Walking with family: Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Blue Ball Yard.

Friday December 12, 2025.

Erin arrived home from school, at which point Emma left to meet Keilyn from school. I arrived home shortly after and, once we were ready, waited for my mum, before booking a taxi to Watford underground station, where Emma and Keilyn were awaiting our arrival.

We boarded our train and settled into our seats for the trip to Finchley Road. Here we changed to a Jubilee line train and continued our journey to Green Park. We exited the station via the Green Park entrance and began our walk at Piccadilly and the magnificent Ritz Hotel. 

Hancocks on St James's Street.

Instead of following the crowds we turned down St James's Street and admired the various Christmas trees and window displays that the businesses and shops displayed. Jermyn Street was the first street with lights stretched across it, that we saw. We passed Hancocks Goldsmiths, before we entered Blue Ball Yard, where the American Bar was festooned with Christmas decorations.

A Christmas tree in London's smallest square.

We then crossed the road and entered Pickering Place, London' smallest square, where a Christmas tree took up much of the place. We left Pickering Place and continued down St James's Street and turned onto Pall Mall until we reached Waterloo Place, with its blue star-topped Christmas tree. Here, more 'Angel' Christmas lights stretched across the road.

The Norwegian spruce in Trafalgar Square.

We then continued along Pall Mall onto Pall Mall East, which brought us to Trafalgar Square and the giant Norwegian spruce at its centre. A Christmas market, filled with stalls selling all sorts of trinkets, gifts and food occupied the area outside the steps to The National Gallery, while a choir sang carols from in front of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree.

St Martin's Lane.

On leaving Trafalgar Square we headed up Charing Cross Road and onto St Martin's Lane, with its Theatreland Christmas lights. 

Goodwin's Court cottages.

As we approached New Row, my mum, Keilyn and I decided to walk through Goodwin's Court, while Emma and Erin continued along New Row. With its gas-fuelled lamps and cottages that have been here since the 17th century, this thoroughfare is a time capsule of old London. We weren't the only ones using the street, as a small group of people had also chosen this route, but, in their case, for its association with Harry Potter.

Covent Garden Christmas tree.

We exited Goodwin's Court, onto Bedfordbury, and joined New Row, where we headed east along King Street, where we met up with Emma and Erin by the Covent Garden Christmas tree. Emma and Erin had witnessed the 'snow' falling, which occurs every hour, but were less than impressed with it. It was a 'bubble-machine', that lasted less than a minute. 

Royal Opera House Arcade.

Pickering Place, St James's

The entrance to Pickering Place.

London has roughly 600 public squares, spread throughout the city. The largest of these is Lincoln's Inn Fields, Holborn, at 300,000 square feet. This is the largest public square both in London and the United Kingdom.

The smallest public square is Pickering Place, St James's, at roughly 500 square feet. It is also the smallest square in Great Britain. For its small size it is full of history.

The square was originally known as Stroud's Court. In 1698, the Widow Bourne, whose first name has been lost to time, opened a grocer's shop at No. 3 St James's Street, with her two daughters. This was the same year that St James's Palace became the official residence of the monarch. This grocer's shop would go on to become 'Berry Brothers & Rudd', which is still run by descendants of the same family, to this day.

The Widow's daughter, Elizabeth, married William Pickering and the two carried on the mother's business. They also supplied coffee to the fashionable Coffee Houses of St James's. 'Berry Brothers & Rudd' still trades under the sign of the coffee mill, as they have done for centuries. 

Georgian architecture.

In 1731, William Pickering set about rebuilding Stroud's Court, which was originally a garden, with new, taller houses. after which the square was renamed Pickering Court. Their business, at No. 3, remains as it was from when it first opened.

As Pickering Court was 'off the beaten path' it became known for its bear baiting, gambling dens and prostitution. The square was also used as a duelling ground. It is said that the Prince Regent's close friend, Beau Brummell, fought a duel here, in the nineteenth century. Some claim that London's last duel took place here, but this is incorrect. London's last duel took place in a small field near Camden Road in Camden Town.

Walking with Keilyn: Aldgate to Westminster... and beyond

Friday October 10, 2025.

Keilyn and I had worked out that we hadn't visited London, together, in quite a few weeks, which was a shock.

So, as soon as I had finished work and Keilyn had arrived home from school, we both got changed, grabbed some snacks and took a taxi to Watford Metropolitan underground station. An Aldgate-bound train was waiting at platform 2, which we hurriedly boarded, grabbing seats near the centre of the train. Within minutes we were on our way.

Pulling into Harrow-on-the-Hill station we were informed, by our driver, that the train pulling in beside us would be leaving first. So, a mass exodus of travellers, including us, crossed the platform and boarded the other train. A ridiculous thing to do, really, as this would only shave a few minutes from our journey time. Sure enough, though, we were soon moving again.

We exited Aldgate station and headed west, turning down Fenchurch Street until we reached Fen Court, where we stopped to look at the 'Gilt of Cain', which is a sculpture that commemorates the abolition of the slave trade. 

It is a remarkable piece. Composed of a granite podium, with steps, and columns that are shaped like sugar cane acting as a congregation. Each column is etched with lines from the poem 'Gilt of Cain', by Lemn Sissay.

We then made our way towards Fenchurch Street station, where we purchased some hot food, which we ate on the benches on Fenchurch Place. 

Suitably filled with energy we made our way back to Fenchurch Street and turned down St Katherine's Row and through French Ordinary Court. This eventually brought us out onto Crutched Friars and, then, Savage Gardens which brought us to Trinity Square. I do love the City of London's street names.

Crossing Tower Hill we stopped to take some photos of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, spotting some of the poppy installation flowing down the wall of the Medieval castle.

From here we headed down to the River Thames and onto Three Quays Walk. The light was fading as we reached the river, making Tower Bridge really stand out, with its lights illuminating its profile. Sugar Quay Jetty offered the perfect place to grab some photos of the bridge, HMS Belfast and The Shard.

Approaching Grant's Quay Wharf we noticed that the top of The Shard had lights running up its uppermost levels, signalling the time was now 19:00.

London Bridge, like the rest of the bridges we would see, was illuminated with coloured lights, reflecting off the turbulent waters of the outgoing tide.