Urban Wandering: Imperial Road Gas Holders, Fulham, London

Just a short blog post today to share some pictures from a few weeks ago of one of my favourite urban features, gas holders. These relics of industrial architecture used to be common place but now more and more of them are being cleared for re-development. This particular gas holder is the only one remaining from the Imperial Gasworks, near Fulham, which according to the National Grid website, is gasholder number 2 and the oldest in the world. The series of 4 photos follows my approach towards it heading south-east along Imperial Road. I have visited this area before and blogged about it in An Urban Wander around Imperial Wharf but the colour of the sky and the evening sun made the magnificent structure look even more impressive and imposing than usual.

London remains strewn with several former power stations and gasworks. Most people will be familiar with Battersea Powerstation, and also very likely the Bankside Power Station (now the Tate Modern) but for anyone interested in reading more about these wonderful structures, I can highly recommend London's Lost Power Stations and Gasworks by Ben Pedroche.

Gas holder, Imperial Gasworks, London

Gas holder, Imperial Gasworks, London

Gas holder, Imperial Gasworks, London

Gas holder, Imperial Gasworks, London

Thanks for reading this post. Any comments are very welcome and appreciated.

An Urban Wander from Primrose Hill to Kings Cross via Camden

Interrupting my suburban wandering along the London Loop Recreational Walk I had an opportunity to visit the area around Primrose for a couple of hours before an appointment. The Primrose Hill area has always been a bit of a favourite of mine, although I don't think I've ever really posted any pictures of it, apart from one possibly from the top of Primrose Hill overlooking London. So, with an opportunity to put this right I set about with my hand-me-down phone whose camera is unfortunately nowhere near as good as my old phone.

Painted houses, Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill, London NW1

I hadn't ventured very far but was already in need of sustenance when I stumbled across this wonderful café, Chloe's Espresso, on the bridge crossing the railway line out of Euston. The road is actually a continuation of Regent's Park Road but cars are prevented from accessing this part of it, making it an interesting pedestrian thoroughfare linking the distinctly upper class Primrose Hill with the more edgier Chalk Farm and Camden.

Chloe's Espresso, Regent's Park Road, London NW1

Chloe's Espresso, Regent's Park Road, London NW1

I've walked along this stretch of the Regent's Canal plenty of times before but had never looked at it from above.

Regent's Canal, Primrose Hill, London NW1

Quite a contrast looking from the bridge in the opposite direction, across the railway lines, towards Camden.

Camden from bridge over the Regent's Canal, Primrose Hill, London NW1

This wheel is not going anywhere, unlike it would seem the rest of the bike. Unless of course this is an installation.

Art installation or unfortunate cyclist?

Having wandered around Primrose Hill, poking my way through as many different streets as I could find, I dropped down on to the canal tow path and made my way towards Camden.

Former wharves lining the Regent's Canal, Camden, London NW1

Former wharves lining the Regent's Canal, Camden, London NW1

The old and the new, Regent's Canal, near Camden, London NW1

Always a bit of a sucker for a gas holder, mainly through reading London's Lost Power Stations and Gas Works I was pleasantly surprised that the former Kings Cross gas holders have been kept and have been incorporated into the design of these new apartments.

Gas holder, Kings Cross, London

Gas holder, Kings Cross, London

And so another urban wander reaches its end. Despite this one being through some fairly familiar territory, I once again saw it with new eyes inspired by Psychogeography.

    

A Suburban Wander from High Barnet to Cockfosters, London EN5, EN4

Hot on the heals of my Suburban Wander from Mill Hill Broadway to Mill Hill East, and taking continued inspiration from a number of recent reads, of which Psychogeography and Scarp are but two, I headed out once more towards the outer reaches of the London Underground Northern Line, this time to the end of the High Barnet branch.

The journey from central London is underground until East Finchley, after which it stays above ground until the end of the line at High Barnet. As the train passes through Finchley Central and on into Finchley West, there's a very real feeling of leaving the city and heading out to the country. Stations with names like Woodside Park and Totteridge and Whetstone are not reflections on the past, like some inappropriately named modern cul-de-sacs called Tall Trees, which no longer have a single tree in sight. They are still aptly named.

I had a destination in mind, Cockfosters, at the end of the Piccadilly line, but had no firm plans of the route I would take to get there. Instead I just ambled off out of High Barnet station with a vague notion that I'd go north, then east, then south.

My journey however very nearly took a different path altogether. I have recently been reading about the London Loop, and almost as soon as I exited High Barnet station I saw signs marking the Loop. But somehow this seemed too easy. Walking the loop, section by section, is on my to do list, but today was not the day to start that. Instead I walked past the temptations of the signage and headed north out of High Barnet, stopping briefly for a sustaining coffee and cake, and then headed to Hadley Green.

Almost as soon as I left the High Street in High Barnet the surroundings changed and I could see London's borderlands spreading out in front of me. Just before Hadley Green is the first of several village ponds. So many of the towns either at or towards the end of tube lines still have these wonderful features: Mill Hill, Ruislip, High Barnet, and I am sure many others.

Village pond, Hadley Green, near High Barnet, London EN5

Village pond, Hadley Green, near High Barnet, London EN5

Continuing along Hadley Green Road, the houses became increasing more impressive and grandiose the further I ventured. I could have photographed many more, but a couple examples can be seen below.

Entrance and clock tower, Hadley Green Road, EN5

Hadley House, Hadley Green Road, EN5

Less ostentatious, but beautiful nevertheless, were these smaller dwellings, possibly former alms houses?

Cottages, Hadley Green Road, EN5

Cottages, Hadley Green Road, EN5

St. Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley

The village feeling continued as I passed further outside of the London suburb, deeper into Hertfordshire, leaving Hadley Green Road and entering Hadley Common.

Houses on Hadley Common, EN5

Apart from the dreary, grey sky, this picture has everything. A beautiful, decaying clock tower, still intact but beginning to be overrun with rogue creepers from some plant or other (alas I am not knowledgeable enough to suggest which one).

Disused clock tower, Hadley Common, EN5

Pond on Monken Hadley Common, EN5

After passing so many spectacular houses, I longed for some sort of diversion, to take me somewhere different, and not much further along the road I came across a footpath leading back into suburbia. This footpath was pure Edgelands, filling that undefined area between the town and the country.

Footpath leading away from Hadley Common to Tudor Road, EN5

As the footpath came to an end, shortly before emerging on to Tudor Road, I spotted a football club hut. Whilst it looks boarded up and disused, I do wonder if it's opened up at weekend when, or indeed if, New Barnet FC play their home games.

New Barnet FC

New Barnet FC

I was unsure what to make of this next find. Neatly parked half in and half out of a suburban garage, it would seem to be a project.

Old van, Tudor Road, Barnet EN5

Although I had no formal route in mind, I knew that to get to Cockfosters I would have to cross the main line route out of King's Cross at some stage. I could see the trains rushing past from some distance away but it was not immediately obvious how I could cross the tracks. Fortunately there was a convenient, graffiti adorned, subway.

Subway under the main line from King's Cross, north of New Barnet

Subway under the main line from King's Cross, north of New Barnet

The path of the subway then continues above some derelict ground.

Continuation of the subway path above ground

After going beneath the railway line, the path continued over some derelict ground to the right.

Derelict land, New Barnet, London

 ... and something quite spectacular to the left. Regular readers may know I have many guilty pleasures, one of which is gas holders, or gas towers. I'm sure this one must be mentioned in my copy of London's Lost Power Stations and Gasworks, but I need to check. I think in my subconscious I may have known that one existed here, but as I exited the subway it took me by complete surprise and it is absolutely enormous.

Albert Road gas holder, Barnet, London

Albert Road gas holder, Barnet, London

Albert Road gas holder, Barnet, London

I had no reason for taking this picture other than that it vaguely amused me after what was becoming a long and weary walk, still suffering from man-flu and feeling ever so slightly sorry for myself.

Road closed ... fortunately, near Cockfosters, London EN4

And finally, as my suburban wander came to an end, as I wandered wearily up the hill towards Cockfosters tube station, I was rewarded with a splendid view of the Christ Church.

Christ Church, Cockfosters, London EN4

This was a great suburban wander. Perhaps next time I'll head north and then west.

    

A short Urban Wander around Queen's Park and Kensal Green, London

Unfortunately I had nowhere near enough time to do this area justice, and only managed the briefest of urban wanders during a short lunch break.

I've posted about the Kensington Gasworks previously when I wandered along the Grand Union Canal, but had not seen the works from this side before. The view is across the Kensal Green Cemetery.

Kensington Gasworks, London

This was a curious old van. I've seen ones similar to this used as coffee shops, but this one just seemed to be full of cardboard boxes, with a foliage trim to the windscreen. Maybe it's work in progress and will transform into something wonderful.

Old Citroen Van, Queen's Park, London

Not sure who the shadow is in the picture ... ok, well maybe I do. A shame as it was a lovely old VW Van. Maybe I should try and airbrush myself out.

Old VW Campervan, Queen's Park, London

There you go, I said it was brief. Until next time ...

    

An Urban Wander along the Limehouse Cut, London

We had a day out in London last Saturday to go and see British Sea Power at the Barbican in the evening, so decided to make a day of it and went up around lunch time to walk along the Limehouse Cut, which runs from Limehouse to Three Mills. The walk seemed to tick all the boxes for a good urban wander - ghost signs, industrial architecture, gas holders, abandonment and railways.

First up we have a ghost sign, albeit lovingly restored by the look of it, and now adorning what would seem to be flats in Limehouse.

Ghost sign, Limehouse, London E14

A few pictures now of the Spratt's Patent Limited dog food factory, looking rather marvelous against the clear, autumn sky. As with the signage in the previous picture, I imagine this has been restored at some stage as the buildings were renovated and converted.

Spratt's Patent Limited dog food factory, Limehouse Cut, London

Spratt's Patent Limited dog food factory, Limehouse Cut, London

Spratt's Patent Limited dog food factory, Limehouse Cut, London

 Spratt's Patent Limited dog food factory, Limehouse Cut, London

I can only assume this chimney was at one stage considerably taller and said SPRATT'S as opposed to just T'S.

Spratt's Patent Limited dog food factory, Limehouse Cut, London

Spratt's Patent Limited dog food factory, Limehouse Cut, London

A considerably less legible sign now, as we leave the Limehouse Cut and join the River Lea.

BRITISH WATERWAYS

?? ONLY

BEYOND THIS POINT

Ghost sign, Limehouse Cut, London

As the Limehouse Cut joins the River Lea, we come across the Bow Locks with the former Bow gas works in the background.

Bow locks, London

Bow locks, London

Bow locks, London

Bow locks, London

Heading north from Bow Locks we came across a railway bridge carrying the District and Metropolitan lines from London towards Barking and Dagenham, and also the main line out from Fenchurch Street into Essex.  

Railway bridge over the River Lea, Bromley-by-Bow, London

Railway bridge over the River Lea, Bromley-by-Bow, London

Former gas works, Bow, London

Former gas works, Bow, London

Whilst I fully expected to see gas works and railway lines, what I came across next was a complete surprise ... Three Mills Island, home to a large tidal mill and some television studios.

Three Mills Island, London

Three Mills Island, London

Three Mills Island, London

Couldn't resist taking this picture of some disused railway tracks. Not sure where the went to or from though, but presumably down to the river at some stage?

Three Mills Island, London

So as a day of excellent urban wandering came to an end, we made our way back into the City, took our seats in the Barbican, only to be cursed by a power failure which meant that the concert had to be postponed. Oh well, at least the day had not been wasted, and we returned to the country retreat disappointed but quite glad of an early night.