Walking with Keilyn: Kensal Green to Holland Park... and beyond

Sunday March 22, 2026.

Cloudy skies with light winds, brightening in the late morning to hazy sunshine, 13°C (55°F).

It was a cool 4°C (39.2°F), with light mist, as we left our house and began our gentle walk to Watford High Street station, where we boarded a Lioness train, that took us to Kensal Green. Keilyn and I sent a selfie to Dyan, who responded with a photo of Harrow & Wealdstone station. We informed her that we would be passing through in a few minutes and Dyan managed to take a photo of our train approaching, while she waited for the train that would take her to work.  

On leaving Kensal Green station we crossed Harrow Road and entered Kensal Green Cemetery, via its main entrance. Keilyn, always the inquisitive one, wanted to find the graves of Isambard and Marc Brunel, while I was interested in seeing Harold Pinter's grave. So, off we went in search of the graves. 

Kensal Green Cemetery was the first of London's eight garden cemeteries to open, which was back in 1833. It covers an area of 72 acres and has many famous people buried within the grounds. These include Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his son Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, Harold Pinter, Steve Peregrin Took, Wilkie Collins, Prince Augustus Frederick The Duke of Sussex, Erich Fried, Medi Oliver Mehra, Marigold Churchill, Charles Babbage, William Makepeace Thackeray, among countless others.

It didn't take us long to find the grave of Isambard Kingdom and his son Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, before we continued our search for other graves of interest. Peculiarly, the grave of Steven Ross Porter, better known as Steve Peregrin Took (member of the band Tyrannosaurus Rex), was fairly easy to find, while that of Harold Pinter took some searching.

After a good exploration we made our way out onto Ladbroke Grove, heading south. We crossed the Grand Union Canal and continued following Ladbroke Grove, buying hot drinks at an independent coffee shop, called Mowgli Coffee. 

Grave of William Ellsworth Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo

East Sheen Cemetery, opened in 1905 or 1906 as Barnes Cemetery, on what was originally rural woodland.

The cemetery is home to many notable interments, including over seventy Commonwealth war graves, the Buxton Memorial, the Lancaster Memorial and notable actors, artists, diplomats, entertainers, sculptors, writers and many more.

However, the grave that I had come to see was that of someone I had heard about when I was growing up, as he was mentioned on 'The Paul Daniel's Magic Show'. 

The grave for which I searched was that of the American William Ellsworth Robinson, who the world of the early twentieth century would come to know as Chung Ling Soo.

After passing rows of graves and tombs I found it.

So, how does an American, born with Scottish ancestry, become known by a Chinese name?

Bromley-by-Bow Gasworks & Memorial Garden

Hidden away on a small piece of woodland, in the middle of a large industrial park, is a well kept lawn and some interesting memorials. This is the Bromley-by-Bow Gasworks Memorial Garden.

It is hard to imagine, now, but this entire area that comprises the memorial park and new industrial park was once marshland. 

In the 1800s, William Congreve built his rocket factory here. His rockets were based on an Indian design that had proved effective against the East India Company. He would go on to develop three types of rocket that travelled various distances and had different warheads. 

London's River Lights

If you walk along the Thames Path, east of Woolwich, you will discover these small red lighthouses. They can be found at Margaretness (or Tripcock Ness), Crossness and Coldharbour.

They are not lighthouses, in the traditional sense, but more like navigational light masts.

The Margaretness Lighthouse was installed in 1902, by Trinity House (the General Lighthouse Authority for England), but has been operated by the Port of London Authority, since 1993. 

In 1566, Queen Elizabeth I empowered Trinity House to set up "so many beacons, marks and signs for the sea whereby the dangers may be avoided and escaped and ships the better come into their ports without peril."

On Tour: York, Day 4

Monday March 9, 2026.

For the first time this weekend, I slept in, so I didn't go for a walk before breakfast.

However, after breakfast we went to Shambles Market and had a quick wander around the city, before heading back to the hotel to pack.

The rest of the morning was spent relaxing, before we headed to a bus stop so that Emma could catch a bus to the station, while I completed a final walk.

So, I headed south along 'Foss Island Road' and onto 'Paragon Street', keeping outside of the city walls, until I reached 'Skeldergate Bridge', which I used to cross the 'River Ouse'.