SilverTiger

Archway and some libraries

Posted on January 31, 2023 by SilverTiger

Tigger has a day off work today (like last Tuesday) and so we are going out and about but in a fairly relaxed way.

We started by walking down to King’s Cross Station. The temperature today has again risen a few degrees (to a majestic 11°C) making it quite pleasant out.

For our coffee, we went into King’s Cross Station Departures and…

…took the escalator up to the terrace. We bought coffee from the Costa takeaway outlet and sat at a table neat the rail, watching the activity in the station.

From our seats we had a good view of the unusual roof support that holds up the station roof while leaving the busy floor space completely free.

After our coffee, we went round into York Way and caught a number 17 bus.

The bus brought us to Archway though we did not go near enough to the famous road bridge to take a photo.

We walked down Junction Road, looking for somewhere for lunch. We noted a couple of “possibles” but then spotted the Garden Cafe.

It was not at all busy and we were soon served. We had a good cafe lunch of the sort we like.

Once the Friendly Society
Photo by Tigger

After lunch, we went back along Junction Road, passing this building still bearing an inscription identifying it as once the premises of the London Friendly Society. A history of this enterprise and its modern heir, see here.

We visited this cut-price store in case there was something to interest us. There was: Tigger bought some wool for her crochet projects!

We then visited the first of today’s libraries – or rather, we failed to visit it because it closes on Tuesdays. Archway Library is situated in the basement of a residential tower and therefore looks rather dark and gloomy but once inside, that impression fades.

We then went to the bus stop to catch a bus for the next stage of the outing.

We boarded a 17 again, though in the opposite direction this time.

We left the bus partway along Caledonian Road (or The Caledonian Road, as some call it).

Turning up Bridgeman Road, we came to the handsome West Library. Built in 1906-8, with a contribution from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, it is now a Grade II listed building.

Note the strange metal snd glass “lantern” on the roof.

We asked if we might take photos inside but received a flat “No!” in response. Boroughs do vary in how willing they are to allow photography inside their buildings.

On a nearby corner, we spied St Andrew’s Church, completely enshrouded in netting, to what purpose I do not know. I have not seen any other examples of this.

Back on the main road, we found a branch of Costa Coffee and went in for a welcome coffee break.

Continuing on, we noticed this old pub, now obviously repurposed as a residential property but painted in a contrasting colour as though to draw attention to it and its past life.

Not far sway we discovered another example of changed usage: this old church or chapel has resounded to its last sermon and is now a shop selling paint.

We now caught a 153 single-deck bus which carried through the Angel down St John Street.

Thus we came to our third library, the Finsbury Library, the one that is nearest home.

We went into the library and spent some time in there. Tigger was studying some books and I was writing this blog post!

Leaving the library, we passed this handsome building with its clock tower which is currently one of the sites of the London Metropolitan University (it has buildings all over London). It was not far from here to home so we walked rather than taking the bus.

At home, we made tea and settled in for a relaxed evening. This was a welcome break from the workaday week.

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A stroll with sculpture

Posted on January 29, 2023 by SilverTiger

The temperature has risen a few degrees so that it is not quite as bitingly cold as it has been recently but the sky is grey and cloudy.

We shopped this morning at Sainsbury’s as usual and returned home for a leisurely lunch.

After lunch, we set out on foot along Penton Street.

We went down this path through a housing estate. These paths are supposed to be reserved for pedestrians (as the iron barriers indicate) yet we frequently encounter cyclists on them with the consequent risk to life and limb.

We passed this residential block of a design that I have described as “a cliff of dwellings” and we wondered what it is like living in one such. Is it noisy? I can imagine it might be, especially in summer when people open their windows.

We passed this pub called the Thornhill Arms. I would guess it dates from the late Victorian period, say the 1890s.

This is one of the backstreets we passed through, this one being called Wharfdale Road.

We found a branch of the Premier Inn hotel chain and went in for coffee. When I went to the bar to order, I was directed to a coffee machine to serve myself! (I still had to pay for the coffees, though!)

Continuing on, we came to the King’s Cross area and the entertainment and cultural centre called Kings Place. Round the outside are a number of sculptures, some of which we had seen before and some that were new to us. Below is a selection.

Some pieces, like this one were abstract – or perhaps I should say “non-representational”. Perhaps I’m old-fashioned or simpleminded (or both) but I find it hard to relate to such works. If art is supposed to be expressive, it is hard to see what such works are trying to express.

Whether the intention is humorous or serious, you can at least see what it is and it has a no-nonsense title.

As I don’t know what to say about this one, I won’t say anything!

This is representational though stylised, perhaps to give an impression of the strength and vigour of the wild boar.

There were two works by Lynn Chadwick, the above, which we had seen (and photographed) before and a second (below) which we had not previously seen.

I have to say that I like Chadwick’s sculptures. They have a mysterious aura about them and a definite presence. With the Sitting Couple, for example, I almost feel that when I stand in front of them, they are aware of me. Curious but fascinating.

Kings Place is beside the Regent’s Canal and its Battlebridge Basin, which adds something to its character.

Walking on once more, web passed through Granary Square

Further on, we had a view, this time across the Regent’s Canal, of the Camley Street Natural Park that we had visited during our New Year’s walk.

We passed the St Pancras Lock and on this occasion there was a barge in the process of going through it which is always fascinating to watch.

We walked through the grounds of St Pancras Old Church. This was once the church’s burial ground but has now been renamed St Pancras Garden though the remaining tombs leave no doubt as to its nature.

As we had met our walking target for today, we felt justified in taking the bus for the journey home. There is a bus stop conveniently located in front of the church where we had a bus within a few minutes.

We boarded a number 214 bus which carried us past St Pancras and King’s Cross Stations and up the hill back to the Angel and home.

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Sloane Square to Knightsbridge

Posted on January 28, 2023 by SilverTiger

We hadn’t a particular plan in mind on starting out but let the day develop as it might. We did, though, decide to go for coffee, choosing Caffè Nero in Exmouth Market for that.

Setting out, we crossed through Myddelton Square Garden which was deserted but for a couple of dog walkers. The weather was dry but cold.

We found a table at Caffè Nero and I went to the counter to order our coffees. For years, we had the little blue and white loyalty cards that the assistant stamped when you made a purchase and which gave you a free coffee when full. The cards still exist but we now have ours on our mobiles as part of the Caffè Nero app. I had earned two vouchers from our previous visits and so today’s coffees cost us exactly nothing!

After coffee, we went to the nearby bus stop to catch a number 19. There was a bit of a wait for the next one and just across the road was Cafe Maya. This suggested the possibility of going there for an early lunch. No sooner thought of than done!

After lunch, we went back to the bus stop and caught a number 19. It was fairly full and we occupied the rear-facing seats in the centre.

In the meantime, the idea had come to visit the Saatchi Gallery and so we left the bus in Sloane Square and walked to Duke of York’s Square where there was a market in full swing.

The Saatchi Gallery is in the Grade II* listed Duke of York’s Headquarters. As we approaching we were struck by how few people were there. The reason soon became clear: the gallery was closed!

We started wandering and exploring, more or less at random. This is Draycott Place, a street of elegant town houses, many of which are now divided into flats.

We observed this residential block built by the Guinness Trust in 1892, a Victorian project in “social housing”.

Marlborough Primary School
Photo by Tigger

We came upon the Marlborough Primary School which attracted our attention because it is a fairly modern build but with fragments of the original 1902 building incorporated in the façade.

In Mossop Street, we found this telephone exchange dated 1930. There is very little to show that it is still a telephone exchange and we are uncertain whether it still functions in that role.

If you think of Harrods as being forever a resident of its current location in Knightsbridge it might surprise you to come across this handsome building bearing the Harrods name and the date 1911.

We reached Michelin House, built in 1911 as the UK headquarters of the famous tyre manufacturer. Along the wall is a set of decorative panels with a motoring theme.

The Art Deco entrance is particularly eye-catching and beautiful. Once a tyre retail outlet, with a tyre-fitting bay, the building is now home to a restaurant and oyster bar.

We thought about stopping somewhere for coffee and a warm but everywhere was crowded so we kept on going back to the main Brompton Road.

Here stands the Brompton Oratory, also known as the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which was consecrated in 1884. It is a Grade II* listed building.

We crossed into Thurloe Place to wait for a bus in front of another famous building, a secular one this time, the Victoria and Albert Museum. We didn’t visit it today but will no doubt do so on another occasion.

Waiting for the bus gave us time to photograph the nearby Cabmen’s Shelter, one of the 13 surviving out of the 61 originally built. For a history of these curious but important buildings and the organisation that supports them, see this Wikipedia article.

We boarded a number 74 bus to start our journey home.

We changed buses in Marylebone Road close to the fine old Marylebone Town Hall. Built in 1914-20 it is now a Grade II listed building, listed under its alternative name, Westminster Council House.

Here we caught a number 205 bus that was too packed for me to take photos but it carried us quickly and safely back home to the Angel. (I use the adjective “safely” advisedly as a bus caught fire at the Angel only a couple of days ago. Happily, no one was hurt.)

It was pleasant to leave the cold behind us, make tea and relax. Tomorrow is another day and we shall see where it takes us.