It’s another dull day though it doesn’t feel as cold as recently. We once again went via Sainsbury’s into Cloudesley Road but with the intention of turning left along Copenhagen Street and looping back to Middelton’s deli.

The Three Johns

This pub stands on the corner of White Lion Street and Baron Street and is such a familiar sight that it is easy to overlook it. It has had several names over the years, including Fallen Angel and Hobgoblin. When it became the Three Johns, I assumed that this was a new name but I was mistaken. According to the Survey of London (London County Council, 2008) “No. 73, formerly the Three Johns, stands on a corner site first developed on a lease of 1781 to John Painter. The public house here was known as the Three Johns by 1849, though the name may be a reference to the three Johns who assigned the lease in 1781 to Joshua Johnston, sword furbisher and scabbard-maker—the bankrupt Painter and his assignees, John Bond and John Pricklow. The pub was rebuilt in 1899–1901 for Watney Combe Reid & Co. Ltd.”. So Three Johns is after all its old and possibly original name.

Pot plants

There were a few stalls open in Chapel Market, including this one that seems to have become a regular after the departure of the Christmas tree sellers. I suppose it should be described as a “van” rather than as a “stall”.

Returning after being disturbed
Video by Tigger

We made our way to Cloudesley Road where lives the pigeon colony I described yesterday. As we arrived, something spooked them and they took off as a flock, wheeling round a couple of times before settling again. Quicker off the mark than me, Tigger made this short video.

All I managed was to catch a second contingent, more cautious, who preferred to perch in a tree and spy out the land before returning to the ground.

Barber shop, Copenhagen Street

When we turned into Copenhagen Street (past the “wonky shop” that I showed you yesterday), we came upon this barber’s shop with a rather counterintuitive name, a nod is as good as a wink, which I have plagiarised as my title.

Barbers are among the businesses that have been ordered to remain closed for the duration of lockdown, a fact that makes me look critically at my reflection in the mirror each morning. So far, so good, I will not have to tie up with flowing locks with ribbons any time soon.

A shop converted as a dwelling

A little further along is a shop that has been turned into a dwelling. In one sense, this is ironic because it would have been a house originally until somebody installed a shop on the ground floor. It has reverted to domestic use.

You may not be able to see this in the photo but above each window is a perforated metal strip. This would be for ventilation and suggests that the shop was first intended for the sale of fresh food, perhaps as a dairy or a butcher’s. These ventilation strips were used in the days before refrigeration became generally available and many examples can still be found.

Church on the Corner

At the end of Copenhagen Street, on its corner with Barnsbury Road, is an old pub. It had now been repurposed under the name Church on the Corner. The pub existed from no later than 1839 and was known as the King’s Arms and later as King Edward VII. It assumed its new role in 1994, I believe.

Jesus on a pub sign

What is possibly the pre-existing pub sign has been repainted with a picture of – so I assume – Jesus. There cannot be many pub signs picturing that particular person!

A surviving wreath

As it progresses southwards, Barnsbury Road becomes Penton Street and in the latter I photographed this Christmas wreath. We started off “collecting” wreaths as they multiplied in the approach to Christmas but now we do so for their increasing rarity!

One of the neighbours

As we did yesterday, we met one of the feline neighbours who was happy to give us a friendly greeting.

A “Build Your Own Wall” kit

The owners of a nearby house have acquired what appears to be a “Build Your Own Wall” kit. I hope it comes with instructions 🙂

White Conduit House

I was rather puzzled by the name of this building. It is hard to decipher but it is White Conduit House. I know that the White Conduit (no longer visible) was a pond or lake somewhere hereabouts, which gave its name to White Conduit Street, an off-shoot from Chapel Market. What possible connection could there be between that street and this building?

It turns out that the original White Conduit House was a large affair set in gardens and built somewhere around 1750. It provided a tea gardens and other genteel entertainments for city folk seeking a breath pure country air. The original House is long gone but was probably sited here. The name is borrowed and commemorates the real White Conduit House. I don’t know when this replacement was built.

Is it Little Georgia…

The establishment that lives here seems to have a split personality. The writing on the windows advertises it as the Little Georgia restaurant, whereas…

…or Punto Zero?

…the hanging sign identifies it as the Punto Zero restaurant. I suppose it doesn’t really matter much for now as it in any case has to remain closed.

Moody skyscape

Penton Street leads into the familiar territory of Claremont Square where I photographed the moody winter sky. From here it is but a step to reach Amwell Street and the friendly folk at Middelton’s deli.

Bearing coffee, we hurried home to warm ourselves, enjoy our coffee and reflect on our outing.

At home, I received a phone call from my sister in that distant land called Canada. Like us, they are suffering gravely from Covid. I made a point of asking how cold it was and was told it was several degrees below freezing. How glad am I to be in London where it is several degrees above freezing! Let it remain so!