Today was cold and damp but we managed to avoid the rain predicted for later. It was quite chilly, or so my hands kept telling me.

Balancing act

Passing through Claremont Square, we were intrigued by this bird, perched on the tip of the highest twig on the tree. How he managed this was rather a mystery but the occasional wobble suggested that it was a delicate balancing act.

No ball games

We took the path that runs beside Bevin Court and I was amused to see this notice saying “NO BALL GAMES” as I can’t imagine it occurring to anyone to to try to play ball in such a thicket.

Nesting box

It’s good to see that birds’ nesting boxes have been installed. This one is intended for very small birds, as the size of the aperture shows.

Bat boxes

Nearby were a couple of boxes rather different from the traditional nesting boxes. I thought at first that they were broken but Tigger suggested that they were bat boxes – a supposition subsequently confirmed by a knowledgeable person.

Straying further afield

For these walks we usually stay within an area fairly close to home but today, feeling adventurous (and also because Tigger had spent three days cooped up at work), we strayed further afield. In the picture is the junction where Penton Rise meets King’s Cross Road, a busy thoroughfare.

The Northumberland Arms

At the junction stands this fine old pub, called the Northumberland Arms and dating from the early 1800s. It is currently closed, of course, as are all pubs.

Wicklow Street

We crossed into Wicklow Street which, as you can see, has a cobbled road surface. There are still quite a few of these in existence in London and elsewhere. They may give a shaky ride to vehicle drivers – and more so to cyclists – but they are very durable and will therefore not disappear in the foreseeable future. Another point in their favour is that they help reduce the speed of motor vehicles!

Oy, can’t you read?

This car is parked solidly across the entrance to which a plaintive message has been taped: “PLEASE DO NOT PARK/BLOCK ACCESS TO GARAGE”. Some people, eh?

Enclosed balconies

This pleasantly styled block of flats has passages with open balconies fronted by delicately designed railings. Curiously, on the first floor these are closed off completely with bars but, counterintuitively, not on the higher floors. Did the architects think that people were less likely to jump from the upper, rather than the lower, floors?

Chimney? Ventilation shaft?

On this open area, which seems to have resulted from the demolition of the buildings that once stood on it, we saw this odd-looking tubular structure. What is it? We saw that underground trains on the Metropolitan Line pass close by but not directly under this object. My best guess is that it is a ventilation shaft but for what exactly, I cannot guess.

Once a school or a chapel?

On the corner of Wicklow Street with Britannia Street stands another mystery building. From the style, I’m guessing it’s late Victorian but what was its purpose?It looks vaguely ecclesiastical but the number of windows and their placement militates against it being a chapel or small church. Perhaps it was a school. Other than that, I’m at a loss.

A stylish doorway

The doorway also looks somewhat ecclesiastical but could also fit a school of the period. The board beside the door reads “UCL Ear Institute”, showing that it currently belongs to the nearby University College’s ENT hospital.

Privacy, please

This block of flats is one of a group in Cromer Street built in 1937-8 but what intrigued me is that the occupants of the first floor flat seem to feel an extreme need for privacy, so much so that they have completely screened of their balcony from prying eyes.

Holy Cross Catholic Church

Also in Cromer Street is theHoly Cross Catholic Church, dating from 1888. At one end is a piece of ground that looks as if it might have been a garden. I assume this belongs to the church. Perhaps it is all that remains of its churchyard, if indeed it ever had one. My attention, though, was drawn to the wall.

Four paintings

On the wall are four paintings. They are not religious paintings but quite pretty in their way. Who painted them and why? Was this once a community garden?

Artificial rock formations

We walked through Bramber Green, a park run by the Borough of Camden. In the middle is a curious rock formation, of monumental size but obviously artificial, surrounded by a scattering of real rocks. Here is a closer view of it from the other side.

The “rock formation”

I don’t know whether it is intended to be purely decorative or whether it is intended for children to play on (which they no doubt do, anyway).

Old Telephone Exchange

Our last “catch” of the day was this old telephone exchange (remember those?), dating, judging by the design details, to the 1920s. All telephone company insignia has been removed so I imagine it had been turned over to other uses.

Gateway: “restrained Art Deco”

The gateway is in a style I might call “restrained Art Deco”, a little tame, perhaps. There is no royal coat of arms of anything else to identify this as the building of a national service, except…

Telephone decorations on the windows

…the decorations on the first-floor windows. These are images of the telephones in use when the exchange was built: a stand with built-in microphone ppland a separate earpiece attached by a length of flex.

Telephone images

You might be able to make out the telephone images in this expanded version.

Looking back from Percy Circus

After a long ramble, trekking up the hill to Percy Circus seemed hard work. Here I am looking back over the way we had just come but that’s only the small last leg of the walk.

Percy Circus Garden is too big to photograph but here is a scan of it:

Percy Circus Garden

There was a bit more hill to climb in order to reach Myddelton’s deli where we found ourselves in a queue. Then, coffee in hand, we made for home. My aching legs showed that as a result of lockdown and restrictions on our movements, I am out of condition. When we can once more go out and about, I should have to work to recover my stamina!