Deadpool 2022

 

Mostly the same as 2021 but with replacements for Prince Phillip and Kenneth Kaunda. 

• Neil Percival Young (Musician)

• Leslie Samuel Phillips (Actor & Author)

• Gina Lollobrigida (Actress, Photojournalist, & Sculptor)

• James Earl Carter Jr. (39th POTUS)

• Michael Caine (Actor)

• Anthony Dominick Benedetto a.k.a Tony Bennett (Singer)

• Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (Actress)

• Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (retired prelate of the Catholic Church)

• Melvyn Hayes (English actor & voiceover artist)

• Burt Bacharach is (American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist)

 

London Xmas lights 2021

 

27th December 2021

Carnaby Street, butterflies, always a sign of the winter months.

 

 

 

St. Giles Square, illuminated trees in the shadow of Centre Point.

 

 

 

Regent Street St. James angels.

 

 

 

Also in Regent Street.

 

 

 

New Bond Street, crown? bowl?

 

 

 

Oxford Street, dangly stars, a bit dull, time to bring back the lasers?

 

 

 

 

A North Hampshire ramble.

 

Hampshire Ramble

24th November 2021

South Warnborough and Long Sutton

A countryside ramble looping out and back on a cold November day. Starting and finishing at Alton Road Cottages in the village of South Warnborough in North Hampshire. Would probably be much nicer in the summer but probably busier too.

St. Andrews Church, South Warnborough. Historic England says:

C13, C14, Cl5, and 1870. Nave and chancel of the early period with Victorian south aisle (by G E Street). Red tile roof; low-pitched slate roof over the aisle, above the gable at the west end is a broach spire and bell-turret covered in shingles. Mainly rendered walling, but flint is used for the aisle, west gables and buttresses. Most windows are lancets, with a 3-light C16 window in the chancel. Inside, the west end is occupied by the C14 framing of the bell- turret. The remains of a C15 rood screen separates the nave from the chancel. The chancel is notable for its monuments and tombs, mainly related to the Whyte family. Modern timber-framed north porch, with decorative Norman door within. The font is C19, and there is some C16 heraldic glass in the south aisle windows.

Leaving the church I turned right and right again up Froyle Lane climbing the hill for a couple of hundred metres before taking the path on the left up a bank and across the fields, overflown by a Chinook from nearby RAF Odiham. This path continued through the undulating fields and past woods for nearly 1.5km until reaching Copse Lane on the outskirts of the village of Long Sutton.

I turned right onto Copse Lane then left onto Wingate Lane, past some smart new "architecturally inspired homes in a distinctive contemporary style" and then left onto a footpath along the edge of the building site where I assume something similar will soon be built. This is “Wingate Meadow” and if you want to read the developer bolx it’s here. A bullseye short of £2million if you’re interested.

The path brought me out into the village centre next to the village hall and opposite All Saints Church, of which Historic England says:

C13, C15 and modern. Single cell of nave and chancel, with a slightly later chapel attached on the south side of the nave. All of the C13, with a modern north vestry and south porch; C15 timber-framed belfry rising through the centre of the nave. Red tile roof, bell-turret has a pyramid roof with shingles and weather-boarded walling. Walling is roughcast or rendering on flint and stone core, the new vestry is in red brick. Windows are all original lancets, with a circular light above the 2 at the east end, but there is also a traceried 2-light window on the north wall of 1340, a west window of 1862, and restored triple lancets in the east wall of the chapel. The timber-framed porch has a single-slope tile roof, scalloped barge-board, and panelled side frame above a lower wall. Inside, the main timber supports to the belfy are arch-braced( there is a chancel arch of the late C19, a single 13 arch (to the chapel) on ½-round columns, and a font. The south chapel has an ogee leaded niche above a trefoil piscina, a painted Royal Coat of Arms of George IV. 3 bells of circa 1520 are chimed.

What All Saints lacks is a covered lych gate and the porch being small, dark, and with only a narrow plank of a seat I settled on the metal bench opposite for my picnic lunch and watched the passing Range Rovers while warming up with a flask of Bovril.

 

After a meander around the churchyard I continued along The Street passing the Old Post Office and the village pond which would have been a better picnic spot had the benches been dry.

At the junction of The Street and Wood Hill Lane I was going to carry straight on into Hayley Lane but it was clear that the safer path, away from the traffic, was to cross the road and follow the field edge path for 600m until it reached the woods and then join the track, Hayley Copse Lane, heading back towards South Warnborough. 

Hayley Copse Lane ran more or less parallel to and about 250m north of my outward route, through the same undulating terrain once out of the woods. The fields were very empty, didn't see a soul. The advantage of mid-week walks.

The lane brought me out onto the Alton Road and when a gap in the traffic appeared I crossed this and turned left back into South Warnborough past The Poacher Inn whose sign claimed that Sunday Lunches were now being served even though it was Wednesday. Along here I met my first pedestrian since setting out. At the crossroads by the war memorial I turned right into Lees Hill.

Lees Hill has some very quaint - and expensive, I looked it up - black and white cottages

Because climbing a steep hill only to come down again seemed like a good end to a walk I made my way to the top where the horses enjoy a good view back down into the valley. Then turned left through their field onto the public footpath back down to the Alton Road. Judging by the passive-aggressive home-made signs on the gates there could be no doubt that a: it is a public footpath, and b: that the landowner isn't entirely happy about that.

And back at the road having strictly stuck to the path I turned right back to my starting point. Nice walk, might come back when it's warmer and sunnier.

Oh island in the (unexpected) sun.

Friday 5th November 2021

I gave it a few days for the teething troubles to settle down before deciding that at trip ‘overseas’ was due to see the new trains on the Isle of Wight. The forecast was for dull, overcast weather but in this case the forecast was pleasantly wrong so I got a nice sunny day at the seaside thrown in.

 

TO THE TRAINS

 

 ec

 

Some split ticketing and a Network Railcard secured an off peak return to Shanklin for just under £42 including the Wightlink fast catamaran ferry which I reckon worked out cheaper than the alternative I considered of driving to Southsea, parking for the day, and getting the Hovercraft across. Though at some point I do want another hovercraft trip because well, Hovercraft! :-) A late-running train at Guildford meant I got to the island an hour earlier than planned, having caught a connection I’d otherwise have missed. The same thing happened on the way home too which was a double bonus. Should have bought an extra lottery ticket.

 

 

 

So to the new trains. These started running on the previous Monday, some months later than planned due to you-know-what and the usual software and hardware issues that we now expect with any new trains. The former 1938 ex-London tube trains have finally been replaced. These were much-loved by everyone except I reckon anyone who had to rely on them for their daily travel, at least by the end of their service. 

 

 

 

The replacements also previously ran on the London Underground being Vivarail’s Class 484 electric multiple units, rebuilt/upcycled/refurbished, choose whichever term you prefer from the retired District Line D78 Stock trains. They are however a long way from being just “old tube trains”, with bright modern white and blue interiors.

 

 

 

A new blue moquette on the seats and dedicated spaces for wheelchair users. Who will get a better view out than most of the other passengers except those who manage to bag the few transverse 2 + 2 seats in each car. Hmm, should we still call them cars or should it be coaches/carriages now they aren’t on the Underground?

 

 

 

Anyway apart from the new trains a lot of other improvements have been made to the line, especially the track, so the run down to Shanklin was much smoother than of old and I didn’t feel I was about to be bounced out of my seat even once.

 

 

 

One thing I did notice, and I know I’m not alone in this, is how slowly the doors on the new trains open. I don’t remember them being so slow in their previous life but they open about 6 inches and then pause just long enough that you wonder if you should reach out and give them a helping hand.

 

 

 

Maybe things will free up with use.

 

TO THE SEASIDE

 

From Shanklin Station it’s about a half mile walk down to the beach and this was conducted in very un-November 5th type weather, bright if not as tropical as the following photo might have you believe.

 

 

 

Good for a walk along the prom though back to Sandown Pier (alas closed) and up to Sandown Station to get a train back to Ryde.

 

 

 

The novelty of new trains hadn’t worn off for the sweary schoolgirls on their way home at Sandown, who made everyone well aware that they were actually supposed to be grounded, and regarded the restriction of passengers beyond the platform end a s a minor challenge. (Yeah Ok, at that age so did we.)

 

 

 

Back in Ryde there was enough time to go and get Friday Fish & Chips, eaten on a lamp-lit seafront, before walking down the pier to catch the boat back to the mainland.

 

 

 

I like the Isle of Wight.

Especially when it doesn’t rain.

“Isle be back"

"Deer stalking" in Bushy Park

Battersea Power Station station (and Nine Elms too).

24th September

Yes, they’ve been open nearly a week and I’d have liked to have visited Battersea Power Station station and Nine Elms station on the new Northern Line extension on opening day but some of us had to go to work instead :-( Not today though so i got a train up to Battersea Park station, with its unexpectedly impressive ticket hall...

 

 

 

…and then took the short walk up Battersea Park Road to the first of the two shiny new stations, Battersea Power Station station.

 

Battersea Power Station station.

 

 

 

The entrance almost in the shadow of the eponymous former power station is strikingly modern although rather smaller than I had expected. Maybe it just looks that way because there’s rather a lot of space around it currently waiting to be built on.

 

 

 

Mask on and in I went under the overhanging canopy which was providing pretty much the only shade from the bright sunshine.

 

 

 

There is little to see in the surface building, all the action is down the escalators.

 

 

 

To the first level concourse where the gate line is.

 

 

 

And the two sets of escalators down to platform level. It’s all very open and spacious, reminded me of Canary Wharf or Heathrow stations and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.

 

 

 

At platform level it’s unlike any other Northern Line station I’ve been to - certainly in Zone 1, which for political reasons has been extended to include the new extension. Wouldn’t want the multi-millionaires who’ll be able to afford the Battersea Power Station flats to have to pay an extra few bob to get into town would we now? It was nice to see that some trains will run direct to Mill Hill East, the terminus of the other Northern Line “appendix” on the other side of the capital. One day I’ll come back and do that trip just because but not today as after 5 minutes a train appeared and it was time to go to Nine Elms.

 

 

 

 

 

Nine Elms station.

 

 

 

Alighting at Nine Elms again into a huge open space between the platforms but this felt more like an Underground station. Maybe because of the presence of advertisements on the walls facing the platforms, felt to be unnecessary at Battersea because passengers would normally get straight onto a waiting train.

 

 

 

From the platforms three escalators lead up to the surface level ticket hall with more than a hint of Charles Holden’s station designs about it but in 21st century materials. The giant advertising screen above the escalators, to be seen on entering the station rather than leaving it, was still showing Global, the operator’s, logo. Maybe still waiting for a client with deep pockets.

 

 

 

Out of the two new stations I must say that I liked Nine Elms better. For now I expect it’s the more useful of the two and certainly appeared to have more “real” passengers - as opposed to old white men taking pictures :-) It even has a nice roundel in the glass above the entrance which reminded me of Northfields or Morden.

 

 

 

Passing out through the gate line and wide entrance onto Wandsworth Road to look at the outside I’d say that Nine Elms looks more like you expect an Underground station to look than Battersea Power Station station, which without the branding could be a large bus stop, or even a coffee shop :-)

 

 

 

So two new stations which no doubt will be useful and popular, eventually, in an area hitherto ill-served by the Underground. Nine Elms gets my vote as the nicer and not just because when I crossed Wandsworth Road and turned to get a better shot of the exterior it was enhanced by the serendipitous appearance of an older London Transport icon :-)

 

 

 

(On its way to Chelsea Flower Show I think it said on the front.)

Open House London 2021 Part 3, Exploring Spring Grove Isleworth.

Saturday 11th September

For my last Open House London 2021 excursion I booked a place on the Hounslow Historians led guided tour of Spring Grove in Isleworth. This sounded like an interesting thing to do and is in an area not far from where I was born, so a personal connection too. The walk around a few streets north of Isleworth railway station, with the advantage of a guide to point out the salient features and history of the buildings turned out to be every bit as good as I’d hoped. Scheduled from 1430 to 1600hrs time flew and it over ran which surely is the sign of a good guided tour? As I suspect is the fact that I took relatively few photos.

 

Spring Grove Estate, a potted history from the Open House London website.

 

Largely rural until the early 20th century grand villas were developed during the 1860s by the 1930s it had largely taken on its present form
Once known as Smallberry Green, now the area takes its name from Spring Grove House one time home to Sir Joseph Banks. The vision of subsequent owner Henry Daniel Davies was for a grand Victorian suburb within some 300 acres of land. Examples of these Italianate influenced villas designed by John Taylor Jnr survive. Davies later lived in the largest of the houses he conceived called Thornbury, now Campion House derived from ownership by the Society of Jesus 1911-2005. Today this grand stuccoed mansion is bordered by a public open space. 
Listed Spring Grove House was described in 1840 as a "fine square building of brick covered with Roman cement, terrace along the south front and walks leading to extensive lawns and a lake". It was enlarged and altered during later ownership by Andrew Pears great grandson of the inventor of Pears' transparent soap. The music room and winter garden are considered fine examples of late 19thC rooms. 
Among newer additions to the area is a swathe of quirky arts and crafts semi-detached rough cast and tile hung properties. While the Crown Court's 1990s extension is an add-on to former ward blocks of a hostel built 1948as a home for paraplegics.



 

 

 

Because of ongoing building works Spring Grove House - now part of West Thames College - was out of bounds and so had to be viewed from the perimeter fence of its grounds but here’s a view of the finely decorated gate lodge. 

 

From the web site of the Spring Grove Residents’ Association

 

The house was leased in 1780 to the eminent botanist and explorer Sir Joseph Banks after his voyage to the South Pacific on The Endeavour with Captain James Cook. In 1791 he also rented land around the house and purchased the house and estate in 1808.

 

The house and estate changed hands several times until it was purchased by Henry Daniel Davies in 1850. Davies was a property developer and laid out plans for an impressive estate of roads and large houses surrounding Spring Grove House. He built St. Mary’s Church and a number of large houses on Osterley Road, Thornbury Road, The Grove and Eversley Crescent.

 

One of Davies' houses that still stands on The Grove.

 

Information from the “History of Spring Grove” by Gillian Morris.

Spring Grove was one of the most ambitious middle-class projects, and is said to have been chiefly designed for retired army officers. It was laid out in the early 1850’s, a church was built in 1856, and in the same year the rapid rise of the district was noted as a remarkable result of the new railway system.

 

 

Another of Davies’ houses, in Thornbury Road.

 
The good beginning was soon over: by 1865 only a few villas, including Thornbury House (now Campion House), where H. D. Davies, the promoter of the estate, lived, stood in their gardens along the roads round the church, though there was a rather larger number in the Grove.

 

 

 

Campion House, formerly Thornbury House, in Thornbury Road. (Although the tour did not reach further north than Campion House a little way beyond at 126 Thornbury Road my parents rented their first flat after they married.)

 

Very few houses of the original type were added to the estate later and though a number of retired soldiers seem to have lived there at first, the failure of the project was implicitly acknowledged in 1888.

 

 

 

Later, smaller houses in Harvard Road, some in Arts & Crafts style.

 

 

 

St. Mary’s Church, Osterley Road. Part of the reason the tour over ran was that the Church Warden turned up while we were outside and invited the tour group to come in and have a nose around.

 

 

 

So we did.

Close by, the International College (opened in 1867) represented another plan which never fulfilled the original hopes: the building, which was in the Gothic style, was taken over in 1890 by the Borough Road Training College.

Taken from SGRA Newsletter of November 2009, sourced from: “Heston and Isleworth: Introduction”, A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 85-94. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22270&strquery=london%20apprentice%20isleworth

 

 

 

The former International College, later Borough Road Training College, and now (of course) converted into flats.

 

The above is only a flavour of the buildings and history covered by the tour. Such was the attention I was paying to the guide, who was very good and encouraged participation by anyone who had anything to add or who wanted to know more, that I failed to photograph the Isleworth & Syon School or the Crown Court. What photos I did take are here. 

 

I might have to go back and explore this area some more when time allows.