Walking with friends: Imperial War Museum to Borough Market... and beyond

Bethlem Hospital

Saturday September 6, 2014

As is customary, Len and myself, and whomever else wants to join us, take a stroll around London, taking in the sights and sounds of the great city, when it is someone's birthday.

This year, Len, myself and Stephen Brown, who works with me, met at Watford Metropolitan station and headed off for Len's special day.

At Finchley Road Len and I changed on to a Jubilee Line train, while Stephen headed off to Baker Street, as he had a few things to do before meeting up with us again, later in the day.

Len and I got off the train at Westminster and headed towards our first destination; The Imperial War Museum. As we headed down the road, talking and generally catching up, I missed the correct turning, which we didn't even notice until we were on Borough High Street. Oops! After a quick drink, at The Trinity, we headed back towards the Imperial War Museum, arriving there just after 11:30.

The new 'improved' atrium.

I had last visited the Imperial War Museum in 2012, with my eldest, Alysha. Since then it has undergone a £40 million refurbishment. This has resulted in a completely remodelled, and enlarged, atrium where some of the museums larger exhibits can be seen. Other work carried out has seen the galleries increase by three times their original size and, with more than 1,300 objects on view, there is something for everyone, covering nearly every conflict, war and terrorist attack.

Katana.

Armour representing the differences between the people in Northern Ireland.

Iranian Embassy Siege, 1980.

Window frames from the World Trade Centre.

Unfortunately, the World War I galleries required a ticket, which we were issued with, but our allotted time was so far in to the afternoon that we would have to had spent the entire day at the museum, thereby missing out on seeing the rest of the sights. Instead, we walked around all of the other exhibits and saw;

• Rommel's map of northern Africa
• An Italian 'human' torpedo
• Various bomb shelters
• A Taliban motorcycle
• A Humber 'pig' from northern Ireland
• Wreckage of a Japanese fighter aircraft
• Katana swords
• An Exocet missile
• A piece of the Berlin wall
• The cockpit from a Lancaster Bomber
• Plus lots more

Then there were the various rooms, containing;

• The history of MI5, MI6, SOE and other Intelligence services
• The history of the war in Afghanistan
• Britain's SAS
• The war at home
• plus many more

A Sherman Tank

Wreckage of a Japanese fighter aircraft

The fuselage of an Avro Lancaster

A Harrier Jump-jet

We then went up to the very top floor, which is empty, except for the 'holocaust' exhibit which didn't interest either of us in the slightest, so we headed back out into the afternoon sun. 

We made our way down to Elephant & Castle and headed to Borough Market for some well deserved food, washed down with a well deserved pint. We ate at Hobbs, where Len had a roast pork bap, with stuffing, and I had the BBQ pulled pork on a bed of 'slaw' in a baguette. This was washed down with a pint in The Barrowboy and Banker.

Suitably fuelled, we continued on our way by dropping down on to Montague Close and heading westward. It wasn't long before we stopped again, this time at The Old Thameside Inn. We then headed to The Anchor, where we sat outside and sipped another refreshing beer, before continuing alongside the River Thames, taking in the sights and sounds.

Outside the Globe Theatre I spotted a Book Bench sculpture. There are fifty of these dotted around our great capital, celebrating London's literary heritage.

One of the fifty Book Bench sculptures

Our next stop was The Founders Arms, where we stood outside, with a beer, watching the myriad boats shuttling tourists back-and-forth along the River Thames. The sun had brought everyone out and, with Bankside getting busier, we decided to head in a different direction. We reached Stamford Street and followed it along until we came to The Thirsty Bear, where we stopped for some light refreshment, before continuing on to the Southbank, where we watched the street performers and took in the atmosphere.

Camouflaged for war

Snoggers like it on top

Len the champion

With it almost time to meet Stephen, we took a slow walk to Westminster Bridge and headed on to Parliament Street, where we waited for Stephen in The Red Lion.

With us back together we headed off up Parliament Street, up St Martin's Lane an onto Great Newport Street and on to Chinatown. From here we headed below the streets of London, by heading into Waxy O'Connor's. On leaving Waxy O'Connor's, we went to Ed's Diner, on Rupert Street, for some food. The burger was delicious, tasting even more so as Stephen decided to pay for dinner as a treat. What a guy!

Ed's Diner does amazing burgers.

From here we headed towards The Montagu Pyke, but not before Len purchased a present for his wife and a hat for himself. Now, The Montagu Pyke is a JD Wetherspoon pub, which is in the building that was The Marquee Club, from 1988-1996.

Len sports his new hat in what was The Marquee Club.

Leaving The Montagu Pyke, we meandered our merry way passed Soho Square and on to Great Marlborough Street, where we saw Michael Flatley getting mobbed by fans as he left the London Palladium.

Reaching Oxford Circus, we headed down and caught a train back to Baker Street and then on to Watford.

It's all too much for the old boy.

I believe that Len and Stephen had a great time, as I did, and I can't wait for my next visit to London.

Distance travelled:

• Bus - 0.0 miles
• Cable Car - 0.0 miles
• Car - 0.0 miles
• DLR - 0.0 miles
• Ferry - 0.0 miles
• Overground - 0.0 miles
• River Boat - 0.0 miles
• Taxi - 0.0 miles
• Train - 0.0 miles
• Underground - 41 miles
• Walking - 10 miles

Walking with family: London Zoo

Asim, a Sumatran Tiger, cuddles his mate.

Wednesday August 20, 2014.

We had been planning to take the girls to ZSL London Zoo for a few weeks and, finally, the day was here.

Erin knew that something was going on, as we had packed all the supplies and were heading towards the station to get the train. Keilyn, meanwhile, was just happy to be in the battlewagon, because she knows that we could be going anywhere.

We arrived at Baker Street station and made our way along Baker Street, and into The Regent's Park. Erin and Keilyn were soon out of the battlewagon and running along the pathway, looking at all of the ducks and geese. We passed the boating lake and followed the path towards Prince Albert Road and the entrance to ZSL London Zoo.

Fortunately, for us, Emma had booked fast-track tickets, so we were able to go straight in, rather than joining the long queue, which was stretching along the road.

On entering we were immediately taken to a green-screen booth, where I photograph was taken which, we were told, would be available at the exit, should we wish to purchase it.

We began our tour by heading through the tunnel and up into the Into Africa zone, where the first animals that the we saw were the Pygmy Hippos and Giraffes, followed by Zebra and Okapi. I had packed Erin's camera and she was quite happy snapping pictures, as we walked around. We decided to sit down and have a bite to eat, while the zoo was still quiet, before continuing on.

We followed the path and passed the African Hunting Dogs before crossing the Regent's Canal and heading into the Snowdon Aviary. We saw Sacred Ibises and Peacocks, before heading off to see the Owls.

From here we crossed back to the zoo proper and went to see the Otters, Reindeer and Meerkats.

This was followed by a trip in to Rainforest Life, where we saw Two-Toed Sloth, Golden Lion Tamarinds, Southern Tamandua and much more. We then headed downstairs, in to the darkness, where we discovered the Grey Slender Loris, the Naked Mole Rat and lots of Seba's Short-Tailed Bats.

After another bite to eat, we headed to the off to the Outback to see the Red Kangaroos, before seeing the Komodo Dragons and Dirk, the Galapagos Tortoise, and his family.

Then we headed into the Gorilla Kingdom, where we saw Diana Monkeys, Colobos Monkeys and the Western Lowland Gorillas, amongst others.

Then we went off to see the King Vultures, Caracaras and other birds of prey.

Then it was time to see the Humboldt Penguins at Penguin Beach.

Then it was on to the Macaws and Toucans, in the Blackburn Pavilion, before heading in to the Animal Adventure, where we saw Coatis, Meerkats (again) and Aadvarks.

Since the weather had turned quite hot, we bought the girls an ice cream each, before heading off to see the Llamas, Camels and Tapirs. This led us quite pleasantly to Tiger Territory, where the Sumatran Tigers were basking in the sun.

Cheetahs, Gibbons, Macaques, Servals, Flamingos were seen, but the Lions remained elusive to us, as we made our way towards the zoo shop.

We spent what seemed like an eternity looking around, before Erin and Keilyn chose a Peruvian drum each and, since Erin had been fascinated with the Giraffe, we purchased her a stuffed one, too.

Passing toward the exit we noticed the Magic Memories Photo Stall, so popped in to see how our photo had come out. The lady showed us all our photographs, with the green-screen replaced by Meerkats, Gorillas, Penguins and Tigers. These came in a glossy album, which also contained six smaller photos and a key ring and fridge magnet kit. All ours for just £20. So, we bought them.

Leaving ZSL London Zoo we headed through The Regent's Park, making our way through the Avenue Gardens and back to Baker Street station.

We managed to catch a semi-fast train home and arrived just after 6 o'clock. Surprisingly, considering how long we had been out, the girls were still wide awake, whereas Emma and I were both exhausted. Once the girls were in bed, though, they were soon snoring in unison, leaving Emma and myself to have some dinner, before having an early night.

It was a fantastic if long day, but well worth it. We will be visiting ZSL London Zoo again, next year, to see all the things that we missed out on this trip; The Aquarium, Reptile House, Butterfly Paradise, Bugs and Meet the Monkeys.

Walking with family: Green Park to Piccadilly... and beyond

Tuesday April 1, 2014.

With Emma getting in from a night-shift, at about 08:00, she headed straight to bed, while I looked after the kids. Emma then got up, just before lunch, when Lacey arrived to trim Erin's hair and cut Emma's. After a quick-lunch we headed to Watford Metropolitan station and looked forward to our trip around London.

Just as we passed Northwood Hills, Erin decided that she really needed to go to the toilet, so we alighted at Pinner, so that she could make use the conveniences on the platform. With Erin happy again, we boarded the next train and continued on to Finchley Road, where we took the Jubilee line to Green Park. We had never exited Green Park, with a battlewagon before, and found that we had to follow a myriad of tunnels, just to get to a lift that would take us up a level, before following more signs and tunnels that would take us to another lift that would bring us to the ticket hall. Luckily, this brought us out in Green Park itself, where the sun was now shining down on the grassy expanse.

We made our way south, towards Buckingham Palace, where we stopped in the shade for a coffee and a cold drink for the girls. Keeping to the shade, we made our way along The Mall, where Erin took a photo of a guard on Stable Yard Road, outside St. James's Palace.

We then continued along The Mall before turning up and on to Cockspur Street and then Pall Mall. From here we entered Waterloo Place and turned in to Charles II Street, around St. James's Square, up Duke of York Street and through Church Place and on to Piccadilly, where we stopped to look around the small market in the grounds of St. James's Church.

After a good look around we headed off up Sackville Street, turned on to Vigo Street and joined Regent Street. With both girls strapped securely into the battlewagon, they ate some sandwiches and crisps before we approached a toy shop, that I had already told Erin about.

Well, Erin didn't stay strapped in long after we entered Hamleys, as she suddenly realised where we were. She was out and holding my hand, dragging me left and right, before we managed to get to the lift and head up to Level 3, Girls, where everything was pink. I was sure that Erin was going to burst, when the doors opened, as her eyes took in the sheer number of dolls, toys, games, tiaras, dresses and so much more Meanwhile, all I could see was my bank balance nose-diving from black to red, as Erin, and Keilyn, eyed up everything.

Walking with mum: Westminster Cathedral to Battersea Park... and beyond

Saturday March 8, 2014.

My mum and I had decided today would be a good day to go to London, so off we set. Because the Jubilee line was closed from Finchley Road to Waterloo, we changed from the Metropolitan line to the Bakerloo line at Baker Street and travelled to Oxford Circus, where we changed to the Victoria line and continued on to Victoria Station.

After a quick coffee, we headed along Victoria Street until we reached our first destination. Westminster Cathedral. After some exterior photos were taken we headed inside. Now, I thought the building was impressive from the outside, but the inside was breath-taking! The lower half of the Cathedral walls are clad in marble, which come from twenty-four different countries, across five continents, of which there are over 125 different types. Above the marble the walls are bare brick, right up to and including the four domes, which make for a truly grand ceiling. In some ways this gives the effect of an unfinished building, but, on the other hand, the marble also draws the gaze of the parishioner to the altar. The low hung chandeliers also give the upper floors an almost melancholy look, where the shadows dance across the rough texture. The Cathedral is a building that could almost be said to be alive.

We arrived during Mass so we waited patiently for this to finish, and for the procession to file out, before we could take a look around. There are chapels to St. Patrick, St. David, St. Andrew, St. George and various others. There were also smaller chapels, as one might expect, for private prayer.

We then decided to head up the bell tower, which contains 300 steps! Fortunately, the steps are off-limits, so we took the elevator. Arriving on the seventh floor, which is 64 metres or 210 feet above street level, we stepped out and into the top of the tower, where four doors lead to four small balconies; North, East, South and West. Unfortunately, the West balcony was closed due to there being a problem with the padlock. Even so, the views were incredible and it was well worth the few quid we were charged to see them. We must have spent a good half-hour looking out into the distance, pointing out the landmarks that we could see through the light haze, that still hung over the city.

We then headed back down into the Cathedral proper, where we had another look around and took even more photographs, before heading up to see the 'Treasures of Westminster Cathedral' exhibition. The exhibition consists of chalices, sacred relics, vestments and other ecclesiastical objects that the Cathedral has acquired, since it opened in 1903.

Although the Cathedral opened in 1903, it wasn't consecrated until 1910 because Catholic buildings can not be consecrated until all debts have been cleared. The Cathedral's architect, John Francis Bentley, was also responsible for the Church of the Holy Rood, Watford, which is said to be his 'Gothic Masterpiece'.

We left Westminster Cathedral and headed south towards Warwick Way, where we stopped at The Queens Arms, Pimlico, for a spot of lunch and a drink.

We then continued down Denbigh Street and onto Claverton Street which brought us out on Grosvenor Road. From here we headed west towards Battersea. Soon, we could see the old Battersea Power Station which looked like the hulking upturned skeleton of some prehistoric animal.

William Huskisson

The World's first person to be killed by a railway locomotive.

Saturday March 8, 2014.

It was during a walk from Battersea to Westminster that I spotted this statue of a man dressed in a toga. The dates on the statue, however, didn't explain why this figure should be dressed in Roman garb, so I decided to do some research. I can still not work out why he is depicted in this way.

Gallery