With time on my hands after work one evening this week, and my passion for London Mews reignited, I set out on a Psychogeography inspired, Urban Wander around Kensington in search of more. This first mews I have passed plenty of times before, but usually in the dark, so it never really presented itself as a good photo opportunity, and also I had never ventured within, so a good excuse to put that right. This is not a conventional mews, being more of a courtyard, with garages beneath the two and three storey houses, linked by metal stairways, and balconies beautifully decorated with flowers in window boxes and hanging baskets. It’s not quite a gate community but the entrance barrier, which fortunately I managed to avoid in my photos, makes it look a little intimidating. Maybe next time I’ll be brave enough to venture further within, and climb the stairs to the first floor. I did try to see if I could see this mews-cum-courtyard from the other side but without any luck.
Next we come to Cornwall Mews, with its magnificent arches and urban topiary. I say magnificent in relation to the arches as they seem disproportionately large in comparison to the mews houses, although perhaps more in keeping with the grandiose style of the houses on the outside of the mews.
A little further beyond Cornwall Mews was this delightful little passageway, open only from dawn to dusk, which as it was approaching dusk as can be seen from the photo below, was quite handy and offered a good photo opportunity.
This whole area seems to have an abundance of mews and I found a few more as I made my way back.
And as I headed west from Kensington, into the sunset, I managed to capture this one.
Finally on this wander, I cam across this curious, red-striped house, which I’m fairly sure was not painted in such a manner last time I walked past it. I’m sure there’s a story behind it.
Red striped house, Kensington, London W8
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