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..Today I scanned another batch of my Streets of London colour slide collection, this time from June 2004.
Warwick Crescent, W2 lies in the heart of Little Venice, as evidenced by the Regents Canal basin in the foreground. Much of this street was bombed during WW2. The building to which the street name is fixed is a survivor. One other, to the far left, out of the picture, is the 19th century Beauchamp Lodge, where I rented my counselling room. The rest consists of 1960s council building. We were bemused when, in the 1980s these boringly banal boxes began to be tarted up. The answers were probably revealed when the Council Leader’s gerrymandering exercise was exposed. The Waterside Café provided good snacks, cakes, and beverages; the Waterbus offered trips along the canal to Camden Lock and back. During my running years I sometimes exchanged waves with passengers as I jogged alongside them.
These steps taking pedestrians up from Porteus Street, lead to a bus stop at the large Harrow Road roundabout. To the left of the wall is the entrance to an underpass beneath the main thoroughfare. I knew people who would not use it for a not unreasonable fear of mugging. The trees at the top of the shot screen the canal.
Here is another shot of our friend the bemused window cleaner of Cabbell Street, NW1, which contained some rather beautiful mansion flats;
as does Old Marylebone Road;
a turning off which is Homer Row, W1. Traditional London taxi cabs are black. This driver chose red, and likes pink. The mansions shown above are reflected in his passenger window.
Regular readers will know that my self-imposed constraint on this series is that a street name sign must be included. I cheated a bit in this one, because it is Crawford Place, W2 that is featured, but St Mary’s Church, Marylebone, is actually in Wyndham Place, NW1. I was intrigued by the various examples of geometry on display in this scene.
Since this area is one of Westminster’s most prestigious, road sweeper, like this gentleman in Bryanston Mews East, W1, are rather more in evidence than in the poorer London Boroughs.
The embassy of the Republic of Angola is situated in Dorset Street W1 alongside the corner of Clay Street;
whilst on the corner of Dorset Street and Kenrick Place stands The Barley Mow, claiming to be the oldest pub in Marylebone. Time Out had this to say on 17th May 2013: “This corner pub in Marylebone started life in 1791 as a meeting place for farmers to pawn their goods. Legend has it that the wooden snugs (now listed) either side of the bar gave them a bit of privacy in which to make their transactions. These days, there’s a good range of lagers and bottled beers along with the ales, plus food (mainly Pieminster pies), with music in the evening mix.”
I wasn’t the only one with a camera on the go in Broadstone Place, W1.
The Tudor Rose pub on the corner of Blandford and Manchester Streets, W1 is featured in the London Pub Review website, thus: “Our dire predictions haven’t come true – this one’s still not changed in years. Good. It’s not a bad place at all, with decent beer on the hand pumps and proper pub grub served downstairs (upstairs there’s a restaurant) including such delights as Spam fritters. Being in a Marylebone backwater, this place hardly ever gets crowded, although there’s a weekday lunchtime trade, so if you need place for a quiet pint in the area, this place will do nicely. The service is prompt and friendly and the prices are on par for the area. Whilst you wouldn’t necessarily make a special effort to seek this place out, if you’re in the locale, do drop in. Oh, except on a Sunday – it’s closed.”
While I was working on this post, aromas of cumin and coriander led me to investigate the kitchen, where Jackie was occupied inventing her own cauliflower bahji,
which we were to enjoy for dinner with her classic lamb jalfrezi and basmati rice with onions and peppers.
“Colour (color) blindness (colour vision deficiency, or CVD) affects approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women in the world. In Britain this means that there are approximately 2.7 million colour blind people (about 4.5% of the entire population), most of whom are male.”
When you learn something new, your brain gets bigger. 🙂
Just what I needed, Johnna. Thank you so much 🙂
Warning: Information overload can cause the brain to explode. If that happens, a little soap and water will clean it right up. 😀
🙂
There are some great shots in this post Derrick – I especially love to see those canal boats.
Many thanks, Pauline
I really liked the sculpture of the man with the ladder, like a house painter. I enjoyed seeing Jackie busy creating her own version of cauliflower “bahji,” I can sense the aroma and it makes my stomach growl! 🙂
The pretty Tudor Rose pub looks divine, Derrick, along with the Little Venice, the mansion flats and stone design were extra details to study. Thanks!
Very many thanks, Robin
An excellent tour as always….though I must say I paused and stared out my window over the mention of spam fritters.
An equally excellent comment, Cynthia. Thank you, as always
Hmmm…spam fritters? Nary a match for Jackie’s menu, I’m sure. Nice tour, Derrick.
Thank you, Donna. Nary at all
My ma-in law from the first time round in wedded bliss lives in Little Venice. Next door to Michael Flatley. I can never resist a quick RiverDance when I go to visit – we remain good friends
Life is full of such links, Osyth. Thank you
Some many wonderful shots, Derrick! I also like the geometry in the photo of St. Mary’s Church. From the photos, I would have guessed the Tudor Rose was older than “the oldest” pub.
The cauliflower bhaji looks sooo good! I love Indian food. 🙂
Many thanks, Merril. Maybe the architects of Tudor Rose were making a competitive bid 🙂
Most likely. 🙂
Great shots. Love the one with the guy taking a video. My how the technology has changed…but the subjects still remain the same. steVe
Absolutely, steVe. Thank you.
Taking it to the streets! Well done, Derrick. Did you take a break at the Tudor Rose pub? What a beautiful structure.
I never did, Jill. It was always on the last leg of my walks back to Little Venice. Thank you
I would definitely try the Spam Fritters 🙂 Tinned food always reminds me of childhood days whenever there was a #9 or #10 typhoon in Hong Kong. The markets would be closed and we resort to tinned food for a few days: Spam (or a version of it) and sardines. From then on that salty metallic taste always reminded me of happy times (no school!) cocooned indoors with the wind and rain slashing at our taped up windows.
So evocative, Mary. Thank you.
The pub was established in 1791? Goodness, that’s an impressive age for any business.
I expect it’s changed hands a few times, Bun. Thank you.
I have been in pubs so much older than this one, you have to go out of London usually to find them. The Three Chimney’s in Kent has been offering beverages since the 1100’s and is still an inn, offering good food too!
That’s very impressive! (Of course, I hope it hasn’t been offering the same food. By this point, I’m sure it’ll be dangerously near it’s sell-by date.) 🙂
🙂
I believe Twinings tea-importers shop has occupied the same premises since 1709, thus may be the oldest such geographically- and business-static entity in the world.
Hey, I’m one of their customers! It’s good to know I’m doing my bit to help them keep going for another couple of centuries. 🙂
Don’t forget. though, that beautiful Birmingham has more canals than Venice!
Well, I didn’t know that, John. Somehow I don’t think ‘Little Birmingham’ would go down well in Westminster. Thanks
I knew that one. Brummies are always keen to tell you!
It was good to see your photos, brought memories of our London visit 🙂 Please can you give me the recipe of Jackie’s cauliflower bahji ? Thanks
Jackie was afraid someone would ask. She doesn’t do recipes but is happy to describe methods: Spices: cumin, powdered ginger, coriander, three cloves of garlic; an onion; a chopped green pepper; fresh chillis to taste all fried in oil in a deep frying pan. When nice and sludgy par boiled cauliflower florets added to pan. All stirred quite a bit to get all flavours into cauliflower, then add tin of chopped tomato. Turn heat right down, put a lid on it, and simmer while you do the rice. Thanks for comments and for asking, Lakishmi
Thanks Derrick, I will try soon.
There may be no formal way to spell imported words, but I’m sure I more sually see “bahji” spelt “bhaji”. Not certain if Waitrose / Sainsbury’s / Budgen’s are etymological sources acceptable to the OED, but they all agree.
Ho ehck 🙂
Ah, you were a jogger! You seem to walk everywhere, and walking is good exercise, as well.
Jackie’s a food magician. Wow! Has she had any formal training in cooking? It sure looks like it!
For 10 years (40-50) I ran a total of 25,000 miles on the roads, including 18 marathons; I had a new hip in 2009 and soon was walking 2/3 hours a day. 18 months ago my knees indicated I had to stop. I don’t do much more now. I suppose it had to come. Jackie drives me out and I go for a bit of a wander
Thank you for this running info – so you ran from the age of 40 – 50? I do nothing like the kinds of miles you did, but still have a lot of people telling me I’d better stop before I am sorry. At age 53, I am (finally) wondering if I should begin to listen. I’m not listening, mind you, I am wondering if I should think about it. : )
🙂 Maybe I should have done less mileage
That’s amazing, Derrick! I started running recently (well, it’s more like speed walking!), but there’s no way I’d even reach the number of miles you had! I’m sorry about your knees. Yes, best to take it easy. Knowing all the effort you put into getting around, your photos seem even more precious. 🙂
Many thanks, Rose
Interesting to see some London streets from different angles and another person’s viewpoint, Derrick. I was born and brought up in London and to me, the place has changed so much that I can’t bear to live there anymore. So many of the great old buildings have gone, as has the atmosphere that I knew from decades back. Living in the past, I may be, but it’s a past I preferred. That said, that sculpture is fun! I wonder when it was made and who the sculptor was? Oh, and I do like that Oriel window.
Thanks very much Val. I am in fact a Londoner. Grew up in Raynes Park. Where were you? Found this on another WP blog: https://baldwinhamey.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/window-cleaner/
Near Finsbury Park. Thanks for the link – will look at in it a bit. 🙂
Goodness me, I worked for some years with the Stepping Stone Community close to the tube station. What a scary gangway the entrance that place was.
And the rest of Finsbury Park. It’s why we left.
Yes. I was born in Leicester. We moved to Raynes Park, where I spent my childhood, in 1944. By 1987 we were in Tooting which we left for Newark, Notts, because that was getting a bit menacing too. I continued to work in London, came back to live in 2007, and moved to The New Forest four years ago
Must be nice and peaceful in comparison now, for you, yes?
Sure is 🙂
What a great photographic record of sites we would never normally see. Thanks for sharing! x
Thank you, Wendy
You’re very welcome! x
There’s a whole Dali world in the reflection behind the man with the video camera. Is the car on the road or on the pavement? If on the pavement, is it an illusion, or is it without wheels (Toxteth car showroom-style*)? If it’s on the road, that looks like a motorbike rally happening on the pavement!
* too esoteric to translate for non-UK-ers!
I’m glad you spotted the reflection Paul. I almost mentioned it myself. Thanks very much
I, too, like the liked the sculpture of the man with the ladder. Nice photos to share, Derrick.
Thanks very much, Amy