Walking alone: Green Park to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens... and beyond

Saturday October 3, 2026.

Cloudy but turning sunny in the afternoon, with a high of 20°C (68°F).

The first Saturday of October and my first trip to London of the month saw me exploring more of London's history, but this time I would be alone.

The usual walk to the Watford underground station was followed by a train ride, from Platform 1, to Finchley Road. Here I boarded a Jubilee line to Green Park, where the train was to terminate. This was due to engineering works, meaning that  there were no trains between Green Park and Canary Wharf. I thought about taking a Victoria line train to Stockwell or Brixton, but instead decided to begin my wander from here.

On leaving the station I headed south, following the path along the side of Green Park before crossing The Mall, from where I took the obligatory photo of Buckingham Palace, and entered St James's Park. I then followed the path to St James's park Lake, where I stopped to take a photo of the Great White Pelicans before crossing The Blue Bridge to continue my walk. Geese, ducks, pigeons, squirrels, a pair of Jays and other wildlife called out from the water, trees and grassy areas, as I continued south.

On exiting the park I crossed Birdcage Walk and headed through the iron gates and turned onto Queen Anne's Gate. Just a few houses along I noticed a faded sign painted onto the bricks. It said 'Shelter' and, as I looked closer, I could make out an arrow pointing down and to the right. This was obviously where people took shelter during World War II. Just across the street I could see a statue, so I headed across to take a look.

The statue was of Queen Anne. Anne was famous for being the last Stuart monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and for overseeing the Acts of Union 1707 which united England and Scotland into a single kingdom called Great Britain. A 'ghost' sign, barely legible on the wall, informed me that this street was formed from Queen Square, to the west, and Park Street to the east. 

Besides these faded signs there were plenty of Blue Plaques high up on the residential walls, showing that Lord Palmerston, Lord Haldane, Sir Edward Grey, John Stuart Mill, Admiral "Jacky" Fisher, Mansfield Smith-Cumming, among others had at some point in time had an association with the street. Reaching the end of Queen Anne's Gate I turned onto Dartmouth Street and headed down the Cockpit Steps. These steps are supposedly haunted, date back to the reign of King Charles I and once led the way to a Royal cockfighting hall. 

I then headed back up the steps and joined Old Queen Street, before heading south along Storey's Gate. I crossed Victoria Street, stopping to take a photo of the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, more commonly known as Westminster abbey, before continuing along Great Smith Street. Onto Little Smith Street, I walked, before turning south down Tufton Street, then east along Great Peter Street, and south along Lord North Street.

It was along Lord North Street that I discovered more 'ghost' signs pointing to various shelter entrances, the vast majority of which were in the vaults below the townhouses. Absolutely fascinating, although I did get some strange looks from passers-by, wondering why I appeared to be taking photographs of bricks.

At the end of Lord North Street I entered Smith Square and then took Dean Stanley Street to Millbank, before entering Victoria Tower Gardens. The last time that I had been here the Buxton Memorial Fountain had been under scaffolding, as it underwent a refurbishment. So, since I was here, I took the opportunity to explore the memorial in relative solitude. 

The work that has been carried out really enhances the fountain, although you still can't use it for its main purpose. It was also nice to see that the stone plaque had been cleaned up, but that it still had the date error still etched into its surface. The plaque states that the fountain was erected in 1835, when in fact it was between 1865-1866. But, never mind.

I left the gardens and followed Millbank all the way to Vauxhall Bridge. Now I had a decision to make. I could head towards Pimlico, or follow the River Thames towards Chelsea, or cross Vauxhall Bridge to explore south of the river. I chose the latter. Vauxhall Bridge and its approaches have received major works over the last few years, which, now that they are completed, make it a lot safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to use these junctions.

As the tide was out I took a photo of where the prison ships would collect convicts, from nearby Millbank Prison, to transport them to Australia. Although the actual stairs have long gone, you can still see much of the remains of the slipway.

On reaching the |South I dropped down in front of the Secret Intelligence Service building and revisited the Isle of Effra public realm. I then headed down onto the foreshore for a little wander, before heading up to the second of the public realms here, Effra Quay, where I sat for a short rest.

Suitably refreshed I joined Albert Embankment and headed north, before turning east along New Spring Gardens Walk and headed into Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Like most of my walk, up to this point, the gardens were fairly empty, with just the occasional jogger or dog walker passing by. Even the cyclists seemed to be elsewhere. The Tea House Theatre and The Black Dog pub, were the exceptions, as both were busy with all of the outdoor seating filled, while others sat inside.

I continued north, along Vauxhall Walk, and joined Black Prince Road, which I took east the short distance to The Jolly Gardeners pub, where I stopped for a pint. Now, I have visited this pub a couple of times before as it has a unique piece of history inside. A piano that is rumoured to have been played by Charlie Chaplin Senior. Now, I did my own research on the piano and could find no evidence for or against this rumour, so I will go along with it. So, imagine my dismay when I sat down with my pint and discovered that the piano had been moved and was now used for holding cutlery, napkins, glasses, crockery and menus! I was not pleased.

On leaving the pub I headed north along Newport Street, before turning west onto Whitgift Street from where I entered Old Paradise Gardens. Old Paradise Gardens is one of Lambeth's oldest green spaces, but it was once a cemetery. And, like most other converted cemeteries, the headstones were moved to the boundary walls, while the bodies, some 50,000 of them, were left in situ. After a good exploration I headed out on to Lambeth High Street and headed north towards St Mary's Church and Tower, Lambeth.

The junction at this end of Lambeth Road, with its roads, cycle lanes and paths has also undergone major improvements, with new pedestrian crossings, seating and planting, making the area much more inviting. I crossed Lambeth Palace Road and headed along the embankment, passing the Monument to S.O.E. Agents, before reaching the National Covid Memorial Wall.

As I approached the Westminster Bridge end of this stretch of the embankment the crowds really filled out, as tourists from a myriad of countries all vied for the perfect photo of, or with, the Palace of Westminster, perfectly framed beneath rolling clouds. I made my way through the crowds and up the steps to Westminster Bridge Road, where I headed east away from the crowds. Westminster Bridge Road brought me back to Lambeth Palace Road, so I headed along Royal Street and onto Centaur Street, where I looked at the Blake Mosaics beneath the bridge, before heading north along Hercules Road.

Feeling a little thirsty I headed into The Hercules where I bought a pint. The pub was busy with families enjoying meals together, so I took my drink outside to the raised terrace. Although it was cloudy it was still warm, so it was quite pleasant sitting outside the pub watching the world go by.

On finishing my drink I returned the glass to the bar, before crossing Westminster Bridge Road and headed up Bayliss Road to Waterloo Road. I then headed towards Waterloo station, stopping to take a photo of an Air Raid Siren that is affixed to one of the bridge supports. Now, this siren isn't from World War II, but it is still old. Many believe it was put up during the Cold War, but most agree that it was deactivated around 1985. I will need to do some research.

I then crossed York Road and joined Concert Hall Approach, heading for the Southbank Centre Food Market and some much needed food. After a good perusement of the various vendors selling meals from around the world, I decided that I would try the Voodoo Chicken stall. I was soon holding a tender boneless Cajun chicken thigh, on a bed of sliced iceberg lettuce with a habanero and cherry sauce in a toasted brioche bun. It was simply delicious!

Once I was finished I made my way back to York Road and Waterloo underground station, where I descended into the depths in search of a westbound Bakerloo line train. Minutes later I was stood in a carriage and zipping beneath the River Thames. Beneath Northumberland Avenue, Cockspur Street and Haymarket we travelled, before we reached Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus where many of the passengers disembarked. Then it was onward beneath Regent Street and Portland Place before the train finally turned westward to Baker Street.

Ascending the various escalators and stairs took no time at all, with myself heading directly for Platform 1 and the Starbucks kiosk. A quick glance at the information screens informed me that I had 12 minutes before my train would be leaving from Platform 1. This gave me plenty of time to grab a Caramel Latte, which was handed to me as my train pulled into the station.

I waited patiently for the passengers to exit before I made my way through the carriages towards the front of the train, taking a seat in carriage two. The train was unusually empty, so I sat back and relaxed, sipping my still hot coffee, and enjoyed the journey home.

Arriving at Watford I made the short walk home, beneath an almost cloudless sky, glad to take off my boots and enjoy a cold drink.

It was another interesting walk, discovering new places and revisiting more familiar places.

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 - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Train - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Tram - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Underground - 29.6 miles (47.63 kms)
• Walking - 7.1 miles (11.42 kms)