Thursday May 28, 2026
Sunny with a high of 30°C (86°F).
Having a few days away from work it was obvious that would end up going to London, at some point. The problem that I had was where to go.
I toyed with the idea of starting in East Ham and heading south to the Royal Docks, as there are some sites that I was interested in seeing. But, there were also the Walthamstow Wetlands and reservoirs, which would be pleasing on what was looking to be a hot day.
In the end I decided to head to Baker Street and, from there, see where my feet took me. So, I took a taxi to Watford underground station and boarded a Baker Street-bound train.
On exiting Baker Street station, via the Marylebone Road exit, I turned right, crossed Baker Street and followed Marylebone Road until I turned down Old Marylebone Road. From here I took Chapel Street to Praed Street, passing Paddington station and various mews, before I joined Craven Road.
From here I headed south along Westbourne Terrace to Sussex Gardens, which took me to Spring Street and Conduit Mews. Now, London is full of mews which, historically, are a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses, typically with living quarters above. They were built behind large city houses, especially in London, to house horses, coaches, and stable-servants. Today, these are highly desirable, modern residential homes situated in quiet, traffic-free, cobbled lanes. So, I decided to walk along its length, wondering about these architectural buildings, many of which are brightly painted.
Having walked its length I returned to Sussex Gardens and along Westbourne Street to Bathurst Street, where I explored Bathurst Mews. Although the majority of the mews is now residential, I was surprised to discover that the mews immediately on the right were still in use as stables. These are London's last remaining stables to still be housed in mews.
On leaving Bathurst Mews I headed back up to Sussex Gardens and headed eastwards, stopping every now-and-again to explore more mews. Since I was in the area I also took the opportunity to take some photos of various locations that I have been researching for a future blog.
Eventually I reached Edgware Road, where I stopped to buy a cold drink, before I continued onwards to Harrowby Street, where more mews spread out on either side of me. All of the mews, that I saw, had their own distinct look. Some had rows of brightly painted homes, while others were plain brick. Yet others had trees, shrubs and climbing plants adorning the cobbled thoroughfare.
Harrowby Street brought me to Montagu Place and onto Dorset Street and, then, Baker Street. Although the temperature had been steadily climbing to its current 28°C (82°F), it wasn't overbearing as there was still shade from the buildings that lined the streets.
So, I headed north, following Baker Street, until I moved onto Park Road. I crossed over the Regent's Canal where a plaque affixed to a brick pillar, stated:
"The second Lord's Cricket Ground 1811-1813 Home of MCC was located close to this site".
The second Lord's Cricket Ground was on an area of land now occupied by the Lisson Grove Estate.
Continuing on I made a left, onto Lodge Road, where I stopped to look over the railway bridge at the train lines out of Baker Street and Marylebone stations. It was close to this site that Lord's station was located. The station had opened in 1868, as St John's Wood Road, but was a cramped station that, as the years went by, became unable to cope with those flocking to the cricket ground. So, between 1924-1925 the station was demolished and rebuilt and was renamed St John's Wood. It was later renamed Lord's in June 1939. However, in November 1939, the station closed permanently when the Bakerloo line took over the Metropolitan route to Stanmore, with its new St John's Wood station opening close by. The station building survived into the 1960s, when it was finally demolished to make way for a hotel.
I continued along Lodge Road to Lisson Grove and then turned along St John's Wood Road, passing the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club. I have only entered Lord's cricket ground once, which was back on Monday July 30, 1990, when I watched the fourth day of a test match between England and India. The grounds have changed so much in the intervening years, but the ticket office, where I purchased my ticket, was still there, although I feel it is probably no longer in use. Opposite Lord's the Danubius Hotel rises up, standing on the location of the old Lord's station.
St John's Wood Road brought me to Wellington Road, where I stopped for a rest in St john's Wood Church Gardens. The Wellington Place Cabmen's shelter was busy with taxi drivers as well as visitors, purchasing drinks. On leaving the gardens I continued along Wellington Road to St John's Wood station. I briefly entertained the idea of continuing on towards Swiss Cottage, but decided to catch a train from here, instead.
Entering the station I passed through the ticket barrier, and took the escalator to platform level, all the while admiring the station's wonderful interior and Art Deco design. Within minutes a Jubilee line train was whisking me to Swiss Cottage and onto Finchley Road, where I alighted.
Now, I usually use Finchley Road station to switch from a Metropolitan train to a Jubilee service, when heading into London. Or to switch from a Baker Street-bound train to an Aldgate-bound train. This means that I arrive on platform 4, walk across the island platform and jump onto a Jubilee line train on platform 3. Hence, I have rarely, if ever, used platforms 1 & 2. Standing on platform 1, awaiting my train, I took the time to look around. To my surprise, high up on one of the walls of a building on Canfield Place a 'ghost' sign was still visible. I managed to take a photo of the sign, seconds before my train arrived.
The Watford-bound Metropolitan train was surprisingly empty, so I took a seat on its right side to avoid the blazing sun. For some reason the journey home always seems to be quicker, but it is in fact the same journey time, approximately 40 minutes, as heading into London.
Arriving at Watford I made the short walk home and sat in the shade at the top of my garden, quenching my thirst with a drink that I had purchased on the way home.
In the end it was another great day out exploring parts of London that I had never visited before.
London's picturesque mews.
Distance travelled:
- Bus - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Cable Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- DLR - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Ferry - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Overground - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- River Boat - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Taxi - 0.8 miles (1.28 kms)
- Train - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Tram - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Underground - 34 miles (54.71 kms)
- Walking - 5.6 miles (9.01 kms)
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