Walks around London: Passport not required

In March I showed some photos from a lunchtime walk from work in the Chelsea area. Last week I took another walk, this time in Pimlico. There was less to see of obvious historical merit, but plenty to make me stop and look and snap away.

Pimlico is an area close to central London, south and just upstream of Westminster. Famously it was the setting for the Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico - both a period peace of a lost age of London and England, and a civic instruction manual. Historical a mixed area socially, and much more working class in my lifetime. Very gentrified now. Much of the area seemed quiet and free of traffic. Rather strange being so close to the centre. It must make it very livable.

I started at the northern end of Chelsea Bridge and walked downstream along Grosvenor Road (middle, bottom section of the above map).

First stop just past the bridge was at these sidings south of Victoria Station.

Looking back south at Battersea Power Station

Flats on Lupus Street, where I turned away from the river. Mid-20th century social housing?

Still on Lupus St was this wedge shaped residential block. Early Victorian/Regency?

A quick glance up Turpentine Lane shows a side view of what I think might be one of the Peabody Trust blocks (left). I say this because further to the left (i.e. rear of this) is Peabody Avenue.

St Gabriel's Church, viewed from Sussex St(?)

I forgot to note the road here, possibly off Belgrave Road. I was struck by the contrasting styles in these residential blocks.

At the appropriately named St George's Square, the Embassy of Georgia.

Also on St. George's Square, the inappropriately named St Saviour's Church. Actually the 'square' itself is a formed by a long rectangle with a triangular shape at one end.

Lithuanian embassy. Wonder if other former Soviet Republics' embassies are around her.

MI6 building viewed from across Vauxhall Bridge

I used to like passing this development on my journeys to Waterloo station on the railway (the other side of the buildings) because I thought the roof shapes looked like early monoplanes. This was the first of the big builds in this part of London (10-15 years ago?) but now there are many more high rise buildings in the area with more under construction. Buildings that looked they had views when first constructed a few years ago, are now in the shadows of neighbouring blocks. The new US Embassy is in this part of town - quite a departure from the traditional area - but not that far. Quite close to MI6!

And yet more development right by Vauxhall Bridge. Land reclamation?

I'll leave the walk there as I jumped on a bus back to the office from Vauxhall Bus Station.

Walks around London: Morden Hall Park

Here's another episode in my series of infrequent walks around the metropolis. Last Sunday (30th April) the Margravina and I decided to mix it up for a change and take our Sunday constitutional away from the usual haunt. We opted for Morden Hall Park, a few miles from us in SW London. I'd been there, briefly, one time before in the epic adventure up the Wandle River undertaken by Lincolnshire Tom and I a few years ago. I seem to have lost that post (if I ever wrote it up). The Wandle, a Thames tributary, skirts Morden Hall Park on its journey from Croydon to the Thames at Wandsworth, via Wimbledon.

South London - MH Park is in the area circled in the bottom left

By the standards of Richmond, this is quite a small park. Nevertheless it has a number of distinct areas, and would repay repeated visits before you got bored of it. As our first proper visit, our walk was fairly unstructured. Captions below the following pictures explain things as far as I can.

This looks like it could be the home of Colonel Sydenham Hill, Parliamentarian hero of the battles of Clee Fields and Grimsby, 1643, https://horseandmusketgaming.blogspot.com/2019/10/lincolnshire-campaign-ii-battle-of-clee.html

Aha! The true purpose of the building above. A mill, but for what?

I was taken with this arrangement. The Margravina did explain what it was, but the cares of state have washed it from my mind.

Close up

And even closer.

Blossom everywhere

Now this appears to be some device for controlling the flow of the water. Some type of gate at the bottom.

I liked the symmetry of this, err tree.

Local birdlife enjoying the day.

I found this parish boundary marker. There appeared to be some writing on the reverse but I couldn't clean off all the mud on it.

So this place produced snuff until the early 19th century. Tonnes of it!

Who doesn't love a tulip?

Evasive little fellows, or were they just Coy?

A side branch of the Wandle?

The above, but zoomed in. Very picturesque.

Not covered in the above photos is an area of wetland. This takes up quite a big portion of the northern part of the park. You hear more and more of these wetland areas nowadays, where nature is given a helping hand, in often urban or suburban areas. Seems like a very good idea. There also seems to be quite a few of these river trails around London. Most of them are arterial to the Thames (if that's the right word) and provide handy corridors for wildlife. Eels have been spotted in the Wandle for example. Excellent! An idea occurred to me whilst walking and talking on this particular walk. To what extent would it be possible to link these various Thames tributaries with green corridors?

Anyway, it was a pleasant change from our usual walks.

May Day Greetings!

The joy of May Day to you!

Actually, this was prompted by Tradgardmastare's post earlier today. It seems rare that May 1st falls on a Monday, so the actual traditional holiday falls on the official holiday here in the UK for once. Other countries in Europe seem to celebrate it whichever day of the week it falls on.

Since the decline of trade unions in the late 20th century, May Day doesn't seem to be much of a 'thing' here. When my parents were at school (1930s and 40s) there was an attempt to revive old English customs like dancing round the May Pole, but it's rare now.

It's still a pretty big thing over in the Margravina's homeland, where it is a blend of old and 'new' customs. There is the very old pagan Spring festival, the more modern Labour Day aspects and student day celebrations. My first introduction to it was in a pub in Rotherhithe 20 years ago. Six of us (3 Anglo/Kiwi blokes and their Finnish partners) heard about the 'Vappu' (May Day) party in Rotherhithe held by Finnish ex-pats. It all seemed very quiet and dull when we arrived, with us 6 (relatively young) and a few respectable looking family groups. We concluded that we would 'give it one more round of drinks' before heading for the bright lights. Then someone seemed to have lit the blue touch paper. All of a sudden everyone was up and singing along to karaoke amidst lots of raucous laughter. I came back from the loo to see the M. of P....... leaping from table to table grabbing balloons from the ceiling. Her sense of balance, even when in her cups, is something that has always impressed me!

Further Reading and Music:

Here's a pretty good description of Vappu from a Czech perspective. 

https://www.mysalmiakkilife.fi/hyvaa-vappua/

Finally, here is something appropriate to get your foot tapping or even have you swirling your significant other around the kitchen table. See if you can spot the Letkajenkka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ltC2zen5c