So, as my Psychogeography inspired Urban Wanderings continue, I managed to escape for another lunchtime urban wander again this week. I
shouldn’t complain about the weather but it was blisteringly hot. My
wander took me towards Kensington Olympia station where, what I assume
was once an impressive
motorail terminal, is now a car park. As I walked through the
residential streets to the west to the railway line, trying as best I
could to keep into the shade, I eventually crossed over the London
Overground line and was rewarded with this quite spectacular
mews running along the side of the train line. As with many London
mews, this really could have been anywhere and I was quite surprised
when I exited out of the northern end of the mews to be back on a main
London A road.
Hansard Mews, London W14
Street lamp on Hansard Mews, London W14
Hansard Mews, London W14
As I drifted back in the general direction of Olympia I came across a
ghost sign, or more accurately two ghost signs, in Richmond Way. The one on the left needs no deciphering and clearly says DAIRY but the one on the right is a bit more of a mystery. I can just about make out the words PASTRY, CRESSWELL, HOME MADE and BAKERY
Ghost sign in Richmond Way, London W14
Ghost sign in Richmond Way, London W14
Next find on the wander was this little road which,
despite sitting close to some high rise housing, still had a village
feel to it, and also a reminder of colonialism, but perhaps should have
now been renamed Sri Lanka Road.
Ceylon Road, London W14
As I neared the end of my wander, I walked past
Blythe House and the West Kensington Post Office. Blythe House is a huge
and impressive looking building, originally built as the Head Quarters of the Post Office Savings Bank but
now used as storage for the Victoria and
Albert, and Science museums. The post office is still very much in use, but this
stamp machine inset into the wall outside is clearly not.
I would have liked to get closer to Blythe House
but access seemed restricted so the best I could manage was this shot,
from a distance, of some sort of chimney tower.
Blythe House, London W14
Finally, as I neared my destination, I found this
ghost sign. All I can make out of the lettering behind the new sign is
that whatever the sign was, it started with a “C” and ended with an “S”.
I only managed time for the briefest internet
research but could find nothing obvious to suggest what this once said,
but I’m sure the words beneath the new sign have no relation to
“Permanent House”, somewhat ironically appearing on what looks like a
temporary sign on top of the original signage.
Ghost sign in Hammersmith Road, London W14
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