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

Long Island or Alas Smith and Jones.

I took part in the latest re-play of the action at Shoemaker Heights, Jonathan Freitag's Long Island based scenario set in 1776.  Jon has an AAR on his blog. Please read that in order to make sense of my ramblings. Here are my perceptions from the point of view of one of the participants on the US side. This is not in any way an attempt to give a balanced report. In his post, Jon shows how American fire caused serious losses to the British early on. The British then recovered to storm the American position, only to be pushed back as the game saw the American position stabilise.

It's funny how perspective changes. Because I was late arriving (sorry to Jon, Steve, David and Mark) I just saw hordes of redcoats heading our way. I missed the opening volleys which held the Brits up. Then when David's charge up the hill seemed to smash a way through the American position, all seemed lost for the Revolution. This was underlined when Steve's Guards poured volleys into the riflemen and brandished their bayonets at the lip of the earthworks ready to skewer the traitorous dogs.

I guess the riflemen were good at ducking, shrugging off three hits in one turn with saving throws. Talk about luck! In my mind, this was the first sign of hope. American resilience! The gun section positioned by Mark on the hill by the road did sterling work on the British left. One of the British brigades on their left never seemed to get moving very far. I couldn't figure out why.

I didn't have the presence of mind to take any screenshots of the action on Jon's table, so here are some  random shots of my Colonial regiments.

In charge of the appropriately late arriving reinforcements, I was faced with the choice of where to send them. Left or right? The right seemed pressing, but I couldn't make up my mind so I hedged my bets and went up the middle onto the heights. This meant I was fortuitously on hand when Pigot's charge seemed to burst open the American position. I later rationalised this as taking advantage of interior lines, but at the time it was just responding to whatever seemed the most pressing threat.

When David sent Jones' brigade out wide to threaten the American left I took a gamble and left the guns to their own devices and sent half of Parson's brigade to shore up the left flank. It certainly helped holding a relatively tight position because to meant Parson's brigade was all still in command radius despite being split into two parts.

Luck was on the side of the rebels and in successive turns, American musketry shredded the brigades of Jones and Pigot, and the gun continued to plunge shot into Smith's brigade. This was much more profitable than my earlier attempts to shoot up the Guards. Those veritable Caesars just seemed to soak up the pressure and carry on calmly. Many a junior officer would be missing from St James', but the Guardsmen just closed ranks and continued pouring volleys into the rebels on the heights.

In the end American firepower, portentously, won the day.

History for sale

The Grauniad [sic.] has news of the impending auction of an important historical document, a copy of the declaration of Breda, 1660. In the declaration the putative Charles II accepted conditions on his assumption of the crown.

Not as important as the 1688 settlement maybe, but an important step nonetheless. And one that ended two decades of war.

Yours for an estimated price of a 3 bedroom house in an unfashionable London suburb. I hope it ends up somewhere other than a billionaire’s collection.

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/06/document-that-made-charles-ii-king-to-be-auctioned-for-600k 

Back on the walking trail

It's been a while since I did one of these walking posts. Unlike previous ones, this is a bit of a mash up of 3 or 4 recent walks. Shortish ones lasting from half an hour to two hours. They include some signs of Spring in Richmond Park and its environs, and a couple of lunchtime urban walks in the week.

These first ones are from late Feb

The seat of the Margrave von Nundanket. Actually White Lodge, which houses the Royal Ballet School, also in Richmond Park

The Margravina admiring the flora. She did tell me what they all were, but I forgot.

The next batch is from c 11 March

Bench in memory of Lord and Lady Rix. Brian Rix will be known to lovers of farces (and no that's not a reference to recent governments). The Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park

Layers of trees creating a sense of great depth. Also in the Isabella Plantation.

Same location

I can't think why they're telling the bluebells to keep off.

The next pair are from last weekend

Near Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park.

Fairytale style cottage in the grounds of Pembroke Lodge.

Finally photos from a couple of lunchtime walks. I was able to do this owing to a relocation of work base.

View north across the Thames by the railway bridge leading to Victoria Station

Ditto, but close-up

Chelsea Bridge from the south bank. Technically I should say from the right bank

The Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park

Attempt to be arty.

The Grosvenor Canal (Left bank of the Thames). I had never heard of it until today. Now less than 200yards long. Even at its longest it only went as far as the site of Victoria Station (c.1/2 mile)

New development on the site of Chelsea Barracks. it looks like only about 1/3 of the total site has been built on so far.

Building named in honour of Margaret Thatcher at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The RHC is the home of the Chelsea Pensioners. The Parisian equivalent is now a museum - L'Hotel des Invalides. 

What looks like the main building at the hospital.

Sports fields belonging to the RHC. Walking football?

This was a surprise. Challenger in urban style camo - I believe pioneered by the RTR Berlin garrison in the 1980s on their Chieftains.

NAM. Probably just a bit too far in a lunch hour. I'd maybe get 20 minutes inside.

Classic Art Deco mansion block? Royal Hospital Road

"Nothing to declare but my genius" in Tite St.

This caught my eye on Dilke St, at the back of a mansion block on Chelsea Embankment. Looks like houses wrecked in the Blitz, but I suspect its more recent damage. A redevelopment?

Dilke St

The Peace Pagoda, this time from across the river. Taken between passing vehicles on Chelsea Embankment

Looking downriver from the left bank to the right bank. The chimneys of Battersea Pier Station on the right. Towers in Nine Elms to the left, close to the new US Embassy. With the MI6 building just a bit further downstream, this is a target rich environment for the Bad Guys on speed boats armed with RPGs!

The Royal Hospital Chelsea seen from the south (Chelsea Embankment)

Old Father Thames. Looking up stream from Chelsea Bridge.

Same view, but zoomed in to see the Albert Bridge

Lots to explore in that area. Maybe next time I'll take my passport as I venture over to Pimlico.