The weather today was at least dry, which was a blessing because, as I mentioned, my shoes let in the water. I had seriously been thinking of tying plastic bags over my shoes but that was fortunately not necessary. I have ordered new shoes from Vegetarian Shoes in Brighton and they should reach me on Thursday.

The kitten in the window
Photo by Tigger

We passed through Claremont Square and, as usual, looked for the kitten who is sometimes in the window. He was there today, apparently fast asleep.

A promising sky

The sky looked promising with blue showing between white clouds. This gave hope of sunny intervals and no rain.

Coffee at Myddelton’s

By the time we reached Myddelton’s, the weather was suitable for sitting outside with our coffee. However…

Clouds were gathering

…the clouds were beginning to thicken and turn dark. I crossed my fingers that it would not rain.

The marquee has gone

Passing through Lloyd Square, I looked over the railings into the gardens to see how the marquee was progressing (see Shopping and a walk). It had disappeared! So, for whatever purpose it had been erected, that was over and done with. I shall never know what it was for.

Pavement garden

In Granville Street, we came upon this pavement garden. I’ve already mentioned the one in Claremont Square and it now seems that it is not an isolated example, as we shall see.

Granville Square Gardens

Granville Street leads to the square of the same name which has a central garden and a play area for children.

The sun came out in Granville Square

As we walked round the square, the sun made a brief appearance and so, of course, I caught it on camera!

Riceyman Steps

From Granville Square, we descended by Riceyman Steps, location of the fictitious second-hand bookshop in Arnold Bennet’s novel of the same name.

Looking back

The steps are quite dramatic in their way, I suppose, and add an interesting detail to the landscape.

A head in the garden

Riceyman Steps led us down to King’s Cross Road, along which we began walking in the direction of the station. We spied something in a front garden. It looked like a severed head but fortunately it was artificial.

The Prince Albert

To me, there is always something rather sad about a pub that no longer functions as such. This one, on the corner of Acton Street and King’s Cross Road, bears the name of the Prince Albert. The original pub was probably Victorian but the current building dates from 1922. It closed in 2005 (so the pandemic is not to blame) and is now rented out as offices.

Pigeons strike lucky
Photo by Tigger

Residents had been putting out rubbish ready for collection. This pair of pigeons had struck lucky and found food. We were careful not to disturb them by going too close.

Another pavement garden

Further along in Acton Street we found another pavement garden, one of those created around the base of an existing tree. This one has been carefully arranged and tended. Affixed to the tree is a notice which illustrates one of the problems attendant on such gardens: it asks the thief who had stolen plants from the garden to cease doing so. The garden is provided by the community for the pleasure of all and should be respected.

Winged lions above a doorway

I have already indicated that our neighbourhood is a place of many lions, from lion-head door knockers through lion-face plaques to whole-body representations. This building that is currently occupied by a Travelodge hotel had a pair of winged lions above the entrance. And these are winged lions, not griffons, which are half-lion and half-eagle.

Lion-face plaque on a building

In St Chad’s Place we find one of the aforementioned plaques, representing a lion’s face. His mouth is open as though he is roaring but he doesn’t look very fierce.

A glimpse of the Underground

By holding the camera above a wall I was able to obtain a glimpse of the Underground. Despite its name, London Underground, much of this railway system is actually above ground or in cuttings open to the sky.

St Chad’s Place

St Chad’s Place ends in this narrow alley passing through buildings. It brings us back into King’s Cross Road.

Field Street

We also explored this cobbled street called Field Street. It is a cul de sac and short, though not the shortest street in London. There are still quite a few cobbled streets in London. They may not be very comfortable to drive on but they are very durable.

Victorian monograms

The Victorians liked experimenting with fonts and creating clever monograms. Here we have two. One easy to decipher – it is “DA” or “AD” – but what about the other?

The foundation date

The second one is the building’s foundation date, 1888. The number lends itself to symmetrical rearrangement and the designer has taken advantage of this fact.