We had no particular plan for today other than the usual starting point: coffee at the deli.

Sunshine in Amwell Street

The sun was shining, making everything seem cheerful. We sat outside the deli with our coffee.

Afterwards, we went for a walk, wandering more or less at random. What follows are some of the things we saw along the way.

Miniature clock tower

We walked down to Farringdon Road where this charming though small clock tower resides on a hotel.

A demo goes by

To cross the road we had to wait for traffic and a demo to pass by. I don’t know what the demo was about but it snarled up the traffic nicely, causing drivers to sound their horns, no doubt in support 🙂

How to bend a row of houses

Wren Street curves to the left, presenting the architect who designed its row of houses with a problem. He solved it by “breaking” the row, making a triangular space between the houses at the “break”.

St Andrew’s Gardens

We went through St Andrew’s Gardens, once the burial ground of St Andrew’s Church and now a small but pleasant public garden. A few of the larger tombstones remain in place but the rest have been moved to the periphery. London’s burial grounds were closed to new interments in the 1850s, so it is unlikely that there is anyone left to complain about what they might have seen as desecration of the graves.

A lone flower
Photo by Tigger

Among all the greenery, we spotted a single flower but a beautiful one and Tigger took a photo of it.

Coram’s Fields

We passed by Coram’s Fields but didn’t go in. Adults are allowed into this park only if accompanying a child. Thomas Coram created the Foundlings Hospital which is still to be seen adjacent to the Fields.

Bas relief
Photo by Tigger

Bas relief detail

On a 1930s building we found an interesting bas relief. As it is all of one colour and somewhat weathered, it’s a little difficult to make out the details. Nor did we have time to try to work out what its meaning mught be.

Decorated with terra cotta

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In Queens Square, I photographed this building because I liked the terra cotta decorations. Terra cotta is a lovely material though soft and therefore liable to suffer damage.

Queens Square Gardens

We went into Queens Square Gardens and it was warm enough to sit for a while on a bench and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

Statue of Queen Charlotte

The question as to which queen the square commemorates is answered by this statue in the gardens. It represents Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of George III. It dates from 1775 (I don’t know who the sculptor was) and is made of lead, a material that went out of fashion for sculptures by Victorian times.

Queen Charlotte – detail

I took this close-up photo to show how detailed the sculpture is. You can make out the individual threads of the tassels.

Mother and child
Patricia Finch

There are other sculptures in the gardens, including the above by Patricia Finch, and…

Sam the cat

…this portrait of a cat about to jump down from a wall. The sculptor’s name is not noted but the work is dedicated to Patricia Penn, “Champion of Local Causes – and cat lover”. The original Sam was stolen in August 2007 and a new sculpture was unveiled in May 2009.

Victorian water pump
Photo by Tigger

Also in the square is a Victorian water pump, unusually combined with a lamp which was added later. The ensemble is Grade II listed.

Spacemen and aliens

Nearby, someone has decorated an out-of-service pillar box with a sci-fi scene done partly in knitting. One of the spacecraft is taking off and has flames of coloured wool issuing from its engines!

Lamb’s Conduit Street

We arrived at Lamb’s Conduit Street though we did not explore it this time.

Tutti’s

Coffee

We made a pause at Tutti’s for coffee while we thought about lunch.

Kozzy Cafe

Wandering a bit further we happened upon Kozzy Cafe and had lunch there. “Kozzy” is not (as you might think) an ESL mistake for “cosy” but perhaps derives from the founder of the business, memorialised on the menu, and called Kalender Guvenc.

Lincoln’s Inn Fields

Continuing in, we came to Lincoln’s Inn Fields, reputedly London’s largest public square.

Arts and Crafts public toilet

Beside it stands this remarkable Arts and Crafts-style public toilet. As I didn’t go in, I cannot say whether the interior matches the quality of the exterior. I hope so.

Lincoln’s Inn Gate

The square of course contains Lincoln’s Inn, not an old pub, but one of the Inns of Court where barristers have their offices. The building is magnificent but too big to photograph as a whole and so I made do with the gate.

Royal Courts of Justice

I was beginning to feel a little tired and was happy to agree to Tigger’s proposal to make for the bus. We arrived in Fleet Street (once the home of the newspaper industry) and passed in front of the Royal Courts of Justice.

Aboard the 341

From here we caught a 341 bus back to the Angel. Tigger had a purchase to make but unfortunately did not find what she wanted. We therefore…

Costa in the mirror

…drowned our sorrows in coffee at Costa!

From here, it was but a short walk to home, ending today’s outing. After a rest, we shall be ready to enjoy a pleasant evening at home.