A lunchtime wander around Brackenbury Village, London

It's all too easy to allow work to overtake my intentions, and once again this has happened in terms of finding time to dedicate to this blog. Admittedly it's only a couple of weeks this time, unlike the months of absence I saw last year, but I had intended to blog at least weekly. Last week was manic at work, but fortunately I did manage to escape the office one lunchtime when I was up in London. I must have walked pretty much everywhere within a lunch time's walking distance from the office, so decided to re-visit somewhere I'd not been for a while ... Brackenbury. Brackenbury is essentially a London village, situated between Hammersmith and Ravenscourt Park. Despite being situated between some fairly major roads, it still has a village-like feel, although some of what I assume used to be village shops are now tastefully converted into residential or business premises, rather than being boarded-up and run down, which would almost certainly be the case in some of the neighbouring areas.

I've performed a quick internet search but couldn't find any information to suggest what these buildings used to be.

Brackenbury Village, London

They are however beautifully preserved, or should that be restored?

Brackenbury Village, London

Even the Christmas trees are stacked neatly, on a spotless street, awaiting collection.

Brackenbury Village, London

Brackenbury Village, London

This was the only building that I had any success in determining it's former purpose, which was apparently a bakery. I was hoping that what appears to be two ghost signs on the building would reveal more, but unfortunately any lettering is long gone.

Former bakery, Brackenbury Village, London

Ghost signs on the former bakery, Brackenbury Village, London

Continuing on my loop, to the eastern edge of Brackenbury, I came across again what I assume was a shop at one time, on Hammersmith Grove, with it's original sign maintained.

Former shop, Hammersmith Grove, Brackenbury Village, London

These lovely Hindustan Ambassadors were a surprise. Beautifully restores and now part of Karma Kabs.

Hindustan Ambassadors, Brackenbury Village, London

This building has all the signs of having been a pub, but again I can't find any information.

Former pub(?), Brackenbury Village, London

One of the striking features about Brackenbury Village was the tiling that many of the houses displayed.

Brackenbury Village, London

Now a pilates studio, I wonder what this building was previously. The ghost sign above the door is more readable than on the bakery but still not quite readable enough to be able to decipher.

Ghost sign, Brackenbury Village, London

Having spotted a few books on London Villages, I think I'll do some research over the next few remaining weeks of winter, and when the evenings become longer maybe start exploring some new places.

    

Thanks, as always, for reading. Comments welcome and appreciated.

A Lunchtime Urban Wander around Hammersmith (flyover, mews and stinkpipe)

Just before I finished work for the Christmas break, I was working up in London for a few days. One of those days was the classic, cold-but-crisp December days where it seemed a crime to sit in the office and eat my sandwiches over a hot laptop filling the gaps between the keys with crumbs, so off I went in search of some space ...

There is something simultaneously ugly and beautiful about the underside of a flyover, almost a little like no-man's land. It also reminded me a little of J.G.Ballard's Concrete Island.

Beneath the Hammersmith flyover, London

Beneath the Hammersmith flyover, London

Despite this building being quite unique, it took more than a little research to reveal its purpose, although I probably could have guessed. Allowing a clear view along the Thames, it's used a starting box for rowing races.

Hexagonal starting box, Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London

As anyone who has read this blog for a while will know, I have been through various phases of things I'm interested in. More recently it's been doorway mosaics and ghost signs, but several years ago it was London mews, or mews-style dwellings. I can't remember the last time I shared any picture of London mews, but here's one I am very sure I have walked past before but never previously photographed.

Mulberry Place, Hammersmith, London

Mulberry Place, Hammersmith, London

I've seen these structures many times before, but never really stopped to consider what thy might be. It is in fact a stinkpipe, or stenchpole, built in Victorian times to allow gas to escape from underground sewers. Many are quite elaborate in design as well as functional.

Stinkpipe, Hammersmith, London

Now I know what these intriguing structures are, stinkpipes are something I may return to at a later stage when I have more to share. In the meantime, and much to my surprise, there seems to be plenty of reading material available on these, firstly in this wonderful Londonist blog post, and also of course in physical format ...

An Urban Wander from Hammersmith to Shepherd's Bush, London

Once again last week I was fortunate enough to be able to get out and about for a quick, lunchtime wander. Determined to try and go somewhere I'd not been before, which is becoming increasingly difficult within a lunch hour's stroll from the office, I headed out towards Loftus Road, home of Queen's Park Rangers. I'm not a QPR fan, although technically I should support them as I grew up in Ruislip which was just a couple of miles from where QPR used to train, and more importantly, Stan Bowls lived in my road. However, football nostalgia was not the purpose of my visit.

First up we have a  couple of pictures Sinclair Mansions, between Goldhawk Road and Shepherd's Bush. I particularly liked the brickwork and the arches on these buildings. The more modern look of the area can be seen in the far distance, as one of the office buildings near the Westfield shopping centre.

Sinclair Mansions, London W12

Sinclair Mansions, London W12

If I'm honest I didn't find very much that was inspiring on my wander, which I suspect was more to do with my mood than the environment. I'm sure, as is often the case, should I return I would see plenty of interest What did catch my eye though was these old Public Baths in Lime Grove on my way back, which are now re-purposed for residential and/or office use.

Hammersmith Public Baths & Wash Houses, Lime Grove, London

Pleased to see that the original signage is still intact though, although the signage above the doors, which I'm guessing would have said "Men" over one door and "Women" over the other, has been removed. Curiously there's a third door .. I wonder what this one would have read.

Hammersmith Public Baths & Wash Houses, Lime Grove, London

So, not actually that many pictures considering the wander was about an hour, but hopefully the pictures I did take are of interest.

    

A return Urban Wander around Brackenbury, London W6

From our offices, I frequently used to take lunchtime wanders out towards Brackenbury, which is a residential area of London with a village-like feel, situated near Hammersmith and Ravenscourt Park. When I looked back through the notes from my various urban wanderings, or dérive, I was surprised to see that I had not been here since 2013. With the weather clear, but crisp and cold, I wrapped up warm and headed out.

It never ceases to amaze me that I always spot something new, even on familiar wanders, and this building was no exception. This is a former mission hall, sitting rather curiously in the middle of a row of neat terraced houses, and now home to the John Campbell Scenic Studio.

John Campbell Scenic Studio, former Mission Hall, Iffley Road, London W6

Not far from Iffley Road, although I'm kicking myself now for not noting down the road name, was an unexpected and isolated piece of street art in an otherwise pristine neighbourhood.

Street art, London W6

I took the photo for the combination of chimneys, towers and scaffolding.

Holy Innocents Church, Dorville Crescent, London W6

I'm now wishing I had taken a picture of the full doors rather than just the stained glass windows.

Stained glass windows, Ravenscourt Park Mansions, London W6

And finally on this short drift, a brightly painted bridge carrying the Piccadilly and District lines. I'm always curious about this road and wonder whether the road itself was dropped beneath the level of the houses to allow higher vehicles to pass beneath. 

London Underground railway bridge, near Ravenscourt Park, London W6

    

An Urban Wander from Hammersmith to Latimer Road, London W11

Thanks to the mild weather, I started my 2016 Urban Wandering much earlier than expected. The weather was kind enough at lunchtime today to allow me to get out and about. My drift today took me from Hammersmith up towards Shepherd’s Bush and Latimer Road, the latter of which I have never explored before. En route I passed a building on Woodstock Grove, to the west of the London Overground railway line between Olympia and Shepherd’s Bush. I’ve seen the building and its chimney a few times before but never really stopped to take a look as I’m guessing it must have been largely obscured by trees in leaf. However with the trees more or less bare of leaves I managed a better look, although still slightly distant as it was across the railway tracks. What I particularly noticed was that there were sections of blue paint on the brickwork between each floor. As it would seem very unlikely that they were an original feature, my assumption was that it had been used to cover up some previous signage, most likely some sort of name or advert. As I walked past the building and looked back towards it, I was afforded a glimpse of the side of the building, which confirmed by suspicions and revealed a section of white painted brickwork, with some black lettering still just about visible. I carried out a few cursory internet searches but could not find out any history of the road or its buildings, other than that it now seems to house a few film studios. I have a vague recollection of trying to access this road from the other side but seem to remember it was private – worth another look though now I think.

Chimney on a building in Woodstock Grove, London W12

Chimney on a building in Woodstock Grove, London W12

The ghost sign is just visible behind the trees. Not sure how I could get a closer look as the railway tracks are in between.

Ghost sign on a building in Woodstock Grove, London W12

Heading towards Ladbroke Grove the whole area opened up a little, and although I had wandered there before, I had not really seen this side of it and it was good to connect the dots between my wander today and places I’d visited previously, and certainly not for the first time has provided me with another place to visit again.

Old house, Norland Road, London

Old house, Norland Road, London

There's something about wooden garage doors. I can't put my finger on what it is but I'm hard pushed not to take a photo, or two, each time I see some.

Wooden garage doors, Quensdale Road, London W11

Wooden garage doors, Quensdale Road, London W11

St. James' Gardens, London W11

Following that pleasant enough diversion, I made my way to my destination. I had only ever really seen the Latimer Road area from the Hammersmith and City tube before, and that view only really shows off high rise flats and offices, and as you get nearer to Wood Lane, the Westfield shopping centre. I was quite surprised to find some remnants of earlier times, with a few small terraces and some old buildings like the People’s Hall, Barker and Co Coachbuilders, and the Bramley Arms, all now seemingly serving different purposes to their original intent.

Probably the one of most interest is The People's Hall, which has its relatively recent history made as part of Frestonia, which was the name adopted by the residents of Freston Road when they attempted to secede from the UK in 1977. It's also home to the recording studios where The Clash recorded their Combat Rock album, and Frestonia was the name of the final album by Aztec Camera.

The People's Hall, Freston Road, London W11

The People's Hall, Freston Road, London W11

The People's Hall, Freston Road, London W11

I almost this old sign as the building looked quite new from a distance but as I drew closer I could see it had been renovated.

BARKER & CO (COACHBUILDERS) LTD

Old sign for Barkers Coach Builders, London W11

It's always a shame when a pub is closed and becomes either offices or a residential property, especially one with a history like this. The Bramley Arms was used in the film Quadrophenia, The Lavender Hill Mob, and The Sweeney.

Former pub, the Bramley Arms, Notting Hill, London

Former pub, the Bramley Arms, Notting Hill, London

Finally on my first Urban Wander of 2016, I ended up at Latimer Road tube station on the Hammersmith and City line. There are plenty of elevated sections with similar arches but unfortunately I was running our of time so these will have to wait for another day.

Bridge carrying the Hammersmith and City line, near Latimer Road, London

    

An Early Morning Urban Wander around Hammersmith and Fulham, London

This is my first post of 2015, so Happy New Year everyone. My first Urban Wander of 2015 took me back to some familiar territory, but as always I spotted new things and things that had changed since my last visit.

The first picture is all about change. The last time I saw this building at Queen's Wharf, it was boarded up, awaiting demolition. My blog post from a few months ago has some pictures before the demolition started. Now the demolition seems well underway and no doubt this will soon become another new, residential development, wiping out all traces of the former industries that used to line the banks of the Thames, leaving just the names to preserve the memory.

Demolition underway at Queen's Wharf, Hammersmith, London

This café looked tempting, but alas my schedule did not allow me sufficient time to visit. Maybe next time.

Café Plum, Chancellor's Street, Hammersmith, London

This next picture is of the old Harrod's Furniture Depository, which is now residential. I have taken pictures of this magnificent building before, but it took on a whole different persona is the early morning sun.

Harrod's Furniture Depository, Fulham Reach, London

This next picture is the view looking along the River Thames towards Fulham and Putney, You can just make out Craven Cottage in the distance.

River Thames, looking towards Fulham and Putney, London

Palace Wharf was build in 1907 and initially started its life for importing marble, later a plaster works making architectural mouldings, and more recently artist studios.

Palace Wharf, Fulham Reach, London

Another view of the Harrod's Furniture Depository, with the remains of some sort of dock or pontoon in the foreground.

Harrod's Furniture Depository, Fulham Reach, London

And we end with a little bit of urban decay and abandonment. I do wonder if this shops is actually still open as I did not peer around the corner, and the signage still looks current and intact.

Boarded up shop, Petley Road, Fulham, London

    

Urban Decay and Abandonment in Hammersmith

A short Urban Wander before work late last week took me past this former pub between Hammersmith and the river, The Hope & Anchor. Research suggests it is now a private residence, but if so then slightly curious that so much of its original purpose remains visible, including the original signage, now a mere ghost sign.

Former pub, The Hope & Anchor, Hammersmith, London

As I headed along the river towards the Hammersmith Bridge, my drift took me along the Thames path to the east of Hammersmith. Among the buildings that have already been replaced by or converted into plus new flats, is this curious sight of a building, or collection of buildings, that have seen better days. It would seem that these buildings, once the former Queen's Wharf office blocks, have been empty for some time pending various discussions to convert the area into flats, which although would support the redevelopment of the nearby Riverside Studios is not without its controversy.

Derelict and abandoned, former office block, Queen's Wharf, Hammersmith

Hard to believe this derelict site is within a stone's throw of the Hammersmith Bridge.

Draw dock at Queen's Wharf, Hammersmith

 Derelict and abandoned, former office block, Queen's Wharf, Hammersmith

 Derelict and abandoned, former office block, Queen's Wharf, Hammersmith

Derelict and abandoned, former office block, Queen's Wharf, Hammersmith

These buildings are most definitely an eye-sore on the river landscape, and in no way hark back to the more historic wharf buildings further up the river, but it's imperative any restoration of the area is done sympathetically with an appreciation of the local surroundings, local residents and local community.