Britain is apparently enjoying or suffering (depending on how well you tolerate hot weather) a heat wave. Today’s temperature is in the mid-20s C and the sun is shining down benevolently though occasionally hiding behind a cloud.

After lunch, as Tigger was not due home for a few hours, I considered whether I should cheer myself up by going out. If so, though, where should I go?

The bus stop in St John Street

Faute de mieux, I decided to take a look in Curry’s, not the Tottenham Court Road branch where I bought my computer, but the one in Chiswell Street. It’s smaller and probably quieter – a plus for someone who dislikes crowds. I readied myself and went to the bus stop in St John Street.

Aboard the 153

The easiest way to go to Chiswell Street is to catch a 153 bus which stops virtually in front of the shop.

Chiswell Street

Partly in Islington and partly in the City of London, Chiswell Street is very old, dating from no later than the 14th century when it was known as Chysel Strate. It had acquired its modern name by the Elizabethan period. The name is believed to derive from Anglo-Saxon ceosol, meaning a flint or pebble. Perhaps it was a street on stony ground.

Clock tower

There are no stones or flints today and the street looks like just one more City street though it does have a modern-style clock tower on its corner with Finsbury Street.

Curry’s, Chiswell Street

When I went into Curry’s and looked around, I discovered that I was the only customer, though “customer” is not quite the right word as I had no intention of buying anything.

If I had hoped to make discoveries of new devices or the odd “offer”, then I was disappointed. I walked around the whole store, being greeted here and there by unoccupied members of staff, and left none the wiser than when I arrived.

Precarious-looking buildings

I walked down Chiswell Street to Finsbury Square, noticing these two ridiculously tall buildings. To my eye they look rather precarious, especially the rusty brown one.

(You may have noticed that there are a lot of London streets, squares and districts with “Finsbury” in the name and that they are scattered about, not gathered in one neighbourhood. I don’t know the reason for the name being so popular.)

Smith Family Drinking Fountain

In Finsbury Square, I revisited the ornate Victorian drinking fountain, erected in 1899 by father and son, Thomas and Walter Smith, to honour the life of their mother and grandmother respectively, Martha Smith, 1825-98. It is now a Grade II listed building. Thomas Smith has the further distinction of being the inventor of the Christmas cracker!

Finsbury Square

I sat in the sun for a while on a bench from where I took the above photo. Finsbury Square is not very attractive though it does have a patch of poor grass where people were sunbathing. Beneath it is a car park, mercifully invisible from ground level, but half of its surface is taken up by unprepossessing buildings and parked vehicles.

Triton Court

I also photographed the building with the tall tower. It is called Triton Court and has a statue of Hermes standing on a world-globe though he is so high up that he is hard to see. I wrote about this previously in The globe-trotter of Triton Court.

The Flying Horse

From the square I went past the Georgian pub called the Flying Horse and..,

Wilson Street

…entered Wilson Street, not for the street itself but because…

Whitecross Place

…leading off it is a pedestrian passage called Whitecross Place. This, in turn, gives access to…

Finsbury Avenue Square

…Finsbury Avenue Square. Arriving there I was disappointed because what used to be a pleasant open space is cluttered with building work. Heaven knows what kind of mess they will make of it. London has a talent for creating open spaces and then spoiling them by allowing then to be built on. I despair.

Broadgate Circus

Continuing on, I came to Broadgate Circus. As the name suggests, it is a circular feature and multi-use. In winter there is a skating rink in the centre but that has been replaced now by restaurant tables.

Leaping Hare on Crescent Bell
Barry Flanagan, 1988

To one side is a large metal sculpture in the form of a bell and a leaping hare. Better than some of the nonsense they inflict in us in the name if “art”. You will find more about it here.

Mall

Continuing on the same level (there are stairs down to a lower level) you arrive at this mall-like area. It no doubt has a name but I don’t know what it is.

Liverpool Street Station

This leads to Liverpool Street Railway Station with a bus station beside it.

Inside the station

I entered the station with some idea of walking round and looking at the various shops and cafes in there.

The other end

In the end, however, what with the crowds and the fact that there was not really much of interest, I soon gave up and, having taken another photo, this time of the part of the station that I usually don’t photograph, I turned round and went back to the bus station.

Aboard the 153

I was lucky to have a bus almost straightaway. It carried me back to the Angel and concluded my little walk. I have made tea and Tigger has let me know she too is on her way home. We have a pleasant evening in view.