Battersea

We went for a walk, a bus ride and another walk. It was a day mixing fun with frustration. Here are a few photos taken along the way.

Myddelton Square Garden

We walked round Myddelton Square (failing to see any cats) and made our way to the deli…

Lloyd Baker Street

…where we grabbed a table and there drank our coffee. I took a photo of Lloyd Baker Street – note the elegantly poised bag of rubbish.

Finally closed

Afterwards, we walked down Amwell Street and saw that the school seems to have finally closed. It will probably be transformed into “luxury apartments”.

Rosebery Avenue

We reached Rosebery Avenue and waited for a number 19 bus.

On the 19

We now embarked on a longish ride to our next destination.

Duke of York’s Square

Duke of York’s Square was crowded. Some event was taking place though I know not what.

The green invaded

Even the green, which I think is the sports field of a school and is usually empty, had been invaded by people.

Camels and pyramids

There were models of woolly camels and pyramids but what part, if any, they played in all this, I do not know.

Duke of York’s HQ
now the Saatchi Gallery

We had come hoping to visit the Saatchi Gallery which we haven’t seen for a long time. However, we found a queue and tickets being shown – obviously a special exhibition requiring tickets, so we gave up on it.

The whole area was uncomfortably crowded and so we jumped on a bus again, hoping to find pleasanter surroundings further along.

The Thames at Battersea Bridge

The bus brought us the the southern end of Battersea Bridge. The view shows the Thames at low tide with Albert Bridge in the background.

Two Swans
Catherine Marr-Johnson

Stopping only to renew acquaintance with Catherine Marr-Johnson’s flying swan sculptures, we walked east along the Thames.

Ransome’s Dock

We passed Ransome’s Dock and…

Albert Bridge

…approached Albert Bridge.

Entering Battersea Park

This brought us into Battersea Park.

Heron and cormorant
Photo by Tigger

From here, we spotted a heron and a cormorant perched on a pontoon floating in the river.

On top of and…

…under Chelsea Bridge

We passed by Chelsea Bridge and…

Old Battersea Power Station

…came to the old Battersea Power Station, famous in its day, and now being repurposed as a “mixed usage” site.

Black Sheep Coffee

By the time we reached this branch of Black Sheep Coffee, we were ready for a rest and refreshment. I reserved the only vacant outside table by sitting at it and Tigger went in to order.

Coffee and croissant

Tigger bought me coffee and a croissant. Note the elegant tableware: Covid has accustomed us to the use of throwaway cups and plates.

An ugly area

Unfortunately, this brought us into an ugly area where huge amounts of rebuilding are taking place. It was also unpleasantly crowded and I had but one preoccupation: to get away from the horrid place.

New tube station: Battersea Power Station

We reached a main road and a bus stop. Nearby was one of two new tube stations, so we had to take a look. This one bears the imaginative name of Battersea Power Station.

A bus – any bus

A bus came and we boarded. I didn’t care what bus it was as long as it took us away from there.

A detachment of cavalry
Photo by Tigger

The things one sees from a bus… Tigger managed to snap a detachment of cavalry trotting by. Whatever next?

Demonstration

Though we had caught a bus, our troubles were not quite over because as we passed the US Embassy, we ran into a demonstration, quite a well attended one with flags and banners. This slowed the traffic to less than a crawl. (What demonstration, you ask? No idea.)

Passing Lambeth Palace

We eventually made it past the demo and by the time we reached Lambeth Palace, the traffic was again running normally.

Near Elephant and Castle

Our bus rudely dumped us at Elephant and Castle, the driver saying he wasn’t going any further. We took another bus but this too stopped dead supposedly to change drivers but with no new driver in view.Tigger proposed walking to Waterloo where we could catch a bus for home.

Giant spider

On the way, we met a 6 foot tall spider, lurking on Waterloo Millennium Green. Fortunately, it wasn’t a real spider but a sculpture. (I’ll try to find details later.)

The bus stop under the bridge

We reached Waterloo Station and the stop under the railway bridge where our bus calls.

Aboard the 341

The 341 arrived and I could sit back and enjoy the ride back to the Angel – and a rather late lunch!

Re-edited with corrections, September 26th 2021.