I changed the day of the week for this bus route because the 6 goes past my son and daughter-in-law’s flat and they weren’t going to be around on Monday!
I took the tube to Charing Cross and walked a few minutes to Bush House in Aldwych. My first stop was at Green Park where I alighted and wandered into the park. There were quite a lot of people around. I wanted to find Spencer House, the London property of the Earl of Spencer (Princess Diana’s brother). I knew it wasn’t open today but I thought I’d find out where it is and at least take a look at it from the outside – it really is a beautiful building and I’d love to go inside on another day. I found a plaque that said Winston Churchill had lived there and also an elder statesman called William Huskisson, whom I had never heard of before. On doing some research, I discovered that he had been an MP at the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. He’s famous for being the world’s first widely reported railway passenger casualty as he was run over and fatally wounded by Robert Stephenson’s pioneering locomotive Rocket. Oh dear!
I also saw the statue of Diana (goddess of Hunting, not Princess) toward the entrance of the park nearest Piccadilly.
I hopped back on the bus and got out at the London Hilton stop in order to see the statue of Achilles. It’s a towering statue and I’m only surprised that not only had I not seen it before, almost no-one I’ve since spoken to, has ever noticed it. It’s very impressive as Achilles stands over the entrance to Hyde Park. As I was there, I went to see the Boy and Dolphin Fountain and the Diana Huntress Fountain. It’s amazing how many statues, monuments and fountains you can find if you just look …
Next stop was Church Street Market where trade was brisk, being the last weekend before Christmas. I didn’t actually go into any of the antique shops but did some window shopping to see what pieces were for sale. It will probably be something for me to go back to, on a day when I’m on another bus that goes along this route.
I then went to Queen’s Park where I met up with my son and daughter in law and we had a really delicious lunch at Milk Beach. It was good to be able to sit down indoors and enjoy a lovely lunch with great company. On my way back to the bus, I passed Kilburn Library (there’s another one in Camden) which is a lovely old building. Back on the bus and to the end of the route at Willesden Bus Garage.
It was strange travelling on a Saturday and not Monday but it was a good journey and I enjoyed the route. I’m slowly getting used to finding my way around and am very happy with what I’ve done so far. And to think there are so many London bus routes to go!
london routemistress 