In an area dominated by the railway past and present and lots of light industry, a heck of a lot of what you see around you has been rebuilt several times, but not this pocket park. It somehow escaped being built on when all the rest was.

The pocket park sits next to Victoria Road, which was little more than a dirt track through the fields when the first railways arrived in the area.

By 1915, some workers’ cottages were built on the now paved Victoria Road, and some side roads were laid out around the pocket park, evidently intending to build more houses.

It seems the housing never arrived, as industry moved in instead, and by 1930, the roads laid out for housing had vanished under more railway sidings and yet another warehouse.

You can see the plot of land that became the pocket park in this 1934 photo – it’s at 9 o’clock, between the two rows of terraced housing to the north of the railway bridge. You might spare a thought for the people who moved into those first houses expecting to be surrounded by human neighbours, only to find warehouses moving in.

The pocket park was still just an empty plot of land when finally in the late 1950s it was laid out as a recreation ground and named Victoria Gardens. The exact date is hard to pin down, but it would probably be 1958-59 and in May 1960, Acton Borough applied for permission to create park bylaws for Victoria Gardens.

The next big change locally was in the 1990s, when the row of houses facing onto Victoria Road and the old warehouses behind it were cleared by Wimpey Homes to build a cluster of low-rise blocks of flats. So the people living in the homes on the other side of the pocket park finally got the neighbours they expected back in the 1900s.

If you want to cry, the two-bed flats were being sold for £66,000 for completion in June 1995.

And in 2018, the warehouses on the other side of Victoria Road were cleared away to make space for HS2’s Victoria Road construction site. When HS2 moves out, the site will be redeveloped for housing.

And that might see the pocket park get a makeover as well, as it could do with one, because if a park could ever look sad, this one would put Eeyore to shame.

Piled up on a slope – which wasn’t there in the 1930s, so presumably ex-building rubble, the grass is rather threadbare, and the random lumps of bushes seem almost accidental growth rather than planned.

The large stones dotted around do give a bit of character, but candidly, this is a park overlooking a busy road and a building site, and hardly conducive to pleasant relaxation.

Oddly, it might need to be renamed soon.

The Victoria Road and Old Oak Lane Development Framework document shows it as being renamed “Midland Terrace and Shaftesbury Playspace,” with a new Victoria Gardens being created on Jenner Avenue in North Acton.

TfL first began experimenting with wildflower verges in 2019 through pilot schemes alongside the A40 in Hillingdon and the A406 in Redbridge. The approach involves reducing mowing from up to eight cuts a year to just two, removing grass cuttings, allowing wildflowers to establish, and creating richer habitats for insects and other wildlife.

The verges provide nectar, food and shelter for a range of species, including bees, butterflies, birds and small mammals. They also help capture carbon dioxide in the soil and reduce emissions by cutting the frequency of maintenance visits.

New wildflower verges have been established at several locations over the past year, including 5,000 square metres along the A10 in Enfield, 2,000 square metres on the A2 in Bexley and 1,700 square metres beside the A217 in Sutton. TfL has also planted wildflower seeds donated by Butterfly Conservation on traffic islands near Rotherhithe roundabout, replacing more formal planting schemes.

The new sites add to an expanding network of wildflower verges across London, including publicly accessible areas at Redbridge Roundabout and alongside the A40 in Hillingdon, where residents can experience the habitats firsthand.

Monitoring carried out with the charity Butterfly Conservation suggests the programme is already benefiting wildlife. Since 2023, surveys have tracked butterfly populations across the verges, and in 2025, volunteers carried out 118 surveys at 34 sites. These recorded around 720 butterflies from 22 different species, along with about 100 day-flying moths.

Butterfly sightings were, on average, more than 50% higher than in the previous year.

Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy Mete Coban said the expansion demonstrated how relatively simple changes could make a significant difference for nature.

He said: “The expansion of wildflower verges across London shows how simple changes can have a big impact, helping nature thrive.

“Alongside these verges, we have planted more than 640,000 trees, including two major new woodlands, and created or restored over 2,000 football pitches worth of green space.”

The wildflower programme forms part of TfL’s wider environmental strategy, which also includes measures to reduce pollution entering waterways and lower flood risk.

Working with City Hall and other partners, TfL has delivered almost 50,000 square metres of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) across London, including nearly 18,000 square metres in the last financial year. These schemes use features such as rain gardens, planted roofs and wetlands to slow the flow of rainwater into drains and rivers.

TfL added that it plans to install a further 10,000 square metres of SuDS over the next year, including as part of the A23 Streatham Hill improvements, which aim to make walking and cycling safer and more attractive.

Before land is converted into a wildflower verge, TfL assesses factors including the suitability of existing vegetation, maintenance access requirements, proximity to homes and any potential impact on road safety.

Greggs has decided to shut [a small number of] stores in London due to the extreme heatwave. Standard

The man regarded as the ‘architect’ of the ‘new town’ in Enfield has quit his job. Enfield Dispatch

Buy Back Brixton submits ‘competitive’ bid for the purchase of Brixton Village and Market Row Brixton Buzz

Several London councils have today launched court action against the Mayor of London over plans to slash affordable housing targets amid claims the city is being “turned into an investment asset for the super rich”. Standard

Dagenham social club owner in last ditch plea to keep trades hall alive Barking Star

A replica of New York’s historic Stonewall Inn will take to the streets of London Pride this summer as part of a partnership between the venue and Brooklyn Brewery. Attitude

Wimbledon qualifying was suspended for almost an hour-and-a-half on Wednesday due to a power outage at Roehampton. Standard

Despite hearing some early progress on grant funding at Housing 2026, a major London landlord has warned that the lack of demand in the capital is making it difficult to cross-subsidise social housing. Inside Housing (£)

London families told to refill water bottles despite having no running water during heatwave The Canary

And from ianVisits:

Tickets Alert: Early openings and late closings at Horizon 22 viewing gallery

Drones to patrol Romford railways in trespass crackdown

Tickets Alert: The heritage tube trains are back out on the rails

Exhibition tells the 300 year history of St Martin in the Fields

Tickets Alert: Visit the Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair

Visiting Our Lady of the Rosary and St Patrick, Walthamstow

Things to do in London tomorrow

Routemaster RM1 on display at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
London Transport Museum will bring the iconic AEC Routemaster RM1 to Covent Garden’s Piazza for one day only.

Inside the Infinite Shed: Heat Pumps Explained
Southwark
Ever wondered how a heat pump actually works? Curious about switching out your boiler but not sure where to start?

Lunchtime Talk: Screening London – The GLC Film Viewing Board Files
Clerkenwell
Join this lunchtime talk to hear what 27 boxes of archived files can tell us about the cinematic & cultural history of the mid-20th century.

Fletcher Priest Architects – open studio
Holborn
An open studio exploring 100 Fetter Lane’s printing heritage, material passporting and belonging through making, film and conversation.

The Evolving Life of an Islington Home
Islington
A talk and Q&A considering the past, present and future of retrofit.

A History of Georgian Feasting with Dr Amy Boyington
Twickenham
A talk and Q&A with Dr Amy Boyington, exploring the country house dining room as a carefully orchestrated theatre of wealth, power and performance.

Paths Through Britain
Camden
In this panel conversation, explore how ancient tracks, pilgrim ways and long-distance trails reveal a hidden history of how people have travelled slowly through these islands, and why walking still holds such power today.

Richard Price and America’s Revolution: evening talk with Sir Roly Keating
Stoke Newington
Join Sir Roly Keating for this talk on philosopher, mathematician, scientist, non-conformist preacher and political radical Richard Price.

Wellcome Collection Late: Shaping Age
Camden
An evening inspired by ‘The Coming of Age’ exhibition, featuring performances, talks, workshops, music and tours which challenge and subvert expectations of age and ageing.

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However, unlike the free daytime visits, these “out of hours” openings are charged for, which also means they’re quieter and less crowded.

The early bird tickets cost £15 per person (including a hot/cold drink), and open the tower for visiting on selected Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays in July from 7:45am.

The late evenings are on selected Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 6.30pm to 10pm, and cost £25 including a drink.

Tickets are available from here.

Scroll down to the dates and look for the little blue or orange dots indicating early or late openings.

Alternatively, if you wait until the clocks go back in late October, you can go up later in the afternoon for sunset from about 4:30pm and all for free. Free tickets are released on their website daily and are snapped up fairly quickly, but they reserve some space each day for walk-ins if you’re willing to take a chance.

GBR Anglia will start the trials of a new BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) drone technology later this summer and will allow Network Rail teams to access live aerial coverage up to 400 metres from Romford Rail Operating Centre, providing faster access to information compared with standard drone systems and reducing the need for staff to enter higher-risk areas.

The beyond visual line of sight trial has been approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority and forms part of the ongoing work by Network Rail, c2c and Greater Anglia as Anglia’s integrated railway.

Following sixteen months of development work, these BVLOS drones will be operated on Network Rail’s behalf by Heliguy.

The drones are also fitted with high-resolution thermal imaging cameras, which enable early identification of wear or damage across track, drainage, structures, and lineside equipment before it develops into faults. The long-term aim is to expand BVLOS drone operations across strategic locations in Anglia, with flights extending up to 4 kilometres.

Richard Barke, route crime and security manager for Network Rail’s Anglia route, said: “Trespass, vandalism and cable theft are some of the biggest causes of delay for passengers across the East of England.

“The learning from Romford will help us understand how this technology could support faster and more effective incident response across the Anglia route in the future.

“That means better coordination between route crime teams, operations and response teams, so we can deal with incidents more quickly and keep disruption to a minimum for passengers.”

Apart from the charm of riding in the old tube train, there’s the fun of watching people in the stations as you go through and wave to the crowds who marvel at the sight of the old train.

If you pick the Amersham and Watford route, that includes a rare chance to use the “north curve” on the line between Rickmansworth and Croxley.

1938 train

The 1938 era train will be on the rails on the weekend of 25th/26th July, running between Amersham and Watford and back again, or via Amersham and Harrow on the Hill. There is no reserved seating, but you can choose the car you ride, and – subject to availability – the front and rear carriages may also open their driver’s doors for a look.

Sarah Siddons

There will be three days of travel available in 1950’s ex-British Rail 4TC coaches, hauled by Sarah Siddons, one of the few electric locomotives still in service, and by a Class 20 locomotive.

Those services will run on 24th/25th/26th July.

—

Tickets are now available for Friday 24th and Sunday 26th July. Tickets for Saturday 25th July will go on sale next week. Tickets are available here.

There’s been a church on the site next to modern-day Trafalgar Square since at least 1222, when records show that the Abbot of Westminster and the Bishop of London were in dispute over control of a church at this location.

The church’s name, St Martin, is a reference to St Martin of Tours, who is often considered a patron saint of many travelling trades, and churches devoted to him are often found at the boundaries of cities. The church was rebuilt by King Henry VIII, with its own parish, in 1542, not for reasons of piety, but to stop local plague victims from walking through his Palace of Whitehall to reach the burial grounds in Westminster.

It was rebuilt again in 1606 and again in 1724-26, and the current church was consecrated by the Bishop of London on 20th October 1726. The date is no accident, as it was the anniversary of King George I’s coronation, and the King had contributed to the cost of the church organ and authorised the church to fly the Royal Standard as it was within His Majesty’s parish.

And now, a new exhibition has brought together a range of historic items from its past 300 years.

Among the highlights of the exhibition are the original door handle for the 1726 church, which features a design of St Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar. There are also paintings and prints spanning 300 years, as well as an original London transport poster. The church is the hub for  London’s original Pearly Kings and Queens, so the Pearly Stole worn by the Vicar of St Martin’s for Pearly ceremonies is also here.

Probably the most impressive to look at is an exploded model of the church, showing the undercroft. The hole underneath the model isn’t a tube tunnel – alas.

Away from the historic drawings, there’s quite a bit more about the more recent history of the church, showing how it adapted to the Chinese migration from Limehouse, was one of the first to introduce a cafe in the church and through its homeless outreach and support for civil rights issues.

As part of the exhibition work, they’ve also been investigating the people who were buried in the church, and whose ledger stones now form the floor of the crypt cafe.

And over by the toilets, look for William Fatt, who likely worked in the royal palaces and voted in the 1749 Westminster by-election, making him one of London’s earliest known Black voters.

Until now, John London was understood to be the first Black voter in London, but it now appears that William Fatt can join John London as the joint-earliest, both pre-dating the well-known Black British writer and composer, Ignatius Sancho, by 31 years.

You can check out the ledgerstone while visiting the exhibition, which is free to visit and open until 15th November 2026.

(update, the ledgerstone is for his son, also called William)

The church is next to Trafalgar Square and open daily from 11am to 5pm (10am on Thur and Sat). Do check the website as opening hours may vary each week.

There are also short tours of the church every Wednesday at 2pm.

Described as the “world’s largest floating bookfair”, the Logos Hope is a former passenger ferry built in 1973 to service routes in northern Europe, before being refitted by Operation Mobilisation (OM) as a travelling Christian missionary ship in 2005-9.

During the refurbishment, a new deck was inserted into the former vehicle area to create a public Visitor Experience area, and an additional deck was added at the stern to accommodate an onboard school for families serving aboard. The international volunteer crew, drawn from around 60 nationalities, are all non-salaried and serve on board for 3 months to 2 years or more.

The Logos Hope launched into active service in February 2009, sailing around the world, typically remaining at each port for approximately two weeks. And for the next couple of weeks, the ship is in London, and you can go on board for a visit – or a guided tour.

The ship is in the Royal Docks, near the Excel centre, and will be open daily from 10am to 10pm (Sun 1pm to 10pm) until 5th July 2026. There’s a nominal charge of £1 to go on board – and details are here.

You can also book a guided tour for just £5 for adults and £2 for children. Tickets available here.

The boat is about a 10-minute walk from Custom House station (DLR/Elizabeth line) – just head to the waterside and head to the very obvious large white boat.

After London, the Logos Hope will visit:

• Edinburgh – 9th July to 21st July
• Aberdeen – 21st July to 5th August
• Dublin – 8th August to 17th August
• Cork – 18th August to 24th August
• Torshavn, Faroe Islands – 27th August  to 2nd Sept
• Klaksvik, Faroe Islands – 2nd Sept 2026 to 7th Sept
• Cardiff – 10th Sept to 29th Sept
• Belfast – 1st Oct to 21st Oct
• Liverpool – 22nd Oct to 10th Nov

From the street, it looks as if the church was built at an odd angle, but that’s because the ancient Blackhorse Road is very curvy and you’re standing on one of the curves. The housing that developed around here in the late 1890s is in regimented lines, and the church actually sits in a straight line with the housing.

The Catholic church was one of three added at the ends of the roads to serve the new population, alongside a Methodist church to the south (since demolished) and a Baptist church to the north (still there).

The CofE church at St Michael is a few streets away, which might give a subtle hint as to the sorts of people expected to move into the new housing, who were less likely to be CofE adherents, so more Irish migrants and the like. Today, there’s a strong Polish congregation living there, so the tradition continues.

The Catholic church was funded by the heiress Miss Frances Ellis, who was a prolific funder of Catholic churches in South London, but also one north of the river – here in Walthamstow.

Frances Elizabeth Ellis was born into a wealthy family in Brighton in 1846 and raised in the Anglican faith. Following her father’s death, she inherited a substantial fortune and devoted much of her adult life to caring for her blind mother and infirm sister. During a stay in Ramsgate, Kent, she appears to have developed an interest in Catholicism. According to tradition, she was particularly struck by the devotion of a local man, Mr Leahy, whom she regularly saw walking to Mass at St Augustine’s Abbey regardless of the weather. Whatever the exact circumstances, Leahy seems to have played a key role in introducing her to influential members of the Southwark clergy, including Canon St John, who was closely involved in fundraising efforts.

Eventually, she funded more than 20 churches, requesting that they be small, simple, and Romanesque in style. They came to be known as Miss Ellis boxes, and were often designed by architects more used to building railway sheds, hence their utilitarian appearance.

The Walthamstow church was designed by Fr Benedict Williamson (who designed seven other Ellis churches), and Miss Ellis provided a substantial £1,000 towards its cost. The church opened in October 1908, was extended in 1930, and was reordered in the 1980s.

It’s part of the Diocese of Brentwood, and although opened in 1908, it was only consecrated in 1985.

Internally, it’s quite a plain church, by catholic standards, with a simple white and cream decoration, and various statues of saints and decorated panels showing the Stations of the Cross.

One of the more unusual saints here is St Martin de Porres, the patron saint of black and mixed-race people, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers, hair stylists, television… and animals.

The pews have a rather nice mid-century appeal.

The Lady Chapel, added in 1930 in the northeast of the church, has a large statue of Our Lady of the Rosary. To the southeast is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, with a glass door, as it’s also used as a confessional.

As you leave, there’s a warning sign to look out for cyclists and scooters on the pavement.

Today’s London news round-up:

Overnight storms bring flooding across TfL network BBC News

Knocking down a former Watford bank for a six-storey 24-flat building has been recommended for approval. Watford Observer

An Enfield resident has been prosecuted over a fly-tipping incident – for the second time in as many years. Enfield Dispatch

A video installation in the National Portrait Gallery has been removed following a dispute about the role Sir Winston Churchill played in the 1943 Bengal famine. Standard

Football groups, political parties and business leaders have joined forces to demand that London’s Night Tube runs on week nights when England and Scotland have World Cup matches. Metro

The living room of a house in North Walworth was destroyed by a lightning strike during thunderstorms early this morning Southwark News

A local artist “cancelled” and barred from her own exhibition over views on transgender issues has settled with Watford Borough Council. Watford Observer

London’s schools are supposed to remain open in all temperatures. They’re closing anyway. London Centric

A man stabbed to death in south London has been named by police as Kamahl Cameron-Williams. BBC News

Wembley Stadium relaxes rules for Harry Styles gig during 33C heatwave Standard

The United Nations chief has warned that London is ‘cooking’ while issuing a sobering reminder of the dangers of fossil fuels. Metro

This week, Nimby Watch is in Danson Park, Bexley, in South East London. But why?  CapX

And from ianVisits:

Work starts on Thameslink upgrade to cut delays through central London

London to gain another rooftop viewpoint as Tower Hill scheme moves forward

British railway passenger journeys now exceeding pre-pandemic levels

From Persil to Perrier: A nostalgic trip through the products that shaped Britain

The boat, the dolphins and a disused tube tunnel under the Thames

Things to do in London tomorrow

Governor’s Lecture Series – “The Boleyn Secret”
Chelsea
Join bestselling author Alison Weir in the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s State Apartments as she discusses her new book, The Boleyn Secret.

Baby names, vampire slayers and lies, lies, lies
Stoke Newington
Three short talks on nerdy topics.

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