Tigger has a late start at work today so we are going into the City this morning to have brunch together. It’s a cold and wet day but what ekcan you expect in December?

Bus stop, St John Street

Just after 9 am we made our way to the bus stop in St John Street. We had a 10-minute wait for a 153 and I was looking forward to being on board in the warm.

Aboard the 153

The 153 eventually arrived and I was glad to go on board out of the cold.

Bus station, Liverpool Street

The bus brought us to Liverpool Street Station, its terminus.

The station – eerily quiet

As we passed the railway station, we looked inside. It was eerily quiet: the departures board was switched off and the only people in view were a couple of workmen taking a rest on a bench.

The gates are closed

We passed round the Liverpool Street entrance and found the big iron gates closed – the first time I have seen this.

Closure notice

The apparent mystery is explained by a poster: the station is closed from December 25th to January 2nd “for vital rail upgrade works”.

Wet and windy Bishopsgate

From Liverpool Street we turned left into Bishopsgate to be hit in the face by wind and rain. One reason why I hate over-tall buildings (apart from their gigantic ugliness) is that they turn the streets into windy canyons, as was only too evidently the case today.

Choose your brunch here

For our brunch, we went into a branch of Eataly. This was my first visit to one of their branches and I was duly surprised. I had assumed Eataly to be just one more Italian-style cafe but it turned out to be more than that. It combines the functions of cafe, restaurant and supermarket of Italian food and wine.

Brunch!
Photo by Tigger

In the centre of the cafe area is a large, circular counter with displayed food. You make your choice and pay. Any cold items are given to you straightaway and you collect heated items and hot drinks when they are ready (they call out the number on your receipt). Tigger had two kinds of croissant and I had a sort of hot sandwich with vegetables and cheese. We both had coffee.

La Via del Dolce

After eating, we explored the premises, starting with this passageway which is illuminated with 5,450 coloured light bulbs. It is called La Via del Dolce, which might be translated as “The Sweet Aisle”.

All kinds of sweets and choclates

The shelves are full of all kinds of Italian sweets and chocolates, some in imaginatively designed containers.

The shop

On the upper level is the shop which is as big as many local supermarkets.

A rich variety of Italian products

There is an extensive display of Italian products though for serious shopping you probably need to take your Italian-English dictionary with you because the labelling is in Italian.

The wine section

There is an extensive wine section and a dedicated counter for Salumi e Formaggi (cured meats and cheeses). Up here, too, is a pasta and pizza bar. As you know, I don’t usually wax lyrical about shops or other businesses but Eataly intrigued me by the sheer quantity and variety of goods on display and the creative packaging which was itself a showcase of Italian style.

Out into Bishopsgate

If I had forgotten the weather in the warm and welcoming interior of Eataly, I was forcibly reminded of it when we stepped out again into Bishopsgate. It was not a day in which to be out and about.

In Middlesex Street

We walked along Middlesex Street which contains some interesting buildings to which I would have paid the attention they deserved but for the horrible weather.

Wind on rain
Photo by Tigger

We were now making our way towards the time and place of our parting, the moment I had not been looking forward to.

Passage between buildings

We walked along this passage and then, via Goulston Street, to Whitechapel High Street and the bus stop. We reached it at the same time as my bus so that our sad adieux were also brief.

Aboard the 205

The 205 carried me through the City and along City Road back to the Angel. Tigger will be occupied in the office until 6 pm (unless staff are allowed to leave early in honour of the New Year) and then we can cheerfully say: “The weekend starts here!”

It’s a chilly, wet day today but as it is the last of Tigger’s Christmas holidays we must make the most of it.

Rain in Pentonville Road

We decided to treat today as a Sunday which means that we started with a shopping run to Sainsbury’s. As well as cold and rain, it is windy and I had (literally) to hang on to my hat.

Sainsbury’s – not very busy

Sainsbury’s was not very busy and we knew what we wanted so we had soon finished.

Chapel Market – not many stalls

Afterwards, we walked through Chapel Market where I was struck by how few stalls there were. The brave few were not managing to attract many customers, either.

Coffee at Costa

Instead of taking coffee home with us, we chose to go to Costa and sit in.

Walking down Pentonville Road

After lunch, we set out down Pentonville Road on foot, despite the rain and the wind. We had heard some news that we wished to check out for ourselves.

Passing through King’s Cross Station

We cut through King’s Cross Station to have a little time away from the unpleasant weather.

The station was crowded

The departure hall was more crowded than I have ever seen it. This is probably because many people are travelling back after the Christmas break combined with the disruption of services caused by the rail strikes. I wouldn’t want to be travelling by train today!

Crossing to St Pancras Station

We crossed from King’s Cross Station to St Pancras Station.

St Pancras – busy too

St Pancras was also very busy though not quite so much as King’s Cross. Many of the travellers here were going to the Eurostar departures and that service seemed to be running normally.

E L & N

Our first port of call was to E L & N for coffee. It too was busy and I had to queue for service.

Coffee at E L & N
Photo by Tigger

The small indoor seating area was full and so, for once, we sat outside. (Outside the cafe but still inside the station.)

Arriving at St Pancras Old Church

After our coffee break, we set out into the rain and wind again. We were heading to St Pancras Old Church. We climbed the steps to the gate.

The church clock tower

The church is a handsome building with a fine clock tower (and the clock is in working order!) but we had not come to visit it today.

The Hardy Tree – fallen

The news we had heard was the the celebrated Hardy Tree has fallen, perhaps pushed over by the weather and we wanted to see it for ourselves. The tree is indeed down. As it is fenced off, we couldn’t obtain a closer view than this. You can perhaps make out the gravestones piled around the base of the tree. For an explanation of the name “Hardy Tree” and its historical role, see my post St Pancras Old Church.

Will the fallen tree be left in place or sawn up and carted away? Time will tell.

The Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial

We had a quick look round the churchyard but not for long in view of the weather. (See the above mentioned post for details of the syndial.)

We left the 214

From the church we caught a 214 bus back to the Angel and left it at its Angel Station stop.

The “Cutting Bar”

We walked round to White Lion Street where resides the “Cutting Bar” and went in for haircuts.

Quick, no-frills service

The service is quick and efficient and cheap compared with the, I think exorbitant, prices charged these days by “proper” barbers. We have come here so often that they know us and we don’t even have to say how we want our hair styled.

I have enjoyed our 5-day “weekend” and am not looking forward to Tigger going back to work tomorrow. I console myself with the thought that this is only a 2-day “week” before the weekend comes round again. In the meantime we have this evening to ourselves.

It’s another grey and chilly day, a day on which to keep moving.

Aboard the 205

After a late start, we sallied forth and caught a 205 bus.

Whitechapel High Street

We broke our journey in Whitechapel. Compared with the last couple of days, the streets are busier and a few more shops are open.

Costa

Costa was open and so we went in for coffee.

Westfield

We resumed our journey and arrived in Stratford where we entered the shopping centre called Westfield.

Down the slope

We then took the escalator down the long slope (which probably has a name though I don’t know what it is).

Stratford Centre

There we entered the older shopping area known as the Stratford Centre.

PizzaExpress

We walked through to the exit at the other end. Here is a branch of PizzaExpress and we went in for lunch.

Joan Littlewood
by Philip Jackson

Outside was a statue of theatre director Joan Littlewood (1914-2002) by Philip Jackson.

Stratford Market Village

Within the shopping centre there is a covered market called Stratford Market Village. We went for a walk round it.

Christmas decorations

We crossed back through the shopping centre which still had its Christmas decorations. I was surprised at how busy the shopping centres were, almost as though the “Christmas rush” were still in progress.

Aboard the 108

We now boarded a 108 bus. This is a single-decker and was crowded. A feature of this route is that it passes under the Thames.

Greenwich Peninsula

The bus brought us to the Greenwich Peninsula, an area for entertainments and site of the famous (notorious?) structure called the Millennium Dome.

Costa

As the weather was chilly and it was beginning to rain, we did not feel like walking about and so went to Costa for a coffee before starting back.

Millennium Dome

On the way out, I took this distance shot of the Millennium Dome, in my opinion one of the most ridiculous and inappropriate pieces of architecture ever conceived. It reminds me of a cowpat with straws stuck in it.

Aboard the 108

At the bus stop quite a crowd was waiting for the 108 as they run only about every 15 minutes or so. When it arrived, we all hurried aboard, making it uncomfortably packed. It was a relief to exit it at Bow Church.

Aboard the 205

We had a little while to wait for our next bus but it arrived in due course. We went aboard the 205, which was mercifully almost empty, and it carried us through the City and back to the Angel.

By now it was dark and rain was falling so we were happy to return home and conclude our outing.

Today the sun is shining for a pleasant change. The temperature is a couple of degrees colder than yesterday but let’s be grateful for small mercies.

Chapel Market

Just after 10 am we made our way to Chapel Market. A few shops were open but there were no stalls – the market is in any case closed on Mondays.

In Costa

Costa was open today so we went in for coffee.

Superdrug was open

Superdrug was also open which was useful as we had a few purchases to make.

Broken down bus

We went to the bus stop in Upper Street. The space was partly obstructed by what appeared to be a broken-down bus being attended to by a mechanic.

Aboard the 73

We boarded a number 73 bus and sat beside the middle doors.

Stoke Newington

We left the bus in Stoke Newington.

Abney Park

We entered Abney Park, a cemetery that has been turned into a park and wildlife sanctuary.

Graves and gravestones

The company running the cemetery became bankrupt in the 1970s and since then, the graveyard has fallen into disrepair.

Undermined by tree roots

Tombstones have fallen or been broken, graves have subsided or been undermined by tree roots.

Sunshine through the trees
Photo by Tigger

The low sun shone through tree branches, creating complex patterns of light and shade.

Grave in a dangerous state

Some graves have become unstable and dangerous and have been isolated with tape and danger warnings.

Paths to follow

There are pathways running in all directions. One can ramble along these and so explore an ever changing scenery.

Cemetery chapel
Photo by Tigger

There is a striking chapel though it is currently boarded up and surrounded by builders’ screens. (There is building work going on in the park though I do not know what its purpose is.)

War memorial

There is a war memorial in the park/cemetery.

Grave with sculpture

Many of the graves that had tall crosses, angels or other stonework have suffered collapse. This striking example is one of the few to survive seemingly undamaged.

The Blue Legume

Leaving the park, we returned to the shopping area, looking for lunch. We tried our luck here, at the Blue Legume.

In the Blue Legume

The cafe was not very busy and we easily found a table.

Lunch!

We both chose the vegetarian omelette with spinach, mushrooms and red onion, served with “fries” (chips) and salad. There was also a choice of teas: Tigger chose Earl Grey and I chose Assam.

Stoke Newington Church Street

We walked along this thoroughfare which has a long name: Stoke Newington Church Street.

Stoke Newington Public Library

We saw the local public library,…

The Town Hall

…the Town Hall and…

St Mary’s Church

…the parish church, St Mary’s.

The Old Church

Opposite St Mary’s is what is called simply The Old Church, presumably the original parish church, now decommissioned. It contains the Community Arts Venue.

Aboard the73

We caught a 73 to return to the Angel.

Camden Passage

We intended to leave the bus at Islington Green but missed the stop. We travelled to Angel Station and walked back through Camden Passage.

Caffè Nero, Islington Green

We were making for Caffè Nero at Islington Green.

Cinnamon Swirl and Black Americano

We had one last round of coffee before walking home: a cinnamon swirl and a black americano. I leave you to guess who had which!

Christmas Day has dawned grey and damp. Taking things easy, we set out just after 11 am to take a look at the Christmas world.

Chapel Market

Chapel Market was empty and silent in contrast to its usual Sunday bustle.

Some shops are open

The two fruit & veg shops were open but so far without any sign of customers.

Starbuck’s is open

Looking around for coffee, we found Costa closed. We then spied a man carrying coffee and knew from this that Starbuck’s was open. Thither we went and carried our drinks to the upstairs lounge. It was sparsely attended when we arrived but gradually more people arrived.

Goswell Road

Afterwards, we set off down Goswell Road. There were a few people and vehicles about but it was generally very quiet.

Ashby Street

We diverted along Ashby Street.

Northampton Square

This led us to Northampton Square with its central garden and a bandstand.

Colourful wreath

There were a few Christmas wreaths on doors but fewer than in previous years. Above is one of the more colourful ones.

Happy pigeons

The square’s pigeons were out in force and we scattered some seed to give them a little Christmas cheer.

Crossing St John Street

We went along Wyclif Street which brought us to St John Street which we crossed.

Patrick Coman House, Finsbury Estate

We entered the Finsbury housing estate through the archway in Patrick Coman House.

Public garden

This led us into a small public garden where we sat in a bench for a while.

Pigeons feeding
Photo by Tigger

There were pigeons here too and so we gave them the rest of the seed. Their enthusiasm is understandable as food is harder to find at this time of year.

Spa Fields

We cut through Spa Fields which was deserted.

Exmouth Market

We entered Exmouth Market and walked partway down, thinking we might find Caffè Nero open but in that we were disappointed.

Rosebury Avenue

From Exmouth Market, we entered Rosebury Avenue.

Sadlers News

We found another shop, Sadlers News, open for business. It is on the corner of Yardley Street up which we walked.

Wilmington Square

This led us to Wilmington Square which has a central park or garden (with bandstand) surrounded by Georgian and Victorian houses.

North-side steps

We didn’t enter the garden but ascended the steps at the north side. Wilmington Square has an unusual characteristic: whereas most squares are bounded by four roads, Wilmington Square has roads on only three sides. On the north side, the houses are separated from the garden by a pedestrian passageway and this is raised above the surrounding ground level.

Wilmington Square, north side

What is the reason for this curious arrangement? I do not know: any explanations I have come across seemed more like urban myths than likely reasons.

Lloyd Square

Continuing in a more or less northerly direction, we came into Lloyd Square, one of the few whose central garden is private and accessible to residents only. (If you look down to the right, by the parked car, you might make out the red canopy of Myddelton’s deli.)

Great Percy Street

Climbing the slope we came into Great Percy Street (Percy Circus is behind me in terms of the photo). This is usually a very quiet street and the garage at the top end being closed made it quieter still.

Amwell Street

Great Percy Street leads into Amwell Street, our local “village high street”. From here we were soon home and thoughts of a rest and then lunch were in our mind. Tigger is content as she has “closed the ring” (met her daily walking target) and I am looking forward to nice cup of tea. We will spend the rest of the day relaxing at home.