Today, the day after Christmas, is called Boxing Day. Why? Well, everyone seems to have a pet theory about that and I am not going to hazard any guesses.

Happily, the temperature has risen and by the time we bestirred ourselves, it had reached a magnificent 9°C. That still felt pretty cold and clutching a hot cup of coffee (thank you, Starbuck’s) was a pleasure.

The lone trader

We crossed Chapel Market without walking along it and I looked to see whether there were any market stalls. Yes, there was just one: a fish stall.

The fish shop, open too

That prompted me to look and see whether the fish shop was open too. It was, and I wondered whether they had both opened by chance or whether they had tipped one another the wink, so to speak.

Fruit and veg open

Both of the fruit and veg shops were open again today as they were yesterday. All that was missing was that unreliable element, customers.

Pigeons feeding

We crossed Sainsbury’s car park (which used to be a body of open water called White Conduit, hence the name of the short street leading to it, a called White Conduit Street) and went along Cloudesley Road. Beside it is Culpeper Park and on the pavement nearby was a crowd of pigeons. Someone must have left food for them. There was no squabbling which suggested that they had finished the banquet and nothing was left.

Boxing Day, pigeon style!
Video by Tigger

Tigger knows I’m fond of pigeons and caught a short video of this one emerging from a box atop a rubbish bin. (I’ve called it a video but it was a “live photo” – iPhone users will know what that is.)

Many-branched tree

In the front garden of one of the houses was this amazing many-branched tree. I just had to photograph it.

A multiple tree

Here is another view of it, showing the base. Whether it’s a many-branched tree or several trees coalesced together is a moot point. This could become my joint-favourite along with the Curvaceous Tree beside St Mark’s Church. I will come back to see it in spring when it is again dressed in leaves.

Replacements of the originals?

In Batchelor Street, our attention was taken ip by photographing a couple of Christmas wreaths (more about that later) and I almost missed something more interesting. In a row of apparently identical Georgian style houses, I noticed that this section had bricks of a slightly different colour from the rest. Also, they have thick, straight, black lintels over the windows and the doors (just about visible in the photo) whereas the adjoining houses had brick arches.

Older housing stock?

I don’t know how well the difference shows up in the photos but these houses look – to me, anyway – as if they are older. Their brick arches “look right” while the heavy lintels of the others “look wrong”. The differences are subtle and I could be mistaken.

The blue plague on the left is to the artist Thomas Hosmer Shepherd (1793-1864) who lived at number 26 when the road was called Chapman Street.

Unwanted chairs

Also in Batchelor Street were these apparently discarded chairs. If you need extra seating for your home, you know where to come!

Tower, Business Design Centre
Previously the Royal Agricultural Hall

We entered Liverpool Road opposite the large building now known as the Business Design Centre. Viewed from Upper Street, it is fronted by modern metal and glass but from here, we can see the older part. I tried to photograph it in its entirety but the road is not wide enough to allow me to go far enough back to include all of it in one frame. This picture may give some idea of it.

The central part

The Royal Agricultural Hall was opened for business in 1862. It was designed among other things to provide space for cattle dealers to show off their animals during cattle shows. Happily, these are no longer held here and the building has been assigned other duties.

Raised pavement and steps

Near the building just discussed, the pavement on the western side of Liverpool Road is raised above the level of the road. There is a railing to stop you falling off (although this is quite low, testifying to the shorter average height of people in times past) and steps to descend to the road, all in all a rather quaint feature for London. I don’t know whether there was a reason for this feature or whether it came about simply because of the local topography.

Holy Trinity Church

Before crossing the road to start back, we had a view of Holy Trinity Church in Cloudesley Square. The last time we went near it, it was being used by the Celestial Church of Christ and seemed in need of repair. It has now reverted back to the C of E and the Cloudesley Association is trying to raise funds to return it to use. I don’t know whether they will be successful in a time when churches are being closed down rather than opened but we shall see.

The Old Royal Free Hospital

We crossed the road at the Old Royal Free Hospital. I described this in a previous post. It is now a residential estate. One can walk through to rejoin Upper Street but that is not where we were going today.

Sainsbury’s is open

We saw that Sainsbury’s was open again (handy if we run out of something or other) but as we were not in need of anything we continued on.

Chapel Market

We crossed the end of Chapel Market but didn’t go into it even though we thought that Costa might be open today.

Instead, we took our custom, as we did yesterday, to Starbuck’s in the High Street. The same system was in place: order at the counter and then wait outside for them to bring your coffee to you.

The High Street

The High Street was fairly busy, though mainly in bursts rather than continuously as it is normally. We did not tarry, however, but made straight for home with our coffee.

I said above that I would mention wreaths later. I know some of you like them. We photographed quite a few and I have gathered a collection of 12 but, rather than lengthen the post by inserting them individually, I have put them in the animated gif below

Christmas wreaths