one's almost gone. Officially the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croxley_Green_railway_station" target="_blank">station</a> closed in 2003 but the last train was in 1996, after which BR provided just one daily taxi, so the place has had decades to decay. A brief embankment exists between the canal and the Two Bridges roundabout, just long enough to park a train, and always too far from the heart of Croxley to be genuinely useful. Ten years ago a faded Network SouthEast <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/5773236992/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">sign</a> still stood guard beside the entrance, but that and the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/5773270804/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">timetable board</a> alongside are long gone so you'd never guess what was behind the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/5772696617/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">locked gate</a> and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53592167082" target="_blank">up the crumbling steps</a> unless you were in the know. Except, intriguingly, the gate isn't just unlocked it's disappeared and the fence has toppled too, as if nobody gives a damn whether anyone gains access any more.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53592167082" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_npk0rZvrjTlRwvTUSqlcDIUAUKOnOIPn-gj_pNsAUGYvbJVwBYOKs_IVbAbsUsaLuVUh5NmfsmU9ub30PsdbCL8fX4fxDfIn9SR9ZVNGbFtSxOiLn6mRKQwWb2kMxaCaVT7r2Vjn9O0ZY0QNkNaC66_k6yt0meop2H6UgMg1E-RGXw8VbOFQw/s1600/croxgrn.jpg" title="entrance to disused Croxley Green station" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
I last stepped through in <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2014/12/croxley-green-station.html" target="_blank">2014</a> when the gate was pushable and the staircase slippery with fallen leaves. There wasn't <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/croxleygreenstation" target="_blank">much to see</a> up top back then, just some rails, some wonky lampposts painted Network SouthEast red, a lot of trees and a few concrete supports that used to hold the platform up. It was, I confess, quite a thrill to get back in. But I had company back then, plus I remembered how <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/15402362873/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">steep</a> the staircase was, plus I noted that the handrail had since toppled to an alarming angle so on this occasion I gave it a miss. That said, if you've ever wanted to explore the disused Croxley Green station it's now easy to gain access, perhaps the easiest it's been this century, and absolutely no signs say you shouldn't.
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<font color=#8a004f><b>Cassiobridge</b> <i>(unbuilt)</i></font>
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Croxley Green station was never going to be part of the extension, a fresh <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4fQRj7AKmU" target="_blank">viaduct</a> would have crossed the valley from the existing Met line and joined the disused railway just beyond the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/15836081230/" target="_blank">box girder</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/44461605820/" target="_blank">bridge</a>. This brief link was both what made the extension possible and what ultimately scuppered it, being where most of the cost was. But although bugger all railway engineering ever took place, local property developers continued to build around the site of the proposed new station - Cassiobridge - including one jarring <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PaeOG7E5psmIpVh_UjMUo2dYUj_FamSlSycqvme14ZGCIce0nSPbSJSfG08lMqoJWyIsbVnPpukKK1lG4yCbK-7FpkqlibzT9O14X6A35J7X0jkIHbBDmDpUtUfwwHZ05zxUcccP-MdLkGIqHLNalUIanDG2oUfOgfMtajLcuionsCnBsw-u6Q/s1600/ascotrd.jpg" target="_blank">landmark tower</a> that's now visible from far too far away. Cancellations, it turn out, have consequences.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LLlfNHVBsUs4dDJisVlrnqhRMUkpK3Xhe_jG1FirMEnFUyV-1fOtst4s-ek2MzdDB0u9KmYxbJltC4DTFL4ciLF6U4ROctNuLUfZLGB-ukbeTwxf_8Pec-qKAe4Mhtrpgmyb3n1Y9DMZRktu3i4oGzhqBmP4sQ4KaQjudpJd3nmGkTRC_kk43Q/s1600/cassiob.jpg" title="proposed site of Cassiobridge station" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
I dodged the mass of blocky brick flats that would have overlooked the London-bound platform and stuck to the alleyway <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593489350" target="_blank">on the northern side</a> where ticket barriers and lifts were never built. This is one of the best places to look through a fence and see the original railway up close, or was in 2016 after TfL cleared the undergrowth from the line. Even by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/44461594960" target="_blank">2018</a> it was still easy to distinguish the disused rails and passing neighbourhood cats through the undergrowth, but thickety trees soon started growing again and are now comfortably above head height. If nothing else local residents <a href="https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/highways-roads-and-pavements/roadworks-and-road-closures/major-roadwork-projects/watford-to-croxley-link.aspx" target="_blank">won't ever</a> have to worry about the sound of trains keeping them awake at night, but as nature reclaims this green corridor I suspect the foxes will manage that instead.
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<font color=#8a004f><b>Watford West</b> <i>(disused)</i></font>
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By the time the railway meets Tolpits Lane it's in a deepish cutting, and dead easy to look down on because health and safety wasn't so hot in the 1980s. Again trees are growing again all along the line, although they've a long way to go before they're as high as they were <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/9138271106/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">ten years ago</a> when they rose above the bridge. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593519283" target="_blank">Looking west</a> the brand new flats (on the site of an industrial laundry) hit ten storeys, whereas <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593633579" target="_blank">looking east</a> the 1990s flats (on the site of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scammell" target="_blank">Scammell</a>'s truck works) are much lower because density priorities have changed.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593633579" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyHSty48MRYQpURQlOCliIYq96V44wCayk2aaQLbi01HIQ73S575FH5pkIxYJPJOjYZhI2C4oT2G065aWf847RdqHHectfdp_IEPAtyQkQzshJFmiReIkgjvDNDzXJSr5YUBqyClwKIvYYC82245IHAcUYqIPWLM0zfr4PmJ_R-XG0Ckcsqa6Hw/s1600/watweste.jpg" title="former Watford West station" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
The most interesting sight down below is the old <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593633579" target="_blank">station platform</a>, singular, still with its <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/31339775317/" target="_blank">five</a> red lampposts and the remains of the support that once held a mirror. In this case access from the road is impossible, the arched metal gate being firmly padlocked and ivy increasingly encroaching on the steps. Annoyingly it was open the last time I came in 2022 but a group of local teenagers were <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/51930784864" target="_blank">holding court</a> on the platform so my sole chance to get down there was anti-socially thwarted. TfL had no plans for a station here so the platform might have survived construction, although it's telling that engineers did no enabling works whatsoever on Boris's watch, merely a lot of heavy strimming.
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<font color=#8a004f><b>Watford Vicarage Road</b> <i>(unbuilt)</i></font>
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Instead the extension's other new station would have been a cut-price halt on Vicarage Road tucked into the corner of Harwoods Recreation Ground. Views over the old railway are trickier here because the bridge is narrow with no pavement on one side, and controlled by traffic lights so the risk of being run over is ever present. I managed to visit just before a major football match, Watford's stadium being just a quarter of a mile up the road, so was briefly swept up in a flow of bescarfed dads, yellow-hatted pensioners and beery souls converging on the turnstiles. I did however head up there <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53595253680" target="_blank">later</a>, if only to see the unconvincing <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53595124639" target="_blank">Graham Taylor statue</a> and the new <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53594390802" target="_blank">streetname</a> celebrating one of the former chairman's greatest albums, and definitely not for a grinning selfie or a greasy burger.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53594390802" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCN02AmgKXpF3Nva9fr4z5ae6A6tjR0kSFnULHMAukn4xH-YS6EfBQy4w80zQ6o4X4uf8MhdbYv-Un1TbL1qxYtWM2P4MQhAh6ziA_2pZ3308IGF5bJAV-HF4m-T-gz4LPtdXAf88YVcFygCGpfmQGwyvLyHzmSw8c5g2to0a-Do-qCg2PCr0ZA/s1600/yellobrik.jpg" title="xxxx" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#8a004f><b>Watford Stadium</b> <i>(disused)</i></font>
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This matchday halt opened in 1982 to coincide with Watford's footballing glory years and an uptick in spectators. It didn't last - the station or the glory - and the platform has again been left to rot along with its decaying lampposts. Ten years ago it was possible to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/9136525443/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">get</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/9138755714/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">access</a> via an embankment at the end of Stripling Way, but that no longer exists having been carved away to make way for the end of a new block of flats. On my last visits I've been unable to pass under the old bridge due to construction works so this time I was amazed to be able to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593929194" target="_blank">step through</a> into what was once a lowly industrial estate and is now Watford council's prestige Riverwell development. It's so derivative it looks <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593931254" target="_blank">almost exactly</a> like an artists' impression.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593931254" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxDp8QwIzu8sh4jVuoEfRpteQOWX9wVf_CuujHAa98erCpP0rlzogNsiqIwQVwiegUN8ZhJJiPNfK6i1kzQBdk-EI1ItzcFiFoVkRzhg5AYCKTSb0ghJiMKtU8APEG7SyvowDbmQgG9RINZPqsmkP32ethzss5CSEf8o_BFoM5paOZxAis8j85Q/s1600/rivawel.jpg" title="Riverwell" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<a href="https://watfordriverwell.com/our-plans/" target="_blank">Riverwell</a> is a <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/51.64636/-0.40241" target="_blank">70 acre site</a> bordering the river Colne, although not too closely because there are rules about flooding these days. It's due to have a hotel, new school, retirement village and even a grid of terraced streets, but <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53594490504" target="_blank">as yet</a> it's mostly apartment blocks, building sites, commercial units and a vibrant yellow <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhQWXSGMpCOnz2WCEp0SuAKOyi6uHEQ1mYY6I1VLd-gAuVhaliquB2LGv3xnroDY1WDWyy5McSBR2zPDBUGcIhFP2QvSUMFtAarbdoN9Kb_atm9EXOSqp2bYclXq2hEfPtpXJVkC41nfjZg4CxtffT4FQy4KSHQqmjRsHSPbda3hR085zCUIfYA/s1600/multistor.jpg" target="_blank">multi-storey car park</a>. Again it was planned and green-lit when the Metropolitan line was on the cards, but today is just far enough away from things that the car is inevitably king. An eye-shaped island between the river and the railway has been transformed into undulating parkland for recreation and is not yet well used. But follow the muddy path in the corner almost to the Colne's edge and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593784161" target="_blank">it turns out</a> someone's dislodged the security fence so it's simplicity itself to pass through and climb up onto... gosh...
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53594017156" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxQM1mzoYIaUOpv2b136DABFzl9qnL9Qrey7QU3_O6L9pMa1yjtepIvZercGgwapoVRYfoLC8HdfYEqoks3D4SMI-MzfM-0NyeTEPinp7UMzorHR9NC8vI-j_IotuZMZpQyFGOQ2-0pE8MbkJHhOLTc_lfFiDOI723DZm7zEryt9g0vZKik88Gw/s1600/railz.jpg" title="disused tracks over the Colne" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
These are the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53594230040" target="_blank">original tracks</a> of the disused railway, here crossing a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53594017156" target="_blank">low bridge</a> just before joining up with the former Rickmansworth branch line. If I lived round here I can see why I'd skip the communal grass and playground and maybe bring a chair or barbecue up here to enjoy somewhere more authentic. Also... oooh... the tracks continue in both directions if you fancy a surreptitious safari, in one case swiftly reaching a disused signal I remember <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/9136552149/in/album-72157626709571249/" target="_blank">finding here</a> in 2013 except now <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53594616810" target="_blank">it's fallen over</a>. Alternatively head west where to follow the embankment around the border of the site you'll need to duck under young trees <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593142487" target="_blank">bursting up</a> between the tracks. This is quite impressive urbex adventuring for anyone who likes to slip off grid, in this case into a decaying world whose supposed reprieve never came.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53593142487" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVxG6Wy-M9ZcV9iSobGZaP66mmsd8-IDTOzYcOSvPpCikedl7PGvMouvvJSMeapxNZMCb5qkYI38M50KGGZtPzc7aoyiZztineVr1F3QeDj9Mt6bcgJX462t2MzWEjbucn32AdrF_QJMvox0aWmIKMrKqfBr1OMVD3GphyphenhyphenXaan-rAfQAqsAppGg/s1600/rails3.jpg" title="disused (overgrown) tracks" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
In another world you could have ridden up from Baker Street on the tube, stepped out into this watery environment and thought it a pleasant place to live, and I suspect it's only those of us who saw the blighted former version who'd think otherwise. As things stand the divide between development and decay is narrower than you'd expect, as well as unexpectedly accessible, and this is why I like to revisit this failed railway line at irregular intervals. When politicians pull the plug, the ripples often go unseen.
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<i>Previous blogposts:</i> <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2011/05/croxley-green-branch-line.html" target="_blank">2011</a> <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-croxley-rail-link.html" target="_blank">2013</a> <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2014/12/croxley-green-station.html" target="_blank">2014</a> <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2016/12/metropolitan-line-extension.html" target="_blank">2016</a> <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2017/12/mothballing-mlx.html" target="_blank">2017</a> <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2018/12/unmet.html" target="_blank">2018</a> <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2022/03/not-metropolitan-line-extension.html" target="_blank">2022</a> <br>
<i>Previous photos:</i> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/sets/72157673858637034" target="_blank">2011/2013</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/croxleygreenstation" target="_blank">2014</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/albums/72157673858637034/with/30788106214" target="_blank">2016</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/mlx18" target="_blank">2018</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/mlx22" target="_blank">2022</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/metextension24" target="_blank">2024</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-55703342184599733662024-03-17T07:00:00.132+00:002024-03-18T13:31:08.611+00:00St Patrick's Day quizzes<img hspace=0 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxTXkuB1DMsdvF5B0E7Ge6a_5pHg208vzuCRiUCAZ6aSQNaYrB02L3vpNWhL4QSoKaqfM4nPaUTwVmWZKDnseWCsn8mkqLuyblH8fmaA7eVUEVvYOO3SSOafvBu3wwtx3aNd14Q/s200/shamrck.gif" title="Irish quiz time" align=right border=0>Today I'm bringing you <font color=green><b>five St Patrick's Day quizzes</b></font>.<br>
There'll be one every two hours (or sooner if you complete them quicker).
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<i>Just <b><u>one</u></b> guess in each quiz please.<br>
<font size=1>(but that's five guesses over the course of the day)</font></i>
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<b>5) <font color=green><u>St Patrick quiz</u></font></b><br>
Here are clues to 18 words that can be made from the letters of <b>ST PATRICK</b>.<br>
All the words are six letters long.<br>
How many can you unpick?
<br><br>
<table style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" border="0" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1><tr align=left><td valign="top">
<b>1)</b> bigot<br>
<b>2)</b> channel<br>
<b>3)</b> characteristics<br>
<b>4)</b> coupés<br>
<b>5)</b> deceives<br>
<b>6)</b> designer</td>
<td width=20> </td><td valign="top">
<b>7)</b> flatbreads<br>
<b>8)</b> immobile<br>
<b>9)</b> lofts<br>
<b>10)</b> lorries<br>
<b>11)</b> mammals<br>
<b>12)</b> pierces</td>
<td width=30> </td><td valign="top">
<b>13)</b> railway<br>
<b>14)</b> regions<br>
<b>15)</b> rigorous<br>
<b>16)</b> screenplay<br>
<b>17)</b> snakes<br>
<b>18)</b> violator</td></tr></table>
<div align="right"><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><i>posted 14:25</i> : <a href="http://tridentscan.jaggedseam.com/dg/161201893115" onclick="TridentScan('161201893115');return false;"><i>comments </i><script type="text/javascript">if(postComments['161201893115'] != null){document.write(' (' + postComments['161201893115'] + ')')}else{document.write(' (0)')};</script></a></font></div>
<br>
<b>4) <font color=green><u>Irish music quiz</u></font></b><br>
Here are alternative names for 20 Irish bands or artists.<br>
How many original names can you list?
<br><br>
<table style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" border="0" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1><tr align=left><td valign="top">
<b>1)</b> The Wows<br>
<b>2)</b> Rigid Digits<br>
<b>3)</b> Treatment?<br>
<b>4)</b> Tribal Leaders<br>
<b>5)</b> Cockney Curry<br>
<b>6)</b> Tropical Blooms<br>
<b>7)</b> Sharp Red Fruit<br>
<b>8)</b> Young Male Area<br>
<b>9)</b> Avalanche Rescue<br>
<b>10)</b> The Queen Dieted</td>
<td width=30> </td><td valign="top">
<b>11)</b> From The Capital<br>
<b>12)</b> A Gasoline Feeling<br>
<b>13)</b> Lockheed Spyplane<br>
<b>14)</b> Dante's Masterwork<br>
<b>15)</b> Cigarette Remnants<br>
<b>16)</b> Directional Existence<br>
<b>17)</b> Red Card in February<br>
<b>18)</b> Growth Zone Rodents<br>
<b>19)</b> Supermarket Delivery Vehicle<br>
<b>20)</b> Attended Medical Appointments</td></tr></table>
<br>
..and a bonus clue: <b>21)</b> where you'll find 'tong' in the dictionary
<div align="right"><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><i>posted 12:25</i> : <a href="http://tridentscan.jaggedseam.com/dg/161201893114" onclick="TridentScan('161201893114');return false;"><i>comments </i><script type="text/javascript">if(postComments['161201893114'] != null){document.write(' (' + postComments['161201893114'] + ')')}else{document.write(' (0)')};</script></a></font></div>
<br>
<b>3) <font color=green><u>Irish word search</u></font></b><br>
This word search contains at least 35 Irish-related words.<br>
How many can you find? Look horizontally, vertically and diagonally.<br>
<br>
<font face="Courier New, Courier, mono" size=4>
B K C O R M A H S E C A<br>
R L J E S T O U T E I S<br>
I I A T Y E N A E H A H<br>
G X O R A N G E W S R J<br>
I A A Y N E A G H N C O<br>
D E E L E E E S T A E Y<br>
A S F L F R Y K O B E C<br>
I P Y R I G N R O K H E<br>
L O T L E C U E S J G B<br>
F A M I N E L I A M U O<br>
C E I L I D H R E V O R<br>
B E D L I W R E T S L U</font>
<br>
<div align="right"><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><i>posted 10:25</i> : <a href="http://tridentscan.jaggedseam.com/dg/161201893113" onclick="TridentScan('161201893113');return false;"><i>comments </i><script type="text/javascript">if(postComments['161201893113'] != null){document.write(' (' + postComments['161201893113'] + ')')}else{document.write(' (0)')};</script></a></font></div>
<br>
<b>2) <font color=green><u>Irish counties quiz</u></font></b><br>
Here are cryptic clues to the names of the 32 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_Ireland" target="_blank">Irish Counties</a>.<br>
That's 6 from Northern Ireland and 26 from the Republic.<br>
How many can you name?
<br><br>
<table style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" border="0" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1><tr align=left><td valign="top">
<b>1)</b> yob H<br>
<b>2)</b> like liver?<br>
<b>3)</b> garland cut<br>
<b>4)</b> insect edge<br>
<b>5)</b> sounds twice<br>
<b>6)</b> flesh hospital<br>
<b>7)</b> she's finished<br>
<b>8)</b> citrus Richard<br>
<b>9)</b> Rendell sleuth<br>
<b>10)</b> 60s TV doctor<br>
<b>11)</b> half a martyr 1<br>
<b>12)</b> not a short car<br>
<b>13)</b> floating stopper<br>
<b>14)</b> shortened sauce<br>
<b>15)</b> afterword edited<br>
<b>16)</b> hang frame badly</td>
<td width=30> </td><td valign="top">
<b>17)</b> back in feral cat<br>
<b>18)</b> not a high vehicle<br>
<b>19)</b> truck on a railway<br>
<b>20)</b> candle's nearly out<br>
<b>21)</b> sparkling wine north<br>
<b>22)</b> you see a lot of Ros<br>
<b>23)</b> waste them recycled<br>
<b>24)</b> hillock, or depression?<br>
<b>25)</b> Rochdale MP loses heart<br>
<b>26)</b> weekday muddles Ghana<br>
<b>27)</b> made from red nylon rod<br>
<b>28)</b> found in muesli (gourmet)<br>
<b>29)</b> misbehave smothered in lube<br>
<b>30)</b> limb with silver and hydrogen<br>
<b>31)</b> SE Asian country includes one<br>
<b>32)</b> happened in every South Park episode</td></tr></table>
<div align="right"><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><i>posted 08:25</i> : <a href="http://tridentscan.jaggedseam.com/dg/161201893112" onclick="TridentScan('161201893112');return false;"><i>comments </i><script type="text/javascript">if(postComments['161201893112'] != null){document.write(' (' + postComments['161201893112'] + ')')}else{document.write(' (0)')};</script></a></font></div>
<br>
<b>1) <font color=green><u>Famous Patricks quiz</u></font></b><br>
Here are clues to the names of 20 famous Patricks.<br>
How many surnames do you know?
<br><br>
<table style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" border="0" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1><tr align=left><td valign="top">
<b>1)</b> Prisoner 6<br>
<b>2)</b> 50s singer<br>
<b>3)</b> dirty dancer<br>
<b>4)</b> Derby winner<br>
<b>5)</b> Arsenal goalie<br>
<b>6)</b> second doctor<br>
<b>7)</b> TV astronomer<br>
<b>8)</b> Woolpack softy<br>
<b>9)</b> avenging steed<br>
<b>10)</b> shower dreamer</td>
<td width=30> </td><td valign="top">
<b>11)</b> Lincoln sheriff<br>
<b>12)</b> E20 Trinidadian<br>
<b>13)</b> starship captain<br>
<b>14)</b> American psycho<br>
<b>15)</b> Grey's Anatomist<br>
<b>16)</b> French midfielder<br>
<b>17)</b> lockdown adviser<br>
<b>18)</b> Wimbledon winner<br>
<b>19)</b> Greendale mailman<br>
<b>20)</b> broadcasting comedian</td></tr></table>
<br>
<font size=1><i>(remember, just <u>one</u> guess per quiz)</i></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-12869585628376092902024-03-16T03:46:00.199+00:002024-03-16T15:14:03.186+00:00346Last Saturday one bus route on the edge of east London disappeared and another quadrupled in length. I didn't fancy spending my birthday in Upminster so left it a few days before taking a ride on the end result.
<br><br>
<font color=#cc0033>•</font> The <font color=#cc0033><b>346</b></font> <u>used to be</u> one of London's <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2019/01/route-346.html" target="_blank">shortest</a> bus routes, a brief curl around the estates east of Upminster linking Cranham to the tube. It's grown.<br>
<font color=#cc0033>•</font> The <font color=#cc0033><b>347</b></font> <u>is</u> London's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDkFxlTlkks" target="_blank">least frequent</a> bus route, operating just four times a day and never on a Sunday. It continues.<br>
<font color=#cc0033>•</font> The <font color=#cc0033><b>497</b></font> <u>was</u> London's most unnecessary bus, introduced in <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2020/01/route-497.html" target="_blank">January 2020</a> to connect not many people to Crossrail at Harold Wood. It's vanished.
<br><br>
I wrote a <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/01/extinguishing-497.html" target="_blank">detailed analysis</a> of the changes a couple of months so you should read that if you're interested. But in short, what happened last Saturday is that the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/346?direction=inbound" target="_blank">346</a> extended north from Upminster station along the remote rural route of the 347, then swallowed the 497 whole. <font color=#cc0033>New 346 = Old 346 + 347 + 497</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVDKZYNtdA168s7kygXnAXBMVY1vm3ujGJfIuR9zLFwc4dvTXDwarI_jIswlRvy4b-gMwUznmC-cfeQbs2Guzx-HvLsoAuuNc3qbdC-zphaHsbI_gksSdkbZlQFgM_239KoC_J4JmtPi2VDjMdinfYkcTQUrxX3HcgtihvdWVWL1W411LSTuOJw/s1600/346347497.gif" title="changes to the 346" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#cc0033 size=4>Route 346: Upminster Park Estate to Harold Hill</font><br>
<font size=1><em>Location</em>: London east, outer<br>
<em>Length of bus journey</em>: 10 miles, 50 minutes</font><br>
<br>
<font color=#cc0033><b>346</b>:</font> The 346 <a href="https://osm.org/go/0EEbQjT8-?m=" target="_blank">starts</a> where it always did, beside a large patch of grass in the middle of the Upminster Hall estate. TfL <a href="https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/bus-routes-346-347-497" target="_blank">thought</a> they'd have to add a toilet here to make the new route work but have made do without, to residents' relief if not drivers'. Buses used to depart every 15 minutes but under the new arrangements it's every 20 so local residents alas now have a worse service.
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnn4WYolFPRyC49NRCI1TWKz4XjfqWZGMxl1ojQKiynYIIbzrzCCmT2A0yEjjciDOr1HO0VokqRiPuMDzpD3e9FtzWXM8r9EuRgUTk6bqL7wkf128eVX2WvjjJF1zkfcL82cJB7d3KjjtkAn-iGYh3s53a8pneu48ml5E6FgzEmFYKTTZYDskPQ/s1600/346.jpg" title="346 at Upminster Park Estate" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It's an odd start, first heading round a four minute loop back to <i>almost</i> where we started. A 248 is looping just in front of us, hoovering up most of the passengers, but we do attract a couple. One's an elderly man who addresses the driver with a smiley hello and a look that says "you're the first person I've spoken to today, I wish you had more to say". Queens Gardens is seriously potholed and leads to some private woodland on the very edge of east London. If you live out here, near the Cranham Brickfields, you're either very grateful for the 346 bus or more likely your front garden is full of cars. Switchbacking past the bungalows we reach the centre of Cranham by the tube depot, pausing briefly outside the Pie and Mash Cafe with its obligatory England flags. From here we're a faster route to Upminster than the 248 so by the time we reach St Mary's Lane there are ten passengers on board.
<br><br>
<i><font color=#cc0033><u>Hello TfL</u>:</font> The bus stops along this section of the route still have tiles which say '346 Monday-Saturday' whereas the service is now daily (hurrah), so they should have the plain 346 tiles the new bit of the route has.</i>
<br><br>
<font color=#cc0033><b>346/347</b>:</font> From here we shadow the route of the two-hourly <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/347" target="_blank">347</a>, the local irrelevance that occasionally links to Ockendon. We're approaching the centre of Upminster from the east, past the British Legion and eventually Waitrose where some of our passengers scarper. If I were to try to summarise the contrasting demographics hereabouts in just two cafe names, they would be Upminster Tandoori and Essex Grill. At the crossroads we turn right and hit the high street, where retro Upminster still boasts a department store and a Wimpy. Outside the latter is where driver changeover normally takes place, but only in the opposite direction so thankfully we speed through. By the time we reach the station, where the 346 formerly terminated, there's instead been a complete changeover of passengers (myself excluded).
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUKQrqSJaR5QaZvDMlaZg-P10LW0HgiDAHD4w5B4r65JMR-lgmOeI92hy3CPSDRtEbWM_IU-4CTNtGsdit6suTq4x1Zi09XmL1MaVrSlk1i4z0OVbPUpolUVyrGqAzSwzHvjTk2JObBXhDkHnY_OjbJUpwP7i6eLDH4wwsXX7qkhzdAf8X0UhIw/s1600/346wimpy.jpg" title="346 by Upminster Wimpy" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#cc0033><b>347</b>:</font> Beyond the station the houses get bigger, grander and villa-ier. They're adding 35 more where the pitch and putt course used to be, whereas the proper golf course where the serious adults play has avoided being five-bedroomed. <a href="https://upminstertithebarn.co.uk/" target="_blank">Upminster Tithe Barn Museum</a> is alas closed until next year due to roof repairs but still has a bus stop named after it. So contortedly-spiralling is our route that if you'd missed the 346 at its departure point you could easily have walked to the River Drive bus stop and caught it here - I managed it in 12 minutes whereas the bus has taken 20. Just one more <a href="https://osm.org/go/0EEZ6bX7?m=" target="_blank">stop</a> remains before we hit the edge of town, named after a <a href="https://www.wylievets.com/about" target="_blank">veterinary centre</a> founded in 1908, and then the Green Belt hits with a vengeance.
<br><br>
<i><font color=#cc0033><u>Hello TfL</u>:</font> What follows is one of the <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-longest-gaps-between-bus-stops.html" target="_blank">longest gaps</a> between bus stops in Greater London, a full 1.4 miles, as we skip over a major junction on the Southend Arterial and skirt fresh woods. It perhaps made sense not to stop here when there were only four buses a day but now there are 66 and everyone who lives inbetween is missing out. And people do live here - there's Martin's Cottage and Summerhill Terrace for a start, then everyone up Cornlands Close and the incredibly worthy cause of the Meadowbanks Care Home. London Loop section 22 passes through too, plus there's the car park for Pages Wood, but buses simply speed by missing all this out. It shouldn't be difficult to add a bus stop here, even if it was just a flag on a pole and not an all-perfect drop-kerb accessible node, and it'd barely slow the service down. Having gone to all the effort of vastly improving the local bus service, not stopping for a mile and a half is a serious wrong that needs seriously righting.</i>
<br><br>
When we do finally pause, at <a href="https://osm.org/go/0EEZ90oy?m=" target="_blank">Pages Lane</a>, we've zipped across the divide between Upminster and Harold Wood in three minutes flat. Alight here for <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2022/07/tylers-common.html" target="_blank">Tylers Common</a> and the start of a row of cottages, or at the next stop for the Towie-esque Array Brasserie and Grill. Residents on Shepherds Hill are the biggest winners of the 346's upgrade, now with 15 times as many buses per day and a Sunday service to boot, should they ever choose to use it. We cross the river Ingrebourne at Cockabourne Bridge, a smirkable name hilariously immortalised on a bus stop. By the time we reach the church, the clinic and Harold Wood's Neighbourhood Centre, but not yet the shops, two other bus routes have filtered in to help us out. At the station we unexpectedly swing round and pull up on the opposite side of the road before continuing, all the better to serve Crossrail, which is where our four miles of 347-shadowing comes to an end.
<br><br>
<i><font color=#cc0033><u>Hello TfL</u>:</font> Which begs the question, why haven't you scrapped the 347 yet? It's never performed a useful function between Romford and Harold Wood, no longer performs a useful function between Harold Wood and Cranham and still isn't necessary between North and South Ockendon. Its sole unique bit is now an underpopulated two miles between Cranham and North Ockendon, and OK these people pay London taxes but it's hard to argue they deserve this 12 mile long route. In <a href="https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/bus-routes-346-347-497" target="_blank">January</a> it was announced that route 347 remains 'under review', but short of turning it into a brief runty shuttle or pulling a magic rabbit from a hat and extending it somewhere unexpected it probably needs to die. Politically speaking, maybe that's best done after the Mayoral election.</i>
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdo8H7BtL5kSMX5cTcGePff_emcfcncl4Swwdd67Sk9trcK_MtdUSBsidDIcxHrR3jEsCjhgfWq3fuh3w8jsmE60UGq1VIQ5QPTfxCRkVguVyRIcsfNvypvyu3yC68G5RXNRiTqoYu7SSdNXxHI8ech0nIYGB0Z33_eR4obgGD7v1YijSaxrVyg/s1600/ex497.jpg" title="the ex 497, back in February" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#cc0033><b>ex-497</b>:</font> From Harold Wood station onwards the 346 follows what used to be <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2020/01/route-497.html" target="_blank">route 497</a> into the remains of a hospital. Its former site is now 800 houses served on a hail and ride basis, with buses the only vehicles allowed to drive straight through. This is the busiest I've ever seen this service, picking up seven passengers on the way through and then dropping off a couple of pensioners from Upminster at the back of the big Tesco. There are still ten of us aboard as we head for the A12 and cross it, numbers I'd never previously have believed, but maybe that's what a more frequent service delivers. Everything round here screams cars cars cars - driving them, selling them, servicing them - so it's good to see so many people not using them.
<br><br>
Only one resident alights on Chatteris Avenue, the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW72bC1Dglf1WvX2YMBHJTZzp_P2LedYeaq4HnkvVv5z9RsfQPZ76xajgfnYkfastRpMb6LWjZqFTS9peATFPZsIvuq74mYIq-fNbi3fioHXmyNSHAdxKen37FPBANWhd6koPgMg/s640/haroldgap.gif" target="_blank">tiny gap</a> in the network the 497 was introduced for, because most are waiting for the big shops on Hilldene Avenue. It no longer merits a pub but it does have a poundshop called Bargain Town and a takeaway called Fish'n'chicken. Just one person wants to ride the last stretch up Dagnam Park Drive, another blinks hard and checks the timetable to try to work out what this new bus might be. By the time we've climbed out of the valley and turned right at the trig point I'm the only passenger left, eventually turfed off by the Turdis at Stratton Road Woodland. The edge of Greater London is less than a mile away, as it has been for most of the ride.
<br><br>
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Dn9hTny7ymC9aLl7hmbL7f6j8jLbv44_5kmoZgE7Ogv8EqVHOOcizbak24oe5mR9Q1gdsl05wG0fdlwRqhKEia8ebVxWyrVz-Bl3IIgeAB35sBkj2chG5zHdPM6TXg7sbp2W_nJrX1la20SR7Ogs-2a7Rg8VV3-JB_usP5fM_wewP_F1Ugvq9g/s1600/346end.jpg" title="346 st Dagnam Park Drive" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2020/01/route-497.html" target="_blank">497</a> was a total failure of a bus route - introduced without good reason, extended in desperation, persistently underused and scrapped within four years. But given that over 30 passengers in total joined me aboard the extended 346 perhaps a proper solution has finally been found to the problem of how best to serve outer Havering. Quadrupling the length of what used to be the 8th shortest bus route in London has created something people actually want to ride.
<br><br>
<font color=#cc0033><b><u>London's shortest bus routes</u></b> (since 09/03/24)</font><br>
<i>1)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>389</b></font> Western Way → Barnet <i>1.63 miles</i><font color=#cc0033>*</font><br>
<i>2)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>327</b></font> Waltham Cross → Elsinge Estate <i>1.87 miles</i><font color=#cc0033>*</font><br>
<i>3)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>209</b></font> Mortlake → Castelnau <i>1.91 miles</i><font color=#cc0033>†</font><br>
<i>4)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>379</b></font> Chingford → Yardley Lane <i>2.26 miles</i><font color=#cc0033>*</font><br>
<i>5)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>W7</b></font> Finsbury Park → Muswell Hill <i>2.47 miles</i><br>
<i>6)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>378</b></font> Putney Bridge → Mortlake <i>2.60 miles</i><font color=#cc0033>†</font><br>
<i>7)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>R9</b></font> Orpington → Tintagel Road <i>2.63 miles</i><font color=#cc0033>*</font><br>
<i>8)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>399</b></font> Hadley Wood → Barnet <i>3.03 miles</i><font color=#cc0033>*</font><br>
<i>9)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>E1</b></font> Greenford → Ealing Broadway <i>3.13 miles</i><br>
<i>10)</i> <font color=#cc0033><b>323</b></font> Mile End → Canning Town <i>3.41 miles</i><br>
<br>
<font color=#cc0033>*</font> Circular route <font size=1><i>(the given mileage is halfway round)</i></font><br>
<font color=#cc0033>†</font> Route affected by the closure of Hammersmith BridgeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-51348228612897583102024-03-15T07:00:00.104+00:002024-03-15T13:32:04.797+00:00Random borough 3<i>Twenty years ago, on my first <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html#2626462240202843301" target="_blank">Random Borough</a> trip, my jamjar took me to <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_diamondgeezer_archive.html#107925840240861555" target="_blank">Merton</a> and I only gave it a one-day write-up. Two decades later I'm doing Merton justice by giving it three days, of which this is the last, so buckle down to learn about fertiliser, philanthropy and phone masts.
<br><br>
Before I start with 'somewhere famous', yes I know that Merton's most well-known thing is undoubtedly the <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/07/wimbledon.html" target="_blank">Wimbledon tennis tournament</a> but I chose that last time. I also picked the other frontrunner, Wimbledon Common, and wider recognition tails off somewhat after those. So I've decided to focus instead on a famous resident, or at least a resident with a famous name who never saw the product everyone knows him for.</i>
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<b><i>Somewhere famous: <a href="https://www.johninnessociety.org.uk/parks" target="_blank">John Innes Park</a></i></b><br>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Innes_%28philanthropist%29" target="_blank">John Innes</a>, the name on many a bag of compost, was born nowhere near here in 1829. He started out as a wine merchant in the City of London but made his money by starting an office property company with his brother, and that's when his eyes turned to <a href="https://osm.org/go/euuj2Wgu--?m=" target="_blank">Merton</a>. He bought up Manor Farm, installed himself as Lord of the Manor and set about developing an extensive garden suburb on the site. <a href="https://www.johninnessociety.org.uk/merton-park" target="_blank">Merton Park</a>'s still a really nice garden suburb, but we'll get to that. John died in 1904 after three decades of local do-gooding and, in a will changed a week before his passing, bequeathed significant funds to found either an art museum or a horticultural institute. His trustees picked the latter, as you might have guessed, and that set in train the events by which he's now known.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53587446378" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimav8mJPPRqRPCx_07NR_i8gHPaCc2EkDCjUHlATBZLFzLEC8EQC8AC-vCWFXskEue0PARkAStpmHSApnCd8OFD8xoBJuoUqwhLR0H7DPDFE1zRiZQS6KXLxrMz4Q5gmrhlcJiS5lfGkf9dbTEzOxovlbwfuO-PXC6oah-CaQhLOQku4nwo5LA0w/s1600/jinnes.jpg" title="John Innes' tomb, St Mary the Virgin, Merton" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
John's buried in the churchyard of <a href="https://www.stmarysmerton.org.uk/our-history" target="_blank">St Mary the Virgin</a> at the heart of the estate, which unusually for a mid-suburban church is very early medieval and retains 12th century crossbeams in the roof of the nave. I hoped to get inside to see Edward Burne-Jones' stained glass and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53587224426" target="_blank">Lord Nelson's bench</a> (he was a <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-nelson-trail.html" target="_blank">regular worshipper</a> here towards the end of his life) but it was only possible to get as far as the porch. Not to worry, that was far enough to be able to pick up a <a href="https://api2.churchdesk.com/files/d128b8d8-5af4-46bf-8fbe-17396717b5d3/view" target="_blank">Churchyard Trail</a> leaflet, and even without that it's immediately obvious looking down the churchyard that <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53587446378" target="_blank">only one memorial</a> has anywhere near the required dimensions to be John Innes' final resting place. Nice cherubs. Also the grass near the tomb was flourishing with spring flowers, including primroses and my very first bluebell of the year, which I thought was very appropriate for someone everyone thinks of as a famous horticulturalist.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53587856126" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaGEsgloL-nPyhrU52-cwaZvXGZNwOdHlcsY8UZljF1p_OmuJmvVieBsHt7lcs-Ez4hNNx7pWnB9kmuxwV4u0BNGGF3oiJcvCx1-XKLV1SHpVuLsFjxU2ulNmKa_DqysEw7utRwzv44a6Hvgrev79EPBWiNdAwgwfvFsAugnrLKKOlGoGV8gvjg/s1600/innes1.jpg" title="John Innes Park - entrance" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
The <a href="https://www.johninnessociety.org.uk/architecture" target="_blank">streets</a> hereabouts are lovely, a few predating suburban development but mostly broad avenues lined by large desirable properties in Queen Anne and Domestic Revival styles. A particular feature of the estate is the use of holly hedges to act as garden boundaries. These days the area forms a substantial conservation area, one of many on this side of Merton, each readily identified by a special form of light blue street sign. Various pinned-up notices seem to suggest that the estate has a significant problem with dogs being rowdy and digging things up, especially behind the church hall, but this may just be a reflection of the <a href="http://www.mertonpark.org.uk/mpwra-mpwir" target="_blank">residents association</a> being run by sticklers and perfectionists.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53588177704" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qd89N04hASlRdFrPmDhLugUNOvSD9-iVA5ZVEF3OU7LrnOK57xmktUh7kxtT5McyUOpDtmAApXoS3QC-Lb1-cRZsUtQzArh2O20sKLvtRD6UKx5i1SYHj2VBJXkMzDVSaKcuBhczfDoVcMjg5XuOBBvpOSOVsMjEGjUbUxyA-9C2UCa2JjkCnw/s1600/innesloo.jpg" title="John Innes Park - toilet block" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
The finest public facility hereabouts is undoubtedly <a href="https://www.johninnessociety.org.uk/parks" target="_blank">John Innes Park</a>, several manicured acres of recreational resource. The name's not just bolted on, these were originally the grounds of John's house transformed into a proper park and opened five years after his death. Its twisting paths link rockeries, lawns and well-tended <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53587856126" target="_blank">flower beds</a>, which even now include a riot of carefully-planted pansies and some almost past-it camellias, all interspersed by up to fifteen different types of holly. The park's designer supplemented the planting with a bijou bandstand, an ornamental arch and, in what's now a bit of a novelty, an <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53588177704" target="_blank">Arts and Crafts toilet block</a>. As an indication of status there's also a croquet lawn, and as confirmation that we're near Wimbledon the tennis courts are surfaced in purple and green. You'd be blessed to have this on your doorstep.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53586636997" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3dALZbqZxILSeQm-Z87eKKcSk0cVweN6mbQdocrjJyJE6JcpSrV_6FFz1Y4_rDCqqEjb3Szg38MbN6aUAuw0knBb7QrJCRCfra9Cx4d2zGFri4GftQqbPo0qhFFOIWgnEHjT1TWESZpuSHH_p5nsljNYD6fOhc6SWgzOmb1gzv5tBWJeskiH2g/s1600/innes2.jpg" title="John Innes Park - pond" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
You can see John Innes's revamped manor house in this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53586636997" target="_blank">photo</a>, just behind the pergola just to the right of the pond. It's now part of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutlish_School" target="_blank">Rutlish School</a>, a boys' secondary whose most famous past pupil is Sir John Major, and whose campus also incorporates buildings from the original <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Innes_Centre" target="_blank">John Innes Horticultural Institution</a>. It was here in the 1930s that scientists developed the iconic soil-based <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/john-innes-compost" target="_blank">John Innes</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Innes_compost" target="_blank">composts</a>, releasing their formulae into the public domain in 1938 and never profiteering from their manufacture. In 1950 the Institution upped sticks and moved to Bayfordbury near Hertford, and in 1967 moved again to more modern premises in <a href="https://osm.org/go/0ETzvS_s-?m=" target="_blank">Colney</a> on the edge of Norwich. They continue to do <a href="https://www.jic.ac.uk/about-us/history-of-plant-microbial-science-at-john-innes-centre/" target="_blank">great work</a> but it's one product invented in Merton that brought them widespread fame, named after a man who could never have guessed he'd be remembered for a product sprinkled across gardens nationwide.<br>
<font color=gray size=1><em>by tram: <strong>Merton Park</strong>; by bus: <strong>K5</strong></em></font>
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<b><i>Somewhere random: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranmer_Green" target="_blank">Cranmer Green</a></i></b><br>
I wanted this to be properly random so I handed over my decision to the local free paper. I picked up a copy of the <a href="https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/" target="_blank">South London Press</a> from a hopper outside Wimbledon Park station and decided to visit the location of a Merton-related news story inside. It's 48 pages long and full of news, I reasoned, so there are bound to be several. Not so. The paper's circulation area in fact covers nine boroughs, but out of the 40+ news stories poor <a href="https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/category/news/merton/" target="_blank">Merton</a> was the subject of only two. One was a parliamentary candidate moaning about GP waiting times, no location specified, so I was forced instead to visit the site of <a href="https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/news/mast-crusaders-win-their-case-to-reject-20m-telephone-pole-on-village-green/" target="_blank">a recent protest</a> documented on what appeared to be the NIMBY page.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9p6Ffw5AMdWR8k3RxWiecA8of_HIeWOsPxiLINGc5RdXiq7IyB_JQQ8oyv2UC94opLYfzLGo8G4G6eV1XbQwSgI-YQL5eWlMAHpB2S4AVq-_v8LUgY6ct4SwWKJhG_6CHg48agUEIapbt6DqY8-V5gTpEGC4FsqSApWH-l5sK9ebtDdhYTRKfQ/s1600/crusadrs.jpg" title="South London Press, 8 March 2024, page 18" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It's a familiar tale - phone company proposes building a mast to improve connectivity, local residents object. In this case the phone company was EE and the locality was <a href="https://osm.org/go/euupScaW--?m=" target="_blank">Cranmer Green</a>, a triangular offshoot of Mitcham Common between the railway line and the cricket ground. We can't have a 20m pole and six cabinets on our village green, <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GGH1yawXcAAMK2q?format=jpg" target="_blank">protestors</a> <a href="https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/news/phone-mast-protesters-mobilise-around-village-green-in-mitcham/" target="_blank">claimed</a>, there are vulnerable pensioners in those flats and this is their nearest green space. "It's 100ft from the church where people get married," one said. "It will be an eyesore. It will have a negative impact on the community.” Residents even went to the effort of organising a <a href="https://twitter.com/MitchamCrktGrn/status/1756958454458032440" target="_blank">coffee morning</a> to encourage objections, not to mention printing <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1767602938980024321/zOO4Ez3c?format=jpg&name=small" target="_blank">special t-shirts</a>, and as the local paper reports they actually <a href="https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/news/mast-crusaders-win-their-case-to-reject-20m-telephone-pole-on-village-green/" target="_blank">won</a>.
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Cranmer Green turns out to be rather pleasant, a nature reserve underlain by sands and gravels and an unfenced respite from the busy roads around the edge. Much of it is meadow, part of it is woodland and there's also a small pond which was probably dug in the 18th century to provide water for livestock. Oddly the green has a dead end road up the middle complete with period lampposts - this is a conservation area after all - which it seems is solely used for parking. It's also all terribly squidgy at the moment, with large parts of the grass resembling small pools and footpaths you'd need wellies for, but the southern stripe with the daffodils was thankfully more solid. I can see why the council refused permission, I thought, because adding a pole and boxes here would be an aberration.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsDi0-QYrQi_RYcjAKXo74JWBWtzOFTuVS6ZVYwuLYsp2vpmei6x7MWhWPkSIvu5wWZ1H-TyAXutUfLVIayGkUlhyphenhyphenAZHd_Q6vnfusdHv_-Mh1JH0bbJf1wbiCil35w1JnHykanH2F0MrmwyJuJiIgg9NFRTUDCEJA53z9pdNgBgWfbHc_4ttlZA/s1600/cranh.jpg" title="Cranmer Green" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Except the mast was <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F9HFXEXXkAAysap?format=jpg" target="_blank">actually scheduled</a> to be added to an <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEpVYJEXEAAYjGx?format=png" target="_blank">entirely separate</a> patch of grass across the road - more shared municipal lawn than village green. When residents claimed it would 'cast a shadow' over protected land that is literally all it would do, and as for that claim it'd be '100ft from the church' I measured it and it's actually over 800. Always take the mathematical accuracy of a crusading campaigner with a pinch of salt. That said I probably wouldn't want a big mast beside my house either, especially in a freshly fenced compound, but the winners here are really the residents of Cranmer Farm Close and not the chiffchaffs, moorhens and butterflies on Cranmer Green proper. There are many more important news stories across Merton, but they're not in the local paper.<br>
<font color=gray size=1><em>by train: <strong>Mitcham Junction</strong>; by bus: <strong>127, S1</strong></em></font>
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<font size=1><i>I'm not going to continue the random sequence by revisiting <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_archive.html#108788411418786759" target="_blank">Islington</a> in three months time - one fully upgraded borough was enough - but that's how jamjar-inspired reportage has evolved twenty years later.</i></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-55122491320295935792024-03-14T07:00:00.126+00:002024-03-14T07:00:00.129+00:00Random borough 2<i>Twenty years ago today I brought you my very first <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_diamondgeezer_archive.html#107925840240861555" target="_blank">Random Borough report</a> from the London borough of Merton. But it was fairly brief - most of my posts were back then - so two decades on I'm having another go to do Merton justice. <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/03/random-borough-1.html" target="_blank">Yesterday</a> somewhere sporty and somewhere pretty, <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/03/random-borough-3.html" target="_blank">tomorrow</a> somewhere famous and somewhere random, and today somewhere retail and somewhere historic.</i>
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<b><i>Somewhere retail: <a href="https://completelyretail.co.uk/retail-parks/colliers-wood" target="_blank">Colliers Wood</a></i></b><br>
I can't do Merton Abbey Mills again because that was 2004's choice. I was going to do Wimbledon's main shopping mall, Centre Court, but I see they've changed the name to Wimbledon Quarter and that's lost all the magic. So instead I went to the ultimate Wandleside shopping cluster.
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The Colliers Wood <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/51.41530/-0.17995" target="_blank">retail hub</a> is massive, sells everything the big chains offer and comes in <a href="https://completelyretail.co.uk/retail-parks/colliers-wood" target="_blank">three</a> separate chunks. You could easily walk between the car parks but I suspect most people drive.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53585080167" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqcSmr3zMWwp1z_rr4a7cbXEy6gHEQHIVk_g7iThTqHLtfxZ8ro2i1q-FE74VDv7NMpY49nfd2hPyVJY6reMTQMgiCGQO3c6MK_2QZvZwaxxEQwtVgdNGynAKhdhp1zeXtREBvv1iXJ2_KxD_GthSoDwq1uLOeJxVGbDV8UrN_t2TsNA_aLK1jg/s1600/savawandle.jpg" title="Colliers Wood Savacentre" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Biggest of all is the Sainsbury's/M&S megastore, which was a SavaCentre when it opened in 1989 and the largest hypermarket in the UK. It sits beside the Wandle on the site of the <a href="https://www.mertonpriory.org/history/william-morris/" target="_blank">William Morris Printworks</a> where carpets, tapestries, wallpaper and stained glass were manufactured to the highest Arts and Crafts standards. Think on that as you cross the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53585080167" target="_blank">footbridge</a> over the river preparing to buy absolutely nothing so erudite. The two conjoined stores are built on stilts, partly to prevent flooding but mainly to be able to fit the car park underneath, so there's an escalator to ride on the way in and a proper travelator on the way out. The upper balcony round the atrium is mostly pointless since the Fresh Kitchen cafe closed in 2022 so the security guard at me looked suspiciously as I walked a full circuit.
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<font size=1><i>Not many shopping centres include a medieval chapter house, but if you head out the back to the subway under the flyover you'll find one <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MMmCxN7Bs2BUQoc7F86tzZhqbwQwh73knZgoLnoQCIhIYftVwg9VBddHitxSrXdAHBeb15YQG6Qp8LwTUuAC70KcwcTozWdkPQiZ5oekDjA0m4qIBVs_ETI-y_Tv7eaygBnCu_792OYEGO5KKNkmMf0aH8U5RPxZE5FXYLOXYMcRxDlNvD4E9w/s1600/chaphse.jpg" target="_blank">lurking there</a>. It's all that's left of Merton Abbey (1114-1538), despoiled first by Henry VIII, then by a railway station and most recently by the A24. Judging by how close a pylon stands to the site, it seems destructive infrastructure has really got it in for the poor old Chapter House. Normally <a href="https://www.mertonpriory.org/" target="_blank">you can visit</a> every Sunday from April to September, and one day you should, but be aware the season's starting late this year while they get the drains fixed and fit brighter lighting. <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2015/07/merton-priory.html" target="_blank">[report from 2015]</a></i></font>
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The Priory Retail Park lies just across the Pickle Brook, a minor braid of the Wandle, on the site of former watercress beds. I did find an information board on the walk over which I hoped would tell me more, but sadly the panel had almost entirely eroded, the legs had toppled and the whole thing was retreating into a bush. The big shed here is bookended by a Currys and a Dunelm, but the big draw for Sainsbury refuseniks is the Aldi in the middle. Fine dining is not supported but if you want something with onion rings there's a Hungry Horse called <a href="https://www.hungryhorse.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/kiss-me-hardy" target="_blank">Kiss me Hardy</a> (named after former local resident Admiral Nelson). Best not linger here.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFFX-YO3O4NHc7Z7iYnIgzZ-J_RjNbbvNCgk0nDteHVOs4jMzqH-65zvt48B-ZPOH8VjHp1vcJt2a-nietsivjK7H3EYhDAH-MFeqA9RAjrOavv2XnT9S-qnPaSTmbIquDMD90qqhQ7jGl-wGbcxJt-QBj8DDc3ObaldyH0PpJg0AgsLLyPozOg/s1600/collwood.jpg" title="Priory Retail Park/Tandem Centre" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Beyond the crossroads is the third part of the retail triptych, the Tandem Centre. Think of it as a U-shaped warehouse with a vast car park in the middle and a ring of bollards around the edge to prevent anyone driving through the glass frontage. Pedestrians are afforded a single narrow path across the middle. The units include Next, New Look and Nando's, plus a Lidl for even greater supermarket choice, indeed enough big chains for uninspired families to enjoy a proper till-feeding afternoon out. I realise I'm only writing about this in a surprised way because I live in inner London and we don't drive to sheds, everywhere else does, but Colliers Wood is out on a limb even for the suburbs.<br>
<font color=gray size=1><em>by tube: <strong>Colliers Wood</strong>; by bus: <strong>57, 131, 152, 200, 219, 470</strong></em></font>
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<b><i>Somewhere historic: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey_Iron_Railway" target="_blank">Surrey Iron Railway</a></i></b><br>
One thing about Merton is that it has <a href="https://www.merton.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-culture/tourism-and-travel/local-attractions/wimbledon-and-mitcham-heritage-maps" target="_blank">properly dense</a> industrial heritage. The Wandle Valley was a crucible of early manufacturing thanks to watermill power, with calico works, tanneries, gunpowder factories and paper mills amongst the early arrivals. The <a href="https://www.wandle.org/" target="_blank">Wandle Industrial Museum</a> (open on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons) keeps these stories alive. Many such businesses were linked by the Surrey Iron Railway - arguably Britain's first significant railtrack, although more accurately a horse-drawn "plateway" used to transport minerals, building materials and farm produce.
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The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey_Iron_Railway" target="_blank">Surrey Iron Railway</a> ran for nine miles between Wandsworth and Croydon and was commercially successful for all of seven years before the Croydon Canal opened in 1809 and swiped its business. Here's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey_Iron_Railway#/map/0" target="_blank">a map of the route</a>, here's a detailed <a href="https://wandle.org/aboutus/mills/mcgowsir/mcgow12.htm" target="_blank">old school website</a> and here's an <a href="https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_95/surreyac095_193-210_gerhold.pdf" target="_blank">18 page</a> historical treatise from 1995. 200 years on pretty much nothing of the SIR remains bar its alignment, so I thought I'd try walking that south from Colliers Wood to the edge of the borough. The first mile was quite dull, running invisibly <a href="https://wandle.org/aboutus/mills/mcgowsir/images/12-10b.jpg" target="_blank">parallel to Church Road</a>, so I won't bore you with that. Instead let's pick up the trail at Mitcham Parish Church, a fine building from a similar era (although best not linger on the fact they knocked down a 13th century church to build it).
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gpVX3Pld4HhyphenhyphenEJk-eOAtSGPzROMmNAFjlY62WQmlCtS3YwLtbLzrkAWTYNx08WfBHaeGo2_sln7bbikbzy5-boSXjeb2oWO6WIsI5Mehe6hUt1eHZZohK4gQooxlRRo-cZOv9r-_4bsLfyQ5RRtyGM0kL3VQMVU3NAoj-YeK_uUBD4_PJpPhYQ/s1600/baron.gif" title="Mitcham Parish Church/Barons Walk" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
To follow the railway take <a href="https://osm.org/go/euupRQmcM-?m=" target="_blank">Church Path</a> south past two attractive old terraces, one from <a href="https://mitchamhistorynotes.com/2015/02/16/johns-place/" target="_blank">1865</a> and the other from <a href="https://mitchamhistorynotes.com/2016/05/05/maple-terrace/" target="_blank">1904</a>. But that's it for 'pretty' on this walk because the two long paths that lie ahead are far from attractive. The first is Baron's Walk, and as you survey the fingerpost at the first fork yes I'm sorry, that is the miserable-looking alleyway to the right. It bends unloved around the outside of a waste processing centre, with hundreds of skips and bales visible on the far side of a line of spiked railings... and smellable too thanks to the unmistakable sub-citrus whiff of decay. To the left a crumbly green fence shields the recreation ground you probably should have walked through instead, and eventually a much older brick wall hems you in too. The path doesn't precisely track the original alignment of the railway, merely very near enough, but we're coming up on a modern means of transport that follows it precisely.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU64IOLOhAQqBwqZ_Fkso4bD5Z5Ffh6Nj8etq2eFUC2bH_b_ovg47VkOQr5E2LEZ9BSaPFqWC_G95_3S4h-U_83c1aCh2jytbiu_5oV1MmYCklmLk8LWXf_puokaisf1TvGt8HV-tXz37w-Xg3xYFAoM1Ln6yz8mjnk_CFQsQAAntb2760mRa_EA/s1600/tramz.gif" title="Barons Walk/Tramway Path" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Yes it's the Croydon trams, which from 'just after Belgrave Walk' to 'just before Waddon Marsh' replace the actual railway which replaced the SIR. You can't walk along the tram tracks, obviously, but you can follow a parallel footway called <a href="https://wandle.org/aboutus/mills/mcgowsir/images/12-11b.jpg" target="_blank">Tramway Path</a> for most of what follows. Above Mitcham tram stop it has proper semi-detached houses and parking, then swings across and traces the northern side of the tracks instead. I arrived at school-chucking-out time so had to fight against a flow of fussing mums, independent ten year-olds and scooter riders emerging from the back of Cranmer Primary. The path then narrows somewhat past the backs of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/51943232316/" target="_blank">several gardens</a> before reaching a narrow bridge across the tracks. The tram in my <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53586390235" target="_blank">photo</a> has just departed Mitcham Junction, whereas Tramway Path now veers off to the right (past that lone lamppost) following the SIR's <a href="https://wandle.org/aboutus/mills/mcgowsir/images/12-13b.jpg" target="_blank">branch line</a> to Hackbridge.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53586390235" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3J4TMzTICZVWbZjQ3V-0yG43oTkCXQSR_OiX01oRe4ORHpx8j9mjplGxDG_8NcAnHpHxQzra8ZMyqG32V-t5D2YTXy4TxoS1eOSW2aYTzwFAs6ymZ3xU16Hrb2t4qXQ8-ZHBpj6nzGuUkF8IWkVC8qZEfZw6yUekMLlHuNjh4P-n9noKHu0PYg/s1600/trammers.gif" title="Willow Lane Bridge/Tramway Path" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
This isn't much more pleasant, to be honest, again between the backs of houses and something semi-industrial but at least with a stripe of woody undergrowth to act as a distraction. Also the smell wafting over the fence is now briefly baked goods, not rotting refuse, so that's a plus. Folk who live on Carshalton Road can't park out front because that's Mitcham Common so instead they have garages back here, a long chain of them in not always the best condition. The depot hidden behind the barbed wire on the right is briefly revealed as a construction company's <a href="https://www.byrne-bros.co.uk/capability/consolidationcentre/90/" target="_blank">Consolidation Centre</a>, i.e. where they store their materials, and quite frankly it's a relief when this back alley eventually curves out onto the common beside a Chinese fusion restaurant. I was saved from following the final mile because the borough boundary intruded and I'm not allowed to write about Sutton, and what I think I've learnt is don't try to walk the Surrey Iron Railway, just ride the tram.<br>
<font color=gray size=1><em>by tram: <strong>Mitcham</strong></em></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-87431206327200433712024-03-13T07:00:00.088+00:002024-03-13T08:26:42.072+00:00Random borough 1<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgHZ5ZzMIhYmiexwD-BJuHUK_2vIS1eYhTlagPuvunnwL4RL2yxHz41ZTn2ASrb8f09iTW6YNty1fbcP_uT1S4KXKcH_sep6cPuPz2Q22LW7cVIX652cfautBNDIQ3_yrZkZ-p8_NnABeBYRVwDmf5IasRvMaasHLM8Sdds6V0vUulOD-DGKTzg/s1600/jamjar.jpg" title="Merton, and the jamjar" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>It's exactly <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_diamondgeezer_archive.html#107925840240861555" target="_blank">20</a> years today since I dropped the names of 33 boroughs into an empty honey jar, picked one at random and kicked off my Random Borough project. It took eight years to complete.
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<blockquote><i><a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_diamondgeezer_archive.html#107925840240861555" target="_blank">I've decided to pick one of these 33 boroughs completely at random and then go there for the day. Could be near, could be far, could be urban, could be suburban, could be north, south, east or west, will be random. Then I'm going to visit some of that borough's most interesting places, assuming it has any. I'm going to try to visit somewhere famous, somewhere historic, somewhere pretty, somewhere retail, somewhere sporty and somewhere random. And then I'll come back tomorrow and tell you all about it.</a></i>
</blockquote>
That first Saturday I ended up in the London borough of <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/51905" target="_blank">Merton</a>, nipped round six rapidly-researched locations and headed home to <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_diamondgeezer_archive.html#107925840240861555" target="_blank">write them up</a>.
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<blockquote><b><i>Somewhere famous: <a target="blank" href="http://www.wpcc.org.uk/">Wimbledon</a> <a target="blank" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A672004">Common</a></i></b><br>
<b><i>Somewhere historic: <a target="blank" href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/places/mordenhallpark/history.html">Morden Hall Park</a></i></b><br>
<b><i>Somewhere pretty: <a target="blank" href="http://www.merton.gov.uk/sport/wimbledonpark.asp">Wimbledon Park</a></i></b><br>
<b><i>Somewhere sporty: <a target="blank" href="http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html">All England Lawn Tennis Club</a></i></b><br>
<b><i>Somewhere retail: <a target="blank" href="http://www.mertonabbey.escs.org.uk/">Merton Abbey Mills</a></i></b><br>
<b><i>Somewhere random: <a target="blank" href="http://www.themertonsurgery.co.uk/">Abbey</a> <a target="blank" href="http://www.abbeyelectricalsupplies.co.uk/">Parade</a></i></b>
</blockquote>
I was thwarted somewhat that evening by a last-minute invite to go ten pin bowling (I came last) so ended up writing less than I might. I've always thought Merton got short shrift compared to <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html#2626462240202843301" target="_blank">the other 32</a>, so two decades later I'm putting that right by revisiting the borough and writing completely new vignettes in the original categories. I've made it much harder for myself by not going back to the places I went before, nor anywhere previously blogged, so it's very much a second division tour with hopefully a Premier League write-up.
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<hr><br><b>Random borough: <a target="blank" href="https://www.merton.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-culture/history-and-heritage/about-merton">Merton</a></b>
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<b><i>Somewhere sporty: <a href="https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk" target="_blank">AFC Wimbledon</a></i></b><br>
I can't do the tennis again so I'm doing the football, which turns out to be the tale of two teams and two housing estates. There is only one winner.
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In the beginning there was only <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimbledon_F.C." target="_blank">Wimbledon Football Club</a>, who in 1912 started playing on a patch of marshland at the corner of Plough Lane and Haydons Road. After a lengthy non-league career they were promoted to the Fourth Division in 1977 and began an unprecedented race to the summit. Within ten seasons they'd topped the First Division and won the FA Cup, but this success proved <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plough_Lane_%281912%E2%80%931998%29" target="_blank">Plough Lane</a>'s downfall when the Taylor Report proposed that top class teams needed all-seater stadiums. In 1991 the Dons fled the borough to groundshare at Crystal Palace, and the quest for a new ground eventually saw them (scandalously) up sticks to Milton Keynes. Here's where they used to play.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZsRtjdw8dPt4xcBH2IVPDnhZr88kPr8pXVelcIJ5eCnRuA1ifacaoNKFgl5KIVlp0BON9q0qnYji5YHnikMs0ycy_VABp45bCP68jyVxj1AC17bFA1GkgFey78BvP8BgJSPhYa8cUfrPehsUX3-ufIxBSVcMt3EIUCkDtqpHulGUnV5Lc320tw/s1600/ploughlan.jpg" title="Reynolds Gate, formerly Plough Lane stadium" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Unsurprisingly it's now a lot of flats. When the land was sold it was due to become a Safeway supermarket, but they failed to get planning permission so after demolition it was sold on to a property developer and became Reynolds Gate. Each of the six blocks is named after a former player (Cork, Lawrie, Stannard), manager (Bassett, Batsford) or chairman (Reed), interspersed with private green wedges unsuitable for a kickabout. Arguably the occupants of Stannard House have the best view across the Wandle, but given the looming presence of Wimbledon substation and its emergent pylon maybe not. Residents have a Nisa corner shop for their groceries and a Mertonesque waterwheel to assemble beside in case of fire. The chief nod to the past is a <a href="https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/plough-lane-landmark" target="_blank">funereal monolith</a> facing the main street corner, which it turns out has a textured backside supposedly representing the key events of the 1988 Cup Final. I couldn't work out which spiky quadrant was supposed to represent Princess Diana meeting the team.
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Wimbledon FC's true fans faced up to the Milton Keynes departure by starting up a new team, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Wimbledon" target="_blank">AFC Wimbledon</a>. They too started at the bottom of the heap and slowly climbed, and are currently in League Two four places below their Buckinghamshire nemesis. What's more they too play on Plough Lane, on a site two footballpitchesworth away from the old ground which narrowly <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/51905#map=17/51.43168/-0.18625" target="_blank">squeezes</a> inside the Merton borough boundary. For sponsorship reasons it's called the Cherry Red Records Stadium, which at least is a worthy cause rather than a bunch of gamblers, but it'll win absolutely <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53585193805" target="_blank">no prizes</a> for architecture.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53585193805" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XjdchBSzue3EGPbBTNaSVu-W7LiRtJMCIVcUSivYyN_3cn-6IGQozQSKoYhD3_8NopqoLEEbjcjjKLoP28Ub5UAwNJL8AXkmLrUGlCfq5IpQy0ZEt4Ed4ac5M5ubWd3uEsZ5lpj-RVrLvQ0zCjgyz3gtq9tYQiXZPTNY6AYKkiJnUfLK3azUA/s1600/afcw.gif" title="Cherry Red Records Stadium/Greyhound Parade" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
The ground is built across the footprint of another sporting stalwart, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimbledon_Stadium" target="_blank">Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium</a>, which hosted dog racing, speedway and car boot sales between 1928 and 2017. You can still see the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvGbRlgOTvUEJ8sIOJsHSdkQ009MxhxiwHTZz529w9Uo6mW4Qrh_dfaNyxFHEOS-Zyqd8espsrTQE7F6wsvRlH-x8RXyJ5FxwOexPTytcgsDwFvi_tqNAHXKe78GUwTKrsK_bQkY-yKXQ49XUrYGr8cx1Wh58g5sFORtrmWC0K3VJp-VgYt7HDw/s1600/thurssat.jpg" target="_blank">faded remains</a> of a painted advert promising 'Greyhound Racing every THU [unreadable] SAT' on a wall leading to the away end. AFC Wimbledon pounced on the site in conjunction with Galliard Homes, recognising that 600 flats were the best option for a 21st century groundshare. Most of these line a bleak boulevard called <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53583045687" target="_blank">Greyhound Parade</a>, facing a high blue barrier that denies those on lower floors the opportunity of watching a game. You can also see bugger all by attempting to walk around the perimeter, only signs by the grey gates confirming that you <i>can</i> bring pocket cameras and crutches into the ground, but <i>not</i> a large flag or a musical instrument unless you email the club in advance.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53583880482/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SQcRBHumfugmE8f8gNiKh1Uu0ueVj3dW1TR1887pJX5TJbfUPsLuwZlBKT6VaCxfnUkPEDPBpJOot5Oeqa0b6ZBbIg0XcT5Q04IA_pMnYEuz1li-LK_EIpraa2c7FYZjQGbnRfdRXg71knEJplaK4lK2_l36GynkwLsPK4yiEd-6cDos3FQzTw/s1600/wombench.jpg" title="Womble Bench" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
As a child of the 70s my favourite spot was the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53583880482" target="_blank">Womble Bench</a> where Orinoco stands at one end with his tidy bag, and a pile of cups, cans and cartons rests on the fake litter bin at the other. The <i>other</i> team used to have a <a href="https://www.tidybag.uk/memorabilia/wombles-football-mascots/" target="_blank">Womble mascot</a> called <a href="https://www.tidybag.uk/2021/08/wandle-the-womble-returns-after-18-years/">Wandle</a>, but author Elisabeth Beresford <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2003/may/12/newsstory.sport5" target="_blank">revoked</a> permission after they turned traitor and allowed AFC Wimbledon to have a Womble mascot called <a href="https://haydonthewomble.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Haydon</a> instead. I had no luck getting inside the club <a href="https://shopping.afcwimbledon.co.uk" target="_blank">shop</a> because it was closed, so also missed out on the <a href="https://wimbledoninsportinghistory.org/your-visit/" target="_blank">museum exhibit</a> "The Greatest Story" which is otherwise free to view. Apparently the infamous <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chalfers/2920204488" target="_blank">Womble Til I Die</a> gates from the former stadium are in storage and due to be put on permanent display soon. It all feels more of a fortress than a cosy club to be honest, but hurrah that the battle of the Wimbledons eventually led to a home win.<br>
<font color=gray size=1><em>by train: <strong>Haydons Road</strong>; by bus: <strong>493</strong></em></font>
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<b><i>Somewhere pretty: <a href="https://cannizaropark.com/" target="_blank">Cannizaro Park</a></i></b><br>
Many of London's best parks are a former posh bloke's back garden and so it is with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannizaro_Park" target="_blank">Cannizaro Park</a>. The posh bloke in question is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Dundas,_1st_Viscount_Melville" target="_blank">Henry Dundas</a>, William Pitt's Secretary of State for War, who lived here for twenty years and originally oversaw the landscaping. His house is now a hotel facing the southeast corner of Wimbledon Common, but the rear is in public hands so slip along the path up the side and you'll find a fascinating place to explore. For the smaller, more formal gardens turn left across the lawn past the stares of gourmet diners grazing in the conservatory. For a more varied perimeter safari turn right at the <a href="https://cannizaropark.com/about-cannizaro-park/aviary/" target="_blank">aviary</a> (which before the pandemic contained proper birds but currently contains... oh, two Girl Guide dummies as part of a rolling programme of community art). It gets better beyond that.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdKVzyEjum0zXsKRNXOu09f2I1Ofu8Vy4dfnoGTdHZJbk2Hfj49_jn27IPfyBr_H5uqKCp6IPjLOndukwG_vA6ddyBMEygBf0DU2VDVL9v-qlco9WsbkvDzds2p2xGRwgoPb1kwvlNZ8tDoUKnHZ9d_q4Z6ypZxl0Nbu1JYBt0IiiggPw5hPm1g/s1600/canniz1.gif" title="Cannizaro Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Woodland paths and avenues thread past tumbling artificial streams. A simple fountain gushes in the lower pond, watched over by a cormorant. If you know your trees you'll spot several <a href="https://cannizaropark.com/about-cannizaro-park/tree-collection/" target="_blank">rare ones</a> in a state of glowing maturity. The Valley Path is a) lined by spring bulbs b) closed for resurfacing. The <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53584130983" target="_blank">Italian Garden</a> steps down between the original kitchen garden walls, though is mostly empty bar the odd urn. Lady Jane's Wood is artificially hillocky and might require sturdier shoes. Keep walking and you'll eventually reach a belvedere amid pine trees, tucked so far into a narrow corner that most never get this far. A lot of the sheer variety and well-tended husbandry is helpfully explained by the size of the gardener's enclosure. This is very much not your average park.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53584130983" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrO7PUJOl-OPPGmrEUsJnmoCvhQsBI6y-eGoAhegvcJ-eAvU8ZAx56oU4sshokVlP_e0LVkwacCXf8_fZ2LpeSkkMmGp4gCvX5RLrUtMWKduy5KRhgcIoSO7n74RjNp_O5YDcKNOeDhzhOOX4bfbowdjZJ_xx9JnFuYGWEuT9DgOi9Sv6Ibos7A/s1600/canniz2.gif" title="Cannizaro Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
A fine body of <a href="https://cannizaropark.com/about-the-friends/" target="_blank">volunteers</a> help keep the place in shape too, and you can sense both their pride and their admonishment from the tone of their chalkboard <i>("Toilets <u>ARE</u> open. <u>If</u> they remain well kept they will remain open")</i>. Admittedly you should really visit later in the year - the Rhododendron Dell is only budding, the Rose Garden has yet to flourish, the Maple Avenue will be an autumnal treat and the Cherry Walk has already peaked. And pick a day when it's not pissing down - not many of us were traipsing round, and I felt properly bedraggled by the time I squelched past the restaurant jury. But the green side of Wimbledon's not just about tennis courts and the common, there's this <a href="https://cannizaropark.com/visiting-the-park/" target="_blank">hidden treasure</a> too.<br>
<font color=gray size=1><em>by tube: <strong>Wimbledon</strong>; by bus: <strong>93</strong></em></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-5319793316926371362024-03-12T07:00:00.031+00:002024-03-12T08:17:12.120+00:00Green Link Walk 2Let's return to London's newest official walkway, the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/green-link-walk" target="_blank">Green Link Walk</a>, which was launched on 1st March. If you need a map try <a href="https://footways.london/the-green-link" target="_blank">here</a>, if you need an app try <a href="https://walks.gojauntly.com/collections/green-link-londons-newest-walk-200" target="_blank">here</a>, if you want 45 pages of walking instructions try <a href="https://cdn.gojauntly.com/walks/pdfguide/cf711a26-54bd-469a-b6e0-7d5421505d2f.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>, and if you're reading this several months in the future try <a href="https://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/articles-62328/news-category/448-introducing-the-green-link-walk.html" target="_blank">here</a>.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3Rsp65GmtUS7wWnoYe0RPuHqvbmF2YKpQ1-DJQLDoQMBsl-PmJuhWeL6hbHnA6G5jFYmThkCgtuE1w9r40aoSZrSiVJ03nQpBMqXUzKu_h3pBZXuEqr79mcau0reVGA5RBg20kboU_UZHgJF0M36s1yYoVkty9DAvGrRNp5Z68dgHS6whLf_hw/s1600/glw.jpg" title="Green Link Walk map" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The <a href="https://walks.gojauntly.com/walks/green-link-walk-section-2-9735736298346648046" target="_blank">second section</a> is the longest and I had the sense to walk it on a sunny day. It's an urban trek across the borough of Hackney, via admittedly attractive streets but again not especially 'green'. I had my stopwatch out as I walked so I could add up all the potentially green bits and I think I scraped 30 minutes out of 2¼ hours. Such are the consequences of devising a 100% accessible trail across built-up inner London. On the plus side, on this section it is at least clear what the Green Link Walk actually links.
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<font color=green><b>WALK LONDON<br>
<i><u>Green Link Walk</u></i></b> <font size=1><i>[section 2]</i></font><br>
<font color=#996600></font><b>Lea Bridge to Angel</b> <i>(5 miles)</i></font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtepHNdEXjagvMiQcnp7F2zSdbRMxgLfiyjfDG73KPk99LGlaMwahpXpzrW65QIaU1ZuRK96phBDtt4xmPo0FUmV32Ruv0x9AViDa-dZmDMGggIffovCJqRobCTs9WbaHBQlxqy9kQtLSli4AojYqJ584rZeU_RYHcS-agXVKgRL0sfo9yOZgpQ/s1600/glw2a.jpg" title="Lea Bridge" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
If you haven't walked here from Epping Forest the best way to the <a href="https://osm.org/go/euu7O7dZs-" target="_blank">start point</a> is via Lea Bridge station or aboard the 55 or 56 bus. Things kick off officially outside the Lea Valley Ice Centre but more practically at the actual Lea Bridge - a bridge across the River Lea. Descending to the riverbank we find three iterations of signs for walkers, the first being one of those lovely metal fingerposts erected in the 2000s to show where strategic walks go, the second a 2010s-style post with thin black pointers. It hasn't proved possible to retrofit either of those for the new route so two small Green Link Walk signs have been affixed to a lamppost instead, and they stand out. The two other key walkways we're linking to at this point are <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/capital-ring" target="_blank">Capital Ring</a> section 13 and <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/lea-valley" target="_blank">Lea Valley Walk</a> sections 3 and 4, both of which follow the river for a heck of a lot longer than we're going to.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Mh0DPvtx0uMBK5g9lDPZnsa06CSGwcu8xUlRHWhbXofzM8idhiH3ZgDVOgiPmIUCXmXCUN7n_nNiRA5GHPjJ2OZGrTzGUnQndDWHebZM8OnKsITFZ4Q7gW8qyJLdy2tlcm_sVpo7XOzVgrX2mX-5AXH2mZbq3LigypS7BOsXFV9u8e_QaeaoFg/s1600/glw2b.jpg" title="Millfields Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<font color=green>[</font>Along this brief waterside stretch I spy a cormorant, a weir, a couple of jogging dogs and the Princess of Wales, which in this case is a pub and not a convalescent playing hide and seek. The path bears off just before the footbridge to enter Millfields Park, one of Hackney's largest, which it crosses diagonally on a broad solid path. Look for the London County Council <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Y5cz5_nE36jzO4d7BLf-xr_1pgHfdmZCmLUDdqP_G-ekLvxUcHlC13_D-kGTOx33PWuU2HAVVGkG8_Qb5z8vWtv1GLE6j4coQsJrPjC_QmKtTvNatctJtXOmawOOq02J7Tlgkw/s640/millflcc.jpg" target="_blank">boundary marker</a> at the start, the huge electricity substation in the middle and the dense swooshes of daffodils near the end. By the time I reached the pedestrian crossing I reckoned that'd been ten solid minutes of 'green', which I'm going to flag up as green text like this <font color=green>🕐 10 mins]</font>. I also intend to flag up the frothier nonsense in Go Jauntly's walk description in red, for example their description of Millfields Coffee on the far side of the crossing as <font color=#cc0033>that lovely coffee shop</font>. It is admittedly buzzing.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCnLcEwlBC15rYrboIcSS0JH2YiN5AdWjtmFi6vUVCQhk1hpJLyxIQyc-_mDZUVNfocOkweAEG872CsK-OPQT12hOgkus-FJEC-tiO2FhW1Zkd-FY8odXedlNGSQNbvVqZP7GR1JPCNrsz9kiQP_5SGRIkoygosJHUZqvnVBiiR3op7UFezpQvQ/s1600/glw2c.jpg" title="Clapton Pond" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
And now for a lot of pavement walking as we follow Millfields Road due west. The directions say nothing other than <font color=#cc0033>be mindful when crossing the side roads</font> but one special thing to look out for is the rare streetsign with an <a href="https://ghostsigns.co.uk/projects/nesigns/" target="_blank">NE postcode</a> at the end of Chailey Street and another is the old shopfront of Ansells (Upholsterers of Distinction, Estimates Our Pleasure) at the top of Alfearn Road. At Clapton Pond the GLW signs disappointingly direct you around the <i>outside</i> of the pond complex, whereas the written instructions are vaguer and merely say <font color=#cc0033>follow the park around</font>. <font color=green>[</font>Assuming you're able-bodied do absolutely take the opportunity to enter, get a close-up of the fountain and cross the ornamental footbridge <font color=green>🕐 1 min]</font>, because obeying the route too literally would be a wasted opportunity.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOwb6FJpVs_jYmtQl4B6hsdZZHSkMg1fnsP-ZtTF0bTjVpOWxBhByAw1mO3zgUq_7Ov0lnJuZT1eY5bnnMJ3bG0VycYZe5xXTGRSfILJahGy2mv7Te7nTyUmINk3Hl6VY5PQR9ncRqvjQOPAdP3_8AkBFs6YBJoDO6puETCur0zwUcNO-PeQQMw/s1600/glw2d.jpg" title="Hackney Downs" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Our next green stop is Hackney Downs, which at 40 acres is another of the largest parks in Hackney. Having made a bit of a detour to get here the GLW peculiarly chooses to follow a single path along the shortest edge rather than venturing any distance into the centre. <font color=green>[</font>You get to follow a fine avenue of plane trees and admire a splendid Victorian terrace <font color=green>🕐 4 mins]</font> but I say stuff that, head into the middle and then turn left along 'New Cross Fire Avenue'. You'll get to learn a lot about a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Cross_house_fire" target="_blank">1981 conflagration</a> and how it took the life of a local teenager, plus the opportunity to sit on a <a href="https://www.nelondoner.co.uk/news/01032024-new-cross-fire-memorial-to-be-unveiled-on-anniversary-of-black-peoples-day-of-action" target="_blank">week-old</a> memorial bench, then get a closer look at the delightful <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/46123010@N04/43316375175" target="_blank">doggy</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/46123010@N04/50501939558" target="_blank">mosaics</a> the official walk marginally misses.
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<i>In the southeast corner is the walk's first signage aberration courtesy of local mischief makers or vandals. One of the GLW signs has been turned to face completely the wrong path, and it looks like they tried to shift the other and bent it in the process. Another of the signs out on the pavement has also been spun to point the wrong way, and it's a bit dispiriting that this has happened within ten days of the walk launching.</i>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVw1Ixk6IyAhzQjn2Uiar47Aj4O2XXdKdAYoQznqgCOZ2unZqqwssY0-5xcKM3mbmBYVKXJLuV9Eer33ZWZaQrtkXSKcBvt1tO0f9K6YtzYKHvQ2WsL2WrLegoPkAJpwvoAR3N6IBJKKHL_NNITYFa-htnbs8EJorO1f0oMYDqjUPkv3Rf4Qw6vQ/s1600/glw2e.jpg" title="Clapton Square" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
In central Hackney the route meanders somewhat to try to tick off any available medium-sized greenspace. That means filtering back east past <font color=#cc0033>the best Vegan cafe! A visit here is a must!</font> to find a <font color=#cc0033>lovely small park</font>. <font color=green>[</font>This is Clapton Square, a remnant from the reign of George III when Hackney was a prosperous country village, although the central playground and drinking fountain are later additions. By good fortune a chain of paths now heads south via St John's Churchyard, bypassing Mare Street, along the tombside alley of Churchwell Path. Keep an eye out, if you can, for Blind Fred's <a href="https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/blind-fred" target="_blank">plaque</a>. After one of the pleasanter stretches of the walk <font color=green>🕐 9 min]</font> you emerge onto Morning Lane, home to the disastrous gentrification experiment of <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2017/01/hackney-walk.html" target="_blank">Hackney Walk</a> where every single business attracted to the fashion-led honeytrap has now <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FpV7WCyXoAEhQMX?format=jpg" target="_blank">closed</a>, apart from the Burberry outlet store that first triggered it.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh032ZzGabLjSAphr6aY6wL4vE9zrydA7JgBQSfJlpyYwAsFugFs18uitCe7cTy13ZC7hyl4JRbJQ2DLWQ1QEP4j9-IqvXC0135wCA-dpaAmL8JWDP_QsJLs24SZLa3gaPh3o_3K7YULqOVmRQhH_BgWCRyA14u5e37_Ss9QHJmfwhQ63vSc5oEHw/s1600/glw2f.jpg" title="Hackney Picturehouse" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It's back to backstreets again as we approach the heart of Hackney via the Hackney Picturehouse, Hackney Empire and Hackney Town Hall. Here the wayfinding signs reappear, having been unhelpfully intermittent during the last paragraph, so best not try walking the GLW without instructions just yet. I broke off here to enjoy the temporary photographic exhibition in <a href="https://hackney-museum.hackney.gov.uk/whats-on/current-exhibition/" target="_blank">Hackney Museum</a>, an evocative social retrospective, before continuing down the unusual cross-grid pathway of Hackney Grove. If you've never explored Hackney off the main streets before you'll be amazed that these snickety backways exist, although the steady stream of cyclists confirms that locals very much know. Best ignore the Italian restaurant <font color=#cc0033>amazing pizzas. Good vibes aplenty!</font> unless you've hours to spare because we're coming up on another marvellous greenspace, London Fields.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5f_kxtGEkyUcpHCQC6Psnu6n0e6y_20YQ6edr7kQMLhpHM1yVYbx9K7dJsUPuLX0nksZKlywaQk78w4zuWAsD7CmO9P47QQA-W_WjaZIr-xxXptfi_xLDh1cMc6xhzMV3UdkbqfP4ushl1RV8RXJ5Ufe_B9o5ILzTa1FMfO3ZNouIPL_v_F5AA/s1600/glw2g.jpg" title="London Fields" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The official path stays outside the fence for the first couple of minutes, only cutting in by the toilets, then another unhelpful sign points ambiguously down the wrong path. <font color=green>[</font>Instead cut across the centre of the park, alas its narrowest dimension, enjoying an all too brief burst of plane trees, spring blossom and exercising dogs <font color=green>🕐 5 min]</font>. If you've been adding up my green timings you'll realise they already total 29 minutes, which is disappointing because I only promised you half an hour of green and there are still two miles to go. On stepping out of the park expect plenty of pavements ahead, and although these are unexpectedly attractive backstreets the 'green' motif is now relying heavily on street trees and whatever's planted in people's front gardens.
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<i>Here's the next signage disaster, a repeater sign at the first fork in the road which plainly points left (along Shrubland Road) whereas it should point right (along Albion Drive). I was so convinced that I walked the wrong way for over quarter of a mile, admittedly along a parallel street but without any signs to guide me back onto the correct route. Please fix this one.</i>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy1z9HO-Ma0XYLlSBoQmGQobVAQkqm5fdXV54goQRu7mh7MvKl4a9bQyFc-HLsrA9vnTGgOb8m-KcKjQm7MyUf2_2FunIoAV6EUaUovOV3o-cdkLNqRBk04ZL0ZvarkAeGZY6dSPvJ0mCs8v6KVXDTHR8u6lxkYR_mSovQZ9ipT7vjnfOf-9m9w/s1600/glw2h.jpg" title="Albion Square Gardens" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Albion Drive goes on a bit, which is good because it's easy to follow, and ends with a gorgeous railinged haven called Albion Square Gardens. Think shrubbery, flower beds, palm trees, even a gardener's hut, all in a long thin enclosure faced by prime terraced villas. A carving on the central drinking fountain confirms that this hideaway was laid out in 1899 by the Metropolitan Gardens Association and its Passmore Edwards gusher was added 11 years later. Alas the GLW signs ignore ASG, ditto Go Jauntly's instructions, whereas you should definitely walk through and lap it all up. They also bypass Stonebridge Gardens, the triangle of grass below Haggerston station, <font color=green>[</font>although arguably the brief daffodilled remnant of Stonebridge Common allows the walk to accumulate its final minute of green <font color=green>🕐 1 min]</font>.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvDPz0SC4QXns7ECD3kmSB0WJ0p3KQ3H_nZBdPHtZ1X79RpzhIVcfnCjCQssBCz8SpTyirz3-bwQ78DlTeaffdyUaNBC7G_Fr2xc-sj4q0qnHonhi3LC9p7NUaeuNDyMvjtey4v1JjpQKmtM1cFIYtUit_htHNV7VNrlC2dZbOhA1H4hGX8ax2Q/s1600/glw2i.jpg" title="De Beauvoir Square" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
There's another trail-based miss at De Beauvoir Square, Hackney's largest and possibly finest garden square, where the Green Link Walk signs merely skirt the Jacobean-style houses on the southern edge. It may be that the route's designers wanted to avoid a garden that might be locked, it may be the route was deemed not step-free enough or it may just be that the entrances are in impractical positions, but for goodness sake don't be a slave to the instructions and instead nip in and lap it up. The rosebeds are sure to be great in the summer (I watched two gardeners tidying them up). The road ahead is glorious - broad, blossomy and quiet enough to wander up the centre, this because <font color=#cc0033>the quiet streets of De Beauvior have been low traffic since the 1970s.</font> The quality of life here barely flickers as we cross from Hackney into Islington.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53582627121" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCD4VO1cqYqd-lOF3GN1JrAhDkhm9WMbAWafsy5SJcqvraEDNnawsHUcqd2cFZ2PSyqxmrL7OuQunEMhrZKB2_k3hd7sbmCpYP4yaexajqervXo5DYlxHyzgeFShz_JghuyXaJ69ZSeGLpQCDiKXxJykbWfy8DJEVozqkMTxjMcEE6mayEjqAItQ/s1600/glw2j.jpg" title="Elizabeth Avenue" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
I walked pretty much all these streets during lockdown but somehow missed <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53582627121" target="_blank">Elizabeth Avenue</a>, another aesthetic winner, where small circular Green Link Walk signs appear on the lampposts for the very first time. You're unlikely to get lost now as the roads flow sequentially and quietly towards the southwest. We're following a residential channel midway between Essex Road and the Regent's Canal, and although the latter's towpath would have been a much more obvious target for a long distance walkway, the route's architects (or non-step-free connections) have kept us away. Instead there are almshouses to admire, multiple aspirational terraces to pass and also cafe owners who think £12 for 'wrap and juice' is a Meal Deal worth shouting about. Unfortunately there are no further parklets to walk through, the only green patches on the map proving to be segregated playgrounds or jumped-up verges.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyvNG5oujzh2TRz6Lb3eZSOSD04jpzD5533ZNBhTWE-nzKpn3oeDElvgIn2aGPAbPrvcOd_M4rOgepT3tpNnGTms4H1Y5P_wvU90DYytLq9MzLt0-mmQkPTEHr6RVAo2Z0vQNMoKBGghMP83kcX5k0jd_Iv5kdp89QNVJ7Doo9zm7EfmrvfVu5g/s1600/glw2k.jpg" title="Regent's Canal" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Finally the road reaches a Cajun pub <font color=#cc0033>A taste of Louisiana you'll never forget!</font> beside a quiet bridge across the Regent's Canal, <font color=#cc0033>a tranquil car-free walking route through North London</font>. Again no attempt is made to join the towpath, not even for the short dash to the mouth of the Islington Tunnel, most likely because a wheelchair user could never tackle the steep climb at the far end. The strategic walk which <i>does</i> follow the towpath is the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/jubilee-greenway" target="_blank">Jubilee Greenway</a>, one of the lesser known in the ambulatory basket, and our link to that is why Green Link Walk section 2 ends here. For section 3 expect a much shorter walk across the inner city, but for now you can duck off here for the joys of Upper Street, welcome refreshment or temporary escape via Angel tube. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-12294383476545983642024-03-11T07:00:00.045+00:002024-03-11T08:54:01.528+00:00Euston Road<table style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" border="2" cellpadding=1 cellspacing=0 align=right>
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<tr align="center" valign="top" bgcolor=#f3ffff><td><br><b>EUSTON<br>ROAD</b>
<br><br><br><b>£100</b><br> </td></tr>
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<b><i><u>London's Monopoly Streets</u></i><br><br>
<font color=#000000 size=4>EUSTON ROAD</font></b><br>
<i>Colour group:</i> light blue<br>
<i>Purchase price:</i> £100<br>
<i>Rent: </i>£6<br>
<i>Length:</i> 1 mile<br>
<i>Borough:</i> <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1gtG9ILSHGKzRcXzpU1CKa8VuPLAUtfI&usp=sharing" target="_blank">Camden</a><br>
<i>Postcode:</i> NW1
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euston_Road" target="_blank">Euston Road</a> is the broadest, busiest, most polluted street on the Monopoly board, so hardly somewhere you'd want to build a house. It's part of London's first <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Road,_London#/media/File:A_plan_of_London,_Westminster,_and_Southwark_%285384794369%29.jpg" target="_blank">bypass</a>, the New Road, which opened in 1746 as a means of driving cattle to Smithfield without having to faff around in the city. The middle-third of the New Road was named Euston Road in 1857, sandwiched inbetween Marylebone Road (not on the board) and Pentonville Road (coming up next). The name Euston comes originally from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euston,_Suffolk" target="_blank">Suffolk village</a> which was home to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_FitzRoy,_2nd_Duke_of_Grafton" target="_blank">Duke of Grafton</a>, the local landowner hereabouts. In its time the road's been dug up by the Metropolitan Railway, widened by the GLC and marginally excluded from the Congestion Zone by Ken Livingstone. I shall be walking it from west to east, in the same direction as many a cow's final journey.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajuLx3jWcszREuyUTM6N8pVc-MpcxAUCEhujDOtgONFBuZLR89wJ8_jEsw6nfqo_yI1vDF53-1wxlgC9aWvIrarbe1B3Hqbp8gmlOmr-TiDicMQWlvEoB7cSmMIgkMXpYls-o6U74AryA8o8CtuNSM5JbQoq2WRDvTUWPJVGdZqB2HycW0RkubA/s1600/eustonredw.jpg" title="Euston Road - west end" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The transition from Marylebone Road to Euston Road occurs at the top of Great Portland Street, just past the tube station, the first building being a Tesco Express. The second is a pub, The Greene Man, although when the road was built the tavern on this site was called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greene_Man" target="_blank">Farthing Pye House</a> and there was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Farthing_Pye_House_1746.png" target="_blank">nothing else</a> in the area bar farmland. The road here is six lanes wide and invariably busy with cars, buses, coaches and particularly taxis, each now held to a 20mph speed limit. The two sides of the road are also very different, one new, shiny and thrusting, the other older, shabby and shop-fronted. For hotdesking, commerce and Pret stick to the north (in Regents Place) and for shoe repairs, travel agents and piles of discarded cardboard stick to the south.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkxHUj8Ug5ARnd8JV1KXWsqjtvKw-2XAeqWB2btjJYcgkji0bWJWEAZXisQjgH-5NXqFXlt8_Acp0xrplEjhpHuYcMxdYDx6Li24ML1ByhsZOv-G__hSUdiuXsx0KLM2idTsH7RGQ-14Rpeym3WZ_m5WB3_Q3Up3FAP43eC28_3rGzJ0ekFs6sQ/s1600/eustonredunderp.jpg" title="Euston Road underpass" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The Euston Road underpass was added in 1964 in a deal with a developer who wanted to build office blocks alongside. most notably the Euston Tower. It cuts such a gash that you need to choose up front which side to be because there's no chance of a crossing or subway. A thin strip of public realm has been inexplicably squeezed between the sliproad and the lip of the underpass, including wildly optimistic benches, and although I've never seen anyone risk using them the associated detritus suggests they often have overnight residents. At the far end is Paulies, a streetfood vendor, where everything's red including the gazebo, the paella and the owner's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3SP_ShtYwG/" target="_blank">trilby</a>. Here we hit the top of Tottenham Court Road plus Warren Street station, and pedestrians briefly get a chance to dominate.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZbuo834HndE3YggIpP_9ou6ZF2mW6BDHBcPjOUySJHrOFxDsOG-AH8Qt7lnCVNQujZ27kEzJz2iJOkuZoxRsYHjHMVPXV0j6RgbIqCChJ7vLn1ve_Hi5TAf6q3iM-fKD13uDxc5iaxvPBwti3gs-TloKKFJvu3kISvAkqIW5ki6rD_QtyE5psg/s1600/eustonreuch.jpg" title="UCH" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Next University College Hospital takes over, on one side a wall of glass (in which the BT Tower is reflected) and on the other a patient-focused latticed stack opened in 2005 and decorated in various shades of muted teal. I've only spent the one evening waiting here in A&E. The timber-topped air shaft outside, with its unlabelled access door, looks like it might feed the underpass but is actually directly above the Metropolitan line. The benches along this green strip are slightly likelier to be used than those passed earlier. Euston Square station swiftly follows, with cars queueing to exit the underpass immediately above the ticket hall. Take the north subway for King of Falafel and the south subway for all things medical courtesy of the Wellcome Trust and the Wellcome Collection.
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<i>I paused here to enjoy the Wellcome Collection's current exhibition, <a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/ZJ1zCxAAACMAczPA" target="_blank">The Cult of Beauty</a>, which as ever addresses an aspect of health and biology in a socially relevant way. In this case it's that beauty is only what you make of it, that aesthetic tastes change as attitudes evolve and that sometimes you should be proud of what you've already got. If you come away unchallenged you've not been paying close enough attention.</i>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2_oWTCw9nONEPO3X1U7nevwARM-gwDzD_4ocN7H1rf3RsuGsaxQSTQD4YY9_soSSgnmbzG9m1bH8b4ctwn_YxaPPssHZzyElkISRzUEp8MFg-ZNrV25yLP_pMbJpfEVVZh7PYf53xZfiy33kNumU3yNMJLacfv4ALVWvFFa6SW6giTGtPl7vBA/s1600/eustonrdfriends.jpg" title="Friends House, Euston Road" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<b><i>House:</i> Friends House</b> <i>(173 Euston Road)</i><br>
It's not really a house, it's the British headquarters of the Quaker movement, which was built here on a greenfield site in the 1920s. The architect went for a neo-Georgian design faced with Portland stone, and faced the challenge that one room had to be large enough to accommodate 1500 people for the Quakers' yearly meeting (called the <a href="https://www.quaker.org.uk/ym" target="_blank">Yearly Meeting</a>). These days the building <a href="https://www.friendshouse.co.uk/" target="_blank">shouts loudest</a> about what a great events venue it would make, being comprehensively equipped and centrally located, with religious recruitment a few decibels behind. Anyone can enjoy the garden or perhaps <a href="https://www.friendshouse.co.uk/quaker-centre/" target="_blank">step inside</a> the cafe for an ethical coffee and a browse. I don't know of any other bookshops with a dedicated section for "Peace, justice and sustainability", not to mention free Quakery literature and (currently) cut-price calendars.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8p1iXsQLwwZ0TAc282SMokeGuKLFkL4nmQEheVBGY03ZfUGBFmtvGZjbMUXO0x_QN79edr5eQBR3bj31AP6hhZzPexyLeLCngCPqL9fXitUkEmh5XvsufEhV_OsR1zDxy8m7eFySy1WPRTHdp7AVbZH8ISSVnaTdOuemxXVAwv8SwNrAXDXLQog/s1600/eustonrdeu.jpg" title="Euston Tap, Euston station, Euston Road" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euston_railway_station" target="_blank">Euston station</a> fails to dominate Euston Road, being located too far back behind what used to be gardens. If you're used to the taxi rank being front left then prepare for a major shift because a new one is virtually ready front right - somewhat woodier in style - and cabbies will be switching over there imminently. The <a href="https://www.eustontap.com" target="_blank">Euston Tap</a> continues to dispense fresh beer from the tiny West and East Lodges, one emblazoned with destinations from Aberdeen to Huddersfield and the other from Inverness to Wolverhampton. Perhaps no other road in London is so well blessed with stations - five on the tube and three major railway stations, mostly thanks to the mid 19th-century machinations of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Commission_on_Metropolitan_Railway_Termini" target="_blank">Royal Commission on Metropolitan Railway Termini</a>.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu54fjBm9D2lSfoj-E2NyQU78TlMYYYE_zwueasvseOhLVrHmhpsaqXP3fnFRdiAicbNOktHj3puPGmceVztn_bjFRtaMUEXn4sDKCHzf950CIsJAymzwgymXen-BDcllzHxvwl71toXSwGrzrODdmUsLXJxgHxD3VogCGt4SeAyqElRt7w08xA/s1600/eustonrdlib.jpg" title="Euston Road - approaching the British Library" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The number of big-hitter buildings now starts ramping up. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Pancras_New_Church" target="_blank">St Pancras New Church</a> was built 200 years ago in Greek Revival style and currently has a climate change banner flapping from the foot of the spire. Across the road is London's oldest operational <a href="https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/museum/london-fire-brigade-history-and-stories/the-history-of-londons-fire-stations/euston-fire-station/" target="_blank">fire station</a>, then comes the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euston_Road" target="_blank">Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital</a> (formerly the New Hospital for Women) and alongside is Unison HQ. Ignore the hideous Premier Inn with its Bibby Stockholm-like architecture, Euston Road being so profitable for the company that they have another hotel literally two buildings further down. Instead look to the modernist bulk of the <a href="https://www.bl.uk" target="_blank">British Library</a>, a much more successful modern building (unless you take its recent assault by cybercriminals into account, or believe the over-cautious notices about how treacherously slippery the piazza out front is).
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<i>I paused here to enjoy the free exhibitions in the British Library, there being no paid-for extravaganza at present. The Treasures Gallery is an oft-forgotten brilliant treat, the opportunity to see famous texts across the millennia from the Lindisfarne Gospels to the original script for Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition sketch, plus an actual copy of the Magna Carta in the room at the back in case you're ever in need of a fundamental dose of liberty.</i>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53580005249" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ_D04kIhDMKxp3Lmq7B9WZnFNFePWKPxhhnyPwLydvgS1yGK6ikG_vgpT9dUe3tTYOG54cq0hSpT3dfOuHbL_JY4arhbYCvRYImu4XMJh0cBCuMpjBP_YND0ATx2PBNQlcErqS4EVDBeBKC-UfbP93FF54tEMI9xBgXgbXU-oI3QKuEYQH1pUQ/s1600/eustonrdhotel.jpg" title="Midland Grand Hotel" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<b><i>Hotel:</i> Midland Grand Hotel</b> <i>(Euston Road)</i><br>
Marriott would prefer you to call it the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Pancras_Renaissance_London_Hotel" target="_blank">St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel</a>, but to Sir John Betjeman and the Spice Girls it'll always be the Midland Grand, the iconic Gothic <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53580005249" target="_blank">swoosh</a> that fronts St Pancras station. Originally it had 150 rooms but it now has almost a hundred more, plus a chain of luxury apartments along the front including one in the clocktower. You get some idea of the money needed to live here by checking out the cars parked out front in the Residents Only spaces, including on my visit a scaldingly pink McLaren 540. The restaurant's less exclusive but still pricey, for example the champagne risotto costs £27 a bowl while a side of chips'll set you back seven quid, admittedly with a dash of aioli.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53578819862" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbz4Q5j6TaIOkk-9EDO5plL9vr6ePt1bF1kLD-Q79RWqAnnIPIdWJ1nRcc09YshF5yd7kHBJGBwVfUAaLS_oK6hTE4B0lbM9EMB4r2Lca1bpfsjuHjHceiuB9jxRa1-oQpZ5YQc-o3BhCWKEOeoYYZED6TGAFL2hhjLRrv4mzg3Oj3Uet7VYy3Iw/s1600/eustonrde.jpg" title="Euston Road - eastern end" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Outshone across the road is Camden Town Hall, recently refurbished with sustainability and events-hosting in mind. A few much-lesser hotels follow, then a hole in the ground that'll soon be an <a href="https://nla.london/projects/belgrove-house" target="_blank">ostentatious</a> laboratory building for the life sciences sector, as plans to rebrand this area The Knowledge Quarter continue unabated. The <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53578819862" target="_blank">final</a> parade of shops is plainly targeted at travellers passing through, offering a bureau de change, a betting shop and a quick pre-train Italian. I don't need to tell you about King's Cross station because that occupies a previous square on the Monopoly board, whereas just across the lights is where Pentonville Road starts and that's the next square, the last light blue, coming soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-30588879285178763532024-03-10T00:59:00.426+00:002024-03-14T17:57:29.522+00:00Route 59<img hspace=4 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3gy_iEuBgJlBMxGj3hHq_CAJyCV0eTaNDGLyalR7-B4rrq6QTSkIWY4C2cXygbnyuS7CV_oamOil4mbof3EGfNW02uWXPKY0g9XsOLltLL1SST4Cbx0a15NzHGWMSTZrWxI1EA/s400/busquare.gif" align=right border=0><font color=#cc0033 size=4>Route 59: Smithfield to Streatham Hill</font><br>
<font size=1><em>Location</em>: London south, inner<br>
<em>Length of bus journey</em>: 6 miles, 55 minutes</font><br>
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<font color=#cc0033><i>It's traditional around every birthday that I take a numerically significant bus journey. Seventeen years ago I took the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2007/03/route-42-liverpool-street-denmark-hill.html">42</a> to Dulwich, then subsequently the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2008/03/route-43.html">43</a> to Barnet, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2009/03/birthday-bus-journey.html">44</a> to Tooting, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2010/03/birthday-bus-journey.html">45</a> to Clapham, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2011/03/route-46.html">46</a> to Farringdon, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2012/03/route-47.html">47</a> to Bellingham, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2013/03/route-48.html">48</a> to Walthamstow, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2014/03/route-49.html">49</a> to Battersea, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2015/03/route-50.html">50</a> to Croydon, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2016/03/route-51.html">51</a> to Orpington, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2017/03/route-52.html">52</a> to Willesden, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2018/03/route-53.html">53</a> to Whitehall, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2019/03/route-54.html">54</a> to Elmers End, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2020/03/route-55.html">55</a> to Oxford Circus, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2021/03/route-56.html">56</a> to Smithfield, the <a target="_blank" href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2022/03/route-57.html">57</a> to Kingston and most recently the <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/03/route-58.html" target="_blank">58</a> to Walthamstow. This year it's back to the heart of town for a southbound safari aboard the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/59">59</a> to Streatham Hill.</i></font>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53577626673" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGj1GpKCzL_8GIaT6Kn7JLRqiCnmZvyYjnX8shkh0ULOS47eAaLWDsZdMAO3HUwQNqzgGmSxk73c3C52c8BX0ZulaimsjV1VQ5xa6QpnDdlno75aNd56ndTv_fhhbOYCdtmtH1TuzIXFv69hU9v2M-TjIpwpXmMbUd8ukoNg9E6Z0eA-hH2IVEg/s1600/59smith.jpg" title="59 at Smithfield" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
When it comes to riding birthday buses, some places draw you back. I was here at <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53577626673" target="_blank">Smithfield</a> for the 56 just three years ago, and the only other bus route which starts by the meatmarket is the 46 from ten years earlier. Interestingly the blinds on the 46 describe it as <font style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;">Bart's Hospital</font>, on the 56 as <font style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;">St Bartholomew's Hospital</font> and on the 59 as <font style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;">Smithfield <font style="font-variant:small-caps;">St Bartholomew's Hospital</font></font>, because naming conventions evolve. Bad luck if you want to know where any of these three buses stop because all that's been provided is a temporary dolly stop, no timetables, no shelter, no nothing.
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The 59 didn't used to start here, it was diverted last Easter to make up for the death of the <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/04/deleting-521.html" target="_blank">521</a>, whereas previously it used to plunge due south from Euston. It also operates with Boris buses, which may or may not be what you'd want to spend the best part of an hour on. I make my way up to the front of the top deck, for which there is zero competition, and brush a lot of bits of crisp off the seat. Someone's left a hoodie on the floor a few seats back, but you can't expect every driver to check everywhere around the bus between shifts. Let's do this.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkkv-AJq3kzS16WaDFUbPyFg0FhCOPwlJq4VIbBY8h9OL6dPlSIVJt5aPxepSrCq9URRripVX66cRjO6zhdGpvqLa-qfHaLT3ykx9vp1H2yGk2Pm9MAGuV86J2FmaBkH4LiEh75vIOuKZWflsWSy2vHS94L1KsbGoBreXx_6oYidBalYjFJxrUQ/s1600/59holbviad.jpg" title="59 at Holborn Viaduct" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
We emerge into the City by the Old Bailey, cross the Fleet valley via Holborn Viaduct and touch back down by Hatton Garden. That's already more famous sights and history than along the entirety of the 58 last year. All around us office latecomers are striding purposefully to work, some in shiny black brogues, others in bright boxfresh trainers. On our climb up High Holborn we trail behind a nemesis cyclist, dawdling behind him until we eventually manage to overtake, then losing ground again every time we pull into a bus stop. The need to improve the cycling experience on the approach to Holborn station has led Camden council to steal one lane for bikes, but they're still segregating it at present so it takes three attempts to get past the lights at the roadworks. This paragraph should have taken five minutes but the constriction's made it ten.
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There's only one bus stop on Kingsway and it overlooks the fruit stall where BestMateFromWork used to buy his minneolas. At the far end a flock of hire bikes lines the road above the exit from the underpass - some red, some green, and both species taking a break between rush hours. We wait awhile to turn into Aldwych, now a seethingly broad vehicle-dominated expanse because something had to counterbalance the pedestrianisation of the Strand. Top class musicals can be glimpsed up Drury Lane, and (rather closer) two bearded police officers outside the Indian High Commission. To cross over into south London we ride above a misty Thames, enjoying an iconic panorama from the dome of St Paul's round to the spike of Big Ben. As many as ten different bus routes cross Waterloo Bridge but somehow this is the first time a birthday bus has passed this way, and hopefully I have <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/68" target="_blank">two</a> <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/76" target="_blank">more</a> to go.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tEzABreg0xxiKL9L3sy-HKBMT9R_aXsGVW0S0OHU5dKkaFascaYeNAW9CI_rIcaZZ-AfBEHRueLtASd0kPgi9EFbktjN-i4q3Ey9X5jcrHNfROMb_NJ6oPcIlc8c6xhpl7qAMikFsXqNxIlshyC84nNhiR2i806ZBfFyFRySkEiUbDOt3LNyKQ/s1600/59waterloo.jpg" title="59 at Waterloo" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
At the IMAX roundabout the enormous yellow wrap is plugging Sky's new bespoke tennis channel. Outside the side entrance to Waterloo station a Chelsea Pensioner is shaking a charity bucket with a winning smile. A dozen copies of yesterday's Evening Standard lie unread in the hopper beside Bus Stop D. A shelter-top roundel reminds punters they can catch the Superloop from here, but the timetable confirms you can't do this before four o'clock so don't hang around. We turn right by the Old Vic, this one of the last turns of the journey because there's a heck of a lot of 'straight ahead' over the next four miles. The brief run down to Lambeth North tube is the only section of the route that the 59 serves alone. Waterloo Millennium Green is abuzz with daffodils, if not yet with bees. The Duke of Sussex would rather you bought food than beer. According to a banner 'Waterloo is where fringe meets falafel', and would somebody please sack the branding team.
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The first big attraction on the Kennington Road is the Imperial War Museum, indeed not much else compares. I can now see a long way straight ahead, past splendid three storey terraces with attic rooms, basements and gardens bursting with magnolia. The peak of gentrification comes at Kennington Cross where one parade of shops is painted in four shades of pastel blue and the locals duly descend to browse and graze. A number of the shops here combine neighbourhood essentials, so one does wine and cheese, another does coffee and books, and the pop-up tent outside St Anselm's is called Bouquets and Beans because you're bound to need some wrapped flowers with your soy macchiato. Thinking of the friends I know who live round here, it's appropriately pitched. That gasholder you can see rising beyond Kennington Green is indeed the same as overlooks the Oval, but here viewed from the other side.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MW5c_S4oPWbHVxukhyIByKVzDx7K9CkuRdvAGoPF5VV-wtIlacH9qJVijOhfmSodmmzoyULCTevMU8REPzfc6iSgKzsNh5pHwzO3QYKJDb5QyCjWMIOvnroXZ_grHJ307JnUjCQRhb9U8931cCGLL1kLPJ4dcmuPjrTDVF3yy8ysY2N05uwQUA/s1600/59back.jpg" title="59 at Lower Marsh" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
We're half an hour down when we turn into Kennington Park Road, joining buses that've come straight from the Elephant. I take the opportunity to admire the narcissi bobbing in Kennington Park outside Prince Consort's Lodge. We don't quite pass Oval station, instead veering left past a large traffic island with the geometrically uncomfortable name of Oval Triangle. The bobbly rock in the centre is part of a 27 ton sculpture by British artist Peter Randall-Page. It's called <a href="https://www.peterrandall-page.com/news/touchstone-sculpture-installed-at-oval-london/" target="_blank">Touchstone</a>, comprises two carefully balanced granite boulders and, confirming you should never read the artist's blurb, is "something both monumental and playful". Our bus isn't aiming for Stockwell so we take the Brixton Road, where the food offer is instantly more eclectic and includes Eritrean, Venezuelan and Japanese. It's telling that the spicy takeaway at number 12 is now Tennessee Peri Peri Chicken, no longer merely Fried.
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Charlie Chaplin has a <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/charlie-chaplin/" target="_blank">blue plaque</a> at number 76 because he lived there, but only for two years and well before his film debut. Flats old and new line the road ahead, but also more of those tall marvellously-characterful terraces because we're seeing inner south London at its best. Northbound and southbound bus lanes have commandeered half the street because four other routes head this way and they need the space. The sudden smell of something sharply floral heralds the arrival of an over-perfumed passenger in a seat behind me, the first fellow traveller I've felt compelled to mention after six full paragraphs, indeed only now is there a chatty buzz on the upper deck. Shops called Brixton Butchers, Brixton Cycles and Brixton Beds confirm that a fresh town centre is approaching; a shop called Doris Exotic suggests that some shopkeepers have peculiar tastes.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8byi32uNTSvfZLuGpZGH297G-O4hQ9sNDYFd0z2u-K4Uw6xQEIxsY5uzFDeQEM_wdiFx9Iy0RqYHaMR66PFZidyHCSvW4XQNzvdcqRDzNTX6wLYNt0YvxBLWHOAB8AS59Pc1NCYfVs5qHWBVK06wyFTiwANeeSq0SZGYOK4OkFvvW4xjDirpvcA/s1600/59rear.jpg" title="59 at Holborn Viaduct, not hereabouts" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Sometimes you can sense the moment when a bus driver has stopped trying. Ours starts lingering slightly too long at the stop by Max Roach Park, then does it again by the police station, as if he has a deadline he's trying not to meet. When it comes to naming local landmarks to suggest civic vibrancy, Electric Avenue is a heck of a lot better than Barnardo's Corner. I note that Brixton still has an M&S, not to mention an H&M, plus two different Morleys - one a department store, the other a chicken shop. We'll be taking the right fork up Brixton Hill, a gentle ascent, along with <i>eight</i> other bus routes because it's left to double deckers to take the strain once the tube runs out. <a href="https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/libraries-0/lambeth-archives" target="_blank">Lambeth Archives</a> have just <a href="https://love.lambeth.gov.uk/lambeth-archives-on-their-way-to-the-heart-of-brixton/" target="_blank">relocated</a> underneath a newbuild block of flats, because that's how council services work these days, and it's not an attractive look.
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If I were trying to make Brixton Hill sound archaic I'd mention the lengthy linear greenspace to our left (Rush Common) and the nearby windmill, and if I were trying to quash that idea I'd focus instead on the blocks of flats, the entrance to the prison and the cafe that's written its name in Comic Sans. The bus garage at the top of the hill is a former <a href="https://www.urban75.org/brixton/history/brixton-hill-tram-depot.html" target="_blank">LCC tramways</a> <a href="http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/news/?p=35680" target="_blank">depot</a> which opened 100 years ago this week, but we're not stopping there. We're going two stops further, across the South Circular, to the proper Brixton bus garage, not the adjunct. The three of us still aboard are turfed off at a special stop reserved for terminating services, just a few feet before buses swing off to enter the depot. I am immediately accosted by three leaflet-wielding missionaries intent on claiming me for Jesus, but swiftly shut them down so they shuffle off and try to convert a driver on his fag break instead.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwCfcrzYbhY4_7yxVbyA1VhyL1yudAE86EF3eNiVPSiAGt83VtvcGcLwVGPZBComLIqCT6b_NyC4WtQ7UxPyLei1gvyoeYDB8w9-_IuUACgbn0nkpYtofcVDcMZTLcm8Xv74p2N_7DOY9hBj1bkTjdddVhntgEeopNGeLiNPjbG6zdPe8fzgisQ/s1600/59telford.jpg" title="59 at Streatham Hill" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
No further birthday buses will trouble Streatham Hill until 2074, and I doubt I'll still be around in 50 years for that, but do join me this time next year as I make a break for Purley and the deep south.
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<font color=cc0033>• <a target="_blank" href="https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/59?direction=inbound">Route 59</a>: route map<br>
• <a target="_blank" href="http://traintimes.org.uk/map/london-buses/#59">Route 59</a>: live route map<br>
• <a target="_blank" href="https://www.londonbuses.co.uk/_routes/current/059-3.html">Route 59</a>: route history<br>
• <a target="_blank" href="http://londonbusroutes.net/times/059.htm">Route 59</a>: timetable<br>
• <a target="_blank" href="http://londonbusesonebusatatime.blogspot.com/2010/03/number-59-route.html">Route 59</a>: The Ladies Who Bus</font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-67111114395921145972024-03-09T06:04:00.443+00:002024-03-09T08:32:55.446+00:00with a 9 on the end<img align=right src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeR55exSpxycM2JKTeZo5LWLDhjSoUviEx3quLo7thZ5kRHej-dHXVkIYJMcoIFhynR4LXo64yW0rZuGR4AwBEG5bKS8bJs7BL19jq4VqvdtT6S9W_24Pj4yrgsyiLxh1M4vYUA/s400/cake1.gif" title="59th birthday cake" align=left hspace=4 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><i>Birthdays are often great, but a birthday with a 9 on the end can give cause to ponder as the end of another decade grows uncomfortably close.
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Today is my 59th birthday which means the end of my sixth decade is suddenly on the horizon, indeed my 60th year on earth officially starts today. I'm not sure I'm ready for this.
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So I thought I'd look back at my previous birthdays ending in 9, the moments I found myself on final approach to another decade's end, to try to remind myself that it's never as bad as it seems.</i>
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<i><b>Saturday 9th March 1974</b> (age 9):</i> I didn't have much concept of a decade back then, having not yet experienced a full one, but I knew double figures would bring special status. I was still in my second year of junior school at the time, somewhere beyond learning italic handwriting with my Osmiroid pen but not yet in thrall to the nice lady who came in to teach us a few French words on a Thursday afternoon. Life was not yet complicated - food appeared, holidays happened and my social universe was happily compact. This was also just before we moved house, so my last birthday before I got a bedroom of my own and introspective privacy became a thing.
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I don't know what I did in the morning, it not being a schoolday, but <a target="_blank" href="https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1974-03-09">BBC1</a> was showing Mary, Mungo and Midge, Josie and the Pussycats and Casey Jones, so they may have featured. Later in the evening Doctor Who was fighting the Daleks, but I probably missed that episode because a birthday tea with carefully-invited friends would have taken precedence. Somewhere in my Dad's sideboard is the blue plastic number 9 that would have topped the cake, indeed there might be two 9s because it was also my Mum's 39th as she hurtled inexorably towards 40. What I do know (because I still have the programme) is that in the evening we went out to see Captain Pugwash, a swashbuckling musical show for kids at Watford Palace Theatre, and I thank my parents for their forbearance.
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<i><b>Friday 9th March 1984</b> (age 19):</i> In a mighty decade leap I now found myself at university. Jolts don't get much bigger than being ripped from home and relocating to a higher educational hotbed seething with thousands of people your own age you'd never otherwise meet, a bedroom of your own and free money from the government. I know it's not entirely like that now but wow, what a blast it was then. I was mixing with future artists, economists, politicians, journalists and general go-getters, as well as others destined to fall back under the radar instead. What I didn't appreciate at the time was that this unique burst would last only three years and I should truly make the most of it, and that in this case the gamechanging age wouldn't be 20 but 21.
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<img hspace=4 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2gfCh-pfIUvTUq-0gelId_DD84E5CyGlBvnGCNCptpqNfwEYRXsyVKD35Le09Oes4cLOoJ_742ZcWzLQDVK2oIIwe8BTh2sA8VohBjJbt5UsLLRaxP534cO9phG0FHkVb7Tuqg/s200/cremeegg.gif" title="creme egg" align=right border=0>My 19th birthday wasn't just a Friday but the last day of term so everyone was up for a celebration anyway. I woke early to open my cards and presents and was pleased to discover I'd accumulated the grand total of £17 so went off to spend it in the shops. I bought a blank C60 cassette from Boots, a Thompson Twins album from Our Price, a road atlas from Parkers and a Creme Egg from the Co-op. While I was at lectures my friends strung a string of teabags across the door of my room, because I hadn't chosen the wildest crew, and later in the afternoon came round with a bottle of sweet white wine and a tin of Quality Street. I made time to watch Doctor Who (the inimitable <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00v8z51/" target="_blank">Caves of Androzani</a>) and then a gang of us went out for a meal. Pancake palace Go Dutch was alas full so we went to O'Sullivans (long since closed) where I had a big burger and Paul took the candle apart. After ringing Mum on the way home (happy birthday!) we ended up at Tim's party bopping to ABC and I finally crawled into bed at half past three. It's funny, but reading back 40 years later I was expecting it to be wilder than that.
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<i><b>Wednesday 9th March 1994</b> (age 29):</i> Life had got serious over the last ten years and I now had a job, a flat and a much stunted social life. A single choice had flung me down a career path I hadn't been expecting on my 19th, one I turned out to be good at but it wasn't at all clear where it might be leading. Instead I just got on with things, settled into a rut and did what needed to be done without finding much time for fun. It wasn't a bad life but only retrospectively have I realised what I was missing out on, and in this case the gamechanging age wouldn't be 30 but 33.
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I spent my 29th birthday at work, it not being possible to get out of it. I only had two cards to open first thing, one of which inspired me to ring home and wish Mum a happy 59th(!) before catching the bus to work. My colleagues had ganged up to get me a cake and a gift which turned out to be a pair of annotated boxer shorts, handed over with kisses - these days you'd probably be able to describe this as workplace harassment and get the perpetrator sacked. We still swap Christmas cards. I worked conscientiously through the day, survived the wet hour and made sure I had a Creme Egg in my lunchbox. After work I bought two CD singles in Our Price (M People's Renaissance and Blur's Girls and Boys) and a readymeal roast dinner in Safeway as a birthday treat. Other than enjoying those the highlight of the evening was watching Brookside, and I think that says everything about my late 20s.
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<i><b>Tuesday 9th March 2004</b> (age 39):</i> Having shaken the dice either side of the millennium I was now leading my best life. It could have gone terribly but instead I had a role with influence, a centrally-located pad and a group of proper friends again. Admittedly BestMate had recently buggered off to America so being 38 had been a lot less frenetic than being 37, but that just gave me more time to write my fledgling blog. I told my diary that 40 looming "didn't feel scary" and this proved prescient, things were only just getting started, and in this case the gamechanging age wouldn't be in my 40s at all.
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<img hspace=4 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdol_izF-J8SsD1thCd9a8YRwX0R2LUgQzS_VUvVXYeRv13TUWENB71pUhQwVuqkzBjIHucaHpr7o9dsjoYSJ5uhb-ovwZ5Isi6M3k-BcyjLPRCMVWjh_LHv4KXof6OaPoKUw_g/s400/kings.jpg" title="kings college cambridge" align=right border=0>By my 39th birthday I had a job where days off were a possibility so I grabbed my chance and took the train to Cambridge to meet my parents halfway. This meant I could wish my Mum a happy 69th in person and hand over my wrapped gift of the complete boxset of Tenko on VHS. The outdoor thermometer I received in return is still giving sterling service. Because I was with my parents we did parenty things like browsing the haberdashery department in John Lewis, taking tea in the Copper Kettle and snapping photos of the Backs with Dad's new digital camera. For lunch we went to Garfunkels where I had mixed grill and profiteroles, like it was still the 1990s, and Mum had gammon and waffles. One further tearoom beckoned, because being almost 70 seemed to involve increasing amounts of sitting down, and then we headed our separate ways home. The day out inspired me to blog about being <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2004/03/half-life-i-spent-my-39th-birthday.html" target="_blank">halfway</a> to my average life expectancy, roughly speaking, and it scares me slightly that 20 years later I'm now up to three-quarters.
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<i><b>Sunday 9th March 2014</b> (age 49):</i> Work was very different in a team of three rather than a team of 30, but if they were still willing to pay me I was happy to be there. My career progression was now very limited, it turned out, but sometimes it's best not to know what's coming next. For example at 39 I hadn't realised I only had five more years to wish my Mum a happy birthday, and 9th March has felt less complete ever since. Again I wasn't overly unnerved by approaching a decade's end, not yet feeling the first signs of inexorable decay, and in retrospect the gamechanging age wasn't 50 but 55.
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Plans for a 49th birthday day out with BestMate evaporated when the stag do he'd been on overran so instead I took the day's itinerary into my own hands. First I took a celebratory ride on the Dangleway, using the first of ten freebies I'd been gifted yesterday, then headed to the Barbican for a safari round the tropical conservatory. For the main event I took the train back to the village of my birth and walked the whole Croxley Boundary Walk which proved to be six and a half miles of unbridled nostalgia. The day had been unseasonably warm (20°C!) so I'd stripped to a t-shirt and also nipped into a shop on New Road to buy a Fab lolly, just like I might have done 40 years earlier. You won't be surprised to hear that dinner was accompanied by a bottle of Becks and a Creme Egg, nor that I spent the evening writing about <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2014/03/croxley-green-boundary-walk.html" target="_blank">my day out</a> (which is the way so many days now end, birthday or not).
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<i><b>Saturday 9th March 2024</b> (age 59):</i> tbc. But not yet 60, hell no.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-66684182522928656652024-03-08T07:00:00.353+00:002024-03-08T07:00:00.129+00:00Stafford<font color=#654321><b><i>Gadabout</i>: STAFFORD</b></font><br>
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<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford" target="_blank">Stafford</a> is a West Midlands market town at the heart of its own county, located <a href="http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=391587&Y=322603&A=Y&Z=120" target="_blank">halfway</a> between Crewe and Birmingham. It may be the same size as Crewe but it's over a millennium older, has much better shops and boasts a castle and some nice old buildings. It's even got a <a href="https://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/stafford-visitor-information-centre" target="_blank">Tourist Information Office</a>, although this turned out to be the box office of the local theatre where three smiley ticket-floggers apologised for having nothing to offer but an over-sponsored map, so I guess the borough council no longer take visitors as seriously as they once did. <font size=1><a href="https://www.ourbeautifulstaffordborough.co.uk/" target="_blank">[Visit Stafford]</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/stafford" target="_blank">[10 photos]</a></font> </i>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574073158" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIV-HY_ocG3Tn09zcd3oWwzk81N7QCPSEbRSdFZ1iuUaP5LVs8sDMvc75wRUuFjWuxqLW6a8HTa-pcVxY01LEpJx2d81fBjS-hBvzOiCAcTLxvPe-ejOkOeMedaG6tMlaRNgdTyBZCK8-uf16ztZzhdOYjS2mIGMeNgyhYNWQqHyc4RyKH40bPg/s1600/vicpk.gif" title="Victoria Park" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
You can tell Stafford's very different to Crewe as soon as you cross the road outside the station and enter <a href="https://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/victoriapark" target="_blank">Victoria Park</a>. Smart lawns, a bench commemorating the latest coronation, a bridge across a tamed river, a bowling green, an iron shelter donated by an alderman, cages of tropical birds, two historic <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574073158" target="_blank">millwheels</a>, a bursting magnolia, a greenhouse filled with tropical plants and a rotunda cafe funded with lottery cash, all within a single park. Admittedly there was also a man getting his snake out, but this was in a tank in the greenhouse and I think he worked there. The <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574309695" target="_blank">river</a> threading through is the Sow, a lesser tributary of the Trent, although it still makes a good job of splitting the town in two. And once you're across the park you're pretty much in the <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/52.8061/-2.1161" target="_blank">town centre</a>, which is another one-up on Crewe where it's at least a mile's walk.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53573909250" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyOApem5jQ9kqrHUdu9v_YoCr_q6Xui_kEgnds3UjdAtKoK7nJ0q_NQinwssByxNYYtMrIjoaI8ZDz1Ovy6pK5czvipHJ2xe5Af2uIhihY12wUSKaumtJ5XGmIZOWun4O6LwzfwQasSPeFmge-hGoZNx6_ki9xWSyQ8yiAzg-K8S80YpYFBF4uQ/s1600/ahhouse.jpg" title="Ancient High House" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Stafford has an actual tourist attraction <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53573909250" target="_blank">in the main street</a> which is the <a href="https://www.historicstafford.co.uk/whatson-venue/ancient-high-house/" target="_blank">Ancient High House</a>. It cuts quite a dash with its half-timbered <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572605272" target="_blank">four-gabled frontage</a> protruding rather higher than you'd expect for Tudor housing stock. It was built in 1595 for a wealthy merchant family and is reputedly the largest surviving timber-framed town house in England. Even better all four floors are accessible for most of the day, and for free. At high street level the occupiers sell shampoo and phones but if you step through the centre door you meet the lovely staff at the desk and are free to explore upwards via the central staircase. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_High_House" target="_blank">Charles I</a> has been up there before you.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjVMiXySK8uXMHqVKVvdeH2FtaAEH_WeDr7t0wHoe3u7q46cmP3FsurG3NhHnoOfi6ohf_7jZqQIJjcopoUpcCtbIIIYIGWPfUMsWas6P8rdTDUOOJdwZfFL0vu8DcPgCV3n1ti8WARQtsRsdM1Ez8L3ROgUoRCEAK9GVZ08DCbwQdPGKv0sqlQ/s1600/ahhou.jpg" title="Stuart Bedroom, Ancient High House" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The building is the star and the rest mainly historical window dressing, including a number of era-themed rooms. The Stuart bedroom is the most evocative because the council went to the effort of including a genuine four-poster, and the sweet shop the weirdest because they've <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV477x20r6G6eftkI1-Elr55CGUakfKi17B8Bl8AOZIz7xKiPlmFo4ArwCLHn99a4gfB6ucXETeaUgEL6Pl3_X4oJvMZu0PTqWvM9lvItypsS1tOono405u_03yjD6HC7H-loQt1Z71H29xnqFLgseyDZNRmoMPHSvmHqGMrzkI1KupG5twoP2AQ/s1600/wonky.jpg" target="_blank">attempted</a> a lacklustre begoggled Willy Wonka Experience. An attempt has been made to cover wider ground with an excellent and comprehensive display digging into how geology has influenced life and industry across Staffs (generally by being dug up and sold). And on reaching the top floor you'll discover a claustrophobic attic telling the military backstory of the <a href="https://staffordshireyeomanrymuseum.com/regimental-history-1" target="_blank">Staffordshire Yeomanry</a>, which'll either be your thing or else you'll be back down the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53573873174" target="_blank">vertiginous stairs</a> pronto.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574161375" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimadPL2qmIoencUu6yW9taWexffSQLHVC-BsbraWDujgWdPQTNMJPHrt2z1JdU5t_Ba3ohxqMdcAUTEtTmVW2_rBVS_f04rrEQmplLmQJyMG-bleUlnkOlT1nPVESm0kf1_2b_z12PyOoj0f2Hq8bTp8t_qXf4H8eW3qy85_VzEAiQRKwASQXoHQ/s1600/smary.jpg" title="St Mary's church" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
The <a href="https://www.ourbeautifulstaffordborough.co.uk/see_do/stafford-town-trail/" target="_blank">Stafford Town Trail</a> starts outside, for which a leaflet used to be provided but these days to save money they expect you to view its 30 pages on your mobile device. I tried, but if you're going to include a map please join up the 30 places to show the route else it's all too easy skip a direction and lose your way. I found most of the buildings anyway, including 13th century <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574161375" target="_blank">St Mary's church</a> and the footprint of its Anglo-Saxon predecessor (although I didn't get inside because the <a href="https://www.stmarysstafford.org.uk/visit-worship" target="_blank">opening hours</a> are brief and complex). Other survivors, if you follow the right alley, include the early medieval <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574161315" target="_blank">St Chad's church</a> (also closed), a timber-framed Tudor <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53573549396" target="_blank">sheriff's office</a> (with jettied upper storey), a row of Jacobean almshouses, a sail-less windmill, a Victorian prison and a couple of former coaching inns.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574350594" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvAkAGKV4IIkVnO5yKhpIIsAG-IMJxBS0v1j-GUw_qR73EpUBMKvVxFw7CE8Hu3dRF77hvlqO8S10B2Wa0OYSOZwLnYOt13frW8ZOSXHrrSFeXGOx9PrvijwtvR4BW7EvWVNTL3xpLhvV5cglu8tYOoazMzBFP46y2AW6iFYnBHnCMyQWZpoT0g/s1600/mktsq.jpg" title="Market Place" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
The <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53574350594" target="_blank">Market Place</a> retains an air of Georgian splendour, so long as you don't spin round to see the modern <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdz4fAoZoREUgG81o6xRqUQBPtngCISSfFFNBLbNYf3rQ81IW9YNiI9Ri6CTC7-wLC4pAQvLtqYmjvwEEwrr1QehGJwZE6lYjjTvUSUG_JXjrQ93GYmf_MUO99Dg6ey8dtmI_25Qw_CBa3yYLC3TvsQ6c5LUiC2UtTxP70-K-JXioER3ZxHXINg/s1600/staffo.jpg" target="_blank">glass confection</a> Shire Hall has been replaced by. It also no longer hosts the market which has shifted <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2jfaWnUSJOgUeozKdvLn3L0JcYOT1sfQA_d1i7Jvm2oUjAF2l3RpEo0xXtIKEriXwlCylxtgVORPnE7iMUHYbxC1ULnGqxJIgxrNg6sT0usVjOpuWxzT2D_4YYTtSSCwyA8QyQvv02NpmpUyLSJVy9RIZ5Ew7QWqrRJsgrHuUweZT9-M-WTq_Q/s1600/smarket.jpg" target="_blank">indoors</a> to a drab hall where all I found mid-afternoon were a few unthrilled traders hoping to shift haberdashery, hi-vis and slippers. But it's still doing better than the 1990s mall nextdoor, the <a href="https://www.guildhallstafford.com" target="_blank">Guildhall Centre</a>, whose substantial footprint has <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2zjzjj599o" target="_blank">shrunk down</a> to the embarrassing point where only one tiny <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7kzPg6fR69DWHsWr3XDhF17outwlY56ZqOX2wnRX7YzSX2OBAbn0mPdsfwvjDF4r7hIs3k16Lmef30tg-vXrjV5NoI0xjc-5Xv4d8Nagx5mMz0x-juPgx2h3B9Ez7-sY_ikvcdg10wGkuJNS1kA4ceL8w6M8S6-8lKP32yoNG63bsWaGP32elg/s1600/mallshut.jpg" target="_blank">stump</a> serving five shops remains open. The site's <a href="https://www.glancynicholls.com/work/guildhall-stafford" target="_blank">pencilled in</a> for rebirth as a "residential-led mixed-use development", should funds allow, but for now its inert bulk makes a large chunk of the town centre impractically impermeable.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8V2ALiJJHFH4lYXtj7JHzgujOd6hbedchmQ2IMrCTz9uPSGVDM7zWIWOuIHjyS-WiEb9_IDzr7k4o2_2KIQonmk6wKOQgbHXS2mnYfEJksz45FChMbYk1dXQwfxqFYSTUb0Af4I-wpb_KLVhy7QeBTea0aKSe4GwUHD0H8UiJAfeO0frpMYarvQ/s1600/iwalton.jpg" title="Izaak Walton's birthplace" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The biggest heritage disappointment is perhaps the loss of the house where Compleat Angler <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izaak_Walton" target="_blank">Izaak Walton</a> was born in 1593. You wouldn't expect a random <a href="https://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/Details.aspx?&ResourceID=1022&SearchType=2&ThemeID=293" target="_blank">Tudor cottage</a> to have survived to the 21st century but what's depressing is that the site's now occupied by the town's police station so the plaque has had to be mounted on an anonymous brick wall alongside a securely locked backdoor. Fishing fans are instead advised to head for the village of <a href="https://osm.org/go/eu0uWQb--?m=" target="_blank">Shallowford</a> a few miles out of town where, with impressive forethought, his thatched riverside cottage was bequeathed with civic preservation in mind. It's still open as a <a href="https://www.historicstafford.co.uk/whatson-venue/izaak-walton-cottage/" target="_blank">small museum</a>, but only on summer Sunday afternoons so I didn't head out that way.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53573165747" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxMgTFVY9y6muTakJie8KNlymGBbxAVq8cXel_Y8_yg8xT_4gVgENQ6pNVZJ82rXc8QhBm9f-KUh0wN4iSezb_OYNNwp03l-CJ_F8JMyHarbfsrbCCFQfGHcSXpHnM0NIxwxFmaaFqLEfm6eXRA8xkb-Xh-_w9W4LAmn_1LWy9J4HdMN29fcAHQ/s1600/staffkast.jpg" title="Stafford Castle" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Instead I devoted time to walking a mile out of town along the Newport Road, <a href="https://osm.org/go/eu0rlwH5-?m=" target="_blank">almost</a> to the M6, to visit <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_Castle" target="_blank">Stafford Castle</a>. I knew it wasn't a historical big-hitter and I knew it wasn't fully open midweek in March but I still wasn't quite sure what to expect. What I found beyond the car park was a steepish path climbing into some woods and at the summit a further mound with a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53573165747" target="_blank">stone keep</a> on top. The path kept spiralling until a proper vista opened up revealing a fair chunk of central Staffordshire, and swiftly reached a high loop around the outside of the keep. Impressively it turns out this keep is the only part of the site you <i>can't</i> <a href="https://www.historicstafford.co.uk/whatson-venue/stafford-castle/" target="_blank">get into</a>, at least on winter weekdays (and never on Tuesdays).
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQbfFg5ovrSZ-ZsyIIU17gPaQBSLluO2JR7XvDApvrwnnUfOhWIEqkZKKYjTz4fhGea91Uy_FvTlzoZPKhPkbdWYWPml0e9CA6YpBqwM0eOEO8Ub3tbBU2oRx8cl8xftQ5ScRn9xXcfO7maUEotQtTtJxktzpFZ4nNwp8dL7CWosE4oBK8knzmg/s1600/kastel.jpg" title="view from Stafford Castle" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Reading the information boards, which are copious, I learned that the keep is a mere folly, a 19th century replacement for the Civil War ruins of a stone castle which replaced something medievally wooden. I also learned that the slope I'd just walked up had originally contained the outer bailey so there were more remnants to be explored there. I would probably have learned more in the Visitor Centre but this only opens when the keep does and it looked more cafe than commemoration anyway. The castle's worth the hike, basically, should you ever find yourself in Stafford, which I can confirm is a better idea than finding yourself in <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/03/crewe.html" target="_blank">Crewe</a>.
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<font size=1><i>The train home was only £4.50 thanks to another half price Great British Rail Sale bargain, indeed if you hunt really carefully you can still find advance fares for under a tenner. Ridiculously I spent more money on my connecting train between Crewe and Stafford, which is just one stop, than I did altogether on the rest of my cross country trip.</i></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-25259046565441730182024-03-07T07:00:00.003+00:002024-03-07T08:12:13.730+00:00Crewe<font color=#654321><b><i>Gadabout</i>: CREWE</b></font><br>
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<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe" target="_blank">Crewe</a> is a large town in Cheshire and a key <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=12/53.0900/-2.4364" target="_blank">junction</a> on the West Coast Main Line. It's only here because of the railway so has pretty much no history before that arrived, and the railway's only here because the nearby towns of Nantwich and Winsford turned the Grand Junction Railway down. It's hardly the ideal spot for a day out, especially when its top visitor attraction is closed for the winter, so I allocated myself half a day and set out to explore. <font size=1><a href="https://www.visitcheshire.com/explore/crewe-p33601" target="_blank">[Visit Crewe]</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/tags/crewe" target="_blank">[10 photos]</a></font> </i>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53570710117" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPhMTxfACktJFxJI5KkJVzSpPTnL7Fl0yA3bqjxrt54kcq1fLmJsF1qkvWUHv1nGaQBIc6aKJhvYcK7jBFpptvc1Pkf850oU1qD3N3_Zl8piIiVcEKhfJxfjzYQcEqkG-qHjWmHvDmmss_WyBCUOOorgM_iW3yrJG24LTPBqkpeUrd5BFLwCr9Q/s1600/krstn.jpg" title="Crewe station" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>Crewe station</u></b></font><br>
It's only right to start here, a 12 platform monster of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe_railway_station" target="_blank">station</a> and a nationally significant interchange. Head to the peripheral platforms for Carmarthen and Uttoxeter, the central pair for Liverpool and Manchester or watch the fast lines through the centre for the occasional whooshing express to Glasgow or Euston. Two lengthy arched Victorian <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53570710117" target="_blank">screen walls</a> survive, attractively so, generating a sense of being either inside or outside, although the true divide is between northbound and southbound. There are better refreshments (and better toilets) on the latter. All sense of history is alas wiped away as you follow the footbridge through the ticket gates into a narrow <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnIEGed07kCgl8bNAdNApfzFcXiumIrS6ZTiRHKjXF8AYcBbvuk209ujqi2Hf0uYY_bM9tir1kMt5zxU0FZnjdc2ElU8fYuCrGyhKEmu-L4p7PMBxmPUDaXnnkXqosj17OeAcIdv0RSSsgILibOtygmBfjiAXa1Eu73CfkuyYlYq7-dX7aPIHNQ/s1600/krstat.jpg" target="_blank">1980s steel shed</a>, the gateway to Crewe and a heavy hint that the town beyond isn't going to be as evocative as its station.
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<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Crewefact:</i> The station was originally named after <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe_Hall" target="_blank">Crewe Hall</a>, a stately pile a mile and a half to the east owned by the Earl of Crewe. The town that subsequently grew alongside is thus rare in being named after its station, not the other way round.</font>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53571894619" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39HGgPJlElbFIBVYQqIC7k693qcDumEWcWx1ZXX7JLZOi4o2i6tTmbLCeVAlwOG450AsUe5GYRmJG0QCGuzLHzXJSIJfC7YN2RUYRINj-eYIbJ1ljUHMIbEtT3xechyphenhyphen7rDU7seNr_Pkb9FzwURFNrwsyp_m-5YRmpBtGR8IW8APNLJrIVMG7TrQ/s1600/krapt.jpg" title="APT at Crewe Heritage Centre" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>Crewe Heritage Centre</u></b></font><br>
Because we're in Crewe 'Heritage' means trains, in this case several trains of all sizes and various other items of rail-related ephemera. The <a href="https://www.crewehc.co.uk">museum</a> covers part of the grounds of the original Crewe Locomotive Works, some way north of the station, with various sidings allowing complete trains to be displayed. The most famous of these is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Passenger_Train" target="_blank">Advanced Passenger Train</a>, the sadly flawed but much loved tilting train, specifically the later 1980s APT-P. Not only is this the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53571894619" target="_blank">sole exhibit</a> placed by the entrance it's also visible from passing trains on the West Coast Main Line, most notably the Pendolinos it inspired. Alas the Heritage Centre’s 2024 season doesn't kick off until Good Friday so I couldn’t get any further, although by walking to the back of the neighbouring Tesco megastore car park I did enjoy squinting at Exeter South signalbox and an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_91" target="_blank">InterCity 225</a> train through the railings.
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<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Crewefact:</i> The Queen opened the CHC in 1987 to celebrate Crewe’s 150th anniversary. She and Prince Philip got in for nothing whereas you, stereotypical train-loving reader, will be asked for £8.</font>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572195780" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUSX7CxCg_i-TPVmzgY3IcQqOMPUot6IaUGs_Xb0WGWOg9nb3uFIzHZPDWlStS11kSKgjtMrvc1QS-WKhSee8ez0T1s7zwIl8XjacAHzHZUc22fy_mHGsMRaSmgnGU8OHB4F75370M5R4A3B-uBNWkS14F5KuCGN_2ds_C4LOS7yAihXWnrmavQ/s1600/mornf.jpg" title="Mornflake Stadium" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>Crewe Alexandra</u></b></font><br>
Crewe's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe_Alexandra_F.C." target="_blank">football team</a> sprang to life in 1877 as an offshoot from the local cricket club. It's named after Princess Alexandra, then Princess of Wales, suggesting had it been founded much later it could have been called Crewe Mary, Crewe Diana or even Crewe Catherine. These League Two promotion-chasers play immediately alongside the station, hence their nickname is the Railwaymen. The stadium is dominated by a millennial stand resembling a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572195780" target="_blank">strutty warehouse</a> and used to be known as Gresty Road. But money talks, even in the lower divisions, so its current name is the Mornflake Stadium, a ghastly moniker courtesy of a three year sponsorship deal with a local oat-based cereal manufacturer. Away supporters meanwhile get to spectate from the Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van Stand, not that I suspect many are tempted to buy a chiming cornet-dispensing vehicle as a result.
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<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Crewefact:</i> While we're doing weird names, Gresty Road leads to the outlying village of Shavington, home to the parish of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavington_cum_Gresty" target="_blank">Shavington cum Gresty</a>.</font>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53571958233" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLgDjYD-kHOGK2fjbbVAVXQy3P9jsWPm4dT3l4kBRFzo_B5YSjMx0Wvt7KXvW_dQkXS2nKcslPPQOrjcMSf3P4K2SShS5ouxLb_2VoEfyLrw1n_sfPnOJK40bW299Tsyrw54kEe6vAPQBXOA72G1yslycxy4mdKfbB4cO5wzOBxpj6WJ-W76odg/s1600/krmarket.jpg" title="Crewe Market Hall and Crewe Municipal Buildings" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>Memorial Square</u></b></font><br>
Crewe’s civic heart is a cluster of buildings off the Earle Street roundabout surrounding Memorial Square. Crewe Town Council meet in the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53571958233" target="_blank">baroque</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe_Municipal_Buildings" target="_blank">Municipal Buildings</a> on the north side, while nextdoor is the Victorian <a href="https://crewemarkets.co.uk/our-story/" target="_blank">Market Hall</a>. This was significantly spruced up a couple of years ago and now follows the Boxpark template of multiple small refreshment outlets surrounding a slew of shared tables. It's been <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53571063807" target="_blank">nicely done</a>, which is more than can be said for almost anything else in the town centre. Had I visited a day earlier I'd have stumbled upon an <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjkdmrlv4z3o" target="_blank">HS2 press event</a> attended by local and regional politicians, but instead all I found on the podium was the list of timings Andy Burnham or one of his mates had left behind. Crewe’s really lost out from the northern leg being cancelled, taking with it plans for a new HS2 station surrounded by a commercial hub and thousands of homes.<br>
<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Crewefact:</i> A new <a href="https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/business/major_regeneration_projects/crewe-town-centre-regeneration-programme/crewe-history-centre.aspx" target="_blank">History Centre</a> is rising on the site of the former Central Library - tagline 'A new kind of archive experience for residents' - but I'm not sure that's a good enough reason to delay a visit to Crewe until next year.</font>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572325088" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdovGpw8-dPoJAM7RbBzJDdE-v22u8ZnHVlg2dT9hBFEJ5pioQ7Smn6fkUhmYOmjJqKpY7VrI4Xwt66WNxH5e3TdH0FH_RiWvS_Tgvccyz1ad49OtnyynIIigS8YQLxijJneHwUylSZHK-aocxcfys66H2k6A9gnv42Y6kwxd8cJ04UM-KOCJuQ/s1600/krshops.gif" title="Crewe shops" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>The shopping centre</u></b></font><br>
Crewe's shopping centre is in a sorry state, in part due to economic slowdown and in part due to poor council decision making. Only the southeast quadrant of ordinary <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572325088" target="_blank">shopping streets</a> survived postwar redevelopment, the remainder having been turned over to three undercover shopping malls of dubious architectural merit. The Victoria Centre has so many empty units that the only shop still open around its central brick piazza is a Cash Converters. The Market Centre is half tumbleweed now its anchor Wilko has vanished. M&S and JD Sports have fled to the Grand Junction retail park because that's where the Cheshire housewives are. And where the Royal Arcade used to be is a vast empty space because it was knocked down in 2020 with high hopes of <a href="https://www.royalarcadecrewe.co.uk" target="_blank">redevelopment</a> before harsher economic headwinds kicked in. It's left <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572325088" target="_blank">an appalling scar</a>.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572127161" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSH5dV0OEdyWb1SrbhcUxdtUgZm9aA6B1uCuT7KAbOEwKqk6XL6pBu3I-PLi5CW4GZb4TAjOysGYWtcw6cnbKdJy2EmZZaI8Gm8CT9HtLucpg1PkukNyXAwbqSLqacpT2xzln7V8xStxl-Qscw5PGYZo5tKIcLiYUFB6yUA55HHhwl_j8mI0CzTQ/s1600/krroyal.gif" title="Royal Arcade non-regeneration, Crewe" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
Phase 1 - a new <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572127161" target="_blank">bus station</a> and multi-storey carpark - survived the cut and is now approaching green-walled completion. But this lurks on the far side of Phase 2 - the proposed leisure/retail cluster - which the <a href="https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/council_information/media_hub/media_releases/councillors-to-consider-next-steps-for-crewe%27s-royal-arcade-scheme.aspx" target="_blank">council</a> pulled the plug on in <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-67426724" target="_blank">November</a> due to increased construction costs. They're unlikely to be able to do anything significant with the site in the next five years so are considering a feeble raft of 'meanwhile' options like a children’s play area, go-karting and space for outdoor exercise. I’ve seen more disadvantaged towns, indeed the town centre doesn't truly reflect the suburbs, but if you want a 3-bed house for under £150,000 or a value Sunday carvery for £5.99 then Crewe sadly delivers.<br>
<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Crewefact:</i> The local bus company is called D&G Bus, their website is <a href="https://www.dgbus.co.uk/" target="_blank">dgbus.co.uk</a> and one of their tiny buses has the registration number DG 57 BUS. I was so excited by this discovery that I almost took a ride.</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_toFzeLxFKVUgFhSXtAy637VAdMLa6AYWhqzGJZdevipMFlPHYKLGE_VnS3CWlDf4slJ3S8i2NJBgnIxE2pKVnlq79O5pmvwU_h0syh9YfXMn9dnOWdxiCmSLteWww-7YPV9Hd04IlGHSWSR3nJkfXr0IackzYVsYyJf3Ol9kBFjq8R327jclg/s1600/dgbus.jpg" title="D&G Bus" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>(big sheds)</u></b></font><br>
Crewe used to be synonymous with train manufacture and maintenance. The majority of the main <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe_Works" target="_blank">locomotive works</a> is now housing and a Morrisons, but Alstom still occupy a number of big sheds where trains are checked over and repaired. They're also due to be assembling HS2's bogies, which'll be marginal compensation for the trains whizzing past without stopping. A tad further out is the former Rolls-Royce factory, opened in 1938 to churn out Merlin aero-engines in preparation for fighting the Luftwaffe. After the war production flipped to motorcars, including the iconic Silver Cloud, but also increasingly Bentleys which are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Crewe" target="_blank">still</a> turned out here in their tens of thousands. Don't go and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscpx-PZdcygagzp-UmAqa6RzbybVYlWDR31pVz3L2c4Hj4y8QLXIcQH_HNFgzLLN1up8ztVY3HTDr-RsW5nv2TlHgTBvMyABdjT0UrWniEcSygUSbUIHPab6r5zSNt3ctoENiJKTzeHRORYodmATm00B6VuYAJnlz0jIW2vjM7IAGzv1q8hYdCA/s1600/rrbentley.jpg" target="_blank">have a look</a> specially, I just happened to be passing.<br>
<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Crewefact:</i> Famous Crewe residents include MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, BMX medallist Shanaze Reade and pouting soapstar Adam Rickitt. Celeb-wise Crewe's no big hitter.</font>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572617224" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYiqZVc8NJQPCxtD0sV287lWCI08hCFuvqfvvCIbJUKzsz9Ezo0dYHw47unoQUsdooIsClRSjUprP0lO3E3_Lms_lEc1L3iSuqaYr62MdJTyi7pJ5hjcQF97q9b9JIn0ZLaZB1ka7MkclQwamzjZAD1pT8YcSMHVckI0OFa2OGsbxTO6uxvMdag/s1600/qpark.jpg" title="Queen's Park, Crewe" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>Queen's Park</u></b></font><br>
Crewe's best <a href="https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/parks_and_gardens/crewe_area_parks_and_gardens/queens_park_crewe/history-of-queens-park.aspx" target="_blank">park</a> is mighty fine, <a href="https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001412?section=official-list-entry" target="_blank">grade II* listed</a> and worth the hike west of the town centre. It was gifted to the town by the London & North-Western Railway to celebrate their 50th anniversary and opened the following year to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Unusually it's elliptical, with broad axes for promenading, leafy dells spanned by modern footbridges and the obligatory spiky clocktower by the gatehouse. In the centre is a large barnlike cafe, on whose terrace I saw many mums and pensioners enjoying a springlike beverage, and to the south is a splendid landscaped lake created by damming the Valley Brook. My <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572617224" target="_blank">photo</a> shows the view from Doreen's bench where I stopped for a brew before dodging the geese and exploring the war memorial on <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/57671" target="_blank">Burma Star Island</a>.<br>
<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Crewefact:</i> The rats came as a surprise, four of them merrily tucking into the dry grass under a lakeside conifer, but the ducks and geese alongside didn't seem to mind.</font>
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<font size=1><i>If you're local, this is the one you won't believe I trekked out to see, but will be secretly pleased I did.</i></font>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572617044" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RSuVSsJEEJaoudtrcxMNx7lmDP7OWACx8RSSwG113Kzq1ubcEX9a-94LUiWw9bS4zlusS8rg6EAwVHhaBp3D2nUlxZ5iLIe28F_ll4fX6hMXuFos6tj4xnilxZYTnoXUuoMYtx8WA3VqZCmdlk4DSlJgp_TfxWP60V3mNrZ2HmtR95N88IqWXg/s1600/swanjoey.jpg" title="Joey-the-Swan, Wistaston" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
<font color=#654321><b><u>Joey-the-Swan</u></b></font><br>
In the parish of Wistaston, where the Gresty Brook crosses Valley Road, the waterside parkland goes by the extremely unusual name of <a href="https://osm.org/go/eu0f~Vib?m=" target="_blank">Joey-the-Swan</a>. I looked for alternative more-official names on the notices in the car park but nothing was given. The name derives from a male swan who lived in the fish pool outside Wistaston Hall in the 1930s, originally with his mate but then for many years by himself. Joey was a bit of a pecker, apparently, and according to legend liked to venture out to gobble crumbs from the baker's van before one day it ran him over. As well as the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi809PVnceVJzHr8Ez2miBCK8RZVC1gAjMRGcZ1nTmOs2xtSoya3HRBtq90g6zA1dirynbjUe1Wi5aq4nRlLDVwly2PWrEFNAeudIcyG377oAeglsvf2nSXhK1WfLOJFUDyfwLOlvez4-kkanjbNsI3t4GnY-rEt-MfEvWuCgpWCl6CfXDG72FXXw/s1600/joeyswan.jpg" target="_blank">greenspace</a> that bears his name (brooky meanders, muddy coverts, mini-playground, millennium boulder, wooden owl) Joey is also commemorated as a wire outline on the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53572617044" target="_blank">village sign</a> that overlooks the site... which, improbably, was designed by a resident called Eric Swan.<br>
<font color=#654321 style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>Wistastonfact:</i> The parkland known as Joey-the-Swan was donated to the people of the village by the Fathers of The Oblate Mission, an order of French missionaries who now use Wistaston Hall as a <a href="https://oblates.ie/ministries/oblate-retreat-centre-wistaston-hall/" target="_blank">retreat</a>.</font>
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<font size=1><i>I wouldn't normally waste £80 on a train trip to Crewe, indeed I didn't because I managed to buy a ticket for as little as £5.10 in the Great British Rail Sale in January, a sum I still genuinely can’t believe. I also took the opportunity to visit another town while I was up there, knowing Crewe would never sustain a day, so more about that tomorrow.</i></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-19564957633792587372024-03-06T07:00:00.352+00:002024-03-06T08:12:35.142+00:00The CharterhouseI hadn't realised you could wander inside <b><a href="https://thecharterhouse.org/" target="_blank">The Charterhouse</a></b>, the historic almshouses on the edge of Smithfield, probably because I hadn't been paying sufficient attention. I knew it had been restored a few years ago and I knew they did paid-for tours but I thought that was it, you pre-booked or you missed out. But the other day I was lingering in Charterhouse Square (taking photos of Florin Court if you must know) when I spotted a sign outside saying 'Museum and Chapel free', and it turns out <a href="https://thecharterhouse.org/visit-us/" target="_blank">yes they are</a>.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpkZ_ohQytpk5kaDNaatAY_YTnBplY0eQ_uaInPRez3cIDzcBOZJ195jMNOXKUzWk-mLvbY2_rOwaqQ2_qIZ2Nno9LYsiqbEEbM1fclkgkuXc7wRVh7kry3dKLrvbBpjwrcky7A6oNFulMyPEmDJh_jiy2q-1JGe6rlEEFZAmgt7lZTVkLopNFA/s1600/khouse.jpg" title="The Charterhouse" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Charterhouse" target="_blank">The Charterhouse</a> is located here on the very edge of Clerkenwell because of dead bodies. Tens of thousands of Londoners died during the Black Death in 1348/9 and the largest of the mass graves was located here, a few feet beyond the edge of the City. Soon afterwards a Carthusian monastery opened on the north side of the plague pit, there being a lot of souls to pray for, and so the Charterhouse was born. After Henry VIII's monastery fire sale it was converted into a grand Tudor house, and in 1611 this was bought by the wealthiest financier in England, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sutton" target="_blank">Thomas Sutton</a>. He promptly died and bequeathed much of his wealth to establish a school for the young (40 boys) and a 'hospital' for the old (80 pensioners). Charterhouse School duly thrived, eventually relocating to Godalming, and the almshouses continue to provide shelter to this day.
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Whether resident or visitor, the Charterhouse is entered via <a href="https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/londons-pocket-parks-charterhouse-square-ec1-57642/" target="_blank">Charterhouse Square</a> (technically more of a pentagon). Its central garden is currently a combination of spring flowers and waterlogged grass, and best not to imagine quite how many skeletons you're standing on top of. Aim for the twisted metal arch under the giant lamp, which should be unlocked so long as a) it's between 10.30am and 4.30pm b) it's not Sunday or Monday. Beyond is a flagstoned courtyard with low knot-garden-like topiary, plus a 3D model of the complex so that even visually-challenged visitors can get a sense of scale. As sheltered housing goes, it's on the large side.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vF3-bjGXOBtQzFXcxtwAAQV4PX43cARn9qPu5o-fvP236yooTiF34xjcSUx97KdjZrE_CMqPQzch9Y6ebGUqD__xwFlKcT2_4Od32R40JtftEv9n7gXYcQRNX_13zkaxMdCgSpOFlJt5n_I8mRkP-K2GEt2OQL1ab_9tRzR9M8AigCoBR1GAtQ/s1600/knotgdn.jpg" title="The Charterhouse - looking out" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Step inside and initially it feels very 2017 rather than 1611, this being the pumped-up visitor-focused foyer. It's part information desk, part accessible toilets and substantially gift shop - somewhere to mill before a tour or browse afterwards. If you’ve brought children expect to be offered a colour copy of the Family Trail, otherwise you should be perfectly capable of finding your own way round. Head for the long room which looks a bit cloistery (but isn't, because the real cloisters are elsewhere), admire the plaques (oooh, John Wesley was a scholar here, ditto Robert Baden-Powell, ditto Sir Henry Havelock) and then make your choice of where to start - <a href="https://thecharterhouse.org/explore-the-charterhouse/chapel/" target="_blank">chapel</a> or <a href="https://thecharterhouse.org/explore-the-charterhouse/museum/" target="_blank">museum</a>. I picked chapel.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53570540805" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe32TY0w5txiyhG5qYBrlh4by-3nqpXJcxQhEo7XkXC3lzqH2Wt5oynDN3zDaYOe_j_O9nZ_-493XlmP3jkCHJQH2J-2fKfXK3E91VG5JTVlK6cVCGaVwFbSj5vZwUGi67lNO4jQ6R1dIOPCOHpncWhN97WdjULMACFcGC1WrN7rb50tjHCFFU-w/s1600/khkhapel.jpg" title="The Charterhouse chapel" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
It's been here just over 500 years although not much of the original remains, mostly a few bits of the antechamber. The main body straight in front is technically Tudor, the aisle to the left is a Jacobean extension and the plainer stalls bolted onto the side were added in 1825 to accommodate lowlier ranks of schoolchildren. The stained glass <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/53570540805" target="_blank">stands out</a>, but more dazzling are the two golden icons painted either side of the altar (see laminated information sheet on pew alongside). But by now what's probably tickling your interest is the extraordinary confection on the north wall, an ornate stack of symbolism, which can only be the resting place of someone who had a lot of money and a lot of friends.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTkWRkjWTZa5yLyvmhva_NmGwmkxWOITZ8e-HkWFDCGx4qVFkdva-ZI4fXDsiN0Q__V-WCFcBSxeaXtpWma3B3yImKQk_rjLqrbwoCGlxM6vPsReLW9g9uEr__uBikXflpqlRt4friGyHt0Ozhq_g0x_98baaOFRgZZSgyrW6zBL0cOXvWPejMw/s1600/suttn.jpg" title="Thomas Sutton's memorial" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
That'd be the aforementioned Thomas Sutton, moneylender to the nation and chief hospital benefactor, who's commemorated here in a building he never saw. For the then-massive sum of £400 three master masons topped off an alabaster effigy of the good man with a <a href="https://ianstone.london/2019/03/18/the-thomas-sutton-memorial-in-charterhouse-chapel/" target="_blank">grandiose memorial</a> carved from stone and marble. Above the central plaque a skull stares out, Time wields his scythe and a massive congregation gathers to pay their respects to their benefactor. Cherubic figures with names like Labour, Piety and Rest are positioned roundabout to provide meaning, the obligatory coat of arms takes centre stage and three dogs' heads poke out up front. I'm not explaining it well, it's best seen in situ, its components explained in another conveniently positioned laminate.
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The museum meanwhile is long and thin, indeed quite hard to weave through if a tour party of retired ladies has turned up and are filling time before their official tour. It tells multiple tales in reverse chronological order, including what it was like to be a pupil here (serious, with bullying), how the hospital was governed (seriously) and how the water supply fed in through mapped conduits (seriously ahead of its time). I don't know of any other museum with a button that says 'Illuminate St Catherine', and when pressed she does indeed light up, she being the remains of an effigy from the late 15th century monastery chapel. At the far end of the second gallery the story ends at the beginning with an actual skeleton of a Black Death victim, reverently displayed beneath a wall of flickering 'candles'.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_febgvJCOex2q25XeDpeew3DAXen-qDqmDQSVzLWlADzC_wBoFQRkuvwGYJXkg_soJfw9ImGg5G6aF9FngYN2OcAXlTYBLnBoyG5-0YGeJuyAoq9N53fSAKpk3lkWlei8s7H4AAPD-TuMnJ3O6Pmm8XGnLUeBsrc3mbn9ot2617KYO8Nwifj53A/s1600/msm.jpg" title="The Charterhouse's mini-museum" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The thread that keeps cropping up throughout is that of the almshouse residents, still known as Brothers even after women were finally admitted in 2018. Numbers are fixed at 40, each with their own private flat and a unique address in almost the very heart of the city. The Brothers aren't expected to live a monastic life, they can come and go as they please, go on holiday, whatever, but there is an unspoken expectation that they'll dine collectively most of the time in the 16th century Great Hall. Some Brothers help guide in the chapel, many help run tours, and others simply enjoy the garden and the peace and quiet. To be eligible to <a href="https://thecharterhouse.org/joining-the-community/almshouse/" target="_blank">move in</a> to the Charterhouse you have to be over 60, single, in financial and social need and capable of living independently, so I'm not yet borderline Brother material.
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Come at 8am or 5.30pm and you can attend a daily service in the chapel. Visit on a Friday morning a big social sitdown takes place where anyone's very welcome. Pre-book on a <a href="https://thecharterhouse.org/explore-the-charterhouse/tours/" target="_blank">guided tour</a> - probably the best option - and you can be shown further treats within, like the garden, the cloisters or the Great Chamber. Or like I did simply <a href="https://thecharterhouse.org/visit-us/" target="_blank">drop in</a> to see the chapel and the museum, free of charge, in this extraordinary retirement haven with its roots in plague and charity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-9853983133424442962024-03-05T04:39:00.014+00:002024-03-05T04:39:00.126+00:00439In March 2020 TfL published a <a href="https://content.tfl.gov.uk/croydon-bus-study.pdf" target="_blank">Croydon Bus Study</a>, a 54 page examination of the local bus network and how it might need to change in response to proposed development, particularly to the south of Croydon. Essentially it said "if more people are going to live here they'll need better buses".
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One issue was a need for more buses along Purley Way <font style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>("The Purley Way transformation area will require additional capacity")</i>.</font> Another was the recent removal of buses from Waddon Marsh tram stop <font style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>("A service could use Waddon Marsh to stand")</i>.</font> And another was historically poor links to the hillier streets in Kenley <font style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>("A significant section of Kenley is more than 400 metres away from the network").</i></font> So one of the study's key conclusions was to introduce a brand new route <font style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><i>("We are investigating whether we could restore a bus service to Waddon Marsh and introduce a service into Kenley.")</i></font>
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<a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/routes-434-439-map.pdf" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNd9bHm_plTj-rO40PJX92hhtDaYm3Ha3i7oPoMTNb4bB6TztRbHMIqI3Hexk0C3wNh5NyDmxgwJ71WFl2CJc_sSwc1pyIRgu5jI5bGpOu6o1DfbtwSE_63ddbGjsDt_qbPnYLYSUQf8HNh1ChvIy9QiQchysJ-Xt9VahzguwdJD92dbnIV6900g/s1600/434439.gif" title="434 and 439 changes map" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
A brand new route duly started <a href="about:blank" target="_blank">this weekend</a> starting at Waddon Marsh and passing through Purley and Kenley. It's the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/439" target="_blank">439</a>, a number London buses haven't previously used, which now runs <a href="http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/439.htm" target="_blank">every half hour</a> to the edge of Surrey. But north of Purley it merely shadows an existing route (the 289) and south of Purley it's merely taken over another (the 434). It won’t be reaching the heights of Kenley because that task's been given to the 434, and the 434 doesn't yet reach the heights of Kenley because the roads up there aren't yet bus-friendly. The 439's no groundbreaker, merely treading old ground, but I’ve been to ride it anyway.
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<font size=4 color=#cc0033>Route <b>439</b>: Waddon Marsh - Whyteleafe South</font><br>
<font size=1><em>Length of journey</em>: 8 miles, 35 minutes</font>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDKaPbMiDfDTzjEAqf9a1SC1rU1KWBB6P31CXYlXIoCGZG7BrdJ2IpXmu7OsqcOIC1Ag0Z9s9a4XsG-tZHuDNa1Hs0rM3TBYRvvrg6RXZ_Ih-_Mv2WIg9AQJKanR-yY_7fbhyHjtQiyw8kQJ-n453D1wls9yM0PuulyPG1IfDJwljksQRxNo2tQ/s1600/439wadmarsh.jpg" title="439 at Waddon Marsh" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
No the blind still doesn't photograph properly, but imagine it says 439 Whyteleafe South. Nobody waiting here by the tram stop wants to go to Whyteleafe South, indeed most likely have no idea where it is, and the fact that no bus stops yet have timetables won't be helping them to work out where it goes. One potential passenger has to ask "Are you going to The Colonnades?" and only boards once told yes. Last week no buses started here but now two do, the other being the extended S4 (which is taking over from the 455, do keep up). The blind of the S4 doesn't photograph properly either but that's because it doesn't have one, it seems to be another route introduced before the new blinds were ready. At least <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr6dfj9_OWCj1wAuL3FRyormF8cmN_YogTtrzsK5_-DyTyZfJ72hmoLh3whHBNVr5COPsf-eXMws4laa0Zyuz90_YUqCshXCyB1lA1IshT9yJKfiwwQj_4Fu9mCsSUNT6W6WZHm5l2mZUjZRMgjK2wX0JDZCcxaeonFWfGGuiOp35Fj0h8qSTjQ/s1600/thetiles.jpg" target="_blank">the tiles</a> are right.
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We set off round the back of Sainsbury's, past the supermarket bins and the TK Maxx car park. This is the only bit of the route that's properly new, or at least unserved since 2017, and it's just one stop long. When we pull over prematurely my eyes are drawn to the iBus display which is telling me it's only 9 minutes to Waddon station. It's the same super hi-tech display as on the S2, indeed the route uses the same type of vehicles, but in this case the software is actually working. It's also lying though, it must be, because in an instant the time to Waddon station suddenly drops from 9 minutes to 5. (It turns out to be 7, such is the poor power of prediction).
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8e3RSvQkqBuzoURRh2egtTVjDcMt1hFgCQooxfh3N9DiFduTrMPaW61_VvrpUmkCIxtu4uzpHFZUGYVVllK1I6V8SrQns4s8KVso44EsXa2cSTrQgVWtZnxkYjFsUry_9iAsfM0PBOZdqZiDbI_RvxV8n4CUKXUarvgwtEO1iwhEKpi-rSChu9A/s1600/ibusmk2.jpg" title="new iBus display" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<i>A word about these modern displays, iBus mk2, because in two ways I find them worse than the original. They only show the time if someone's dinged the bell wanting to alight, whereas on the old style it's exactly the opposite (time before ding only). More peevingly the screen keeps trying to tell you how long it'll be until the bus reaches a key transport node and they rarely get it right. It's also often a stupid transport node nobody's interested in, as here on the 439 where after Waddon the display suddenly gets obsessed with the time to Whyteleafe station. This is 24 minutes away apparently, and nowhere anyone on board would be going, whereas the time to Purley might have been useful to the majority. Basically, programmers, think about your list of locations far more carefully.</i>
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For the next ten minutes we'll be shadowing route 289 down Purley Way. The fortunate folk who live, work and shop along here are getting a bus boost from five services an hour to seven. I’ve blogged <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/01/a23-purley-way.html" target="_blank">a full journey</a> down Purley Way before so I won't submit you to it again, but here are some condensed snippets: Hare and Hounds, Gavin Palmer's belated Mayoral billboard, Fourways, Fiveways, sponsored academy, Grade II listed barn, reversing lorries, Wing Yip cash and carry, Kevin News, former airport, de Havilland Heron, the Colonnades Leisure Park, Costco, Battle of Britain RAF Memorial, cluster of caravans, concrete apron, a heck of a lot of playing fields, more school playing fields, estate agent nirvana, Mock Tudor parade.
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We reach Purley Cross a fraction ahead of a bus on route 434. This is the bus whose route ahead the 439 has just swiped, which means there might be someone on that bus who now wants to switch to ours. They can’t, the timing hasn't worked out, so annoyingly they'd now have to wait another 30 minutes (or walk). Five fresh passengers board at Purley station, having correctly deduced they now need the new number, and in one case is over-excited at having a brand spanking new vehicle. We head under the railway bridge, then veer off up Foxley Hill Road to the lower heights of Kenley. This is what the 434 used to do, and will one day do again before entering pastures new and powering up the full length of Higher Drive. More of that later, because I came back to explore it properly.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hGGaloNJUh3ovfZNxQNaXUn6V72P4tWt3hRkJqLxmxHqDv2U4JeT_u479nu0qGxpeJbnCSMOJPsc_Lm8GACqEJHM5019BcK_uV0Ky5tm_KpHjIE1qQZeiYn_Nc3yBDCNuQaziPE-UH65zItxOS7IXCsNit1h9QT4LTwas5vE1NUJq4N_reHksw/s1600/439higher.jpg" title="439 on Foxley Hill Road" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<a href="https://osm.org/go/euuoipi6--?m=" target="_blank">Northwood Avenue</a> is both isolated and lucky, sandwiched for half a mile between woods and railway with a half-hourly bus service all to themselves. All these houses run along a steepish slope, as do so many around here, in some cases perched above their garages. The road is narrow and double parked so requires careful driving, plus it's bin day and we’ve been fortunate to have missed the dustcart. The road winds on and on and on, briefly achieving connectivity at Kenley station, then ploughs on past lovely gardens, genteel courts and suburban palaces. On the other side of the railway the 407 and 434 are serving a busy main road whereas we're in another world entirely.
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The last hurrah of this 2½ mile quarantine is a tiny grid of residential avenues where, as previously <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/08/ulez-borderline-cases.html" target="_blank">blogged</a>, one isolated road has been pettily disadvantaged by ULEZ-inclusion. The bins change at the top of Hornchurch Hill as we switch from London to Surrey, then a level crossing heralds the appearance of that Whyteleafe station the iBus has been going on about for the last 24 minutes. Whyteleafe, a Surrey suburb with a Victorian heart, now has <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Dp96yfIx2YBZrT5fAP4kf-As_TDMJjMLdMTrYKMTk4K5W8LqGCYe0JD1bFKZMendpynvmpJ6cVoBZXs_SGlQGFMOYn1QTKpe2BJAfRxYaOmu67LYTiaPwTuI9remMgwMlm6lq-woYTyzkpGtFs9O80JBe4XotBlHCEts0YoOgf3rZfVKmn3tOw/s1600/3tiles.jpg" target="_blank">three</a> red bus services not to mention two stations on entirely different railway lines so lucky them. TfL's accountants would have preferred to terminate the 439 here but it has to continue for another three quarters of a mile down the Godstone Road before there's space for a stand and a roundabout to turn back. If you've ever wondered where Ann Summers HQ is, you'll be turfed off outside it.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCshSABFsHr_i8qfIM38hUgvqEUiizwGP1zndwCPDc2RkuExjKICL2wp72d8kp6wxAAeplWkmTI1PzLXM0DkuVC17lNpUIVCBOKN7aFVjBXOiK9bnTfZipmlx_BY8zKAe_oiA_i2BLMCj0A62lvMpkjGN4i3CXHeFW_T6u2wpuPhh8dksdosWvaA/s1600/439whyte.jpg" title="439 at Whyteleafe South terminus" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The 434 used to terminate here but it's just been extended to Caterham to make way, so that's good. What's less good is that to get here it's had to whizz along the A22 because its twiddles around the heights of Kenley aren't yet ready. It should have plunged headlong up <a href="https://osm.org/go/euuoiYHq--?m=" target="_blank">Higher Drive</a>, as I mentioned three paragraphs ago, indeed nothing's currently stopping it. The road's broad, not too steep and there are newbuild flats going up whose residents would love a convenient bus. A full mile's worth of potential passengers are waiting, although obviously they all have cars because they’ve never had an alternative.
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The underlying problem is that it's easy to get a bus up to the top of Kenley but very difficult to get it back down. There are no convenient roundabouts, no easy turning loops and rather too many narrow lanes linking up here with down there. In particular the <a href="https://osm.org/go/eur98YXf--?m=" target="_blank">left turn</a> out of Firs Road onto Park Road is too sharp, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Iu-ArMk1gbP90P6RrCEXViYLB1YXqbo02Y57X8OCtr_YvGa7od1VSMvPDpTH1fxWVLGn6Ut4NO34BiV0_ic7p6jl_JfYe-z7_-WSmpXdwajE0ll1D0434jm3qECHjyuea7YYa7rccfWcPMg3OyuTL_WDKUgjjHALojUTVdAux9ygzX72MiJ0CA/s1600/toohairpn.jpg" target="_blank">too hairpin</a>, so the obvious route on paper is not an option in real life. Instead buses are going to have to divert round Wattendon Road, a curvaceous <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0wJ7M58yB4oQwucmbhccr7T46KD39jV_LuQJfOQzcisPXXfBMAhiNGlQevbuZt-5n26j2plm9KYsUX-a9tVxc7Q5s48xtwuAkou4i0bVlwVJS_AkPoPdWR4Y5sRLgMUNBvkkjJ0t1b474BqzSYiLp5Ckui4CzMu40l0Q4VUi1sKAq5bYhPvzow/s1600/bungalowed.jpg" target="_blank">bungalowed backwater</a> whose residents could never have imagined it would ever see a regular bus. They're probably up in arms about it, to be honest, but will no doubt use it to nip to the shops once it emerges. Which’ll be just as soon as someone's carried out some enabling works...
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiqmDwGgTvXDet117CqfGtkRiR_cmQRbhYvhDroc2L5hmeLKt_qJ-OUS07KOLHHoZX0V1aeyFH24nmbo3vV-rBpZ-gJOhaIWHtABKZEDoLolw8kOFTS0anOkdmA9Xi3-m_u61WDR4Ji-2AC40oWdY56GYRx06rV6fYe-H8mO9BZtJD6KH-20g8A/s1600/wattendon.jpg" title="TfL works at the entrance to Wattendon Road" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
These TfL contractors were out yesterday digging up part of <a href="https://osm.org/go/eur98Th2--?m=" target="_blank">Firs Road</a> by the entrance to Wattendon Road. I thought they were removing a traffic island but after checking Streetview it seems they were more likely adding one. Someone's also painted circles around a number of potholes, because it seems the best way to get these filled in is to suddenly have a bus route diverted your way. It does seem a bit remiss to be tackling this only <i>after</i> the proposed launch day but better late than never, and it could still be months before the 434 gets up here. That'll be proper gamechanging, though, for hundreds of homes and a primary school who'll finally get to experience what millions of other Londoners take for granted.
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<font size=1><i>Sorry, I did warn you back in January that there might be an overdose of bus reportage around the start of March. In good news the next big route change isn't until Saturday, plus that's also my birthday, so you now have a few days off before I bring you a couple more.</i></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766428.post-63897848004808577682024-03-04T07:00:00.005+00:002024-03-04T10:29:39.226+00:00S2This is the <a href="https://londonbuses.co.uk/_routes/prefix/s2.html" target="_blank">S2</a>, a bus which ran between Clapton and <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2008/07/s2.html" target="_blank">my neck of the woods</a> between 1970 and 2008, back when 'S' meant Stratford.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/2631776415" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWZVoBcsPTC1CkDrX3Fc7CEKaW3GDUlQh2ffDEaNDhj8UA5DcFqJWFIbqpBykS0BhTQL7N5N59sDbokl4x3aXo5W0K8VaPEH6zQMhONl6ADWs63NKcPUYQvw7PxI0qXQdq1-UmmC-lMARRJ6o0iJwYSx5XpgCC75jAAxh9jEEb1W-l5ZW53V8JA/s1600/s2old.jpg" title="S2 in Hackney Wick" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
It now means Sutton, there already being an S1, S3 and S4 threading across the borough, but it's taken until 2024 for the gap to be filled with an <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/s2?direction=inbound" target="_blank">S2</a>.
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This new route is part of a major raft of changes in Croydon and Sutton <a href="https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2020/10/sutton-croydon-bus-consultation.html" target="_blank">consulted on</a> in 2020, confirmed in 2021 and finally introduced on Saturday. The changes have their own <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/croydon-and-sutton-bus-changes" target="_blank">dedicated webpage</a>, previously <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/02/friday-transport-news.html" target="_blank">blogged</a>, which comes with four bespoke maps. This isn't one of them, it's my attempted scrawl of the full 'S' network.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd7k9mNqycRCCGTvC9fM1k9UxU82DY4HFpX9S-lQ48YHbO3_zvQOvM1wX7ztu3Pt_rNMQAUM_7CXagK4-Kjcv_mEMG3IBZwDUbdKMjWsiTlsdZu_qkpCzpy7RgKsjTeiHk8-CcjslpUmVi-xWOCRnk5gOznaTPBb4Si5P9VuykR4QpqNAEYP2og/s1600/s1s2s3s4.gif" title="The S network in Sutton" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
The <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/s2?direction=inbound" target="_blank">S2</a> goes nowhere new, it merely combines half of two previous routes. Firstly it's taken over the northern end of the S4 (so the S4 can be extended to cover the defunct 455) and secondly it's taken over the southern end of the 470 (which was always a bit too long anyway).
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<blockquote><b> S4</b>: <font color=#cc0033>St Helier → Sutton</font> → Roundshaw<br>
<b>470</b>: Colliers Wood → <font color=#cc0033>Sutton → Epsom
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<b>S2</b>: St Helier → Sutton → Epsom</font>
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These are good changes, not least because the S4 and 470 didn't used to run on Sundays and the S2 does. So I went for a ride yesterday, fully embracing the coincidence of new routes called SL2 and S2 being introduced on the same weekend.
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<font size=4 color=#cc0033>Route <b>S2</b>: St Helier - Epsom</font><br>
<font size=1><em>Length of journey</em>: 9 miles, 55 minutes</font>
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The S2 kicks off on Green Lane, one of the main spine roads on the massive 1930s expanse of the St Helier estate. Nearby are the steps down to St Helier station, the 15th least used in the capital so hardly a busy hub, and across the road is a semi-shuttered parade of minor retail staples. Residents can get their coffee at King Cafe, their groceries from Ami's, their chippy tea from Link Fisheries and their hair done at Simply Elegant. The S2's first stop is on the other side of the road pointing the wrong way, so finding it may need a bit of local knowledge, and here I found a brand new electric bus ready to sweep me to Epsom. It's typical of many a vehicle now being introduced across London - wood effect flooring, USB sockets, cosy-looking seats... and a blind that's annoyingly <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVZYQGmM7ywa-ivPYiCSp-1GV4JMv7mGGmLt6D4W4uCpb7ljr7SqWtLwYGZLMp4oPggsjh6ZJsi4Pn6mdyt8UHRy7r9uoz5hyphenhyphen87f51Cf7ibiBAFGeC23PkC1MbtarLrGM5alGjNk6eYc-Cv2LiUeH9CGvaOgJYT3O9RpZ73Ii6KOEIOQ5NUQ_SQ/s1600/s2bak.jpg" target="_blank">unphotographable</a>.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqva0znaCmcqLxGoR0-XrT71tsdhaT9du39G-Hh6aoif2y8cZDcOFp1FiuAFCpobd68vNpppr056Nk5QmRy2bomkHgLYObl9rY6mSrIO31yrhVBMOly5cEwOmRoKdhEI4_A3cogBjHU6yKpvlR4Ul1RAdNBRacVM4QYVaQ0sua7PnGQOr8MPEpw/s1600/s2sthelier.jpg" title="S2 at St Helier station" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
<i>TfL didn't used to allow electronic blinds because they were deemed less clear than traditional printed rolling blinds and accessibility is key. But new hi-def LED blinds are much sharper, indeed for the average passenger the lettering's indistinguishable from the usual printed style, plus they illuminate better in low visibility. Expect to see a lot more of these from most bus operators as existing vehicles are eventually replaced. But although the refresh rate's fine for the human eye it's less good for devices that take quick snapshots, hence cameras tend to capture part of the display rather than all of it. I took 25 photos of the S2 yesterday and not one blind came out properly, all I got were horizontal stripes generally depicting half or less. This isn't a new issue, indeed outside London it's been commonplace for a while, but it is going to make it increasingly difficult to photograph buses with an identifiable route and destination. I'll save my best photo, which isn't great, for the end of today's journey.</i>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQ_KVocy-Mq0AumWsU_DxDJOLjjGfrYBKjZfIQGYWhkJoWEtaT6GCfEglQadkVVL5tjIumlLLi0re2zzsdlzhcDsRNWVlQrjJrEvi9PEWUuC_PbC5hSIl6Z1vswThlOmFXP7z6pM8SB9dFNAHMmpMrsGG9nYpdSXAM_gh2pPdlZ7XM5EsFCKeCw/s1600/s2strips.jpg" title="strippy S2 blind photos" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
Green Lane is properly green and boasts a tree-lined walkable central reservation, but also lacks another bus stop for almost the first half mile. It was hard to tell where the bus stops were because the iBus system wasn't working - no display, no announcements, no nothing - almost like being back in 2004 again. What's more these were new multi-functional digital displays, often impressively clever, but all we got to see was the Navaho homepage suggesting the software wouldn't power up properly. I wondered if it was just this bus having a 'First Weekend' issue but no, I caught another later and it was similarly mute. New technology doesn't always mean better information, or indeed any information, alas.
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The S2 serves two useful places at the start of the route, the busy Rose Hill Roundabout and the beleaguered St Helier Hospital. But then it veers off abruptly into the backstreets to feed through parts of Benhilton that wouldn't otherwise see a bus service. Some of these streets are hard to negotiate, indeed a keep left sign at the junction of Duke of Edinburgh Road and Prince of Wales Road proved particularly tough to edge past. They're also hard to remember, which is why the only other passengers aboard the bus were another S2 driver and her mentor clutching a stapled list of 'Route Instructions. I'd totally have gone the wrong way at one point so it's just as well I'm not a driver myself. As a mark of how tough route-learning is they both alighted just before the town centre, where things get easier, to ride all the way back to the start again.
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Lenham Road is the designated driver changeover spot and here we lingered. The new driver first spent time fiddling with the only non-electronic mirror, then sat tapping on his beeping console like he was trying to enter some 100-digit passcode. It turned out he'd been trying to launch the iBus software without realising it didn't work, and all in all that was five minutes wasted. By now we had half a dozen proper passengers, all of whom had correctly worked out that the S2 was the new S4. We had however left several people behind, one who thought better of it and stepped back, one who it turned out was waiting for the S1 and one standing promisingly in a Hail and Ride section brandishing a large pink suitcase but who was actually waiting for an Uber.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEime-sTPDAo71CgPvQ_D1j3IOJ7VakGOGXznFYZcFCylyBo4S_10rkImbHWmwQBqG1Nyk_V4sl3uIpGxz6b1jRq4i9weY-ErWUOKJcvjA_Auv1isoGEY07C3p9W28LX0QjFURrKeM3Z2KcRWss68rtmItAbr5J9cBaB40IwpCi2j9vIPKxeR9EbAg/s1600/ewellillage.jpg" title="S2 in Ewell Village" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
From the bus you never see the shops in Sutton High Street, only the 80s-looking gyratory that runs parallel to it, and which has three stops along its length. The full complement of local routes is now displayed at each - S1, S2, S3 and S4 - at last a quartet rather than a gappy list. I was pleased to see that all the tiles along the entire route appeared to have been correctly updated to show the S2 (even right at the end in Epsom where it's not TfL's job). We only picked up one new passenger behind the shops (a lady with a crutch and a spangly grey cardigan) but rather more at the station, indeed the bus soon became pretty busy. The remainder of the route now tracks the amputated section of the 470, a Monday-Saturday service, and it was excellent to see so many people taking advantage of the inaugural Sunday connection between Sutton and Epsom.
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But it's very much not a direct route, instead zigzagging north and south to thread through suburban streets on the very edge of London. As the bus progressed the properties got larger, more detached and increasingly verdant, until we were passing half-timbered villas with room to park four cars behind screens of blossom and topiary. A sign on the courts at Cheam Fields Club invited residents to apply for membership to enjoy Tennis, Bowls and Bridge - suggesting Cheam's hardly Hancock's Half Hour, more The Good Life. All the roads round here are Hail and Ride, not that anyone would have realised with iBus not working, indeed if there was a special stop to serve Cheam station I wholly missed it. Eventually we reached the traffic lights at Cheam's central crossroads, where the perfect four shops in prime position were an antiques shop, a WH Smiths, a kitchen showroom and a Caffe Nero.
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We'd been toying with the Surrey boundary for some time and soon, just beyond Nonsuch Park and the cricket club, we finally crossed it. Surrey council still pay TfL for cross border services, hence six red bus routes still make the leap, and their bus stops retain the familiar roundel design. Houses suddenly seemed larger, signs somewhat snootier (Private road, No turning, No L drivers) and parents more likely to drive to collect their kids from football. According to my stopwatch we'd now had the allotted 40 minutes the timetable at the start of the journey had promised. Alas there were temporary traffic lights ahead just beyond Ewell East station, and it took ten further minutes to queue to get past what turned out to be a fairly small hole, and out onto the bypass.
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<a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/routes-470-s2-s3-s4-map.pdf" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EVZIrZihytVfez3SKfJfpp8gG-q8FLOuCyICByZxnRxVaUAZZOyQUxnkIudOyQhbTip7ZRuAUi3kHHhNjwUF4NR_q7vspm6xjev9gSIWLog3CMZM-5OijJcZl9WBfuFCBJi-PRcaODn0bhOKdzRTzTOrdifjtyIvMaH7ccVKC_5Inx5CEkn_yg/s1600/s2map.jpg" title="Sutton changes poster" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"></a><br clear=all><br>
In Ewell Village, with its herringbone brick shopping parade, a mystified pair of pensioners boarded the bus. "I’ve never seen this one before," she said. "Must be new," he replied. "Well at least it says Epsom on the front." I'd encounter them again on my return journey, dutifully scouring the <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/routes-470-s2-s3-s4-map.pdf" target="_blank">map</a> on the yellow poster and unpicking what it'd mean for future shopping trips. The map could have been easier to unpick - beyond Sutton all it really needed to say was 'the S2 is the new 470' - but I think they eventually worked it out. The journey concluded with one long run down Epsom Road, past such disparate buildings as pebbledashed bungalows, commuter flats, a fusion restaurant and a Job Centre Plus, before finally pulling up in Epsom High Street surrounded by a flourish of proper shops. If the iBus had been working I'd have realised it was the final stop, whereas instead I trooped off behind everyone else.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXryBpgMQPp9RoAAoGi1lw1taz5FtOiIM1AwqwID9tVWxZpT57_WHUzkEtn_IOSzcyVH_QImJ9_BylLfKz6Plv3Vz9ut4TB-t6yXJ9evDgS3KnaI0mupLbTUES3WetHwzwwn3CfWy6nmVmkAqpMkS6jSSR-3uJIepukbByQPZ9wAs18vjsv5STQ/s1600/s2epsom.jpg" title="S2 at Epsom Clock Tower" align=left hspace=0 border=0 data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500"><br clear=all><br>
It's been 16 years since I last rode an S2 and in that time the engine's gone electric, the seats no longer rattle and the blind's changed from yellow to dazzling white. Progress is inexorable, from Stratford to Sutton, and will eventually be rolling out on a bus route near you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com