Urban Wanderings around London

During my various Psychogeography inspired urban wanders over the past months, I have inevitably amassed a fair number of individual pictures which I have not included in a coherent blog post, or series of posts. However, not wanting them to be left on the digital shelf, I have decided to combine a few into one or more blog posts. Some may follow a theme whereas others may be more random and follow a drift of their own. I can recall where some were taken, but others remain a bit of a mystery.

I do remember this first one though. We had spent pretty much all day wandering the streets and were most definitely flagging by the time we reached this café, somewhere near Clerkenwell. A comfy sofa, sustained by a flat white coffee and some cake, 30 minutes later we were ready to hit the streets once more.

Tap Coffee, London

I have walked past this sandwich bar near Kensington Olympia endless times, but only ever ventured in recently. Just over the wall is the railway line running south from Olympia station. Not only is it a great life café, but it also acted as a good wind up for one of my friends who works for Pepsi.

Frank's Sandwich Bar, Kensington Olympia, London

Frank's Sandwich Bar, Kensington Olympia, London

Making a nice segue from food to cars, here's a food van parked up during the University open day at Queen Mary's, East London.

Food van, Queen Mary's University, East London

A lovely old Morris Minor convertible, somewhere in Shoreditch if I recall rightly. Only just spotted the wonderfully distressed looking door in the background. Shame I didn't see that at the time as that would have made an interesting picture.

Morris Minor, Shoreditch, London

No distressed doors in this picture.

An MG near Shepherd's Bush, London

    

An Urban Wander around Westbourne Grove, London W2

With time enough for a short lunch break one day last week, and still very much inspired by Psychogeography, I paid a visit to some familiar ground and, as always seems to be the case, found a few new things which caught my eye. Starting at the Beany Green café in Sheldon Square, where they make one of the best Flat White coffees I've had, I headed off towards the Westbourne Grove area.

Beany Green Café, Sheldon Square, Paddington, London W2

First up was this quaint, little mews, Bott's Mews, not far off the Westbourne Grove itself.

Bott's Mews, London W2

At the far end of this mews there are paths leading off both left and right. I have walked along the paths before but for some inexplicable reason never seem to have noticed the actual mews before. Maybe because I've never looked at it from this direction before. 

Bott's Mews, London W2

Bott's Mews, London W2

As I drifted along Artesian Road, I caught sight of an old and new sign for Courtnell Street. It wasn't until I had crossed the road and lined up the picture, that I realised that in addition to the ghost sign of the road name, there was also a ghost sign in the glass of the windows too.

ORDERS PROMPTLY DISPATCHED

Ok, so the last word is missing so I have guessed that maybe that's what it would have once said.

Ghost sign in Courtnell Road, London W2

On the other side of the building was more writing,

WINES BEERS

Ghost sign in Courtnell Road, London W2

This next ghost sign is in Powis Mews. I have previously walked along this mews and spotted a ghost sign at the other end, but this was the first time I'd seen this one. This is harder to read than its counterpart at the other end of the mews, but is also for

LEVERWTT & FRYE

Ghost sign in Powis Mews, London W2

No shortage of restaurants, pubs and cafés in this part of around London. Most of them I have never been into, including these two, but they both look good from the outside.

Wildflower Café, Chepstow Road, London W2

The Tin Shed, All Saints Road, London W2

Pub sign, Westbourne Park Road, London W2

Possibly the world's most technically sophisticated toilet which seems to have its own built-in telephone exchange.

Toilet-cum-telephone exchange, Bishop's Bridge Road, London W2

Initially I just thought this was a ghost sign for Alexander Street itself, but beneath that there's also an even older ghost sign for what the road was previously called.

SUTHERLAND
TERRACE

Ghost signs, Alexander Street, London W2

Westbourne Park Passage, London W2

I also noticed quite a few old cars dotted around the streets of W2 and W11. The Citroen is my favourite.

Morris Minor, London W2

Old Citroen, London W2

Old Volvo, London W11