A Weekend of Wandering in Kent (part 1, Deal and Sandwich)

Very pleased to have found some time to get away for a long weekend break. Originally we thought of searching out some winter sun, but in the end decided to stay in the UK, and to spend the weekend in Kent. I used to visit Kent as a child as that's where my gran used to live and where my parents came from, but I hadn't really been back there properly for probably over 30 years.

Arriving way too early to check into our accommodation, we stopped off in Deal and Sandwich en route. The weather in Deal was fantastic and the abundant subject matter of interest to me, and hopefully you dear reader, made for some great photo opportunities. By the time we got to Sandwich however the rain had started so less photos from there I'm afraid.

We arrived at Deal just before 9am. It wasn't as dark as this photo makes it out to be but the sun was still fairly low in the sky over deal pier.

Deal Pier, Kent

Almost before we'd taken our first steps into the streets of Deal I had a feeling that there would be doorway mosaics amongst the traditional shop frontages, and I was not disappointed.

Doorway Mosaic, Deal, Kent

Having seen and photographed many doorway mosaics in the past, this was the first time I had seen one containing house (or shop) numbers as opposed to the name of the shop.

Doorway Mosaic, Deal, Kent

This beautiful old building is the former Regent Cinema in Deal. It's been recently restored, well at least on the outside from what I've read, but its re-opening as a full or partial cinema still seems to be in the balance.

Regent Cinema, Deal, Kent

Regent Cinema, Deal, Kent

Before we left Deal there was just time for another couple of pictures of the pier. Unfortunately this was the last of the good weather for the day.

Deal Pier, Kent

Deal Pier, Kent

By the time we'd arrived in Sandwich it was raining quite heavily, and I felt a little miserable and melancholy. Even coffee and cake failed to raise my spirits as we trudged around in the cold, damp afternoon. There was however some recompense in a couple of damp, doorway mosaics I found.

Doorway Mosaic, Sandwich, Kent

Doorway Mosaic, Sandwich, Kent

So, my apologies to Sandwich as I know I have not done it justice. It's definitely worthy of a return visit but in better weather.

Further instalments of my weekend wandering in Kent will follow, hopefully soon, and will include Margate, Broadstairs, Whitstable, Canterbury, Chatham and Rochester.

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 around Brentford, London

Every time I think I'll devote some time to writing a new blog post I seem to get sidetracked. Most of the distractions are good and generally related to some of my favourite past times like mountain biking, walking, going to gigs, searching for vinyl records and reading ... which reminds me that I should mention my latest read before launching into today's post. Based on my enjoyment of Concretopia: A Journey Around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain, by John Grindrod, and also based on my own childhood of growing up on the outskirts of London in the 1970's living on the edge of the greenbelt, I ordered another of his books, Outskirts: Living Life on the Edge of the Green Belt. 

The pictures in this post were taken a couple of months ago when I was staying up in London for work. My usual hotel near the office was priced well beyond the reach of any reasonable expenses policy, so I ended up staying a bit further out of the centre, in Brentford. I have driven past Brentford on the way into London in the past, but have never stopped and don't really know much about it, other than their football team has an annoying habit of beating my football team, but let's not dwell on that.

As I walked from the bus stop to my hotel for the night, I already suspected a different experience than my usual London overnight stay. The lane I took from the main road towards the hotel quickly became a footpath and cycle path, leaving the noise of the road behind and opening out into park land. As I approached the hotel I could see the dome of the Great Conservatory of Syon House, architected by Charles Fowler in the 1880s and restored to its former glory in the 1980s.

Great Conservatory, Syon House 

I'm assuming the turreted building was some sort of gate, or guard house, for the main house.

The actual house of Syon House, London home of the Duke of Northumberland, with grounds re-designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown, looked wonderful in the late evening sun. Just a shame that there was a transit van parked outside to spoil the view.

Syon House in the late evening sun

The late evening sun and a liberal spread of light cloud, made for some great views and photo opportunities.

Late evening sun in Syon Park

After my evening stroll around Syon Park I headed into Brentford in search of dinner. I knew the Grand Union canal went through Brentford, but was not quite sure what to expect. Being a keen walker, and having walked on parts of the London Loop, the Grand Union Canal Walk, and the Capital Ring I was impressed by the available options on this sign ... almost a walker's paradise.

Walker's paradise signpost , Brentford Lock

Brentford lock itself remains an impressive engineering feature, but the residential areas around it left me a little cold.

Brentford lock

Brentford lock

There was however still some sign of industry of days-gone-by further down the canal.

I'm not quite sure what this building is, or was, or whether the ornate, floral metalwork was original, restored or new. Either way it made a pleasant change to the canal side flats.

This was not the first time I'd seen a mile post for Braunston. I had seen one previously during a Suburban Wander from Harefield to Moor Park following the London Loop where I had suggested it was "in the middle of nowhere" but was quickly and quite rightly corrected by a reader saying otherwise, so I won't make that mistake again.

Mile post for Braunston

The grade II former toll house is now a museum.

Former toll house, Brentford Lock

These next 2 photos were taken the following morning as I made my way back to the bus stop. I had seen the former railway bridge the previous night but it was too dark for a photo. These former railway arches used to carry the Brentford Branch Line, or Brentford Dock Line, from the GWR line at Southall down to Brentford Dock. The bridge across the road is long since gone, but the railway arches still remain, although a bit too orange for my liking. A bit of internet research suggests this line could be re-opened.

Railway arches carrying the former Brentford Dock line

Railway arches carrying the former Brentford Dock line

Here are a few links to some of the books and walks I referenced earlier on in the blog post.

    

Thanks for reading. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated. Hopefully my future posts will not be so few are far between.