I said I would not mention the weather again unless it changed. Well, today, it has changed. A cloudy sky and what I think weather forecasters call “scattered showers” had veiled the sun and cooled the air to 17°C (63°F).

Grey sky and raindrops

Actually, for people who are not keen on the heat, it was quite pleasant. The rain was not heavy enough to tempt us to open our umbrellas, and we went for a good walk as usual.

Some windows blanked

At the risk of boring you, here is another example of blanked out windows. A couple of things intrigue me here. Firstly, unlike most other cases I have seen, while three windows in a vertical row have been blanked, one has not. (It’s usually all or nothing.) Secondly, notice the colour of the bricks: the upper story has been added, or perhaps rebuilt after bomb damage, and its window has been bricked up with the same bricks, i.e. at the same time that that floor was built. That argues for a definite decision to have the window blank.

(As I said before, once you notice details like this, you begin to see more and more of them and to become ever more intrigued by them!)

Leafy path to flats

Near Percy Circus stands an estate of apartment blocks. This pleasant leafy path is one of the pedestrian entrances to the estate. How nice it is to find so much greenery among the streets and buildings.

Poppies

Nearby was this patch enclosed with wire inside which were dozens of bright red poppies. They were fluttering in the breeze as though waving for attention. And so I gave them my attention!

Poppy

Here is a close-up of one of these simple but beautiful flowers. They seem so fragile that you would think the breeze might blow their petals away but, no, they just flutter like butterflies.

Percy Circus

Percy Circus is a broad crossroads with five roads leading off it and a circular central garden which also seems to be called Percy Circus. Two of its branches belong to Great Percy Street, which, as I mentioned previously, was named after Robert Percy Smith, a director of the New River Company.

Percy Circus and its houses were developed between 1841 and 1853. This long development time is explained by the site being rather challenging for architects and builders as it lies on a steepish hill.

The garden seems quite popular and there were people enjoying it today despite the weather. I amused myself trying to imagine the changing fashions – and comportment – of the generations who have visited the garden during the 170 years or so of its existence. Are we any happier or wiser than they were? I think not.

The rain became a little heavier (though still not enough to warrant breaking out the umbrellas) and we cut through Prideaux Place (see my previous post) and from there to Myddelton’s to pick up our coffee before heading for home.

I have sometimes wondered what it must be like living on a small island and seeing much the same views day by day. By keeping us close to home, the pandemic has caused us to live in a virtual “small island” and so I have my answer.

When you can range far and wide, you tend to see the larger features of the scenery. When you are confined to a relatively limited area, your gaze focuses successively on smaller and smaller details and changes in the environment. You switch, as it were, from an elephant’s eye view to a mouse’s eye view. Smaller things grow in importance and significance, proving that we can learn something from all situations in which we find ourselves.

Today is a Jusaka day, that is, today it is the turn of jusaka to supply our takeaway coffee. You may already have worked out that we go to Myddelton’s and Jusaka in turn on alternate days. This is because we like both and this seems the most equitable way of doing things.

Urban garden

These Georgian style houses have been here for up to 200 years and so have their front gardens, where these exist. In some streets there are no front gardens, and the properties are divided from the street by their front steps and the railings around the basement. In still other streets, the front gardens that once existed disappeared long ago, replaced be single-story shop fronts.

Where the gardens still exist, they are planted according to the likes and dislikes of the occupants. Some are carefully tended and others neglected. Quite often there are ancient trees at intervals along the street, providing shade and a home for the local squirrels.

Bicycle in waiting

When we made our first trip to Paris in 2008, we “discovered” the public bicycle hire scheme called Vélib’, (see Paris 2008, September 6th). To us at the time, this was a novelty but since then, we have seen a similar scheme set up in London with fixed cycle racks and now several schemes where bicycles can be left and picked up in any odd corner of the city. Some even have electric motors to help with the pedalling!

A view from St Mark’s Church

While cycling is good exercise and using bicycles instead of motor vehicles cuts down pollution, bicycles cause problems of their own. Any idiot can jump on a bike and, ignoring the rules of the road, constitute a risk not only to himself but also to other road users and, not least, to pedestrians. Though I was once a cyclist myself, I must say that these days I regard bicycles with a somewhat jaundiced eye.

Myddelton Square Gardens

There were relatively few people in Myddelton Square Gardens today but, then, it is a weekday. The Gardens form a pleasant shady place to sit on a hot day. People also walk their dogs here and it provides a relatively safe place for children to play.

And so to today’s special topic. One of the variable features of the Georgian houses is the fanlight over the front door. This feature is not merely decorative but provides a source of light for the entrance hall and staircase. This is less important in these days of universal electricity supply but would have been useful when the houses were first built.

While the original fanlights are all very similar, there are subtle and not so subtle differences between them. Here is a selection of those seen today.

Over the life time of these houses, some fanlight have been broken and repaired or even destroyed, perhaps by wartime bombing.

Where one has been destroyed, the replacement may be a replica of the original (making it difficult to tell that it has replaced) or a completely modern design which may, or may not, suit the style of the rest of the house.

If you are not particularly interested in architectual styles, the variation in fanlight design may not mean much to you but I find it fascinating, especially when taken in the context of the rest of the design. When you first see these 19th-century Georgian houses, they may look all alike but as you begin to look more closely, all kinds of surprising details appear.

And finally…

Blanked windows and clear windows

Here is an example of something I mentioned previously (see Convulvulus and blind windows): houses with blanked out windows. In this case, half the windows have been bricked up or, more probably, were never open to start with: the colour of the bricks and the style of brickwork suggests that they were built like this.

I would dearly like to see inside one of these houses to gain a better sense of how the different features fit together. For that, I shall have to wait at least until the wretched pandemic has been beaten.

Right, this is the last time I shall say this until the weather changes: “Today is another warm, sunny day”. From now on you can take it as read unless the weather changes and I tell a different tale.

Do you want a temperature check? You do? Oh, all right,then: it was 23° C (73° F) and because we went out early, there was relatvely little shade but a gentle breeze did help a little.

Looking down Amwell Street

We crossed Amwell Street at Claremont Square and this view is looking along that street roughly south. You can see how clear the sky is with just a few token cloudlets to relieve the monotony.

There are plenty of flowers blooming merrily in the gardens we passed and the insect population is taking advantage of the bonanza.

Bee at work
Photo by Tigger

We stopped to watch the bees collecting pollen on these flowers and Tigger photographed this one. It didn’t seem to mind. (Too busy to worry, probably.)

(And for the person who didn’t know bees from wasps, this is a bee and not a wasp.)

Once the Percy Arms

This ex-pub stands on the corner of Great Percy Street and Cumberland Gardens. Every time we come by, I have it in mind to photograph the building but we are usually here in the afternoon when the sun is behind the building, causing sun-dazzle. Today the light was better. It was called the Percy Arms and was built around 1855-60. Both it and the street were named after Robert Percy Smith (1770-1845), a director of the New River Company who owned the land when the pub was built. It is now a Grade II listed building. It has been converted into a residential block and the original window glass with lettering has been replaced. For a view of it when it was still a pub, see the photo at the bottom of the Historic England listing page.

Love to the NHS

This child’s painting of hearts and a rainbow bears the motto “NHS with Love”. It’s nice to see that people continue to appreciate the NHS and its unstinting efforts during the pandemic, and the lives of NHS personnel that were lost as a result. Let us never forget what they have done for us nor forgive successive governments who have run the service into the ground. Let’s hope this pandemic has convinced them that we need a robust and properly remunerated NHS.

Prideaux House

We found ourselves in Prideaux Place, named after Arthur R. Prideaux, Deputy Governor and then Governor (1920-32) of the New River Company. Apart from the fact that it was built around 1939, I have not found out anything about this residential block or, rather blocks, because there is one on either side of the road.

Gateway, Prideaux House

This gateway gives access to a passageway and then a tantalizing glimpse of a garden beyond.

Double door

Some of the larger Georgian style houses have front doors with two clearly defined panels. Tigger was of the opinion that these are double doors, that is, that both panels open on their own hinges on the door frame, while I was inclined to think that they were one-piece doors but with two well defined panels. I have now come around to Tigger’s view. I notice that on this door, the door knocker is not centred as it would be on a one-panel door. That would be because it has to avoid the central opening.

The postman calls

While out, we saw quite a few work people, including a painter carrying brushes and a pot of paint, and scaffolding builders at work. Not least, the posties have continued to deliver mail throughout the pandemic and deserve our thanks for their dedication.

A load of rubbish

Someone has left this impressive load of rubbish on the street corner. At least it is properly bagged. I have no doubt that it will be removed very soon as another group of essential workers has continued working throughout the crisis, namely the binmen and the collectors of recycling. If they had not continued working we would now be virtually buried in refuse. These, and so many people, have kept on doing their jobs and maintained our environment in a livable condition. Because we tend to take their services for granted, I fear they may never receive the recognition that they deserve.

Today we went out at 1 pm to avoid what was promising to be a very warm afternoon. As it was, the thermometer was already tipping the scale at 23° C (73° F).

Lion’s face plaque

Passing through Claremont Square, I photographed this member of Islington’s collection of lions. He resides above the basement door of one of the houses.

Claremont Square is named after Claremont House, an 18th-century Palladian mansion in Esher, Surrey. Perhaps the developers hoped to enhance the reputation of their houses by giving them a noble connection.

Convulvulus flowers

These pure white and perfect convulvulus flowers were dancing in the breeze on a branch poking through the railings of a garden.

Blind windows

I happened to notice this end-of-terrace façade and the fact that all six windows were bricked up. Or were they? Might they not have been deliberately built this way, using false windows to relieve the plainness of the blank wall?

All windows present

This façade, immediately opposite, has all of its windows glazed, suggesting that the first would have also had clear windows and that these have later been blocked deliberately.

Why might the occupants block the windows? There could be many reasons but one might be the window tax. This tax was levied during the 18th and 19th centuries, requiring householders to pay according to the number of windows in their property. Many chose to block up some of their windows to reduce the tax burden. Might this be the case here? There is no way of knowing, unless there are records somewhere that mention the fact.

Once you notice a thing like this, you start to notice examples everywhere.

Two blocked windows

This house had just two windows blanked off but I notice that they have been closed with partions (which could presumably be easily removed), not with bricks, and so I am guessing that this is a modern alteration for reasons best known to the occupants.

Another bricked set of windows

Here is a third and last example. As with the first, the whole façade has been blanked out and with bricks closely similar to those of the surrounding brickwork, suggesting that here too we see tax avoidance.

Could these windows be restored if the present owners wished to do so? In theory, yes, but there might be legal difficulties. Much of the Georgian style buildings in this area are listed by Historic England, meaning that they cannot be altered. It’s possible that altering the building by restoring the windows is disallowed or, if it is allowed, that the new windows, their frames and surrounds would have to be an exact replica of the originals – which might be a very expensive undertaking. The house owners might prefer to leave things as they are.

Blackbird
Photo by Tigger

Tigger snapped this blackbird singing a merry song before flying off about more pressing business.

Lloyd Square, leading to Lloyd Street

This view along Lloyd Square into Lloyd Street was taken from the last corner before Myddelton’s. Today, perhaps because we were early, there was a queue and we had to wait patiently outside until it was our turn.

There are each day more people in the streets, some wearing masks, some not. Some seem quite oblivious to the distancing rules while others follow them punctiliously. Mask wearers are often the least cautious as though they think the mask confers immunity, which, of course, it does not. Let’s hope they are not caught out by the virus because if they are, then they become a risk to all of us.

Today is again warm (21° C, 70° F) and cloudless.

The curvaceous tree

We started our ramble by walking round Myddelton Square. On the way I photographed the curvaceous tree. (I think “curvaceous” sounds kinder than “crooked” 🙂 ) We tried to work out what sort of tree it is, neither of us being expert at arboreal recognition. Tigger suggests it is a sycamore.

Myddelton Passage

We walked through Myddelton Passage which the above photo shows. You may remember that this is where Victorian police officers have carved their names and badge numbers in the bricks of the wall on the right.

The Shakespeare’s Head

William Shakespeare looks down benignly from the sign of the pub named in his honour. Unlike some of the other pubs in the area, this one shows no sign of partial re-opening as a takeaway outlet.

Chess board and seats

We took a turn through Spa Green Park. Here there is a permanent chess (or chequers) board with seats. Whether anyone ever uses the board, I do not know. For now it remains as a silent invitation to passers-by.

Sole blossom

This frail but beautiful flower was bouncing in the breeze. It was all by itself, well away from any other flowers, and so was probably seeded by the wind or birds.

Urban landscape

I took this view in the oddly named Wynyatt Street. Apparently, it is named after Compton Wynyates, a Grade I listed Tudor house in Warwickshire. I think the tall building in the centre may be the Peregrine House, that I mentioned in Two pubs no longer pubs.

Cat confined

In Earlstoke Street we spotted this cat surveying the street from an upper window. He seemed to take a great interest in us, perhaps because we were the only moving objects in view. He followed us with his gaze until we were no longer visible.

Midway House

We reached Goswell Road near this formidable-looking apartment block. It’s no doubt quite comfortable inside but the outside does seem (to me, at least) reminiscent of a fortress.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the name of Goswell derives from “God’s well”, the name of a well once situated somewhere along the street. However, I have not managed to recover the reference (if it exists) and so the information remains subject to verification.

Student Living Heights

This boldly designed building rejoices (if that’s the right word for it) in the somewhat clumsy name of Student Living Heights. Recent years have seen the proliferation of apartment blocks for students so there must be money in developing them. In my student days, we had nothing so grand but lodged in houses with families or individuals who wanted to earn extra money from a spare bedroom. We would not have been able to pay the sort of rents charged in these places (£335 per week).

Looking back along Goswell Road

Here, I am taking a last look back down Goswell Road before the final stretch to Jusaka for our daily ration of coffee.

Our daily walks may not take us far from home or to new and exciting destinations but they at least provide some exercise and a chance to blow away the proverbial cobwebs.

New rules regarding social distancing have been promulgated by the government and although they do not make a huge difference to our lives, they are an indication that the situation is slowly changing. More shops and businesses will be opening and some people currently on furlough or laid off will start returning to work.

The process of a return to something resembling normal is not without its dangers but it has to be undertaken. We can but hope for the best.

Update re Goswell Road, May 30th.

According to Streets with a story, The book of Islington (PDF) by A Willats, Goswell Road “Takes its name from an ancient spring called Godewell (Goodwell) afterwards Godeswell, Gosewell and Goswell”.

However, according to another source, the Wikipedia Street names of Clerkenwell and Finsbury, the origin is disputed, some agreeing with Willat’s etymology and others claiming that the road “was named after a nearby garden called ‘Goswelle’ or ‘Goderell’ which belonged to Robert de Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk”.

See both these sources for further details.