Thursday, January 30, 2025

'John Betjeman' by Martin Jennings

John Betjeman Statue St Pancras

To mark the opening of St Pancras International as the terminus for the High-Speed rail link, between London and Europe, a statue of Sir John Betjeman was unveiled.

John Betjeman had been an advocate of Victorian architecture and, in the 1960s, had campaigned to have St Pancras station, and the adjacent hotel, saved from demolition.

John Betjeman Statue

Sir John Betjeman CBE (1906-1984).

Born in London he lived in Gospel Oak until the family moved to Highgate, in 1909. T.S. Eliot was one of John's early tutors, at Highgate School. Following this he was sent to boarding school at Dragon School preparatory school, Oxford, and then Marlborough College, Wiltshire. He left Marlborough College in 1925.

His next education came when he entered Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, where one of his tutors was C.S. Lewis. Neither men seemed to get on, with C.S. Lewis stating that "Betjeman would not achieve honours in any class." Betjeman was expelled from Oxford, in 1928, after failing the Pass school and only achieving a satisfactory result in one of three required papers, Shakespeare and other English authors.

Between 1930-1935 Betjeman worked for the Architectural Review as an assistant editor.

Monday, January 27, 2025

Victorian Turkish Bath House, Bishopsgate

Victorian Bath House Bishopsgate

It is quite a juxtaposition to walk through the City of London, with its glass office blocks, concrete buildings and shops, to then find yourself facing at a Turkish style Victorian Bath House.

These were once very common, in the late 1800s, but, as far as I can find, this is the last of its kind, in London.

So why is it here and when and why was it built?

During the early to mid 1800s London's population tripled to over 3 million residents, bringing with it many problems, including housing issues, which led to health and hygiene problems.

To try and solve this the Baths and Washhouses Act of 1846 was introduced, which encouraged local authorities to provide adequate public washing and bathing facilities.

While many washhouses were large buildings that could be used by many people, the more affluent residents wanted something more to their taste.

Victorian Bath House Bishopsgate

Enter David Urquhart. As a diplomat Mr Urquhart had visited Moorish Spain, Greece and Turkey and suggested the use of 'Turkish Baths', a phrase that he coined, in 1850. He claimed that these baths could cure alcoholism, baldness, cholera, constipation and dementia, all of which was unfounded.

Urquhart oversaw the building of many of these Turkish Baths and, in 1860, Roger Evans, a colleague of Urquhart's, opened the first of these Turkish Baths at 5 Bell Street, near Marble Arch.

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Walking with family and friends: Aldgate to Canary Wharf... and beyond

Trinity Buoy Wharf

Saturday January 25, 2025.

Another Saturday and another trip to London was in order.

Up. Dressed. Keilyn and I take an Uber to the station. Meet Steve. Underground to Finchley Road. Underground to Aldgate.

Reaching the end of the line, Steve, Keilyn and I left Aldgate station and immediately grabbed a hot drink from the coffee shop outside the station. Then, with drinks in hand, we set off... heading east.

Heading along Aldgate High Street we crossed St Botolph Street and continued along Whitechapel High Street and onto Whitechapel Road, soon coming to Whitechapel Market, with its hustle and bustle and aromatic smells.

Whitechapel Bell Foundry

We passed the old Whitechapel Dell Foundry, the Royal London Hospital and the Blind Beggar pub, briefly toying with the idea of heading south, through Shadwell to the River Thames, but instead continued east along Mile End Road.

Trinity Green Almshouses

Statues, sculptures and fascinating architecture lined our route with Trinity Green and its Almshouses being a highlight, with stone ships mounted atop the ends of the Almshouses.

We continued our walk, passing Stepney Green station and the huge campus that is Queen Mary University of London, until we reached The Regent's Canal.

Regent's Canal looking toward Canary Wharf

Realising that we would soon end up on Stratford or Ilford, if Keilyn had her way, we decided to join the towpath and follow the canal to the River Thames.

Swans, coots, moorhens, ducks and geese were happily gliding along the still water surface, while Herons stood on the bank, or stood motionless in Mile End Park, oblivious to the joggers and families using the space.

Limehouse Basin

We passed the Ragged School Museum, with its cafe full of patrons, and continued alongside the canal until we reached Limehouse Basin, with its myriad barges, boats and yachts.

Limehouse Hole Stairs

From here it was a short walk through Ropemakers Fields to Narrow Street, using the bridge to cross Limekiln Dock, to reach Limehouse Hole Stairs. As the tide was out we dropped down onto the small beach and enjoyed the unseasonably warm heat of the sun.

Speaking of the River Bench

As we climbed back up to street level I could just make out a conversation between a young woman and a much older man, but there was no one around that matched the sounds. Joggers were plugged into their devices, while families were pointing out the sights. As I stood and listened I realised that the voices were coming from a silver bench. Sitting down I realised that it was a recorded interview about life on the docks, being played through speakers at either end of the bench. It is such a clever idea.

One Park Drive

We continued along Loverose Way before crossing onto Heron Quays Road, making our way around Middle Dock, heading for the Henry Addington pub, where we would have dinner.

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Special Operations Executive Agents Memorial & Violette Szabo

Special Operations Executive Agents Memorial

This bronze bust of Violette Szabo, on the Albert Embankment, just yards from the Headquarters of the British Special Intelligence Service (MI6), commemorates the secret agents who led covert operations against the Nazis.

This monument was commissioned by the Public Memorials Appeal.

S. O. E.

The Special Operations Executive was secretly formed for the purpose of recruiting agents, men and women of many nationalities, who would volunteer to continue the fight for freedom, by performing acts of sabotage in countries occupied by the enemy during the Second World War.

This monument is in honour of all the courageous S.O.E. Agents: those who did survive and those who did not survive their perilous missions. Their services were beyond the call of duty. In the pages of history their names are carved with pride.

The Heroes of Telemark.

In 1943 Norwegian resistance commandos sponsored by the S.O.E. raided the enemy occupied Norsk Hydro Plant in the Telemark region of Norway.

This successful raid sabotaged the machinery that was producing heavy water, which is used in the manufacture of the Atomic Bomb.

Thanks to those Norwegian Commandos the enemy's attempt to develop the Atomic Bomb was thwarted.

The Maquis French resistance fighters.

470 S.O.E. agents were sent on sabotage missions to occupied France where they fought with networks of French resistance fighters who played an important part in the liberation of France in 1944.

Special Operations Executive Memorial

Violette Szabo.

Violette Bushell was born in Paris, France, in 1921, before her family moved to England. At the outbreak of World War II, she joined the Women's Land Army and the Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she met Étienne Szabo, a Free French corps soldier. They were married and she bore him a daughter, Tanis, in 1942. That same year Étienne was killed in action at the battle of El-Alamein. 

It was this event that led her to join the Special Operations Executive intelligence agency, which, at the time, had its headquarters on Baker Street.

Special Operations Executive Baker Street

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Walking with family and friends: King's Cross to Hampstead Heath... and beyond

Japanese Garden Island

Saturday January 18, 2025.

Keilyn and I headed off to London, earlier than usual, as we were to meet my friend who was travelling to King's Cross from Peterborough.

K8 Telephone Box

As we reached Northwick Park Keilyn took a photo of one of only four remaining K8 telephone boxes left on the London Underground.

Our timing was almost perfect with Keilyn and I exiting onto King's Cross plaza just ten minutes after Gary. After a walk through St Pancras International we began our walk. 

The Hardy Tree

We headed north along Midland Road and onto Pancras Road, where we stopped at St Pancras Old Church to see the remains of the Hardy Tree. The graves that the ash once stood over are now covered in weeds, while the Hardy Tree lies in pieces on the grass. Such a loss.

Dots Music

We left St Pancras Gardens and followed Camley Street which led us to Murray Street, our route taking us ever northward. Camden Square brought us onto Camden Road, where we turned onto Royal College Street. It was here we discovered 'Dots Music'. The steps, to the shop, were painted like piano keys, so Keilyn pretended to play them.

Keilyn with a hot chocolate

Up Royal College Street we went, before finding ourselves on Kentish Town Road where we stopped to grab a hot drink each, from an independent coffee stall.

After spotting a camel, on Highgate Road, we noticed a LFB Fire Investigation van, with its occupant in a white coverall, which fascinated Keilyn. We passed Parliament Hill School and William Ellis School, before we turned in to Hampstead Heath, where school children of all ages were playing rugby, while their parents watched on. Other people were using the running track as we dodged the joggers and dog walkers.

Orientalist Camel

We left Hampstead Heath, via Savernake Bridge, and headed along Roderick Road, at the end of which, on the other side of Mansfield Road, was the London School of Mosaic, which is situated in 'Waxham House'. It was here that we made the mistake of turning left, following Mansfield Road onto Gordon House Road. Eventually we reached Highgate Road, where we turned left. Keilyn started laughing as we approached a LFB Fire Investigation van, with its occupant in a white coverall, as she had realised, long before us, that we had taken so many left turns that we had completed a circle!

Monday, January 20, 2025

Model Village, Vauxhall Park

Model Village, Vauxhall Park

It was while on one of my many walks that I discovered Vauxhall Park and, by extension, this model village. 

There are only about six homes and three smaller buildings, but it is quite a nice thing to discover.

With the other work going on in the park I assumed that this was a new installation, as the buildings looked freshly painted and maintained. It wasn't until I did some research, for this blog post, that I discovered their remarkable history. Enjoy.

Model Village, Vauxhall Park

In the 1950s this model village was moved from its original home, in Brockwell Park, and placed in Vauxhall Park. The buildings are signed and dated, on the inside, by Edgar Wilson, 1943. Edgar Wilson, who lived in West Norwood, was a retired engineer who took up making model villages, among other things, in his later years. He tinted the concrete and etched the brick, timbers and roof tiles by hand and used lead for the windows and doors. Originally this village was created in the Tudor style, with white walls and black timbers. 

In 2018, the houses were given a 'Suffragette' makeover, using a purple, green and white colour scheme. These colours were chosen as the model village now resides on the Fawcett Garden, which is named for Millicent Garrett Fawcett. 

A small heart-shaped plaque states:
Friends of Vauxhall Park
These model houses were made for Vauxhall Park
In 1949 by Edgar Wilson of Norwood.
He made other sets of houses but only these
And a set in Melbourne, Australia, remain.
These houses were restored in 2001
By local resident and friend of Vauxhall Park,
Mr Nobby Clark.
They were unveiled in June 2001
By local MP for Vauxhall Ms Kate Hoey.

Model Village, Vauxhall Park

Edgar Wilson made three of these villages.

One village, at Finsbury Park, was vandalised and fell into disrepair, with nothing of the village remaining today.

The village at Brockwell Park decayed due to a lack of care and, I believe, just a few shells of the original buildings remain.

Following World War II, Edgar Wilson had been so touched by food parcels, sent from Australia, that he wrote to them and asked if they would like a model Tudor village for their city. They accepted and so the third village was crated and shipped to Melbourne, Australia, where it was installed in Fitzroy Gardens. It is still there to this day.


Thursday, January 16, 2025

'Vitreous Enamel' by Dale Devereux Barker RE

Vitreous Enamel by Dale Devereux Barker

Walking along Cloister's Walk, in St Katharine Docks, you will discover a plethora of bright panels fixed into the arches that separate Cloister's Walk from St Katharine's Way.

Cloister's Walk

There are one hundred and thirty five of these panels, with nine panels per arch.

Some of the designs are repeated, but sometimes with a different colour. However, each tells a story.

Keilyn with the Vitreous Enamel Panels

Dale Devereux Barker RE was commissioned for this project by Taylor Woodrow Properties, back in 1998. 

Monday, January 13, 2025

Victoria Park Cemetery: Meath Gardens

Victoria Park Cemetery Gravestones
Headstones.

Victoria Park Cemetery opened in 1845 and was the last of the eight private garden cemeteries to open.

The cemetery was unconsecrated and, when it opened, had two chapels, designed by the architect Arthur Ashpitel, 

Victoria Park Cemetery gate
The great Gothic archway.

The great Gothic archway, restored in 2017, still stands at one of the entrances emblazoned with 'VPC 1845'.

During its short existence over 300,000 bodies were interred here, with three-quarters of them being children.

Although well-managed initially, it was a poor financial venture and became insolvent in 1853, leading to its closure in 1876.

Victoria Park Cemetery gravestones
Headstones.

Following its closure the monuments were cleared... But, the bodies were never removed.

Thursday, January 09, 2025

Japan House: 'Looks delicious! Exploring Japan's food replica culture' exhibition

'Looks delicious! Exploring Japan's food replica culture'

Japan House, on Kensington High Street, is the cultural home of Japan, in London. Set across three floors Japan House offers a glimpse into the culture and history of Japan, with a shop, restaurant and an exhibition space.

The current exhibition concerns the history and manufacturing of food replicas, that can be seen in the windows of tea rooms and restaurants, across the 47 prefectures of Japan.

Each replica is highly detailed and, although its manufacture has changed throughout the years, looks realistic, in thanks to the craftsperson that create these masterpieces.

'Looks delicious! Exploring Japan's food replica culture'

The original replicas were made from hot coloured wax, which were cast from agar moulds and then painted. 

With the growing demand for food replicas, in the 1970s, PVC was used instead of wax, which allowed for greater detail and durability, but the manufacturing process remained the same.

Monday, January 06, 2025

Tram Shelter, Southwark

Tram Shelter, Southwark
A relic from a bygone era.

On the junction of Union Street and Southwark Bridge Road, there is a cafe bar that resides in a wonderful relic from a bygone era.

The building began life as a tram shelter and stands on a pedestrian island near Flat Iron Square. 

It is a single storey building with timber framed doors, a pitched plain clay tile roof with a ventilation lantern. A semicircular window, above the door adds to the charm of this 1930s building.

Audrey's Cafe
A tram shelter repurposed as a cafe bar.

Trams once trundled by this building on their way to the northern end of Southwark Bridge and, in the other direction, to the Hop Exchange, close to Borough High Street.

Like much of this area, in and around Southwark, a lot has been lost to redevelopment, so it is nice to see that this almost 100 year old building has been repurposed.

The two London Plane trees offer some shade to patrons who choose to dine outside in the summer months.

Sunday, January 05, 2025

Walking with Keilyn: Baker Street to Paddington... and beyond

Keilyn at The Wild Table of Love

Saturday January 4, 2025.

Today 'Keilyn and I were to be joined by a couple of friends, for our first walk through London of 2025. However, various events conspired against us, resulting in Keilyn and myself making the trip alone.

So, off we set, walking to Watford Metropolitan station as a short flurry of snow began to fall. We took the train to Baker Street, where, after purchasing warm drinks, we exited the station and headed north along Baker Street and on to Park Road, where we dropped down onto the Regent's Canal Towpath.

Having walked to Camden and King's Cross too many times we decided to walk in the opposite direction, heading towards Little Venice and from there Paddington.

Regent's Canal

The snow had by now stopped and the towpath was quiet, with us only seeing a few other walkers along the canal. We reached Lisson Moorings, where we admired the narrow boats and barges, before we reached the Maida Hill Tunnel, where we climbed the slippery metal steps to Aberdeen Place. 

Little Venice

We walked along Maida Avenue, rejoining the towpath at Warwick Bridge, and Little Venice. Surprisingly all of the cafes and kiosks were closed, so we continued beneath Westway towards Paddington Basin. 

Keilyn and Paddington Bear

A blue 'velvet' covered Paddington Bear statue provided a photo opportunity, before we reached Praed Street, where we stopped for some lunch at a KFC.

Keilyn and Paddington Bear

Suitably filled we headed inside Paddington Station in search of the Paddington Bear statue, which we soon found by looking out for the crowds. We waited patiently for the other children to have their photos taken before it was Keilyn's turn. 

Keilyn and Paddington Bear

We then headed further along the platform to Paddington's Bench, where another photo was taken. 

We then headed out of the station and headed along Praed Street to The Wild Table of Love, where Keilyn joined Dogman and Rabbitwoman with their guests of ten of the most endangered animals in the world. Just across Eastbourne Terrace, Maarten Baas' 'Man in a Clock' was busy painting hands inside the clock face.

Peter Pan Statue

Heading south down Westbourne Terrace we entered Kensington Gardens and the amazing Italian Gardens. Again, there were not too many people around so we made our way along the path, beside The Long Water, to the 'Peter Pan' statue.

Physical Energy Statue

From here we headed west towards the 'Physical Energy' statue and, from there, on to the Round Pond. It was here that we discovered the crowds who were eagerly waiting to enter Kensington Palace, so we continued along Studio Walk and turned down Palace Green towards Kensington High Street.

Thursday, January 02, 2025

'Wellington Monument' by Richard Westmacott

Wellington Monument

As you enter Hyde Park, from the southeast entrance, you are soon confronted by this incredible statue, which towers over onlookers. It is the Wellington Monument and shows Achilles, with sword and shield.

It is a memorial to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and his victories in the Peninsular War and Napoleonic Wars.

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

The statue is cast from captured cannon from his victories at Salamanca, Toulouse, Waterloo and Vittoria, and stands at 18 feet (5.5 metres). It was designed by the sculptor Richard Westmacott. 

The statue, along with the Dartmoor granite base and the mound on which it stands, makes the entire monument 36 feet (11 metres) in height.

The statue cost £10,000 and was funded by donations from British women. 

When it made its way to Hyde Park it was found to be too big to go through the Hyde Park entrance gates, so a hole had to be knocked into the adjoining wall.

Statue of Achilles

The inscription reads:

"To Arthur Duke of Wellington

and his brave companions in arms

this statue of Achilles

cast from cannon taken in the victories

of Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, and Waterloo

is inscribed

by their country women

Placed on this spot

on the XVIII day of June MDCCCXXII

by command of

His Majesty George IIII."