“…every day” (William Shakespeare, Twelvth Night”). That could be the anthem for our weather at present. It’s not even a decent, honest downpour but drizzly intervals, as if the weather gods are squabbling over whether to make it rain or not, alternately turning the tap on and off…

On a happier note, the day started with a gift, a gift from Tigger to me, that is.

Tigger’s gift

Can you guess what it is? All right, then, I’ll tell you. This little black box measuring about 4.7cm X 3.3cm, is a tiny Bluetooth dongle which, when connected to my iPhone, triggers the shutter of the camera. There is, as you can see, a loop to go round one’s wrist so as not to drop the device, something that would be easy to do, given its small size.

There are two “native” ways to trigger the iPhone camera: firstly, by fingering the virtual button at the bottom edge of the screen and secondly, by pressing one or other of the physical volume control buttons on the side. When performing either of these actions, it is all too easy to move the camera. This doesn’t matter too much when taking still photos in good light but when taking “live photos” (which are in fact very short videos), it can ruin what might have been a good picture. (Look at some of my jerky “lives” to see what I mean.) This Bluetooth device, being separate from the phone, cannot transmit the pressing movement to it. It should be possible to hold the phone steady in one hand while pressing the release with the other.

Does it work as per the above theory? Well, it’s early days yet, and I have to become used to handling it in various conditions, but I would say the auguries are promising.

The Claremont Square kitten

The plan today was to go to Myddelton’s deli and buy coffee and food for lunch. What follows lunch will be decided when the time comes. As we walked through Claremont Square, we kept an eye open, as always, for the kitten who sometimes appears at a window. As you can see, today we were lucky. By acting the clown, we managed to attract his attention for all of two seconds. And yes, I did use the Bluetooth dongle to take the photo.

The Myddelton Square cat
Photo by Tigger

Despite the fact that it was now raining, we decided to take a turn round Myddelton Square. There too we keep a look-out for a pair of cats whom we first spotted last summer. Since then, they have been conspicuous by their absence but we caught sight of one of them today. A two-cat day: bonus!

Squirrel crossing the road

When we reached Chadwell Street it was in time to see a squirrel crossing the road. I grabbed a quick photo. It’s not very good because he was some way off and I have cropped the photo severely. I think he had been prospecting in the gardens of houses in Chadwell Street and was on his way back to home territory in Myddelton Square Gardens.

Colourful window boxes

I admired these window boxes at various points round the square. They added some much needed colour to the scene rendered dull by the cloudy conditions.

St Mark’s Church – open
Photo by Tigger

We bought food and coffee at Myddelton’s. They were fairly busy and we had to queue. In view of the weather, we preferred to carry our provisions home and consume them there. On the way hime, Tigger took the above photo of the church which, unusually, was open. There were balloons on a stand on the pavement, suggesting a festivity of some sort, perhaps a wedding.

At home now, we will enjoy our lunch and then see what the afternoon has on offer.

Riding the 214 bus recently to Kentish Town, we passed the historic church now known as St Pancras Old Church. This brought it into my mind and, as I had not visited it for some time, I decided to do so today.

Accordingly, I took a 214 bus to the first stop after St Pancras Station, called Chenies Place. From this stop, you already have a glimpse of the church amongst the greenery on the other side of the road. No

A glimpse of the church amongst the greenery

The greenery is that of what was once the church’s burial ground, now landscaped as a public garden.

Entrance with steps

In Pancras Road, where you arrive with the bus, there are two entrances to the church grounds. The first, and larger, is fronted by a flight of steps. The gateway is wrought iron, currently painted black with the decorations picked out in gold. This is the nearer gate to the church itself.

The carriage entrance

The second entrance is on a level with the road and was no doubt intended to provide the way in for funeral carriages. Its gate too is intricately fashioned and painted in black and gold.

A park with broad paths

The gate leads you into the old burial ground, now a park or garden with broad paths. Most of the gravestones have been removed though quite a few of the larger tombs have been left in place. The result it a pleasant green area in which to stroll or sit on a bench. The historically-minded might like to try deciphering the inscriptions in the remaining tombs!

Grass and trees

The garden is composed mainly of grassy areas and trees with benches placed at intervals.

Mature old trees

Many of the trees are very old and huge in size. There has been a church here since the 11th century and possibly earlier, so the trees have had plenty of time to grow!

The Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial

An elaborate structure that attracts immediate attention is the Grade II* listed Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial, built in 1877-79. It was donated by philanthropist Baroness Burdett-Coutts as a memorial to those whose graves had been removed when part of the burial ground had been destroyed to make way for the new railway.

One of two lions

The memorial is set in a fairly large enclosure with stone animals guarding the four corners. Two of these are lions, one of which is shown above, while a third one has a damaged head, making it hard to identify but is possibly a dog.

Guardian dog

The fourth guardian animal is recognisably a dog. It is believed that one of the figures was modelled on the Baroness’s collie dog, though whether that is true and, if so, whether that refers to the canine in the photo or to the damaged animal, I do not know.

William Thornton Drinking Fountain

A further piece of furniture for the garden is a Grade II listed cast-iron drinking fountain. Also of 1877, it was presented by William Thornton, a senior church warden.

As mentioned above, part of the church grounds were sliced off in order to make room for the new railway line that was being constructed. This necessitated exhuming the residents of the graves hitherto occupying that section and the removal of the gravestones.

The “Hardy Tree”

The gruesome task fell to a younger member of the architectural staff, a certain Thomas Hardy, who would later acquire fame as a poet and novelist but who was at this juncture employed as a junior of the firm of architects responsible for this work. Hardy collected the removed gravestones and placed them beside a tree. Perhaps he intended to move them elsewhere later but, if so, that later never arrived, and the stones remain in the custody of what has become known as the “Hardy Tree”.

A landscape of tombs

Quite a number of the larger and more elaborate tombs have been left in situ (indicating, perhaps, that wealth has its prerogatives, even among the dead). One of these, grander than all the rest, has a fame of its own.

Family tomb of Sir John Soane

This is the Grade I listed family tomb of Sir John Soane, architect of, among other notable structures, the Bank of England. He designed the tomb in 1816 on the death of his wife.

Soane family tomb, side view

Sir John himself and, later, his son, also found accommodation within.

Magnificent tree with bench

I admired this huge tree with a circular bench around it. It is an example, albeit an outstanding one, of the many superb trees in this garden.

St Pancras Old Church

I mentioned that there is evidence of a church on this site from no later than the 11th century. The site possibly held a Roman temple before the Christians took possession if it. Some Norman fabric is still visible in the walls of the current structure which dates from extensive rebuilding in 1847-8. You can find more about its history in its Grade II* listing and in the many pages dedicated to it online, such as this Wikipedia article.

St Pancras Old Church

But why is it called St Pancras Old Church? By the end of the 18th century, owing to population movement away from the area, the church had fallen into disuse and was virtually a ruin. In the early years of the 19th century, another St Pancras Church was built not very far away. By virtue of this fact, once rescued, this church became known as old to distinguish it from its new rival. The latter, incidentally still exists and functions today.

Hiding among the foliage

I should perhaps have paid my visit in the dead of winter when the trees were bare and it would have been easier to see the church but, in a way, the symbiosis of the church and the trees make it what it is, to me at least.

A last look

The church that nearly went out of existence in the 18th century and was replaced by a namesake, still survives. As church attendance continues to decline and churches are being decommissioned, there must be a question mark over the future of any still functioning church. What is the future of St Pancras Old Church? We can but wait and see.

Final vista

I took a last photo of the garden, a vista towards the Burdett-Coutts sundial, and then made for the bus stop.

At home, I made tea and wrote this post. Tonight I shall meet Tigger at the bus stop and we will cross the road to the Banana Tree restaurant and order a takeaway dinner. Thus starts our weekend!

This week, Tigger is at work Wednesday to Friday, leaving me to amuse myself as best I can. Yesterday (Wednesday) it was raining, which dissuaded me from going out. Today’s weather was hardly more promising but I was determined to go for a walk even if only locally. There was, however, a problem.

Dull and damp at the Angel

For some time now, the cold water tap in the kitchen area has suffered a reduced flow but I kept putting off doing anything about it as long as it was usable. Yesterday evening, the flow reduced to a mere trickle, requiring us to being all cold water from the bathroom in jugs. So this morning I called the Council’s repairs division and requested help.

They decided that an interrupted cold water supply belonged in the Urgent category and agreed to send a plumber today. They could not say when he would arrive but took my phone number saying he would call to let me know he was on his way. This meant I would have to wait in for him, however long that might be. In the event, however, he arrived around midday (without calling first). I showed him the corpus delicti and retired to a safe distance to watch the proceedings.

The job was soon done, leaving me free to have lunch and go for my walk. In view of the miserable conditions, I stayed close to home. Tigger is on holiday next week, so perhaps we can take some more adventurous walks then.

Butcher’s shop, “Late Bland”

Though a vegetarian, I am fascinated by this butcher’s shop on the corner of St John Street and Chadwell Street. As far as I know, it is not listed, but it remains as it was long ago. Beneath the windows, in the tiling (hidden by the benches), are the words “Late Bland”, indicating that the shop once belonged to a Mr or Messrs Bland who had such a good reputation that those who took over the shop after them preserved their name as an advertisement of quality. I have no knowledge of the Blands or their business and their name remains as a touching memorial to them.

Now the Gate, once the Clown

This striking building opposite Bland’s is now called The Gate and the ground floor is occupied by a restaurant. It probably dates to the 18th century or earlier when it was a tavern. No less a personnage than actor and comedian Joseph Grimaldi frequented it when it was known as the King of Prussia. Subsequently, it was renamed The Clown in Grimaldi’s honour. I don’t know when it ceased being a pub.

Rosebery Avenue

I ventured into Rosebery Avenue and walked a little way down before returning and taking this photo.

Arlington Way

I turned into Arlington Way and then…

The pub vine – doing nicely

…into Myddelton Passage, where I checked the progress of the pub vine. It’s coming along nicely.

A well-kept hedge

I admired this hedge that has been looked after and kept trim almost as well as the hedge I photographed in Kentish Town.

Gate open again

Throughout the pandemic until now, this gate has been chained shut but today was open again at last.

New River Head viewing platform

It gives access to a viewing platform overlooking the New River Head, that is, the terminus of Sir Hugh Myddelton’s famous aqueduct. There are panels of information indicating the principal buildings on the site though in fact, the vegetation and more recent buildings all but obstruct the view as these three photos show:

Views from the platform

The dull conditions also make the view dark and uninspiring.

Window boxes provided colour

These window boxes did their best to add a touch of colour to the scene.

Myddelton Square Garden

I peered over the railings into Myddelton Square Garden. One or two hardy souls were sitting on benches but otherwise it was deserted apart from the ever-present pigeons.

New foliage on the Curvaceous Tree

I spent some minutes looking up into the Curvaceous Tree, studying the new foliage. That was my last photo of the walk and I then hurried home to make tea and await messages from Tigger: she is on her way home!

As we had been out this morning and had enjoyed a longish ramble in Kentish Town, this afternoon we contented ourselves with a short walk to the deli and back. There were large, slow moving clouds leading to warm, sunny moments and cloudy cooler moments.

Myddelton Square, north side

We went round Myddelton Square, peaceful in the sunshine.

Sunshine in the trees

In the central garden, the trees were full of sunshine, a beautiful sight.

Doorstep flowers
Photo by Tigger

What I call the doorstep flowers (not knowing their proper name) had grown even thicker since I last photographed them.

Electra pedals by
Photo by Tigger

Electra was out, circling the church on her bicycle and Tigger snatched a quick shot of her.

The church in the trees

The church is gradually disappearing behind its screen of trees.

Street lamp and clouds

We decided it was warm enough to drink our coffee at a table outside the deli. From my chair I photographed the cloudy sky silhouetting a street lamp.

Designer fabrics

On the way home, I admired this selection of cheerful designer fabrics in the window of Timorous Beasties.

Strangely quiet

The George and Monkey pub was strangely quiet with no customers at any of the tables. I did notice that on each table was a card bearing a name and a time. That suggests that they may be operating a reservation-only service.

How different will things be from the coming Monday when the next layer of restrictions is removed? We shall be able to go inside pubs, cafes and restaurants. Will there be a huge rush of customers or will people adapt gradually to the new way of life? We shall soon find out!

Kentish Town

This morning we are back in Kentish Town as we have business here. Kentish Town is a lively district in the London Borough of Camden. Once rather run-down, it has in recent years improved its status to become a desirable district in which to live.

The name is thought to derive from Anglo-Saxon tun, “farm”, combined with a the family name Kentish, thus “farm of the Kentish family”. The name could indicate that the family originally came from Kent.

Kelly Street

This is Kelly Street and it is one of our favourites because a many of the houses have been painted in bright colours. Whether this was a project agreed jointly by the inhabitants or whether all the houses have a single owner with an eye for colour, I do not know but the result is cheering.

Well trained hedge

In Bartholomew Road, we admired this well – almost severely – trained hedge. I wonder how long it took to reach this stage of perfection?

The old polytechnic building

I mentioned yesterday that I used to work in Kentish Town, years ago, when the building shown above was formed part of a polytechnic. Nearby is another building that is closely connected with it in my memory.

The Abbey Tavern

I refer to the pub called the Abbey Tavern. I ate most of my workday lunches here, either on my own or with colleagues. In those days it was a very democratic place and the lunchtime crowd would include builders labourers in dirty clothes, smartly suited employees of the local branch of Dunn’s the hatters, students, lecturers and office workers. Many an animated discussion, not necessarily academic, has taken place here!

Blustons

I have written elsewhere about Blustons, a traditional ladies’ clothing store, a survival of an earlier age. I am happy to see that it is now Grade II listed and currently occupied by a charity shop.

Café Renoir
Photo by Tigger

We stopped for coffee at Café Renoir. We have visited this cafe often over the years and seen it change hands several times while remaining a pleasant place for coffee or a meal. Once restrictions are lifted, perhaps we will come here for a meal and sit inside. Today, of course, service was on the terrace only.

A black americano and a latte

Today, we just had coffee, our usual order of black coffee for me and latte for Tigger. No sugar for either of us.

Plenty of space

When we arrived, there was plenty of space. The sole customer already there soon departed, leaving us on our own. But…

Uncomfortably crowded

…it was not long because more people came and the terrace became uncomfortably crowded. Time to drink up and leave!

Walking up Caversham Road

Afterwards, we walked along Caversham Road because Tigger’s sharp eyes had spotted something interesting. Perhaps you can make it out in the distance.

Take a book, leave a book

Along the way, we discovered this community-oriented enterprise: it is a cupboard full of books, bearing a notice enjoining you to “Take a book, leave a book”. Quite a noble enterprise in its own way.

St Luke’s Church

This is what Tigger had spotted and we had come to see: a Victorian church (built 1867-9) but with later additions. We could not go inside, of course, but made do with the view from outside.

The church garden

Beside the church is a small (compared with the church) but pleasant garden.

Expensive mouldings

The houses in this area were obviously intended to be above average quality as can be deduced from their size and the elaborateness of the decoration, such as these detailed mouldings.

Chairs to go!

Today’s give-away is a set of dining chairs (surely there should be four?) but hurry as stocks are limited!

A mixture of cultures

I noticed this school building because it demonstrates something becoming ever more common: a mixture of cultures. In this case the cultures are ancient and modern, respectively: the roof features both an Edwardian bell tower and a modern solar panel.

Fruiterer, KentishTown Station

Soon, we reached The main road again at Kentish Town railway and tube station where we would catch a 214 bus back to the Angel. My last photo was of this market-style fruit stall beside the station. On display is a wide range of produce, making a handsome show in the sunshine.