Tigger has had to go to the office this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (today). On the first two of those days, it rained all day and the view from the window presented such a miserable aspect that I stayed at home.

Today presented a much better picture, even though the sun failed to put in an appearance, despite the Met Office forecasting that it would, and I therefore decided that I must make the effect to go out.

Lovelier than a poem

Without Tigger, I felt decidedly uninspired but to give myself courage, I started with a visit to my favourite, the Curvaceous Tree. Gazing at its spreading and twisting branches put me in mind of that poem of which people usually quote only the first couplet:

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

It was composed by Joyce Kilmer (about whom, more here) and I have reproduced the whole poem as the post preceding this one.

Chadwell Street

I passed along Chadwell Street, very quiet now that the road works have been cleared away, to arrive at…

Owen Street

…St John Street at the point where Owen Street branches off it. Owen Street is named after the local Tudor philanthropist, Dame Alice Owen. The road, this end closed to all traffic except cyclists and pedestrians, runs beside a small park called Owen’s Fields. I am unsure whether this is the last remainder of the open land on which Dame Owen luckily escaped injury when an arrow lodged in her hat, but it may well be.

Goswell Road and City Road

Owen Street leads to Goswell Road near the point where it meets City Road. The strip of land separating them is crossed by a cycle path which is strategically sited opposite the end of Colebrooke Row, where many cyclists continue their route and I was intending to go for my walk.

Colebrooke Row

Colebrooke Row runs beside the gardens that now cover Sir Hugh Myddelton’s New River. It is also famous (or infamous) for being the home street of a certain Boris Johnson, though whether he still retains a house there, I do not know.

Regent’s Canal

The Row crosses the Regent’s Canal just where it enters the Islington Tunnel (under where I am standing). When the tunnel was first built, its lack of a tow path meant that bargees had to “leg” their barges through it, that is, they had to push against the walls with their feet to “walk” the barge through. As the tunnel is 960 yards long (over half a mile), this presented difficulties and caused delays. In 1820, a steam tug was introduced which could pull several barges at once through the tunnel. This service continued operating until the 1930s by which time motor driven barges had become common.

Church of St John the Evangelist

I took this distance shot of the Roman Catholic Church of St John the Evangelist in Duncan Terrace. It was built in 1841-3.

Gardens covering the New River

As the distance between Colebrooke Row and Duncan Terrace narrows, the covering of the New River becomes narrower too, no longer a park but more like a strip garden.

House of Charles and Mary Lamb

Right at the end of Duncan Terrace stands this fairly modest house. Then called Colebrooke Cottage, it was occupied from 1823-7 by writer and essayist Charles Lamb and his sister Mary, whom he cared for during her bouts of mental illness. Though they occupied other houses in London at various times, Lamb said that this house was where he was happiest. A plaque (visible in the photo), placed by the defunct London County Council acknowledges Charles’ stay but doesn’t mention his sister.

Duncan Terrace

Duncan Terrace (named after Admiral Adam Duncan) has a section which is raised above the normal ground level. I don’t know for certain why this is so but suspect it has something to do with the New River whose course come close to the houses. It reverts to normal level at the church.

The sole survivor

I thought that all signs and symbols of Christmas had been removed but then came across this wreath. Actually, it was not quite “sole” as I did spot another one but it was heavily obscured by scaffolding and so I didn’t photograph it.

Angel crossroads

Instead of returning by the way I had come, I walked up City Road to the Angel Crossroads. Jusaka was not open but was locked up and dark. Not that I had any intentions of buying coffee because, as you may have noticed, I do that only when I am with Tigger. Instead, I went home and made tea!