Grave of Joseph Grimaldi, "King of Clowns"

Joseph Grimaldi: King of Clowns.

Next to the former St James's Anglican Chapel, in the small churchyard, you will find the grave of Joseph Grimaldi. 

His name may be familiar to some, while others will have no idea who he was. Those with coulrophobia will probably be terrified, for Joseph Grimaldi changed the role of the clown, in pantomimes and plays, earning him the title 'King of the Clowns'.

Born in 1778, Joseph Grimaldi came from a family with a long history as entertainers and performers. 

His first appearance on stage was at the age of 3, when his father took him onto the stage at Sadler's Wells Theatre.

As soon as Joseph was old enough he became an actor, working at Drury Lane Theatre and Sadler's Wells Theatre, quickly becoming one of the most popular actors of his day.

In 1806, Joseph Grimaldi was hired for a role in the pantomime 'Harlequin and Mother Goose', at Covent Garden Theatre. It was here that Grimaldi created a new style of clown, a style that we still know today. He used white face paint, with red paint around his lips and on his cheeks and he painted his eyebrows thick and black. To finish the transformation he wore bright, oversized clothes and got up to all sorts of mischief on stage. So good was his performance that he upstaged the Harlequin. The name 'Joey' passed into the modern language to mean a clown.

Joseph Grimaldi worked at Sadler's Wells Theatre for over 40 years, as a performer and part-proprietor. 

In 1823, Joseph was forced to retire due to poor health. His joints were giving him problems and, along with a respiratory condition, he could no longer perform as he wished.

Following the death of his wife he fell into debt and became an alcoholic, which didn't help his depression. He died in 1837, penniless and alone.

He was buried in the churchyard of St James's Anglican Chapel.

Walking with Keilyn: St John's Wood to Camley Street Natural Park... and beyond

Gasholder Park.

Sunday March 2, 2025.

Keilyn decided that since she had missed out on Friday's walk, we should head to London for the day, so off we set.

Taxi to Watford Metropolitan station and a train to Finchley Road. Then two stops on the Jubilee line to St John's Wood, was how the walk began.

Keilyn at the former Marlborough Road station.

Exiting the station we walked up Finchley Road, to the former underground station that is Marlborough Road, before heading east along Queen's Grove, on to Elsworthy Road, then Elsworthy Terrace which brought us to Primrose Hill.

The view from Primrose Hill.

We then followed the path to the viewing point and took in the amazing views of London. The hazy clouds had dispersed allowing us to see everything that the city had to offer: The Clock Tower, in Caledonian Park, Camden Lock, Canary Wharf, St Pancras station, the Gherkin, St Paul's Cathedral, The Shard, Centre Point, BT Tower, the Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo, London Eye, Palace of Westminster, Crystal Palace Tower, Westminster Cathedral and so much more.

Once we had seen everything, and taken lots of photos and videos, we continued east, exiting Primrose Hill via the Primrose Hill Road exit and, after crossing Regent's Park Road, headed along Rothwell Street to Chalcot Crescent. 

Keilyn at the home of Paddington Bear.

Chalcot Crescent is full of houses, many painted in pastel colours, but we were here to see one particular house... number 30. This is the house that Paddington Bear lives in with the Brown family, in the Paddington Bear movies. After the obligatory photo of Keilyn, outside the house, we made our way back to Regent's Park Road, which we followed until we reached 'The Little One' coffee shop, where we purchased drinks: Hot chocolate and a latte.

The former Primrose Hill station and the Camden Roundhouse.

We then continued along Regent's Park Road until it brought us to Haverstock Hill and Chalk Farm Road, passing the Camden Roundhouse and Camden Stables Market. On reaching Camden High Street we dropped down onto the Regent's Canal towpath, following the meandering canal to Gasholder Park, at St Pancras Basin.

Camley Street Natural Park Pond.

Since we had made good time we decided to cross Somers Town Bridge so that we could explore Camley Street Natural Park. The park, set across 2 acres, is a wildlife habit that includes wetlands and meadows and is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora.