Navigator Square (Archway Close)

When you exit Archway station, depending on the exit you use, you will find yourself in a wonderful pedestrianised area.

This wonderful little spot was once part of the main road gyratory system but, in 2017, was turned into this small pedestrian zone, with a cycle lane down its west side, seating and several planted trees.

At its northern end stands the Archway Tavern, which is now easy to reach, as the roads that once separated it from Archway Close have been rerouted.

If you sit on one of the four strategically placed chairs you can feel the vibrations from below, as the trains trundle on their along the line.

There are two concrete structures, just outside the Archway Tavern, which have been planted with flowers and shrubs. These are no ordinary raised flower beds, though, as they are ventilation shafts for the Northern line below.

Every Saturday, from 10:00 - 17:00, the Archway Market takes up residence, with stalls offering books, crochet toys, artworks, jewellery, incense & candles, minerals & crystals, a Vinyl record stall and more. For the foodies there are healthy cakes, jerk chicken, seasonal vegetables, a taco stall and more.

Originally called Archway Close this small area was renamed Navigator Square, not because of any Naval connection, but for the navigators, which was often shortened to "navvies", a term applied to the Irish who came to England to build the canals, in the 19th century. 

As time went on and industry changed the Irish would help to build rail and road systems, but they were still called "navvies".

Following World War II many Irish settled in this part of London, with their families, giving Archway a higher level of Irish families than most parts of London.

Navigator Square is ideally located to much that the area has to offer. From supermarkets to bespoke shops; from fast food chains to trendy restaurants, everything is within walking distance. Highgate Cemetery, Waterlow Park and the eastern reaches of Hampstead Heath are within walking distance, too. There are plenty of bus stops, for those who wish to venture further afield, with buses running in all directions. 

Walking with Erin and Summer: Piccadilly Circus to Covent Garden... and beyond

Saturday December 28, 2024.

Erin and Summer, who had joined us on our last family walk, wanted to go to London to see Chinatown and have dinner out. So, after agreeing we set off as normal with a train to Baker Street and, to save time, a Bakerloo line train to Piccadilly Circus, from where our walk would begin.

Although they only wanted to visit Chinatown and eat out, I said that I would take them to some other places, as Summer explained that she didn't really get to see the sites. So, the first thing I pointed out was the World Time Linear Clock, at Piccadilly Circus station.

Chinatown was busy, as it always is, as meandered our way through the throng of people queuing to dine, tourists snapping photos of the gates and those just going about their daily business. The smell of the various foods, from restaurants and bakeries, was intoxicating, making me feel hungrier than I actually was. Unfortunately, Erin and Summer had already planned where we having lunch, so I would have to wait.

After walking through Chinatown we found ourselves on Leicester Court, where we saw the statue of Wonder Woman, before heading east, crossing Charing Cross Road onto Cranbourn Street and then Garrick Street. We walked up King Street and entered Covent Garden, where we watched a street performer juggling knives on a tightrope, before heading into the Apple Market building to peruse the stalls. 

At the northern end another entertainer was performing Shakespeare while balancing on a free-standing ladder. He followed this Shakespearean effort by juggling three clubs, while still atop the free-standing ladder. He was, quite possibly, one of the most entertaining performers that I had seen in a while. Erin and Summer enjoyed his performance, too, placing a £5 note in his hat at the end of his act.

'Charlie Chaplin Mosaic' by Southbank Mosaics

If you were to walk along Lambeth Walk you will discover four small mosaic of Charlie Chaplin, by Southbank Mosaics.

They are set into the wall of Chandler Hall, home of Southbank Mosaics, in two pairs. 

I like that the colours are muted, reflecting how most knew him from his films. I don't think that colourful depictions would have done the subject justice.

They were created by Southbank Mosaics, which is an open artisan studio and training centre, with an aim to make the concrete streets of the neighbourhood more attractive.

As a training centre they teach heritage skills, such as mosaic, and have set up over 250 installations throughout London. These include Blake's Lambeth, which saw 70 of William Blake's works turned into mosaic. These were then used to transform the tunnels, that lead out of Waterloo station, from dull, lifeless places into a welcoming free art gallery.

Walking around this area of the South Bank there are plenty of free mosaic and other public art installations to discover, so it is well worth seeking out what is on offer.

Walking with family: Baker Street to Leicester Square... and beyond

Sunday December 22, 2024.

It was a cold late morning as Emma, Keilyn, Erin and her friend Summer and I made our way to the station, ready to take in the Christmas atmosphere of London.

I did give the girls' a mission for the walk. 'The first person to find a dinosaur would be given £1'.

Our first stop, after exiting Baker Street station, was to find somewhere to eat lunch. The girls unanimously voted for KFC, which we found across the road on Baker Street.

Suitably filled we headed south along Baker Street, crossing Oxford Street, until we reached Grosvenor Square. The square was remarkably quiet so we left, via its southeast corner, and headed onto Carlos Place, where we saw The Connaught Christmas tree, our first true Christmas tree of the day.

Continuing along Carlos Place we entered Berkeley Square and Keilyn, who had been slightly ahead of us, came running back to us, demanding £1, as she had found a dinosaur. Sure enough, as we reached the corner of Berkeley Square the cast of a dinosaur stood on a plinth, staring into the heart of the Square. I reached into my pocket and handed over the prize.

After admiring the display at Annabel's Members Only Club, we headed along Bruton Street to New Bond Street, passing the Coach and Horses pub on the way.

New Bond Street was considerably busier than anywhere else that we had so far visited, due to the ornate displays of the various big names along the street. Boodles, Bvlgari, Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren, to name a few. 

The sky, though overcast, was still too light to get the full effect of the lights, but it still brought the feeling and atmosphere of Christmas to us.

Continuing on a light rain began to fall, so we headed into the Burlington Arcade, with its caped Beadles, exiting on Piccadilly, where the Fortnum & Mason building had its usual Advent Calendar display.

For a bit of a respite, Summer had never been on one of our walks, we headed into Waterstones bookshop, where we perused the books.

We then continued along Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus and onto Coventry Street, where warm drinks were purchased. Before visiting the Winter Market, which had been erected in Leicester Square, Erin, Summer and I went off to see the various statues of Harry Potter, Bugs Bunny, Batman, etc.. After making a complete circuit, of the square, we met back up with Emma and Keilyn and entered the Winter Market. A few items were purchased, at inflated prices, before we headed off to grab some more snacks and warm food.

Queen Mary's Steps

In the grounds of the Ministry of Defence, on the Victoria Embankment side, there are a set of steps with a buttress and wall.

They are not an old entrance to the basement of the building, which now stands behind, but rather a rebuilt part of a terrace, originally built by Sir Christopher Wren, and were part of Whitehall Palace.

'Physical Energy' by G.F. Watts OM RA

'Physical Energy' in Kensington Gardens.

Walking through Kensington Gardens you will discover this huge bronze equestrian statue, entitled 'Physical Energy'. It stands overlooking the northwest side of the Serpentine and was sculpted by George Frederic Watts OM RA.

Brief History

G.F. Watts had been working on 'Physical Energy' since the early 1880s, and thought of it has a culmination of his work in the field of public sculpture. 

He was asked to cast the bronze as early as 1886, but instead continued work on and modify the gesso model. Watts used equestrian elements of the Elgin Marbles in designing the model.

In 1902 the first full-size cast of the sculpture was made at a foundry in Fulham. It was said to be Britain's largest bronze cast, at the time. Watts gave it to the British government and it was exhibited at Burlington House, in 1904.

It was originally intended to be erected at the burial place of Cecil Rhodes, in Southern Rhodesia, but, due to the costs and logistics of such an undertaking, it was instead made part of the Rhodes Memorial, near Cape Town.

In 1905 a second cast of the sculpture was made at a foundry in Thames Ditton. This second cast was more refined and took 18 months to finish. In September 1907 the 6 ton cast was unveiled at Kensington Gardens.

Two more full-size sculptures were created, each differing slightly. 

The third bronze was displayed in front of the High Court building, Lusaka, Zambia. However, after a few moves, it was finally moved to its current position, outside the National Archives, Harare, in 1981.

The fourth full-size sculpture was cast in 2017, using a new mould from the original model. It was commissioned by the Watts Gallery to mark the 200th anniversary of Watts's birth. It was displayed in the courtyard of the Royal Academy, before being permanently installed at Watts Gallery Artists’ Village.

Smaller bronzes were aloso cast throughout the years and sold. Some can be seen in various art galleries, around the country. 

Postman's Park

Entering Postman's Park from the St Martin Le Grand entrance.

Postman's Park is one of those hidden gems that I love to visit.

Despite it's proximity to the Museum of London, it was always a quiet place to visit, with tourists either not knowing about it, or simply ignoring this little oasis.

Now that the Museum of London has closed, it is moving to Smithfields, I expect that even fewer people, except those in the know, will visit this wonderful place.

Postman's Park fountain.

I think another of the reasons that many people aren't aware of Postman's Park is the entrances. 

The St Martin Le Grand's entrance, with its iron gate, looks like you are entering a churchyard, which, I suppose, you are.

The King Edward Street entrance, on the other hand, gives more away, but it still doesn't reveal everything that awaits those who enter the park.

Walking with family: Westminster to Lambeth... and beyond

Tuesday December 10, 2024.

With a week off from work, and my girls being in school, I decided on a trip to London, inviting my mum and my uncle Martin along. Unfortunately my um couldn't make it, so it was just Martina and I that made the trip.

Martin drove us to Croxley station, where we caught a Metropolitan line train to Finchley Road, where we changed to a Jubilee line train to complete our journey to Westminster station.

On exiting the station we headed across Westminster Bridge, dodging the hordes of tourists that often congregate here as they jostle to get their perfect photo of the Elizabeth Tower that houses Big Ben. Crossing to the east side of the bridge we headed down the steps, beside St Thomas' Hospital and the Covid Memorial Wall, heading along the Albert Embankment to our first stop of the day... the Garden Museum.

The Garden Museum is situated at the western end of Lambeth Road, next to Lambeth Palace, and is housed within the old St Mary-at-Lambeth church. The church closed in 1972 and was due foe demolition, but was saved, reopening in 1977 as the world's first Gardening Museum.

After a brief look around the small garden, we entered the church and began looking at the building and its exhibits. After a quick look around we purchased tickets and made our way up the 131 steps of the tower, to check out the view.

And what a view it was. Being beside the River Thames the view allowed for views along the river towards Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station. The Palace of Westminster and Lambeth Palace were great from this vantage point, which then allowed you to gaze across to the City of London, The Shard and Canary Wharf.

Suitably impressed with the view we made our way back down the tower and went off to the Garden Museum cafe to grab a coffee. Once we were refreshed, and suitably warmed up from being outside in the wind, we continued our tour of the museum. 

William Bligh's tomb and the Tradescant family tomb were situated in a small garden area, with its plant nursery and other graves. We visited the Ark gallery and the other various rooms and galleries. The shop had everything horticultural, but there were no books or leaflets on the history of the church itself. Fortunately, one of the volunteers at the shop informed us about a 'magic pink folder', held at the main reception, which contained lots of information. 

So, making our way to the main reception, we asked to view this 'magic pink folder'. It was stuffed with pages about the building, its history, various graves, snippets of information all gleaned from various sources. The lady at reception was more than happy for us to take photos of various pages, which we did. After reading what we wanted we returned the 'magic pink folder' to reception, thanked the lady and made our way outside, ready to continue our walk.

We headed down Lambeth Road, passing the Novotel Hotel, which was once Norfolk House, home of the Howard family. This hotel is next to the Bell Building, which stands on the site of the Bell Inn, which was built in 1560.

Ministry of Defence: Statues and Memorials

The Ministry of Defence building, Whitehall, is home to two great stone statues, 'Earth' and 'Water', as well as a number of memorials to various campaigns, armed forces and personnel. 

'Earth' and 'Water' can be found above the northern entrance, on Horse Guards Avenue, and were designed by Sir Charles Wheeler. Each weighs 40 tonnes. If you are wondering where 'Air' and 'Fire' are... the money dried up during construction of the building, so they were never sculpted.

If you head into the Victoria Embankment Gardens, in the grounds of the Ministry of Defence, you will find a number of memorials dedicated to various campaigns, armed forces and personnel.

Each one is unique and tells its own story.

Myddelton Passage Etchings: A unique historical record

On first turning on to Myddelton Passage it looks like a typical London road. Houses along one side stand opposite a brick wall, that, although old, looks rather plain.

It is not until you begin to walk along the path that you will notice etchings in the bricks. Random numbers, initials and letters can soon be seen. Although sporadic, at first, they begin to fill entire areas of the wall.

Could they be some form of code or something else, entirely?

Fireplace and Alcoves, Vincent Street

Standing alone in the heart of Westminster, surrounded by ivy, a fireplace can be seen on the street. This is a relic from one of many houses that once lined this end of Vincent Street, but were destroyed during World War II.

The building that now stands next to this site is Dean Abbott House, which is a sheltered accommodation and retirement housing complex, with security gates and fencing that stop you from seeing more of the relics of the area.

However, during my visit to the fireplace, I got talking to tone of the residents, Tom, who was returning from the shops. He explained about the fireplace and the houses that had once stood here, before mentioning that there was more to see, if I was interested.

A moment later Tom led me through the security gate and showed me the other alcoves, still in situ. Although not as impressive as the fireplace, it was still interesting to see these remnants from the past.

Walking with Erin and Keilyn: Euston to Canopy Market... and beyond

Sunday December 1, 2024.

It was an overcast morning as Erin, Keilyn and I prepared for our trip to London. Our plan was to visit St Pancras International, as my girls wanted to see the giant Emerald City Christmas tree, from the movie 'Wicked', which they went to see last week.

As we were about to leave rain, which had been threatening, decided to pour from the sky, so a taxi was ordered.

We decided that, for a change, we would take the Lioness line to Euston, as Keilyn and I had been waiting for the new signage to be unveiled.

Once aboard we sat down and watched as the rain began to diminish the closer we got to our destination. And, sure enough, as we exited Euston station the rain had all but stopped, making our short walk to St Pancras International a drier affair.

Once inside we headed through the crowds towards the giant Emerald City tree, taking lots of photos, before we took the escalator up to the next level, so that we could get a different view of it. 

We then went for a wander to see the statue of Sir John Betjeman and the Meeting Place statue, which towers over the upper concourse.

We then used the lift and went for a proper look at the tree, which has a model of Oz inside it. 

More photos were taken before we headed towards the eastern exit, where we discovered life-size models of Glinda and Elphaba, which were made of Lego.

On leaving St Pancras International we crossed Regent's Canal and reached Granary Square, heading off towards Canopy Market, in search of some lunch. After a brief look at what was on offer, Erin decided on a Cheese Burger, made with dry age beef, with cheddar cheese and ketchup. Erin decided against having the pickles and mustard. 

With Erin waiting in line for her food to be prepared, Keilyn and I went and ordered a coffee and hot chocolate.

When Erin had received her food, we found a table, where Erin and Keilyn sat, while I went to get food for Keilyn and myself. Keilyn decided to have Duck Fat Chips (freshly cut potatoes, double fried with a drizzle of duck fat), while I had the Petit Prince Burger (Brioche bun, butter infused grilled duck, stilton, gherkins, fried onion and burger sauce).