Continuing my plan of going for a daily walk, I set out this afternoon at 14:05, heading roughly north. The weather forecast predicted heavy cloud but, in fact, the sun was shining and had taken the chill off the air.

The pigeons of Culpeper Park

I cut through Sainsbury’s car park and crossed into Cloudesley Road. Of course, I had to pause to say hello to “my friends” (dixit Tigger), the pigeons. For some reason, the pigeons in this flock always look happy, preening and chatting away to one another, and seeing them makes me feel cheerful too.

Culpeper Park

The pigeons live in Culpeper Park though, for whatever reason, they spend a lot of time socialising on the pavement outside it, but quickly take refuge in the park’s trees if something scares them. This park is also home to the lovely Culpeper Community Garden which I often visit though I gave it a miss today.

Cloudesley Road

I walked up the peaceful Cloudesley Road, an unusually wide road for its status as a quiet residential backstreet. I speculate that in the past it might have been a busier street than it is now.

Residences become shops become residences

One reason for thinking this is that in several places what were originally houses had been converted into shops and then, later, back to residences.

A. Wyld, French Milliner

One of the most fascinating of these house-shops is at number 71. It still displays, in now faded gold lettering, the occupant’s name and business: A. Wyld, French Milliner. Such a prestigious business would surely not have hidden itself away in the backstreets and this suggests that Cloudesley Road was once an important thoroughfare.

Two shops-now-dwellings

A little further along the street, we find another pair of once-shops but their signage disappeared long ago under succeeding layers of new paint.

Holy Trinity Church

Off to one side of Cloudesley Road is Cloudesley Square which, like our neighbouring Myddelton Square, is residential with a church in the centre. The church, called Holy Trinity, has been undergoing a long process of refurbishment, apparently not yet concluded. Will it, when finished, be brought back into service as a church or will another use be found for it?

Throw packages carefully!

On the railings is affixed a box for mail and I was amused by the notice attached to this, no doubt dating to when, because of building work or the lockdowns (or both), the gate had been locked.

The Old Royal Free

From Cloudesley Square I arrived in Liverpool Road, which I crossed to enter the grounds of the old Royal Free Hospital, now converted to residential use. For a history of the Royal Free, see here.

Still discernibly a hospital

I passed through the left hand arch into the enclosure which is now called Old Royal Free Square. I photographed part of one wing that, though now divided into apartments, still clearly shows its original form as a hospital.

The playground

In the centre of the square, a playground has been built for the children living here. There is also a large area covered with artificial grass, possibly for football and suchlike.

Children’s handprints

The railings round the play area are decorated with plaques made by impressing children’s handprints into clay or some such material.

A pedestrian way

From the square, I entered this narrow pedestrian way that leads between buildings to the main road.

Upper Street and Islington Green

Following this path, one emerges in Upper Street opposite Islington Green.

Oxfam Bookshop

Nearby, is a certain well-known emporium of books. I had not intended to go in but the Oxfam Bookshop exercises a strange attractive influence on me and in I went. When I came out again, I had a book in my pocket that had not been there before!

Entering Angel Central

Rather than returning home along the busy Upper Street, I went back round the corner and entered Angel Central by the side passage.

Courtyard, Angel Central

I walked through the open area, which was quite crowded, and…

Household wares, Chapel Market

…made my way through Chapel Market which was fairly busy but still far from from its pre-pandemic glory. Will those halcyon days eventually return?

Baron Street

I turned down Baron Street and was soon home.

You may be wondering what the book was that I bought in the Oxfam Bookshop, so here it is:

Le Mystère Henri Pick
David Foenkinos

It is Le Mystère Henri Pick by an author of whom I have read and liked other books, David Foenkinos. His name (pronounced fwen-KEY-nos) may not look French but he is a pukka French novelist for all that and his books have met with considerable success both in the original French and in translation.

Now to make tea and start my new book!

I am still trying to persuade myself to go for a daily walk during the week when Tigger is at work and not here to encourage me. After lunch today, then, I put on my shoes and coat and strode out manfully, albeit without the least notion of where I was going.

After a few moments’ hesitation at the Angel crossroads, I set off down St John Street and thence into Rosebery Avenue.

Old Finsbury Town Hall

As its name suggests, Rosebery Avenue is lined with trees, most of them old and some very large with a girth that bids fair to block the pavement in some places. In summer, the trees are lusciously clothed in green but at this time of year, they are bare, allowing sights not visible then. So it was that my attention was caught by this full view of the old Finsbury Town Hall. Completed in 1895 (though with later additions), it is deservedly a Grade II* listed building. Sadly, the fine old clock seems not to be working.

The entrance canopy

In front of the main entrance is a canopy of ironwork decorated with stained glass panels. Can’t you just imagine important visitors stepping from their horse-drawn conveyances into the shelter of the canopy in inclement weather?

Old Clerkenwell Fire Station

Another striking building a little further down the road is the magnificent former Ckerkenwell Fire Station built in 1912-17.

No longer in use

No longer do fire engines run out from the red doors with sirens blaring. This station, like many others (and no few police stations also), has fallen victim to a policy of closures. I only hope that its new purpose, whatever that is, will be something of use to the community and not just an excuse to line some developer’s pockets. Its Grade II* listing at least offers it some protection.

From Rosebery Avenue, I turned into Grays Inn Road. Here I encountered another landmark building.

The Yorkshire Grey

This fine old pub, as it appears today, dates from Victorian times (1861 according to Pubwiki) though there has been a pub here from at least the early 19th century.

Head of a Yorkshire Grey

“Yorkshire Grey” is a popular name for older pubs, dating from the days of the horse-drawn delivery drays which were often pulled by a team of Yorkshire Grey horses. In those days it was common to see the drayman rewarding his horses with a drink from a bucket of beer – something today’s motorised drays are incapable of enjoying!

Aboard the 38

As for me, I felt I had done my bit for today and could take the bus for the return journey. Reaching the bus stop, I had literally one minute to wait for a number 38 bus. The front seats were taken so I sat in one of the rear-facing seats. If I couldn’t see where I was going, I could at least see where I had been!

My beer-drinking days are behind me: on my return home, I brewed a nice pot of my favourite blend of tea!

We performed our usual shopping run to Sainsbury’s this morning and here, for your delectation (or not), are the usual Sunday matutinal pictures:

The Farmers’ Market

At the checkout

Walking through the market

Later, we set out again and caught a bus.

Tottenham Court Road

The bus brought us to Tottenham Court Road.

Pret A Manger

We stopped off for a bite of lunch at Pret A Manger.

BT Tower in Fitzrovia

After lunch, we ventured into Fitzrovia where the BT Tower is the most noticeable landmark.

Strange feature

We passed a building with this strange architectural feature, looking like a gigantic beetle.

Pearson Square

We entered this pathway between buildings which leads to an open area where…

The One and the Many
Peter Randall-Page

..,we saw this large work of art, seemingly covered in Chinese characters. It is entitled The One and the Many and was made by Peter Randall-Page.

The Fitzrovia Chapel

By this way we arrived at the Fitzrovia Chapel which is now an art gallery. We had come to see an exhibition entitled Leigh Bowery: Tell Them I’ve Gone to Papua New Guinea. The exhibition is free but you are supposed to acquire tickets to avoid overcrowding. As you will see, photography is allowed.

I know virtually nothing about Leigh Bowery and have very little interest in him, to be honest. You will no doubt find information on him and his life online, if you wish. The chapel itself is a beautiful and interesting building and worth seeing on its own account. Here, then, are a few photos taken in a rather crowded space.

There was also a 37-minute video to watch in which various people, including Boy George, who had known Leigh Bowery told us how wonderful he was and how great it was to know him.

Le Pain Quotidien

Leaving the exhibition, we retired to the local branch of Le Pain Quotidien for a pot of tea for two.

Aboard the 73

Afterwards, we caught a number 73 bus back to the Angel. Downstairs was full so we went upstairs and sat at the back, where the rear staircase leads to the bus’s back door and a quick exit at our stop.

Walking down Pentonville Road
Photo by Tigger

We set out bright and early this morning, walking down to St Pancras Station where we were meeting a friend.

St Pancras in view

It was a clear day with cloudy sunshine but rather cold. Perhaps the sun will warm us up later.

King’s Cross Station

We passed in front of King’s Cross Station, styled rather differently from the Gothic splendour of St Pancras.

Walking through St Pancras Station

We entered St Pancras Station which was quite busy, partly because there was a Eurostar arrival.

Inside EL & N

We went to a coffee place called EL & N and grabbed the last available booth where our friend joined us.

The lower level

St Pancras Station has platforms on three levels. We descended to the lower level.

The train for Croydon

There we boarded a train for Croydon.

Blackfriars Station
Photo by Tigger

The train paused at Blackfriars. The station is situated on the railway bridge over the Thames, giving interesting views along the river.

“Fifty-P building”
Photo by Tigger

We arrived at Croydon where Tigger photographed this landmark, popularly known as the “Fifty-P building” because of its facetted design (i.e. like a pile of 50p coins).

Caffè Nero

We stopped off for coffee at a branch Caffè Nero.

Hospital of the Holy Trinity

We passed by these famous old almshouses, officially called the Hospital of the Holy Trinity and founded 1596.

A glimpse inside

A gateway gives a tantalising view of the central courtyard.

Street msrket

We saw the street market but did not venture in just yet.

Baptist chapel, 1866
Photo by Tigger

This Baptist chapel, though it seems “old” to us, is “young”, by nearly 300 years, compared to the almshouses.

Matthew’s Yard

For lunch, we came here, to a place called Matthews Yard, though it is under cover. The food is Vegan but I prefer to reserve judgement on it.

Aboard a tram

Afterwards, we went for a ride on the tram. I think I have already said that we like trams!

The tram

This is the tram we rode on (and went back on!).

The street market

We explored the street market that we saw earlier. It was very busy, showing that it is popular with the local community.

Fruit stall

This is one of the colourful stalls.

Old department store

I always look out for this Victorian era department store, built in 1894 for Grants and now a Grade II listed building,.

One for the road

We popped in another branch of Caffè Nero for a last coffee before starting for home.

Aboard the train for London

On our return to the station we soon had a train to London, though only to London Bridge.

Arriving at Blackfriars

At London Bridge, we changed to a train for St Pancras. Here we are arriving at Blackfriars, the previously mentioned station on the Thames bridge.

Aboard the 214

At St Pancras, we left the train to travel on to Bedford without us. We left the station and caught a 214 bus which carried us home to the Angel. I, for one, was glad to arrive home and be able to rest from an active day. I am looking forward later to supper and a restful evening at home.

Now that Tigger is back working full-time Monday to Friday, and especially when the weather is cold and perhaps wet as well, it’s very easy for me just to stay at home all day. I have decided to make more of an effort to go out once a day and to walk for at least half an hour.

The South Library

Having exhausted the stock of French books in Finsbury Library, I have had it in mind to visit other libraries in the borough to see what they have available. In Essex Road is the South Library and today I paid it a visit. You have to choose your day carefully because this library is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

It rained heavily this morning and so I waited until 11 am when, according to the forecast, the weather should improve. It did too, well, to the extent that it stopped raining, though it remained very cold.

Where three streets meet

I set out along the High Street which was very busy. I took this photo where three streets meet: straight ahead is Liverpool Road; on the left, the High Street; and, to the right, Upper Street. The High Street doesn’t end here, however: it disappears at the junction with Upper Street and reappears later.

The Tram Shed – taken over by Amazon

Continuing on, I reached the Tram Shed (known as such though I believe it became an electricity sub station for the tram network before been diverted to retail use). It has now been occupied by Amazon as a one of its Fresh outlets.

The “other High Street”

The High Street reappears, running beside the Tram Shed. Unlike its other section, here it is a quiet residential street.

The High Street gives way to Camden Passage and this, together with the Tram Shed, was once famous for its antiques shops and, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the large and lively antiques market. The local antiques trade suffered a blow when the small shops were expelled from the tram shed. Then the pandemic struck a further blow when lockdown rules caused the market to be suspended.

Remnants of the antiques market

Today being Friday, I went along to see whether the market was back in operation. Sadly, these were the only stalls I could find. Perhaps when the warmer weather returns, things will improve.

Big puddle

Camden Passage runs out into Essex Road near Islington Green. I photographed this puddle which provides eloquent witness to this morning’s heavy rain.

Broken-down bus

Essex Road was seemingly choked with slow-moving traffic. One reason for this turned out to be a broken-down bus. I could hear the sound of a mechanical tool being used, though I couldn’t see where. Also, I spotted what looked like the bus driver walking up and down nearby so perhaps they were hoping to repair the vehicle and put it back in service.

Three-level pavement

As I continued, I walked along this stretch of unusual three-level pavement.

Library entrance hall

I reached the library and went inside. This is one of the many public libraries funded whole or in part by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It was completed in December 1916.

Emotion in Art
by New North Academy

In the library entrance hall was this impressive gallery of faces, part of an art project at New North Academy entitled Emotion in Art.

Into the library

I entered the library which is not very large. I had brought a bag with me in case I found any books that interested me but, in the event, it was not needed. I performed a complete tour of the book shelves but there were no books in French, none at all. I have some on my phone to be going on with.

Astey’s Row Rock Garden

Beside the library is a narrow thoroughfare called Astey’s Row (named after John Astey who put up builings here in the 18th century), and running along it is Astey’s Row Rock Garden. As the sun had now started to shine, I decided to go for a little walk in the garden.

Fallen tree left in place

Despite being rather narrow, this park or garden is quite pleasant. It is well endowed with rocks, as its name suggests, though I am uncertain whether they are real or artificial. I was glad to see this fallen tree left in place to provide home and sustenance for those creatures that specialise in using dead wood.

Aboard the 73

As I had done my intended half-hour of walking, I felt it was legitimate to take a bus for the return journey. A number 73 reached the stop at the same time as I did and I went aboard. When the warmer weather returns, I will perhaps go for longer walks and hope to recover some of my “form” lost during the pandemic.