It’s been a while since I visited our branch of the public library so I decided to go there today and see whether I could find something worth reading.

Walking down Mylne Street

There are several ways to go there and I chose the “pretty route” via Myddelton Passage. The weather was cloudy-sunny and and the air chilly at 6°C.

Myddelton Square

Although it was a slight detour, I went into Myddelton Square, a place I have become fond of since our lockdown local rambles. I don’t know what it’s like to live here but it always seems quiet and peaceful.

Too busy to talk

Although I didn’t see the two resident cats that we always look out for in the square, I did encounter this one. He seemed to be searching for something and was too busy to waste time on me!

Myddelton Square Gardens – deserted

I passed through the square’s gardens and found them deserted but for a lone dog walker. When we came here in warmer weather, most of the benches were occupied. Today, they were all empty.

Unusually tidy

The gardens were unusually tidy. Most of the fallen leaves had been swept up up put in a row of bags. The whole place looked tidier than I have ever seen it, no doubt in preparation for winter.

Myddelton Passage

I went through Myddelton Passage and, as I had not done so for a while, went to look for the badge numbers in the brickwork of the long wall.

Police officers’ badge numbers

You may recall that one section of this old brick wall is inscribed with early to mid-Victorian police officers’ badge numbers and, sometimes, other details. It’s something of a mystery why police officers were in the habit of dawdling here, long enough or often enough to inscribe their badge numbers into the bricks. There are several theories but no proven answer to the riddle.

The pub vine

I of course visited the vine that runs along the top of the wall round the pub garden. It had lost its summer luxuriance and the leaves are turning brown. The grapes were harvested long ago and no sign of them remains.

New River Head Estate

At the junction of Arlington Way with Rosebery Avenue, I photographed the gardens and one-time offices of the New River Head. The turreted building is now residential and the gardens are winter-tidy like Myddelton Square Gardens.

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Here too, in Rosebery Avenue, is Sadler’s Wells Theatre. The original establishment was a “musick theatre” that opened in 1683. The most famous of its performers was arguably Joseph Grimaldi, “the father of clowns”, whose grave is still to be found in the park named after him. The theatre’s name comes from wells that were discovered during building work and which in the theatre’s heyday, provided water for spectacular performances involving boats floating in a tank.

Spa Green

I crossed through the small but pleasant Spa Green…

The Chess Board

with its fixed chess board and…

Victory provides a perch for pigeons

…its war memorial whose statue of Victory seems content to provide a perch for the local pigeons. From here, I walked through into St John Street.

The Dame Alice Owen

As I had not done so for a while, I photographed some of the local landmarks, including the oft-renamed pub, …

MDF&CT Association Trough

…the trough made by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain Association, originally sited elsewhere, and…

City University building

The City University campus building with its fine old clock that still works and chimes the hours.

Finsbury Library

I reached Finsbury Library and thought at first that it was closed. This is because the last time we were here, there had been a “welcoming committee”, making sure we wore masks and put gel in our hands while today it was quiet. It was only when the automatic doors let me in that I was sure it was open.

Inside the library

There were people in the library, sitting at tables or working at computers. Guess what: I was the only person wearing a face mask apart from one member of staff that I encountered (more about him in a moment).

The mechanical library assistant

I chose a few books and then had to check them out. I remembered from my previous visit that this is now done by a machine. It’s the black box with vertical blue light-strips in the above picture. I’m ashamed to say I got confused and put my card in the wrong slot. The aforementioned human library assistant rescued me and instructed me on what to do.

Through a housing estate

For the return journey, I started by taking the path beside the library that leads into a housing estate.

The portico

I passed through this portico which contains entrances to the tower block and..,

No-name garden

…entered this garden which doesn’t seem to have a name.

I met a squirrel

In the garden I met a squirrel. He didn’t come close but neither did he run away. He posed prettily for me, no doubt hoping I had food to share. Unfortunately, I did not.

Old Finsbury Town Hall

Making my way out to the street, I found myself behind Old Finsbury Town Hall. (The old Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury was merged with others in the 1965 reorganisation to form the present London Borough of Islington, making this and other town halls redundant.)

Rosebery Avenue

I emerged once more into Rosebery Avenue. The building on the left, behind the no-entry sign, is the turreted building shown in the picture above captioned “New River Head Estate”.

The Shakespeare’s Head

I retraced my footsteps, entering Arlington Way and Myddelton Passage beside the Shakespeare’s Head pub.

Back in familiar territory

I was soon back in familiar territory in Myddelton Square.

As for the books, I don’t know whether they were good choices or not. I will try them and see. The important thing was finding a way to get myself out of the house and into the outside world. I achieved this and that’s what counts.