Upper Street

We needed to visit a shop in Upper Street, so we did that first. With that task out of the way, we could return to quieter areas.

Parkfield Street

This is Parkfield Street, which was first laid out in 1844. It is one of those quiet streets of Georgian style houses that I have come to appreciate so much, quieter even than most as one end is closed to traffic.

Stairs to the “area”

As is usual with houses of this type, they all have a basement “area”, originally with its own access, which would have allowed tradesmen etc to avoid the front door, reserved, as it was, for callers of standing. In modern times, when householders no longer have servants, the “areas” have suffered various fates. Some have been blocked off or even covered over, while others have found a new role as the entrance to the basement flat.

Window ironwork

The houses in this row are notable for their well preserved ironwork, both railings and decorative iron on the first-floor windows.

During World War 2, much ironwork was removed from houses, supposedly for the making on armaments. Some has been replaced with facsimiles but in some places – as seems to be the case here – the originals have survived.

The pigeon tree

We passed through Culpeper Park where, for some reason, many of the pigeons had congregated in one of the trees.

Cruikshank Street

Cruikshank Street, first called Bond Street after its original founder, is another pleasant and quiet road. Some of the houses were built in the Georgian pattern in the 1840s but others date to the early 20th century and lack the trademark basement of the earlier houses. I hoped I might introduce Tigger to the tortoiseshell cat (see A solo walk), but she was nowhere to be seen.

A different style of living

We passed in front of Bevin Court, which I previously described as “a cliff of apartments“. Built in 1946, it is considered historically important enough to merit a Grade II* listing.

“Private Mews”

Leading off Lloyd Street, is this intriguing lane. A notice describes it as a “private mews”. Originally, a mews was a narrow street running behind a residential street and containing stables for the horses belonging to those houses. Today, the stables have largely been converted into modest houses. Whether this mews ever provided stabling for the horses of the local gentry, I do not know but its cobbled surface suggests a fairly early origin.

Scarlet tulips

These brightly coloured and full-blown tulips in a front garden caught our eye (and cameras!).

Electric fan, anyone?

In a doorway an electric fan seems to be up for grabs. Might come in useful this summer, if last year’s heat is repeated.

Wharton Street and BT Tower

Looking down Wharton Street, we can see, in the distance, the BT Tower, making an interesting contrast with the street lamps.

From here, we were soon at Myddelton’s deli. Tigger found us a table on the pavement while I went inside and ordered coffee. We sat there for quite some time, drinking coffee, observing the scene around us and talking about this and that

Myddelton Square Garden

On the way home we passed Myddelton Square. The garden seemed unusually empty, perhaps partly because of the cloudy weather and partly because it was a weekday.

Flowers
Photo by Tigger

Beside the church was a bush in flower and Tigger took this photo of some of the blooms.

St Mark’s Church

In contrast to the living softness of the flowers is the hard stone of the church. Both possess their individual kind of beauty.

Squirrel in the branches

We spotted a squirrel but two children crashing about in the undergrowth scared him and he ran up the tree to become almost invisible among the branches.

The Curvaceous Tree

My last photo was this one of my favourite, the Curvacious Tree. After this we made for home, content with our walk and looking forward to a pleasant evening of relaxation.