Friday 22nd March
This trip to London was a little unusual – I usually have a list of things to do and see, accrued from various guidebooks and the ‘net between trips. My focus since the last trip in October though was on New Zealand of course so as I woke to the sound of the rain Friday morning – not the first time since the early hours - I had no plan for the day. A cuppa coaxed the grey cells into something that could charitably called action and I worked the phone for ideas. The rain was forecast – on more than one app – to depart by lunchtime so an indoor activity was needed first.
Farcebook – reading my mind as it eerily does – came up with something. The Delight media art exhibition in Borough Yards, by the famous Borough food market and Southwark Cathedral. I checked for price and availability but foolishly didn’t book there and then, deciding a lie in would be in order.
The result of my procrastination was that by the time I went to book the price had gone up a few quid – that’ll teach me. No matter, after getting suited and booted – as it were – I headed off to the bus stop, swapping to another bus that brought me to Borough High St. I was early for my timed entry slot, and it was still raining so instead of having a walk around, went for a coffee before heading to the Borough Yards, an area clearly much regenerated.
The Delight exhibition is – and I quote: “… more than an exhibition; it’s a journey into the core of Seoul’s essence, a dance between innovation and heritage that will leave you transformed. Expect to embark on an exhilarating exploration of Seoul’s history, life, and identity through an entirely new perspective at Borough Market. The exhibition’s inaugural destination that sets the stage for this remarkable journey.”
Well, it was impressive and visually very stunning, immersive too, the pictures really don’t do it justice. I learnt a little about Korean history and culture too from the numerous info boards. Well worth a visit but book in advance as the pricing is clearly fluid.
Afterwards there was the inevitable pint in the Market Porter pub, during the consumption of which the rain had stopped, although the skies were still looking ominously dark.
The next bus journey, south to Nunhead was a long one and went past some pretty grim looking housing estates, grey, neglected and generally foreboding. My destination was Nunhead Cemetery – I know how to party – one of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ built to ease overcrowding in the city’s churchyards after a population explosion.
It doesn’t have the famous residents like Highgate for example but is very atmospheric particularly on a grey day. All we needed was some fog! There was no way my knee would allow me to see it all, but I got a good overview, entering from the rear – ahem – and leaving via the main entrance.
As the crow flies I wasn’t that far from the site, but two buses were needed, changing at Honour Oak. My bladder was demanding attention by now and had there been a pub I would have called in but instead broke my journey at Sydenham, knowing there was a pub near the bus stop.
Having tottered downstairs to attend to the plumbing I returned to the bar for a pint. There was only one real ale ‘on’ but having dispensed an inch of beer and several inches of froth the server declared that it was ‘off’. I took my leave and caught another bus back up the hill to the site.
Public Transport used: 363 to Dunton Rd, 21 to Union St, 343 to Nunhead, P12 to Honor Oak, 122 to Sydenham, 450 to CP.
Saturday 23rd March
A bright sunny morning greeted me as I gently opened the blinds and over a cuppa contemplated what to do with my remaining time as I was due to head home on the Monday.
Said contemplation completed I want to reception where the lovely Maria booked me in for another five nights – I still had two weeks of the school Easter holidays remaining and had nothing to rush back for, and anyway I was enjoying my time in the smoke in my little home from home, darling Patsy.
This decision brought two items to the top of the agenda though – food and clothing – having only brought enough for my original stay. So after making a list and getting tarted up – to a point, no tie or waistcoat anyway – I made my way to the triangle, more specifically to Sainsburys, to procure some bits and bobs to chuck in the little slow cooker. This gave the opportunity of a pint in the sun at the Westow House pub on the corner, purely to break the journey back obviously.
Once back at the site and reserving the cooking for Sunday I fed pound coins into the washer and dryer at various points in the afternoon, in-between magazines, telly, and the inevitable nap.
Sunday 24th March
An enjoyable and relaxing day, a bit of cooking, a bit more washing up and I didn’t stray from the site at all. I’d contemplated a walk around the neighbouring park in the afternoon, but the return of the rain took care of that. In truth I was happy to stay put.
Monday 25th March
Back on the sightseeing trail though the first task was to drop off some boots for reheeling. I’d located a cobblers in Gipsy Hill, a short bus ride away on the number 3, the web page suggesting they’d be open by 9am.
They weren’t which meant either heading back to site with the boots of carry them around in the hope I’d find another cobblers not to far away. I did the latter and hopped on another bus to tick off another of the ‘Magnificent Seven ‘ – namely West Norwood Cemetery. Very atmospheric though I steered clear of the crematorium where there was clearly a service about to take place.
Google had indicated the presence of another cobblers, a short walk-up Norwood High St. It was still close enough to the site to pick them up later in the week, but this too was most definitely closed – or more accurately, closed down. I resigned myself to having to lug the boots around for the rest of the day. Oh well.
Another bus brought me further north, to the ‘posh’ end of Oxford Street. I had no wish to traverse the notoriously busy street but just to the south of it was a little oasis that I’d discovered in a recently purchased guidebook; ‘London’s Hidden Walks 4’. It was called Brown Hart Gardens, a raised area with planters and plenty of benches surrounded by beautiful buildings, it was surprisingly quiet and felt very peaceful. The ornate white building houses and electricity sub station and across the street is the impressive Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.
Baps devoured – some gammon cooked in the little slow pot overnight – I headed to the bus stop to see my required bus disappearing up the road, so with time to spare had a mooch around the adjacent M & S. Nothing took my eye and in any case I didn’t need anything, not that that’s ever stopped me. I’m always looking for ways to enhance my sartorial look although not surprisingly inspiration wasn’t to be found here.
Bus 139 took me north again, through Baker Street and swanky St Johns’s Wood – there were some lovely flats here - past the famous Abbey Road studios and getting off just ahead of the railway bridge.
My destination was the Alexandra & Ainsworth estate, more specifically, Rowley Way. The area here has featured in countless TV dramas, normally involving some scrote on the run from the police. Designed in 1968 in the so-called Brutalist style, it was completed in 1978 and comprises some 520 apartments. I’d seen it many times on the telly but was delighted to visit it the flesh, although probably thanks to its on-screen reputation I felt a little self-conscious parading through clad in dead cow as per. A search revealed a couple of one-bedroom flats for sale – starting at £300,000. Ouch.
Images captured to digital memory and, emerging unscathed at the other end I caught another bus which deposited back in Camden. It was most definitely beer o’clock and The Hawley Arms, just up from the bus stop provided the necessary. Packed with tourists – like me – but it had a much more ‘authentic’ feel to it than those on the main drag. A pint of Harveys from my adopted home county went down very well indeed.
Another mooch through the market resulted in the purchase of some cheap sunnies but by now my feet were aching and I just wanted to get back, opting for the tube to Elephant & Castle then the 363 back to site. I often find at this point in a trip that the bus journeys – particularly back to site – get a bit samey, there’s nothing new to look out for and they can seem to go on forever. This one was sporadically packed with schoolkids boarding and alighting in various clumps. The only seat to be had was next to me, which no-one chose to occupy. No complaints there!
Public Transport used: Bus 3 to Gipsy Hill, 322 to Norwood, 2 to Oxford Street, 139 to Rowley Way, 31 to Camden, Northern line to Elephant & Castle, bus 363 to Crystal Palace.
Tuesday 26th March
Not wishing to spend more time on a bus I elected to have another day at the ‘van, a mooch up to the triangle and a lunchtime pint at Westow House notwithstanding. There was ingredients to use up, so I picked up a jar of Thai curry sauce, browned some chicken, onion and some swede and chucked it in the slow cooker. A quiet evening in ensued but decided to book another show for the following night.
Wednesday 27th March
Dinner at lunch time – or what was planned to be my main meal – was the Thai curry, very tasty too even out of a jar. I like to cook from scratch at home and have always fancied doing a Thai curry but the recipes I’ve looked up have a list of ingredients longer than War & Peace – many of which I haven’t got. I won’t bother now as this sauce was so good and, padded out with extra veg it works out quite economical.
A long hot shower and wet shave then it was time to get tarted up and head into town and do a few pubs before grabbing a sandwich prior to the theatre.
First up, after changing buses at Woodvale where the number 63 was handily waiting, was the Blackfriars, a wedge-shaped pub just north of the bridge and railway station of the same name. I’d been here before a while back, but it was good to return.
A nice red ale, its taste belied its modest strength, I was tempted to have another. It was cold and windy outside, and the pub was warm and cosy but in the interests of research I set off again, turning left at Ludgate Circus, up Fleet Street for a bit before doing a right and ending up in the Seven Stars in Carey Street. It sits behind the Royal Courts of justice and came to be known as Queer Street. No, not for that reason – newly declared bankrupts would decamp from the RCJ to the pub to down their sorrows.
It was packed inside but a pint of Adnams Broadside was procured – there was nothing new to try – and I found a perch outside to watch the world go by.
It was clocking off time now and another of my favourites – the Nell Gwynne, down a little passage off the Strand - was also heaving. The London Pride – delicious as it was – did little to ease my aching feet so I set off in search of a sarnie and somewhere to take the weight off.
There had been a Tesco metro, or whatever they’re called, at the junction of the Strand and Waterloo Bridge Rd, but that had closed down. I decided to head across the road to the Wellington – downstairs was packed but mercifully they had a table upstairs in the restaurant. I lingered over a burger and chips until it was time to head to the theatre.
Standing at the Sky’s Edge is set in Sheffield’s Brutalist Park Hill housing estate, centring around the various occupants of a flat over several decades, starting in the 60’s, 80’s and 90’s with their stories moving forward as the years pass. The musical was conceived in Sheffield by a local writer and originally set in the Crucible Theatre – better known to many for Snooker – where it won many plaudits.
It was brilliant – the stories were cleverly weaved together, fantastic, and powerful original songs, great choreography and a superb band made for a very enjoyable two and a half hours. Something a bit different – I didn’t know what to expect but it was outstanding. There was no star as such, very much an ensemble show but with some very talented performers.
It was staged in the Gillian Lynne theatre, about half-way up Drury Lane. Built in the 70’s it perhaps lacks the character of older more traditional West End Theatres but more than makes up for that with high back seats spaced to give plenty of leg room – for once my knees were not rubbing the back of the seat in front. Numerous bars – ahem – so there’s not much queuing, and very well air conditioned too with the temperature kept just right. Mind you, it must be easier for theatres these days with efficient LED stage lights that don’t give off the heat like the old filament lamps.
There was the usual swapping of buses at Elephant & Castle and back at Patsy the little two bar electric fire was deployed for a few minutes. It had certainly cooled down as the sun set.
Thursday 28th March
A pretty quiet day – I was feeling a bit jaded and not at all enthused by getting on another bus so stayed local. There was a walk up to the triangle and the usual pint on the way back. Patsy got a bit of attention lavished on her interior woodwork and the washroom got a clean. With the Easter weekend imminent there were plenty of arrivals to have a nose at as the afternoon progressed.
Friday 29th March
Another decent day weather wise and also my last day so started a slow pack up. I was determined to have a sort out and had a clear out of all the bits and bobs draws and storage boxes, amassing quite a collection of stuff that might have come in handy but so far hadn’t. No doubt I’ll regret it at some point.
Another walk up the triangle, purely for the exercise you understand, with a pint in the sunshine at Westow House. It was amusing hearing the blare of horns a split second after the lights went green – there’s some impatient buggers about, I dread to think what their blood pressure was like.
Now over the past couple of weeks I’ve got a lot of compliments on my attire, whether it be from behind the counter in the shop, a pub, or a passerby. It’s not something I seek but it’s gratefully received, nonetheless. However when I was walking back down Crystal Palace Parade, dressed much more casually – no tie or waistcoat anyway – some passenger in white van felt the need to shout out “ You honky bastard” followed by something else I didn’t get but was doubtless uncomplimentary. At the approaching red lights the driver swerved into and out of the bus lane to avoid said red light before coming to a halt at another set only a few yards up.
It rattled me a bit and my initial instinct was to catch them up and have a word but quickly realised the exercise would be fruitless and, given there were two of them, probably unhealthy. I kept my distance until the lights changed and they disappeared down the road. I only hope they cop a fine for driving in the bus lane. Given the proliferation of cameras in London particularly, that’s quite likely. Good.
Back at Patsy the pack up continued – as usual I wanted to make an early getaway to avoid the traffic – and after dinner disconnected the water and waste and drained the tank. I placed a small bucket under the waste pipes and filled a small container of water with enough for tea, hand washing etc. This would not only save time in the morning but also help to keep the noise down. I was conscious that many on site were just starting their holidays.
Saturday 30th March
I was through the barrier at 8am and after one of the best runs home, arrived back at storage at 9:45am. In reality no quicker than the journey up but Hetty was getting low on fuel, so I kept the speed down on the motorway. My light foot paid off, Hetty returning an extra 4mpg over the journey up. Even so the fuel light came on towards the end of the journey – not quite squeaky bum time but close enough!
And that was the end of another trip, again my sightseeing was slightly hampered by my knee but was happy with what I got to do and see. Back in Crystal Palace in October which – again – might be the last visit. As you may recall the site has been under threat of closure for a number of years and the current lease extension expires at the end of the year. We shall see!
As always, thanks for reading. Until the next time, cheers.