The Happy Wandler

Back in Spring 2021, Lincolnshire Tom and I walked a large part of the Wandle Trail. This is a walk along the river of that name that rises in near Croydon in South London and runs down through Wimbledon and thence to the Thames at Wandsworth.

Rivers from left to right are: Hogsmill; Beverley Brook and Wandle - all subject of river walks by yours truly. Central London is off the map, top right. Earlsfield is in the upper central part of the map.

On that trip LT and I met at Earlsfield Station and walked upstream to Carshalton where we called it a day and walked to catch the bus back home from Sutton. The full trail can be seen in the attached link.

https://www.merton.gov.uk/system/files?file=wandle_trail-4.pdf

The stretch downstream from Earlsfield looked like it would be mostly urban and uninteresting. But a couple of weeks ago the Margravina and I decided to give it a go on the spur of the moment one Sunday evening. It did prove to be pretty urban, but more interesting than expected, as these things often do. 

Most of the trail seemed to be away from the banks of the river, with the best views of it coming from the many pedestrian bridges. That said, much of the walk was through parks, so there was plenty of greenery. For part of the way, on the right bank (i.e. right as you head downstream) several houses backed onto the river and residents had built decks from where they could dine by the stream. As it was balmy weather, many residents were out, so taking pictures didn't seem the right thing. Once we got to Wandsworth Town, we were clearly in a much busier urban space, but ironically the river was more open to view, especially around the site of the former Young's Brewery.

First siting after leaving the station. Some public spirited person clearly wanted to help encourage flora by creating a a 'dam' with an old bike wheel.

Ah, this is better. View from one of the many foot bridges.

This looks like apartments in an old 1930s factory. I could be wrong.

A fair stretch of the walk was through a park like this. Not a great view, but it is a growing city.

Information board in the park explaining its previous use as the site for pre-fabricated houses built after WWII as a quick response to the housing crisis. I remember houses like this still being occupied into the 1970s in Grimsby. They were very well thought of by residents as they came with 'all mod cons' that they often didn't have in their old homes.

Think this must have been part of the old brewery.

Mixed use redevelopment of the brewery site. Bars, restaurants and retail below residential flats.

Back on a main road, a rare example of housing from c.1900(?) surrounded by more modern development.

View from next to the above houses, showing the on-going development of the south bank of the Thames. 

A more run down industrial stretch of the Wandle

A 'pool' by the above stretch. I can this this becoming a waterspouts area at some point.

This sort of scene wouldn't be out of place in the Sweeney.

Waste recycling centre?

At last a sighting of Old Father Thames!

Looking towards Chelsea

Lots of new blocks of flats by the Thames

House boats?

Ah-ha! An island of Georgian architecture. I wonder what it was.

Ah, so the Prince Regent's knocking shop. Or am I being too liberal in my interpretation of the word 'frequented'?  

Wandsworth Park, resplendent with London Plane Trees

From the mouth of the Wandle we turned left to walk up the Thames to Putney to catch a bus back home. The Thames Path took us inland slightly, to skirt around some properties which fronted directly onto the river bank. The architecture became more varied as we approached Putney, with many fine Victorian and Edwardian buildings. Close to the end we spotted this curious shield.

All in all, a pleasant evening's stroll, after the heat of the day. It's filled in more of the gaps for me and has got me around 3 sides of a circuit involving the Wandle, the Thames and the Beverley Brook (see map above) since I've done the walk to Putney Bridge from both the Beverley and the Wandle. I'd like, at some point, to find a route which links up the two tributaries upstream, 'across the watershed' as it were, that doesn't involve too much walking along pavements. We'll see.

Word Hoard

I downloading some photos of one of my latest walks, I came across a note file I'd made last October whilst reading a book on a flight. The book was the one below, and is basically a compendium of Anglo-Saxon words. As I read I made a note of some words that struck me as resonant or pleasing in some way.

Some of them I was able to make connections with either modern English words with slightly different meanings (or the old word gave a refreshed interpretation of the modern word) or with some foreign (usually Nordic) words. Some of them may not be news to you, but they were to me.

Wynn = joy (win-win?)

Frith = peace (like Swedish frid)

Therefore Winifred = joy of peace. And Frederick/Friedrich = rich in peace. And maybe also Freddie Frith = Peace Peace!*

Yrtglingc = Earthling. A ploughman or farmer (was everyone else an alien?)

Wed = pledge (where we get our alternative word for 'married' from?)

Gift (pronounced yift) = gift (also Scandinavian for marry and also poison!).

Wudu-bucca = wild goat 

Gāt-bucca = domesticated goat

Bucca like bok (sp?) in Swedish/pukki in Finnish

OR pūcel = goblin (various spellings, often like puck)

Hwæl-weg = ocean/sea  (literally 'whale way')!**

* for non-motor cycling enthusiasts Freddie was a motorcycling champion in the mid-20th. Before my time, but I knew of him because he had a motorbike shop in his native Grimsby.

** Not sure if that last one was a pun made up by the author or not!

Postscript. The Helion book on the Army of George II by Peter Brown is turning out to be very good. Well researched and referenced, it dispels some of the myths about the Georgian British Army. To cap it all it is well written and easy to read. I'm pretty new to the British Army in this period so it is proving to be an excellent acquisition. Be interested in hearing what anyone else thinks of it.

Impromptu river walk

Late to rise this morning, I surprised the Margravina with the offer of a walk. I know what you’re thinking. ‘He knows how to please a lady’. You’ve either got it or haven’t. 🤭We haven’t had each other’s company on a perambulation for a while as she visited her mother country recently.

We parked in our usual spot near Richmond Park and this time decided to head down the hill walking towards Robin Hood Gate to take advantage of the shade cast by the trees. At the gate we followed the Beverley Brook stream, subject of a previous river walk with Lincolnshire Tom, and a previous blog post. This time the M and I had no clear plan or aim, and walked along the river bank towards Roehampton Gate, stopping off at the ‘Cyclists Cafe’ for a coffee. 

Batteries recharged, I suggested we take a little walk outside the park for a change, taking the path of the Beverley Brook Walk, again with no clear plan or intentions. But the magic of the stream took over and we determined to follow the route to the Thames, walk along the Thames path to Putney Bridge and then catch the bus back to the car. Here’s a few snaps taken en route. A lovely walk.

Map of the last stages of the walk.

View downstream from Priests Bridge (near top of map). I’ve no idea why there’s a stream diverting water off the main channel taking water underneath the building on the left (a pub). Nothing is shown on maps of where this goes.

From the confluence of the Beverley and the Thames looking across to the new riverside stand at Fulham FC’s stadium. The building just out over the river. Last time I walked there it was still under construction.

Old Father Thames keeps rolling along, down to the mighty sea. 

Follow-up activity.

Here’s a video of a chap called John Rogers doing the same walk, but from further up the Beverley. I find John’s videos engaging and informative. Mostly they’re around London, including some other river walks, but he also has some videos of walks from further afield.

https://youtu.be/qGz1SJ6FVWM

New reading material

It’s been a long time since my last post. No gaming or painting activity recently, though I am joining a remote game hosted by the ever calm and collected Jonathan Freitag of the Palouse Wargaming Journal blog. This will be a multiplayer ACW game in which I’ll be ‘leading’ the US army. The selection method was the old trick whereby the Sarge calls for volunteers to take one step forward, and the whole squad, except the sap, takes one step back.

Wargaming reading has been limited to blogs. Recently I started Katja Hoyer’s history of the DDR, Beyond the Wall, but that got interrupted and I haven’t got back to it. Then last week I joined one of Helion’s virtual book launches and was inspired to place an order. Before I did d i checked Paul Meekins’ site and found the book discounted, plus four others that I’ve been thinking about. See below.

The Pattern was the subject of the book launch, and These Distinguished Corps of one I attended a couple of years ago. Between Scylla and Charybdis Part II is necessary if I am to do a Saxon AWS army (I have Part I). The last two are ‘needed’ as background reading for the British and French AWS/SYW armies I built up last year.

The service from Meekins was excellent I have to say and the order arrived promptly and cheaply. The books were well packed, each covered in cellophane, inside a cardboard pack, then wrapped in bubble wrap and finally in a cardboard box. Possibly a little too well wrapped. Here’s one happy customer. And all at a sizeable discount off the cover price.

I haven’t had a chance to read any of them yet, due to a quick overnight trip to the South West, taking Offspring #4 to a university open day. There’ll be several more trips like this over the coming weeks and months, as Offspring #3 is also at the same stage (being #3 by mere minutes) So more Saturdays lost to gaming. Today was out for other reasons. Of that, possibly more anon.