An Urban Wander around Hampstead, London NW3 (part 2)

Reasonably hot on the heals of part one of my Urban Wander around Hampstead is, as you might expect, part two. This part of the wander features the landscape as I drifted in a south westerly direction in a loose attempt to get back to Paddington. I could easily have spent hours here, looking at each street, alleyway, lane, yard, house and doorway in more detail. The selection below is by no means exhaustive and has whetted my appetite for a return visit, hopefully with a more striking sky.

Ginsberg Yard, Hampstead, London NW3

Golden Yard, Hampstead, London NW3

 Golden Yard, Hampstead, London NW3

I'm always a bit of a sucker for outdoor stairways. Shame about the over exposure on this one but I was taking the picture in to the weak sun. Somehow the view from the top of the stairs didn't look so appealing.

Flight of Stairs, Hampstead, London NW3

Narrow passageway, Hampstead, London NW3

  

A cheeky peak into someone's garden, from the road of course.

View into garden, Hampstead, London NW3

Narrow street, Hampstead, London NW3

Alleyway, Hampstead, London NW3

Holly Berry Lane, Hampstead, London NW3

My favourite of this part of my drift. I'm not sure whether these doors had all been recently painted, or just well looked after, but they were a striking sight on this rather dull day.

Brightly coloured doors, Holly Walk, Hampstead, London NW3

 Holly Walk, Hampstead, London NW3

Holly Walk, Hampstead, London NW3

    

An Urban Wander from Paddington to Kensington

So, here we are again with an Urban Wander that I've done in one way or another many times, but each time I manage to find a new route, or discover something new.

This first picture is a perfect example of something that I've walked past countless times but must have had my eyes closed. This is the old CLARENDON WORKS building with additional ghost lettering within the brickwork which says BUILDERS CONTRACTORS.

Former Clarendon brick works, Clarendon Road, London W11 

Next up we have the former Earl of Zetland pub in Princedale Road, Notting Hill. This is now clearly used for other purposes but a bit of research showed that it was used in the background in one of the scenes from the 1966 film, Blow Up, starring David Hemmings.

The former Earl of Zetland pub, Notting Hill, London

I have to confess I'm not sure where this mews was along my wander. Nearer the Kensington end I would guess but not 100% sure.

Unidentified London mews 

I do know where this next picture was taken, most definitely. This is in Edwardes Square, which is just off Kensington High Street.

Edwardes Square, Kensington, London

This is probably my favourite photo in this post as it captures a few of my current things. It was taken in a mews like road, Earl'sWalk if I'm not mistaken, and features just a hint of urban decay, although I suspect not for long as a short walk around the corner towards Pembroke Mews revealed that the building is being renovated. I thought the contrast of the colours on the doors worked well too.

Old garage doors, Earl's Walk, Kensington, London

The remainder of the pictures show off the better preserved parts of the mews, with probably better functioning garage doors.

Pembroke Mews, Kensington, London 

Pembroke Mews, Kensington, London 

Earl's Walk, Kensington, London

Pembroke Mews, Kensington, London

    

An Urban Wander from Battersea to Chelsea

Following on from my Urban Wander from Vauxhall to Battersea this post focuses on the second part of the drift which took me from Battersea to Chelsea. As mentioned in the previous post, the weather made a significant improvement in the afternoon giving a much greater opportunity to take some decent pictures. 

The first picture was taken in Battersea Park, on the southern side of the Thames. I think I have been to Battersea Park just once before, and many, many years ago, so it was like a brand new adventure for me.

Street lamp in Battersea Park, London

We crossed back over the River Thames across one of my favourite bridges, the Albert Bridge, where I seem to have become slightly obsessed with street lamps.

Street lamp with Albert Bridge in background, Battersea, London

This next photo is the view looking west from the Albert Bridge. The two chimneys in the background are on the Lots Road Power Station which I covered in a recent Urban Wander around Imperial Wharf and have also become a recent, mild obsession, inspired by a book I picked up recently called London's Lost Power Stations and Gas Works. If you enjoy industrial architecture then I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Crossing the Albert Bridge, looking towards Lots Power Station

Once over the Thames it was street lamps once more that caught my eye, although the Battersea Power Station is starting to make an appearance in the background.

Street lamp, with Battersea Power Station in background

Street lamp on the Chelsea embankment, London

As we walked along the embankment, Battersea Power Station came into view in all its glory, and this picture is a double whammy with the gas holder in view as well, although the flappy bit of the phone cover struck again with a light darkening towards the top of the picture.

Battersea Power Station

Looking across the road instead of the river briefly we have the magnificent pumping station on the Chelsea Embankment.

Chelsea Embankment Pumping Station, London

Focusing back across the river, Battersea Power Station is once again in full dominance, this time with the Chelsea Bridge.

Battersea Power Station, London 

Battersea Power Station, London 

Battersea Power Station, London 

Another small diversion off on to a side street, Paradise Walk, revealed some fascinating mews-like streets and houses.

Paradise Walk, London SW3 

Paradise Walk, London SW3

And this was further demonstrated by finding an actual mews, Clover Mews.

Clover Mews, London SW3 

Clover Mews, London SW3

Overall this was a great day out and I really felt like I'd made the most of the weekend. I feel there's still a lot more exploring to do around Vauxhall, Stockwell and Battersea, but that will have to wait for another day.