Hello me dears
I actually started this post more than a month ago but some how Euston ended up as a post on its own.
It was however particularly bizzare adventure. The day started with the plan to meet Alistair at Kew Gardens but he had to stay in awaiting some spotty youth to fix his internet connection. I was in limbo, not knowing how long it would be before he arrived.
Not knowing what to do (Kew no longer being an option) I headed for town.
Wanting to get above ground asap to be in phone contact, I ended up at Euston.
With the day ebbing away and still no sign of anyone even woggling Alistairs ariel or what ever it is they do now, I jumped on the 59 bus and headed south of the river.
Past Russell Square.
The agricultural fields now known as Bloomsbury came into ownership of the Russell family In 1669. The Russell family possess the peerage of Duke of Bedford.
In 1771 William Russell was found guilty of being party to the ‘Rye House’ plot to assassinate Charles II and was beheaded in Lincoln Inn Fields.
Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford (1765–1802) was a spendthrift gambler. He was not interested in his family home Bedford House or in Bloomsbury, he instead preferred living in the West End.. He decided to develop the estate, with Bedford House as the central feature, but later instructed his developer to demolish Bedford House.
It was Francis Russell's brother John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, who eventually devoped the entire estate and was also responsible for the building of the Covent Garden Market.
I loved Bloomsbury even before I saw it, due to
the song sung by Twiggy in Ken Russell's 'The Boyfriend'
Kingsway. Big, Wide, Grand, and Sterile
In 1905 a new route for traffic between Holborn and Fleet Street ploughed its way through what was called slums (I call them people's homes and history) to create Aldwych and Kingsway. There never was an old or new "Wych" nor "Wick" - the name was invented by commitee to give some semblance of historical continuitity. They choice Wych deliberately rather than Wick as they thought that would look to obviously made-up just to sound old.
A little further and on the left of what is now nothing more than an 'All Bar One' was the first recorded gay pub (or Molly House) in London. Unfortunately it is only due to the court records of the Old Bailey that we know of its existence and the fate of its customers:
Read 'Rictor Norton'
Now! The photo above is not mine. I did my best but the bus driver drove like a lunatic around onto Aldwich. Staying on my seat was a challenge let alone taking a picture of the BBC World Service HQ at Bush House through a dirty bus window. I thank who ever took this and if they are churlish enough to want me to remove it I will.
And so, we cross the river via the famous Waterloo Bridge.
You have to love the South Bank - there is always something odd and wonderful to see.
I jumped off the 59 at this point, but unfortunatly a bit further down from Waterloo Station than I would have preferred.
This however gave me time to embrace the 'Old Vic' and have a fag at the same time.
Back onto a rather crowded bus, and on to Walworth and East Street Market.
There has been street trading in the Walworth area since the 16th Century, when farmers rested their livestock on Walworth Common before continuing to the city. During the Industrial Revolution, stalls lined the whole of the Walworth Road, but the market has only been officially running since 1880.
East Street is also the birthplace of Charlie Chaplin and features in the title sequence to the television programme Only Fools and Horses.
Map showing site of Walworth Manor House, 1871.
This is the area I used to live when I moved to London and I love it. I call it 'my old Manor' which is funny as judging my the map above I did indeed live very close to the site of Walworth Manor House.
It also appears from this map that I lived on the site of the Surrey Zoological Gardens.
The street where I lived, Berryfield Road.
I can't remember the house number or the real name of this pub near the corner.
A lot of the shops have gone.
But at least they have made it colourful.
Braganza Street (which I think is called New Street on the map). Why it was named after a Portuguese noble family who ruled Portugal and its colonial Empire from 1640 to 1910, I have no idea. Unless it was to honour Catherine of Braganza who introduced the custom of drinking tea to Britain; not only drinking tea but "High Tea" at 5:00 pm.
The above photo is of a strange little garden. It always intrigued me. It is in fact 'Walworth Garden Farm', which was founded in 1987 by local residents who created a farm on derelict land to provide education, training and resources in organic horticulture for the local community. How fab!
As we get closer to Kennington Park Road there is Georgian archetecture along with the Victorian and modern (a nasty Wimpey-type development I ignored).
The back of some of the wonderful and grand terraced houses on Kennington Park Road.
Past Kennington tube to our destination...
...Kennington Cross...
...The Dog House Pub, a pint of Black Sheep ale and an evening with Alistair.
ttfn
