The sky is more firmly grey today than yesterday and there was a scattering of fine drizzle. With the same temperature as yesterday, this made the atmosphere rather muggy.

We called first at Jusaka to leave with them the bag containing our takeaway cups for when we returned later.

Tigger is currently “collecting” old fire hydrants for an online site that she frequents with other enthusiasts of surviving antique street furniture.

Today we were hunting down an elusive prey in Spencer Street and, I’m glad to say, found it.

Old fire hydrant
Adapted from a photo by Tigger

The inscriptions on it were badly worn and it was impossible to read them but we guess it dates from the Victorian period. Despite no longer being in use, there remain quite a few of these hydrants in existence.

Goswell Road

As you can see from this photo of Goswell Road, it’s rather miserable day today, at least as far as the weather is concerned.

Old Gordon’s Gin factory

This was Gordon’s London Gin factory, built in 1957 on the site of their original early 19th-century factory. It ceased production, I beieve, in the 1980s and has been repurposed as offices, though the Gordons name is still visible.

Old Finsbury Mission

In Moreland Street is this interesting building. It helpfully displays a foundation stone:

Foundation stone, 1868

This stone, or rather, cement, is somewhat worn but one can make out a date of 1868 and, in rather florid mock-Gothic characters, the name “Spencer Place Baptist Chapel”. No doubt this site was once in Spencer Place but in 1937, the name ceased to exist, addressed in it being assigned to Goswell Road and Moreland Street.

Spencer Place, like Percival Street and Spencer Street (see above) was probably named after Perceval Spencer (note the different spellings of the name), Chancellor of the Exchequer 1807, Prime Minister 1809 and shot dead in the lobby of the House of Commons in 1812.

Moreland Street has had several names in its history, the last previous being Charles Street. I don’t know when it acquired the current one. There seem to be several possible candidates for the origin of the current name. A favourite is John Moreland, builder and bricklayer, whose business nearby in Goswell Road ran from about 1809 to 1843 or so.

The chapel later became known as the Finsbury Mission, under the non-conformist banner. When it ceased operating, I do not know. The building is now partly residential and partly offices. By a nice irony, the basement is occupied by the British Humanist Association.

Goswell Road at Rosebery Avenue

We now turned back up Goswell Road to claim our coffees from Jusaka. Here we are almost on a level with Rosebery Avenue and you can see that the weather is as damp and miserable as ever.

Not that we are down hearted, certainly not. We have enjoyed our walk and seen a few interesting sights and if going out is pleasant, so is returning home with our cargo of coffee!