16 Alkham Road: Site of first bomb attack of World War I

This typical house in Stoke Newington, Hackney, looks a lot like the rest of the houses in this terrace. However, unlike the majority of the other homes, this one has had the top floors extensively rebuilt.

The house also holds a rather unique place in London history, but we will have to travel back over 100 years to find out why.

Shortly after 23:00 on Monday May 31, 1915, the German Zeppelin LZ38 dropped its first bomb on London. This incendiary bomb crashed through the roof of 16 Alkham Road setting the upper floors alight.

The occupants, the Lovell family and two guests, all escaped without injury, with the fire being quickly extinguished by the fire brigade.

Zeppelin LZ38 continued travelling over Hackney, Dalston, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets and Stepney, dropping high-explosive and incendiary bombs on the unsuspecting, and sleeping, people below.

On this first raid the LZ38 dropped a total of 91 incendiary devices, 28 explosive bombs and 2 grenades, resulting in 7 people being killed, 35 more injured and 41 fires started.

Between 1915 and 1918 there were over 20 air raids by Zeppelin and aircraft.

Following this raid restrictions were put in place across England, ensuring that only generalised locations of bombing raids were reported to the public.

Trivia: 

The bomb that hit 16 Alkham Road was the first time London had been attacked by a foreign military power in almost 1,000 years. The last time had been 1066, when William the Conqueror entered London.

Walking with Keilyn: Stoke Newington to Abney Park Cemetery... and beyond

'Ghost' signs.

Wednesday October 30, 2024.

Following my minor leg operation, last Friday (25th), this was my first chance to venture out for a walk. So, with Keilyn at my side, we headed out for a short walk to test my leg. However, this 'short walk' ended up being longer than I expected. Still it was good to be out and about again.

We grabbed a taxi to Watford Underground station and caught a train to Finchley Road, where we waited for an Aldgate train that would take us to Liverpool Street. 

At Liverpool Street we caught a London Overground train bound for Cheshunt, which we alighted from at Stoke Newington. 

Some of these flats were owned by the Kray twins.

We headed along Cazenove Road to Cedra Court, where the Kray twins once owned properties, before heading down Geldeston Road in search of my grandfather's old family home. Unfortunately, the house had been demolished, with flats taking up the space. 

The Royal Sovereign public house.

However, on the corner was the Royal Sovereign pub, which was used as a location in the Scott Adkins 2018 movie 'Accident Man'.

Site of the first attack on London by a foreign military power in nearly 1,000 years.

We then turned down Northwold Road, stopping at 16 Alkham Road, site of the first bomb to be dropped on London during World War I, before reaching the Yellow Warbler coffee shop, where hot drinks were purchased.

The Egyptian revival entrance to Abney Park Cemetery.

With drinks in hand we crossed Stoke Newington High Street and entered Abney Park Cemetery via the Egyptian revival entrance.

'Peter Pan' by Sir George Frampton

Walking through Kensington Gardens, near the Long Water, you will discover this bronze sculpture of Peter Pan.

J.M. Barrie lived nearby, on Bayswater Road, and said that Kensington Gardens inspired his stories and so commissioned a statue that was designed by Sir George Frampton, 

J.M. Barrie was said to be disappointed with the final sculpture, complaining that it "didn't show the Devil in Peter".

Christmas lights switch-on, 2024

With Christmas fast approaching various areas of London will begin to switch-on their Christmas lights, which begin in November.

With the switch-on London becomes a cluster of areas that bring their own Christmas style, as they all try to entice as many visitors as possible.

Below is a list of some of the areas, with dates, that will getting into the festive season from November.

November 5th

    

    Oxford Street

November 7th

    Carnaby Street

    Regent Street

    St James's 

November 8th

    Battersea Power Station

November 12th

    Covent Garden

November 13th

    Kew Gardens

    Marylebone Village

    Old Spitalfields Market

November 14th

    Leadenhall Market

    Savile Row

November 16th

    Mayfair

November 17th

    Belgravia

December 5th

    Trafalgar Square

January 2025

    Canary Wharf Light Festival

Of course, there other areas throughout London that have Christmas lights, festive activities and light festivals that are worth seeking out, too.

Please check before you travel as times and dates can be changed at the last minute.

(All dates were correct at time of publishing, but may be subject to change).

'Lea Bridge Bubble Curtain' by ISS-Flowthrough

ISS-Flowthrough Lea Bridge Bubble Curtain.

On the River Lea Navigation, close to the Middlesex Filter Beds Weir, there is a stream of bubbles that rise in a line across the width of the river. This is the ISS-Flowthrough Bubble Curtain.

I found it to be quite calming and therapeutic as I gazed at it from the Capital Ring, that runs along this part of the River Lea. 

Middlesex Filter Beds Weir.

However, it is not unique, as there is also one at Shadwell Basin and at Paddington Canal, plus many more around the country and internationally, but each one is bespoke to the area in which it is used.

The Canal and River Trust, who manage the watercourse, committed vast personnel and resources, that they could barely afford, being a Charitable Trust, in the collection of debris and litter, which would have ended up in the River Thames and, eventually, the sea. They approached ISS-Flowthrough in the hopes of finding a solution.

The solution was a bubble barrier. This barrier would arrest issues that were impacting this navigable channel. These issues included, excessive growth of aquatic plants which interfered with river traffic, saline intrusion from the tidal River Thames, of which the River Lea is a major contributory, water quality from storm overflow discharges and, because of its urban setting, a large amount of floating debris.

Bubble Curtain.

The bubble barrier was designed with a rubber membrane disc diffuser and had to meet specific criteria for the area. This included, ensuring that the River Lea Navigation was still accessible to river traffic, be highly robust and be low maintenance and prevent the downstream movement of litter and facilitate its collection.

The bespoke bubble barrier, installed in May 2020, was set at an angle across the river, thus ensuring that any litter or debris, coming upstream, would be redirected to a collection point. This collection point was created by using the existing bridge buttresses and the channel wall.

So, if you are ever passing this way, stop and take in this calming bubble curtain that helps to keep this waterway clear of litter and excessive plant growth, while still keeping the channel open to boats and other river traffic.