Grand Union Canal

The main line of the Grand Union Canal starts in London and ends in Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks. It branches off to Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton. Originally constructed to improve communication between Birmingham, the Midlands and London, and carry freight such as coal.

However, with competition from the railways taking a large share of traffic in the second half of the 19th century, improvements in roads and vehicle technology in the early part of the 20th century meant that the lorry was also becoming a threat to the canals. Tolls had been reduced to compete with the railways, but there was little scope for further reduction. Together with other amalgamations (or unions), the Regent's Canal and the Grand Junction Canal combined and modernised to remain competitive.

Jeannette Briggs at CanalGuide describes the Paddington arm, and says of the sweep through Alperton:

From here the canal passes through the leafy suburbs of Alperton, where nicely tended gardens border the towpath, and another branch of Sainsburys sits on the edge of the canal, complete with bollards for boaters to moor. You will also smell the many varied scents of the various food factories which are all around you - mostly very pleasant!

If you are lucky you can see herons here, plus terrapins, swans, grebes, moorhens and coots all nesting in the shallow waters of the banks of the canal.

A Study in Scarlet

A Study In Scarlet (1887) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:

“The Lord be thanked!” cried the old woman; “Sally will be a glad woman this night. That’s the ring.”

“And what may your address be?” I inquired, taking up a pencil.

“13, Duncan Street, Houndsditch. A weary way from here.”

“The Brixton Road does not lie between any circus and Houndsditch,” said Sherlock Holmes sharply.

The old woman faced round and looked keenly at him from her little red-rimmed eyes. “The gentleman asked me for my address,” she said.

*The real Duncan Street was renamed Camperdown Street and can be found in the vicinity of Houndsditch.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey (via Wikipedia):

It is one of the most notable religious buildings in the United Kingdom and has been the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Between 1540 and 1556 the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, however, the building is no longer an abbey nor a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the sovereign. The building itself is the original abbey church.

According to a tradition first reported by Sulcard in about 1080, a church was founded at the site (then known as Thorn Ey (Thorn Island)) in the 7th century, at the time of Mellitus, a Bishop of London. Construction of the present church began in 1245, on the orders of King Henry III. […]

Coronations

Since the coronations in 1066 of both King Harold and William the Conqueror, coronations of English and British monarchs were held in the abbey. […]

King Edward's Chair (or St Edward's Chair), the throne on which English and British sovereigns have been seated at the moment of coronation, is housed within the abbey and has been used at every coronation since 1308. From 1301 to 1996 (except for a short time in 1950 when it was temporarily stolen by Scottish nationalists), the chair also housed the Stone of Scone upon which the kings of Scots are crowned. […]

Chapter house

The chapter house was built concurrently with the east parts of the abbey under Henry III, between about 1245 and 1253. It was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1872. The entrance is approached from the east cloister walk and includes a double doorway with a large tympanum above. […]

A door within the vestibule dates from around 1050 and is believed to be the oldest in England. The exterior includes flying buttresses added in the 14th century and a leaded tent-lantern roof on an iron frame designed by Scott. The Chapter house was originally used in the 13th century by Benedictine monks for daily meetings. It later became a meeting place of the King's Great Council and the Commons, predecessors of Parliament.

The Chapter House is a profoundly important site in English history, where democracy and the idea of 'Parliament' took initial, tentative steps, and the absolute authority of the monarchy was eroded.

In 1258, bankrupt and threatened with excommunication, Henry III was forced to agree to the Provisions of Oxford, under which his debts were paid in exchange for reform. A Great Council of 24 assembled, partly nominated by a group of barons, assuming the functions of the King's Great Council.

The agreement also called for Parliament to meet regularly, with representatives from the counties convening here, in the form of the early House of Commons until 1547 before transferring to the Palace of Westminster.

To this day the Chapter House, an enclave of reason and human law in a house of God, remains under the control of Parliament and not the Abbey.

While the Abbey makes every effort to hide the fact, the Chapter House is free to enter. Expect to be challenged, but don't be put off, and definitely don't miss the medieval tiled floor of the Pyx Chamber, which is perhaps the finest in England.

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Westbourne Park

Westbourne, London (via Wikipedia):

The hamlet of Westbourne, was a High Middle Ages (mid-mediaeval) settlement, centred on Westbourne Green. It included a mansion house and a farmhouse. It is recorded as Westeburn in 1222 and as Westborn in 1294. The green is recorded as Westborne Grene in 1548, Washborne Green in 1680 and Wesborn Green in 1754.

Modern name

The name Westbourne Park was given to the area when it was developed for housing. A London Underground station was opened in 1866. The first station operated until 1871, when it was replaced by another further east. […]

Thomas Hardy lived in this area, mainly at 16 Westbourne Park Villas, his home 1863-67.

"Clove" (2007)

The March 2008 issue of Rio Tinto Review, available on Scribd has this to say about the newly commissioned piece that stands outside the Rio Tinto offices:

It's one of the first things visitors to the Paddington Regional Centre will notice – a 7m high abstract sculpture, loosely based on a tree. The work of sculptor Bryan Kneale, "Clove" stands outside the building in a paved area to the east, flanked by live topiary. The choice of materials, stainless steel in a combination of highly polished and matt satin finishes supported by a copper "trunk", is clearly no coincidence. All new buildings in London are obliged to display a piece of public art, but the developer's original proposal of two glass statues to be erected in the entrance did not accurately reflect Rio Tinto's business, so the Group commissioned its own work. Neil Usher explains, "We wanted a landmark that would be seen as a valuable addition to public art in the capital and would demonstrate our appreciation of contemporary British sculpture." Its title has lent a brand name to the building's Clove coffee bar and restaurant.

Bryan Kneale RA

Born on the Isle of Man in 1930, Kneale trained as an artist and sculptor in London and Rome, before teaching at Hornsey College of Art and Design, and then at the Royal College of Art. He was also Master and later Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy between 1982 and 1990. In addition, numerous exhibitions of his own painting and sculptures have been held since the 1950's, and his works are displayed in countries such as Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and the United States. In the USA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City includes examples of his work amongst its public collections.

[Kneale is the younger brother of the screenwriter Nigel Kneale (1922–2006), best known for his Quatermass television serials.]

Sexy Metal Pants

Karl Pilkington visits the British Museum (Podcast Series 1 12/12/2005, via Pilkipedia):

”'You’ve been in the London Museum and that, and they’ve got sort of sex stuff from years ago, they’ve got like, these metal pants that they used to wear,’

‘I just think they’re sort of like sexy metal pants. It’s just something I remember seeing,’

‘What I mean is they always had to be ready for like battle and that, but these were a little bit sexy, but protective at the same time.’"

Dollis Valley Greenwalk

Free Weekend: Walk To The Countryside (well, Totteridge Fields) (via Kentishtowner):

From the Garden Suburb we picked up the Dollis Valley Green Path, a 10 mile route to Moat Mount Nature Reserve in Mill Hill (with links to the 78 mile Capital Ring, which we walked here), through the bluebells of Big Wood and Little Wood, and on to Mutton Brook and Windsor Open Space.

The clear signs make the route a no-brainer, despite its fiddly weaving together of the various green spaces all connected by the tiny Dollis Brook.

Often no more than a few centimetres deep, it’s a tributary of the River Brent (itself a tributary of the Thames) and a calming presence with bridges, waterfalls, tunnels.

It’s hard not be impressed passing under the vast Victorian viaduct, built in 1863 and, at 60 feet above ground level, the highest point on the London underground, with trains rattling along above the trees. Eventually we turned left off the Route along the muddy hedgerow at Woodside Park Sports Club, so we could cross the ancient hay meadows of Totteridge Fields, a beauty spot of ‘Metropolitan Importance.’ And there we were: hello countryside!

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Angel Clock Tower

The Angel Clock Tower is one of the best recognised landmarks at the centre of Angel, close to the underground station. The clock tower was built by J. Smith & Sons, a clock making company established in 1780 and donated to the community as a public timepiece - as well as a lasting advert for the local company.

Much much more about the history of the Angel Clock in this superbly researched piece by SilverTiger.

Belsize Walk

The two and a half hour Belsize Walk links Primrose Hill with Parliament Hill, passing the many architectural highlights of the Belsize conservation area.

It is a lovely stroll on a summers day, although you can't help but feel eyes following you if you lower yourself to such undignified activities as taking photos or consulting a map.

Belsize Walk (via Russell Davies):

To start with it was pleasant, but kind of boring, I wasn't suprised to learn that a lot of Belsize was developed as a rival to Kensington - it's got the same big, blandly impressive feel. If slightly untidier - full of academics and lawyers rather than Eurotrash and models.

So I was quite pleased to see a bit of tagging on a wall, made the place feel a bit more lived in.

Boston Manor

Boston Manor (via Wikipedia):

The earliest reference to Boston (or Bordwadestone as it was then spelled) was around the 1170s. It may mean Bord's tun or farm by the stone. It was situated towards the northern end of the Manor Boston. […]

The northern extent of the manor was marked by a boundary stone. Later a tree to the west of it came to be the local Gospel Oak. Here the old pagan custom of blessing the field and crops took place whilst beating the bounds. […]

History of the manor house

The manor house was built in 1622-3 for the newly widowed, and shortly to be remarried Dame Mary Reade. whose late husband was granted a patent of possession for Boston Manor from James I. To the north of the house the Clitherrow family added extensions that contained the kitchen services and quarters for the domestic staff.

John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow was the last private owner of Boston Manor which he sold in 1923. The house and the surrounding 20 acres (8.1 ha) was purchased by the Brentford Urban District Council which was opened as a public park in 1924.

The house was badly damaged during World War II by a V1 dropping across the road.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a critically acclaimed 1974 spy novel by John le Carré. It follows the efforts of taciturn, aging spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service.

Cambridge Circus - John le Carré's "the Circus" (via London CyberPunk Tourist Guide):

N.B. it does not appear that "British Intelligence", certainly not the Secret Intelligence Service MI6, was ever really based at Cambridge Circus.

However, passages from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, perhaps point to a more likely candidate building, just north of the actual Cambridge Circus cross roads itself.

Although MI6 is located elsewhere, le Carré’s gag was appropriate. For years, the secret service really had been little more than a circus, ostensibly born from Cambridge University stock yet Moscow-run.

“From his window he covered most of the approaches: eight or nine unequal roads and alleys which for no good reason had chosen Cambridge Circus as their meeting point. Between them, the buildings were gimcrack, cheaply fitted out with bits of empire: a Roman bank, a theatre like a vast desecrated mosque. Behind them, high-rise blocks advanced like an army of robots.”

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"King Edward VII" (1911)

King Edward VII statue in bronze outside Tooting Broadway tube station, sculptor L.F. Roselieb (1878–1934), erected 1911.

Edward VII statue stands outside which station? A weekend quiz for you and your family (via Travel with Angela Lansbury):

Yes, I could not get this wrong. I gave a talk on the kings and Queens of England to a Toastmasters speakers training meeting in Singapore at the time of the royal wedding. I had devised a memory aid for George V and George VI. George the Fifth in the First world war (FF) and George the Sixth in the Second World War (SS).

Edward VIII was the king who abdicated. Queen Victoria did not hold her son Edward VII in high esteem because she blamed him for the death of Albert. Dear Albert had gone to rescue Edward from visiting a lady, worse than philandering - oh dear, say no more. If you don't know, look it up.

So, if you feel prudish and disapproving like Queen Victoria, you can toot at Edward VII, mentally, only mentally, because tooting with car horns is not the done thing in the UK where we flash lights as silent signals in daytime as well as at night.

The exterior of Tooting Broadway station (which I suppose includes the statue) makes it to no. 79 on 150 great things about the Underground.

"Carry On Constable" (1960)

South Ealing Road Park (as well as many other South Ealing locations) forms the backdrop to the antics in Carry On Constable (1960), the fourth film in the series (out of a total of 31).

A local police force is left short-staffed by a flu epidemic. Enter three bumbling new recruits, straight from training school, and Sergeant Wilkins has to try to turn them into real police overnight. They nearly arrests a plainclothes detective, mistake a radio play for a murder and investigate a young woman in the bath, and then a real robbery takes place.

Starring series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques. Directed by Gerald Thomas.

Sid James drills his new recruits at the entrance to South Ealing Road Park (via Reelstreets).

Hammersmith Park

Hammersmith Park Japanese Garden, by Fran Pickering (via Sequins and Cherry Blossom):

For one thing, it’s the oldest traditional Japanese garden in a public place in Britain. And for another, it’s completely integrated into Hammersmith Park as a place where children can play and their parents sit on shady benches to watch them, with none of the formality you see in other Japanese gardens.

How does it come to be there? Well, it’s all that remains of a much larger garden which was one of the main attractions of the Japan-British Exhibition at White City in 1910. […]

In 2010 Hammersmith and Fulham Council commissioned a restoration of the garden by Japanese landscape architect Yoshihiko Uchida and engineer and traditional Japanese Garden expert Satoru Izawa.

Fran's blog on London living is one of the best, and is beautifully designed. This piece is full of fascinating nuggets, and is the perfect guide for exploring the Japanese garden, for example:

It wouldn’t be a Japanese garden without a dry garden. This one is based on the story of the crane and the turtle and their voyage to the island of eternal happiness.

The Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger, a four-fifths replica of the Karamon of Nishi Hongan-ji in Kyoto) also used to stand in the park; it was moved to Kew Gardens in 1911, where it still can be seen.

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St. Mary the Virgin

Originally a Catholic church in the form of a simple barn-like structure erected in 1135, the Anglican church of St. Mary the Virgin is the most charming in the area. The current structure is from c. 1250 and there is a Tudor font dating from 1495.

My Open House. St Mary’s Perivale by Mike Paterson (via London Historians' Blog):

Surrounded by swanky Ealing Golf Course and a less-swanky Premier Inn, it sits south west of the Hoover Building, separated from the Art Deco masterpiece by the Western Avenue. Before reaching the church you see its pretty lych gate (sponsored by the widow of John Boosey of Boosey & Hawkes, who is buried outside the church).

Unless you knew it were here, you would never see it. I was unaware it existed until someone told me a few months ago. Although used for classical music concerts, it has not held services since the early 1970s, although it remains consecrated.

St Mary's Perivale.

Arsenal Legends

Bergkamp To Have Statue At The Emirates (via Ajaxfansuk409):

The statue is based on the classic image of the former Holland striker controlling the ball in the air against Newcastle in 2003. Sculptures of Henry, Adams and Chapman were erected in December 2001 and it is thought Bergkamp will be unveiled before the start of the 2013-14 season.

An Arsenal spokesman said: “We currently have statues outside Emirates Stadium commemorating three legends in Arsenal’s history — Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry — and we’re delighted that they have been extremely popular with visitors to the stadium. […]

Bergkamp was signed by Bruce Rioch from Inter Milan for £7.5million in 1995.

He went on to score 120 goals in 423 games for the Gunners, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.

Visit the link to see the unfinished (at the time) sculpture and the shot of the real Bergkamp's spectacular mid-air ball control.

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Queens Park Rangers FC

Queens Park Rangers (QPR) Football Club was originally formed in 1882 by the old boys of Droop Street Board School.

The boys were members of the St. Jude's Institute as they used this as the Club headquarters, and in the early days were known as St. Jude’s.

They obtained the name of Queens Park Rangers when they merged with a team called Christ Church Rangers in 1886. They called themselves Queens Park Rangers because most of the players came from the district of Queen’s Park.

Playing in light and dark blue halves, their first fixtures were all friendly matches, playing teams such as Stanley, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham.

Remarkably, the only equipment the Club owned at this time was four posts and two lengths of tape for the crossbars.

QPR moved to their current ground at Loftus Road in 1963. They were promoted to the Premier League in 2014, however after a difficult year they were relegated back to the Championship for the 2015-16 season. QPR were FA Cup runners-up in 1981-82.

Chorleywood Common

Chorleywood Common (via Chorleywood Parish Council):

At the centre of Chorleywood lies its beautiful Common, 80 hectares (approx. 200 acres) of grassland, and woodland, declared a County Heritage Site and has Local Nature Reserve status on account of its conservation value and high ecological importance.This is one of the most important wildlife sites in Hertfordshire, combining acid heathland, neutral grassland and chalk meadow all on one site, together with a series of ponds supporting rare plants and amphibians and secondary woodland which has grown up since commoners’ cattle ceased grazing after World War I. Some 70 plant species, 50 birds and almost 300 fungi have been recorded on the Common in addition to squirrels, rabbits, foxes, hedgehogs, voles, woodmice and Muntjac deer.

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Hogarth's House

Hogarth’s House by Jenny Kingsley (via Artistic Miscellany):

I have a fantasy about Hogarth (1697–1764) being in heaven, drinking beer with fellow satirists, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Swift, Fielding. (Once you’re up there, date of birth is immaterial.) He’s talking about how pleased he is by our reverence for his work. In times past, some connoisseurs have been condescending towards his oeuvre. But during the last half century, Hogarth has been the subject of quite a few major exhibitions and numerous scholarly analyses. Contemporary artists, such as David Hockney, Paul Rego and Ralph Steadman, have reinterpreted his images.

Hogarth relates he’s content with heavenly living but misses his home in what is now Leicester Square and his second home in tranquil Chiswick. He’s touched, he adds, that his house in Chiswick has just been restored and re-opened to the public. Shutters and panelling have been repaired, fireplaces unblocked, wooden floorboards uncovered, plaster and paintwork renewed.

The William Hogarth Trust commissioned a special exhibition in 2014 to mark the 250th anniversary of Hogarth's death, featured artwork by artists and celebrities including Quentin Blake, Harry Hill, Jacqueline Wilson and Cath Kidston.

Two floors of the house are open to visitors and effort has been made to present the House as a home, as well as a celebration of Hogarth's life and work. Prints of some of his best known engravings are on display, including the series The Harlot's Progress, A Rake's Progress and Marriage à-la-mode.

The House has an attractive walled garden which contains a mulberry tree. This is probably the last survivor of the original orchard established in the 1670s. It was damaged September 1940 by a parachute mine and brought back to good health by arboriculturists from Kew Gardens.

When I visited I was welcomed most warmly, and was then left to explore the house and grounds, apparently without the usual watchful glances you get in such places. Entry is free, and the whole experience is fun, unpretentious and just a bit ramshackle, which appeals in much the same way as Hogarth's many boisterous works.

Colliers Wood Tower

Once crowned the ugliest building in London, the "Lyon Tower"–as it was originally named–has been generally loathed by locals since its construction.

Almost as if it popped out of the mind of George Orwell, its vast size and gloomy appearance is oppressive and menacing, and while a plan exists to (somehow) transform it into an attractive apartment block, surely it would’ve been better to have just knocked the thing down years ago?

Visit Merton council's Colliers Wood Tower page for regular updates on the redevelopment.

Report - Colliers Wood Tower - South London - February 2014 (via 28DL):

On the ground floor three panels of wood covering the lift shafts with black streaks running down them reminded me slightly of the bleeding doors bizarrely. Aside from those every floor was pretty much identical, stripped bare and ready for development so we headed straight for the roof to catch the sunset. We were soon followed by two Chinese lads with their cameras. Probably not the greatest idea to be wandering about up there in broad daylight as unbeknown to us a member of the public had spotted us and called the police fearing one of us was about to commit suicide. Luckily we caught the best of the sunset before we heard a symphony of sirens heading for us and we realised our days were numbered.

The_Raw has posted some truly amazing photos of their exploration inside, and on the roof of the tower at the above link, which are not to be missed (more at Flickr).