Urban Wandering: Bermondsey to Borough

My second urban wander last week was from Bermondsey to Borough, when I was fortunate enough to be travelling back from docklands towards the city around 5pm, with time to spare to jump off the tube early and continue at least some of my journey on foot. I chose Bermondsey as I had a loose idea that I might find the road that featured in the BBC TV series/book The Secret History of Our Streets: London but as I'd not properly prepared for this I had no recollection of what it was called or where it was ... for future reference I it's Reverdy Road. Instead however I drifted westwards from Bermondsey tube station, in the vague direction of home, but with no real idea where I was going or what I planned to see. The first section of my walk was a fairly uninspiring trek down the busy Jamaica Road. The first point of interest which caught my eye was a brick wall which shielded the road from the river below. I crossed the road and peered over the wall, only to be disappointed to find a river inlet filled with rubbish. I guess, that part of any urban wander is the experience, no matter how good or bad, but I was simply not in the mood for this today. After this let-down, I headed in towards some of the quieter side streets and the surroundings and my mood picked up immensely.

Turning into Shad Thames I was immediately greeted with what, to me, seems like real docklands. The road curved around to reveal tall, renovated, brick warehouses, so unlike the modern glass buildings in Canary Wharf. I assume the metal walkways running between the buildings at the upper floor levels were originally used to move good around (another reason I need to visit the London Docklands Museum).

 Shad Thames, London SE2

 Shad Thames, London SE2

Many of the buildings have restuarants and bars on the ground floors. A few of the signs are overstated and garish, but mainly most seem to have been created in a low-key, tastful way, in keeping with the area

Shad Thames, London SE2

Shad Thames, London SE2

Shad Thames, London SE2

As I left Shad Thames and headed past Tower Bridge, London Brigde and into Borough, the evening had started to close in, and the laptop bag was weighing heaving on my increasingly achy back, so I didn't stop to take any photos of the second leg of my journey, but  as I often do, I have made a mental note to return on a warmer and sunnier day, and maybe get some shots of the many railway arches. And I have to disagree with Iain Sinclair here when he says in his Lights Out for the Territory something to the effect that urban wandering should take place on a grey and dreary day.

    

If you missed my first urban wander of the week, this can be found at Urban Wandering: Paddington to Lancaster Gate

Urban Wandering: Paddington to Lancaster Gate

Very pleased to have managed two urban wanderings this week. The first of which was on a bright(ish) but cold lunch time break around the Paddington and Lancaster Gate areas. Again this is somewhere I have walked through many times but I found some mews, alleyways and staircases that I'd not explored before. And surprisingly, I have more photographs to chose from than I can comfortably add into a single blog post, which recently has been unusual as I try to find the least grey shot from a dreary batch.

The first photo was taken in Fulton Mews, which until I'd explored it this week I thought it was a hammerhead cul-de-sac but to my pleasant surprise also contained a couple of more intimate side passages, one of which had a wooden bench, half in the sunlight, set against a backdrop of a white brick wall with a cut-out archway. I couldn't tell whether the archway was simply decorative or whether at one time it had been an actual arch leading through to more mews or possibly Quennsborough Passage which runs adjacent on the other side of the wall.

 Wooden bench in Fulton Mews, London W2

Elms Mews was another mews that I had not explored before. It lies just of the main Bayswater Road and leads off towards Craven Terrace. The mews itself was pleasant enough, but of more interest was this flight of steps and street lamp at the end.

 Flight of steps in Elms Mews, London W2

The next three photos are of Lancaster Mews which was a real treat as I had no idea that this was in fact a quadrangle of mews. From the news entrance it simply looked like it went as far as the flats at the end and not further, but in fact it opened out revealing a further two picturesque mews. What was also pleasing about these mews was that they didn't have any cars insight to spoil my photos.

Lancaster Mews, London W2

Lancaster Mews, London W2

Lancaster Mews, London W2

 My reward at the end of the lunch time wander was a ham and cheese roll, made up freshly in front of me, in the excellent Sheila's Café on the corner of Lancaster Mews. All too often I am pressed for time and simply go to one of the chain sandwich shops near the office, so this was a pleasant change.

    

For anyone interested to read more, my second urban wander of the week Bermondsey to Borough hasjust been posted.
 

Rural cycling - Hampshire/Berkshire borders

The awful weather at the end of last week, plus the imminent nearing of the end of the financial year, meant that any plans for another Urban Wander last week were put on hold. Well, actually that's not strictly true as I did wander the streets of London after work, but it was wet and dark, so needless to say I have no pictures of that wander.

I did however force myself to get out on my mountain bike today, and despite the cold, damp and foggy start to the day I ended up having quite a satisfying 18 mile ride, and have hopefully burnt off some calories following last night's gastro-extravaganza at a friends house. As I mentioned though, the weather was not too great so I had pretty much given up hope of taking any photos, but a bit of brightness on the homeward leg allowed me to get this quick shot of the Hampshire-Berkshire boundary post. I was pleased that I didn't have any litter in this picture, which is sadly more than I can say for many of the lanes I cycled down, which were strewn with fast food wrappers, paper coffee cups, sandwich wrappers, crisp packets, and tin cans. To make matters worse, the hedge rows had been recently trimmed  and a lot of the litter was now shredded and sodden, making it a near impossible task for the parish litter wardens to clear it up.

County Boundary post between Hampshire and Berkshire

Also this week, on the days I have taken the train into London, I have been wondering more and more what it would be like to travel the other way which would involve taking the train to Taunton instead of London. In recent times I think I've only been west on the line as far as Hungerford, although more years ago than I care to remember we travelled from Paddington to Castle Cary for the Glastonbury Festival, but I don't remember much about the journey.

In other news, as a self-confessed slow reader, I am still working my way through both Brendon Chase and Lights Out for the Territory, although have not found enough time to make a lot of progress this week.

    

Urban Wandering: a short stroll up the Grand Union Canal

With less than an hour to explore, I headed along a reasonably familiar path out of Paddington along through the Paddington Basin and along the Grand Union Canal towards Kensal Green. One day I need to make more of an effort to walk this route after work, as far as I can get in a one-way trip, before I need to return home or back to the city, but alas today it was just a short lunchtime stroll. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to be out of the office and probably the mildest day of the year so far, so much so in fact that local authorities, local councils, or private landlords (whatever we call them these days) were cutting the grass outside one of the housing estates I walked past.

Road bridge over the Grand Union Canal just as it opens out into Paddington Basin

I quite like the contrast of the old and the new in this second picture. The modern graffiti on an old brick wall, the colourfully painted but doubtless old iron bridge, and the stray trees having taken root in the old brickwork of the bridge with the modern apartments in the background.

Road bridge between Paddington and Kensal Green

Like much of this canal, the section I walked could almost have been anywhere, and it's not until I started my return leg through the streets to force a change of scenery, that it became obvious I was in London.

In other news, I went on my first proper bike ride of 2013. It was only 22 miles but felt considerably longer, and my dodgy back has been feeling over-tight since. I'm hoping it's just caused by lack of exercise rather than anything more sinister and if the weather holds again this weekend then I'll make an effort to go out again. But of course, with the milder weather comes the gardening chores. Last year was such a disappointment in the garden and vegetable patch, so I am determined to make a better effort this year, with plans to completely rejuvenate one particular corner.

    
 

Urban Wandering: Paddington to Marylebone High Street

I had a break from urban wandering last week, thanks to a much needed holiday where we went skiing in France. I had hoped during my week off that I would find time to continue my reading, but unfortunately I only managed a few chapters on the plane. I am still reading Brendon Chase and thoroughly enjoying it, and whilst I never ran away to the woods as a kid, the childhood memories are coming flooding back, the ones where the school summer holidays seemed to last for ever and were always hot and sunny. I'm also dipping into Iain Sinclair's Lights Out for the Territory but have to be alert and awake when I read that one as, for me anyway, it requires considerably more concentration.

I've restarted my adventures this week, although the weather is not exactly inspiring me to go too far afield. I can't wait until the days get warmer and the evenings lighter, when I can get a better chance to explore further afield after work rather than sticking to my regular lunchtime haunts. I've built quite a list of places to visit.

My stroll this week took me across from Paddington to Marylebone High Street. This is a route I have walked many times, usually paying a visit to the excellent Daunt bookshop, or the Oxfam book shop, and Marylebone High Street and its surrounding streets is probably one of the first places that alerted me to a different London many years ago.

My loose purpose for this wander however was to see if I could find a small mews that contained a couple of car showrooms. I first discovered this walking back in the dark one evening, and despite making a mental note I can't quite pinpoint where it was. I am familiar with the one in Radley Mews, and stare longinly in the windows each time I pass, often imagining myself as Steed or Mrs. Peel in one of their e-type Jaguars, but this new one continues to allude me and I was not successful on this trip either. I did however come across a small mews-like road that I'd not seen before ... Durweston Street. Excuse the greyness of the pictures but the weather was not on my side that day.

 Durweston Street, London W1

 Durweston Street, London W1

I'm hoping to get another chance later this week for some more urban exploring, but again the weather forecast doesn't suggest I'll be able to get any decent pictures. Watch this space ...

    

Urban Wandering: the Great Wall of Marylebone

Despite being somewhat disappointed today that after a clear blue morning, lunchtime was overcast, I decided to venture out regardless for a bit more urban exploration. My wanderings today took me across from Paddington towards the area adjacent to Marylebone station. Whilst of course Marylebone station looks rather grand from the front, what I've always liked about it is the perimeter wall to the east of the station, that flanks the rail lines as they head on up through West Hampstead, Buckinghamshire and further afield.

The eastern perimeter wall of Marylebone Station, Boston Place, London.

 

Ghost street sign, Boston Place, Marylebone, London.

I wonder if these muse style houses in Boston Place opposite the great wall were perhaps railway worker's houses at one time.

Old houses in Boston Place, Marylebone, London.

Alleyway off Huntsworth Mews, Marylebone, London.

Still with a great thirst for my rekindled passion, I have now finished Merlin Coverley's Psychogeography. I won't say I found it an easy read, but it was full of information that I can see myself returning to as I get deeper into the subject. I've now moved on to my next psychogeography related books, and following some sound advice have decided to read them simultaneously as one requires a bit more concentration than the other. The first of the two books is Brendon Chase, by Denys Watkins-Pitchford, which is children's story written way back in 1944, and referenced in Edgelands which I have also recently finished reading. As you might imagine, written back in 1944 it's not particularly politically correct by today's standards, but so far it's been a great read and almost makes me wish that all the passive entertainment of games consoles, mobile phones and DVD's were not so readily available, and kids had to go out and explore more. My second book, the one requiring more concentration, is Lights Out for the Territory, by Iain Sinclair. I have only read the first few pages of this, and was tired at the time, so this is definitely one to read with my morning cup of tea, as opposed to my bed time cocoa.

    

Urban Wandering: London Docklands

I'm always a bit nervous about writing a blog post that features no pictures to break up my writing. However, the weather during my Urban Wandering today was too grey for taking decent pictures, and far too cold to take my gloves off. I have actually cheated a bit as you'll see as you read down through the article. My wandering today was half-planned, and half-forced upon me but some minor tube closures at Paddington. My original intention was to travel as far as Whitechapel by tube and then walk down to Canary Wharf from there, but I ended up taking a far more circuitous route because of the tube situation. Instead I caught a bus over to Bank, another to Shoreditch High Street, and then the Overground to Shadwell from where I then started my wander down to Canary Wharf.

If I'm honest the walk between Shadwell and Limehouse wasn't particularly inspiring. Maybe this was the route I found myself following, which was along a busy, main road. Fortunately, despite the fog, I could see my destination towering above the low rise flats, so there was no need to get my phone out for navigation purposes. Once I arrived at the westerly end of Narrow Street, the wander became more interesting, passing old pubs and wharves, after which I dropped down on to the Thames path and made my way along to Westferry Circus before heading up to Canary Wharf. I still know relatively little about this whole area, so it's another place to revisit, but when the weather is better! Also, having looked across the Thames quite frequently over the past few weeks, I've become curious about what's on the other side of the Thames and am tempted to take the ferry crossing to visit what I assume is the Rotherhithe, Bermondsey and Deptford area.

My journey home was a bit shorter as I had to get home in time for my Shrove Tuesday pancakes, but I did manage to walk from Canary Wharf to Westferry. This short walk took me through parts of the London docklands I'd not visited before, and right past the London Docklands Museum, which is already on my to visit list. Whilst I like to docklands, there doesn't seem to be much of the original docklands left, so I'm hoping that when I do manage to find time to visit the museum then I'll get a better glimpse of what it was like in its hey-day, before becoming run-down, and then recreated as a glass and steel banker's theme park.

As time was running short I caught the DLR at Westferry back to Tower Gateway. For the urban explorer, this is a great route to take, especially on a cold day. The majority of the journey is above ground, and all sorts of glimpses of disused London can be clearly seen from the train. One site that was particularly evocative was a fox on the curve of a disused railway track bed that peeled away to the north west just before the train pulled into Tower Gateway. I had no idea where this track would have led, but a quick check in my 1928 London guide book showed that it led to a goods station just south of Aldgate East.

Map of part of East London and London Docklands from 1928 guide book

And also a couple of vintage postcards that help give a better impression of what the approach to the docks was once like.

I've always had a passion for exploring London, but this passion has been renewed over the past few weeks, through two of my recent reads Edgelands and Psychogeography.