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!

It was rather warmer today (8°C, according to the Met Office) but it still felt cold, especially my hands.

“I wish you’d wear your gloves,” said Tigger.

I explained that I can’t handle the phones camera when wearing gloves and that I’m prepared to suffer for my art. Tigger wasn’t convinced.

White Lion Street (the other end)

This picture is to show you the dull weather though it doesn’t give you an idea of the cold. I showed you White Lion Street yesterday and this is the other half.

Chapel Market – closed on Mondays

We crossed Chapel Market, which, as you can see, is closed on Mondays. I took the opportunity to pop into Mercer’s to ask about my loyalty card which I had forgotten to pick up yesterday. They had it and it was already stamped. (People tend to remember us, for some reason 🙂 )

Pigeon colony, Culpeper Park

We crossed through Sainsbury’s car park into Cloudesley Road. On the corner is Culpeper Park where we find this permanent colony of pigeons. The curious thing is that they hang out here, on the pavement and narrow strip of garden, rather than in the park itself. If you stand still facing them, as I did to take the photo, after a while you notice a slow but general movement of pigeons towards you. I think this is because people come here to feef them and if you stand here, they hope you have something for them. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Sorry, pigeons!

Culpeper Park

Here is Culpeper Park, looking very dull and wintery, its children’s playground deserted. This is one of the many small parks and gardens scattered here and there throughout the borough which help make it such a pleasant area in which to live.

Wonky shop

By and by, we came to a crossroads where this shop stands. You can see that it is distinctly “vertically challenged”, not to say wonky. This too is not unusual in this area because the ground is liable to subsidence and because builders of two centuries ago did not always dig deep enough foundations. Sloping windows and non-rectangular doors are quite common.

Cheerful red berries

This bush loaded with cheerful red berries made a pretty picture and shows that not all life grinds to a halt in winter.

Bicycle for a quadruped?

This bicycle was parked outside a house in Cloudesley Road and its owners had wisely padlocked it to the railings. What caught my attention, though, was that it has, not one but two sets of pedals, one set for the conventional sit-up position and another for the prone position. Is this bicycle used by someone with four feet? 🙂

French Milliner’s shop

I have photographed this lovely old shop front before. How old is it? 19th or early 20th century? The faded lettering identifies it as the premises of A. Wyld, “French Milliner”. Mr Wyld and his hats are long gone, alas, but the shop front still remains as a memory of him though the shop itself now seems to have been converted to residential use. Note, however, the decorative stonework at either end of the shop’s sign. This suggests that this was originally the opening of a passageway leading to the rear of the building and that a “developer” of the time filled it in and made into into a shop.

Doors on different levels

The difference in height of these two front doors is quite striking. The land in parts of the borough is quite hilly and one sees interesting examples of how the 18th and 19th-century architects dealt with this. This case seems quite extreme, however, and I suspect that this too is another example of a passage being filled in. The rather prominent lintel, which could have been used to support building work above an open space, also suggests this.

Once a chemist’s shop

This corner premises also wears its heart in its sleeve, so to speak. The erstwhile occupants used the wall to advertise some of their products, suggesting this was a chemist’s shop. Whether it is still a shop or now a residential property, I am unsure.

Waiting for spring

We passed along Stonefield Street which contains some fine old trees. They are bare now, spreading their branches to the empty air in anticipation of spring when they will dress themselves once more in green finery.

Holy Trinity, Cloudesley Square

In Cloudesley Square, Holy Trinity Church is still undergoing rebuilding. The blue plastic shrouding has gone from the turrets but these are still boarded up and there is scaffolding and shrouding at various parts of the building. I shall be curious to see what it is like when finished, assuming that by then churches will be open and able to be visited.

Number eight-and-a-half

In a street leading from the square and also called, somewhat confusingly, Cloudesley Square, we find this door, surely evidence of another piece of intercalation because the number is 8½!

Making friends with a neighbour

Back in Cloudesley Road, heading back towards home, we encountered one of the neighbours. She (and I am convinced she is female) turned out to be friendly. Once formal introductions had been completed, she was happy to be stroked and made much of. This was, if not the highlight of the walk, at least one of them!

Sainsbury’s car park once more

We came at last to Sainsbury’s car park and as I prepared to take a photograph, the family visible in it brushed rudely past me as though social distancing had never been heard of. Are we surprised that the disease keeps on spreading?

Through White Conduit Street to Chapel Market we came, and there I entered Mercer’s again, this time to buy coffee to take home. Today the door is open as usual so why we were served through the window yesterday is a mystery, though not one that I will bother dwelling on.

It was time to hurry home and enjoy our coffee while it was still hot!

Look, no Ari!

When we emerged this morning from a well earned rest (lockdown is so wearing!), we naturally looked for Ari to bid her good day. All in vain, for no Ari was there to be seen.

Ari has apparently gone walkabout, we know not where. Maybe she has gone in search of food or fancies a change of scene.

Perhaps, having satisfied whatever needs have provoked her departure, she will return here as she did before. I hope so and will be sure to let you know if she does.

Leaving Ari (see previous two posts) to her own devices for a while, we set out for Sainsbury’s. The shopping needs to be done come hell or high water.

White Lion Street – cold and misty

It was colder than ever today at -1°C, according to the Met Office, and misty with it. I think the damp air made it feel even chillier.

Luggage trolley from Euston Station
Photo by Tigger

While I was photographing the weather, Tigger was photographing this luggage trolley outside the Castle pub. It has been there for quite some time, minding its own business, troubling no one and troubled by none. It comes from Euston Station which, though not far away as the crow flies, is, I imagine, quite a step for someone pushing this sort of trolley. How it arrived here, whether by bus, taxi or pedestrian power, I do not know. Will it one day be reunited with its fellows or will it languish on the mean streets for ever?

The Farmers’ Market

There was a fair turnout for the Farmers’ Market and the stalls seemed to be doing a brisk trade.

Queueing at Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s seems no longer to open for 15 minutes of “browsing time” before the tills open and so we had aimed to arrive at exactly 11 am when the doors open. In the event, we were 3 minutes early and thus found ourselves waiting in a queue that already stretched round the corner into Tolpuddle Street and past the bus stop.

On the hour, the queue began to move and, pausing only to take a trolley, we plunged into the mêlée within.

We found most of what we wanted but I couldn’t help noticing the empty spaces here and there on the shelves. I don’t know whether this is a merely local problem (a relative who works for Sainsbury’s in another town reports that 170 members of staff are off sick) or whether this is the beginning of shortages caused by the well publicised difficulties arising from our exit from the EU.

Service at the window

We stopped off on the way home at Mercer’s for our coffee as usual. Here we found another novelty: the door was locked and on it in large letters was written “ORDER AT WINDOW”. When my turn came, I ordered coffee, proffering my new loyalty card (see It’s not Sunday but…). In the confusion of the novelty conditions, the assistant forgot to return my card and I forgot to ask for it. I’ll mention it next time and perhaps they’ll remember finding an orphan card.

And that, I think, will be our outing for today. Given that we have been out and that its jolly c~o~l~d, we shall stay indoors for the remainder of the day. Ari obviously agrees with us!

Ari goes for a stroll
Video by Tigger