Monday 7^th February 2022

Went on the northern line to Oval then took the 185 bus towards Dulwich Library. From there, I picked up the number 12. First stop was Peckham Rye Park (Upland Road stop) which turned out to be a beautiful and very large park. Specialities were a Japanese garden and Sexby garden though both were lacking in flora owing to the time of year. The Sexby garden was originally laid out in 1893 and is really very lovely.

Next stop was at St Giles Church and Churchyard in Camberwell. I wasn’t able to go inside the church but had a walk around the churchyard and small garden. There are some spectacular trees, one in particular dominates the garden.

From there, I went to Pullens Buildings (Larcom St). These are Victorian tenements that still survive and are protected with a preservation order. Charlie Chaplin when young, once lived in one of these tenement buildings and Naomi Campbell lived just off in Illife Street. The Yards are still used by businesses and I went to Iliffe Yard where I met a tailor called Ollie who explained that most of the buildings are rented by creatives such as himself, Interior Designers, artists etc.

Whilst walking around the area, I came across Camberwell Public Baths but didn’t venture inside. Originally opened in 1892, the exterior of the building is certainly worth looking at. I also found Angel Lane in Walworth which has arches under the railway which has been populated by some retail outlets.

Back on the bus where I alighted at St Thomas’s Hospital to find Graffiti Tunnel at Leake St. These are graffiti under the arches and are all colours, shapes – it’s a 300 metre tunnel is the city’s largest legal wall. Before 2008, it was merely a series of arches under Waterloo station.

I also passed through Forum Magnum Square. Overlooked by County Hall, the location can easily be dressed to appear ‘period’ plus it can double for a number of European cities.

From there I went to see New Scotland Yard along Victoria Embankment and I happened to arrive when there were several people protesting and marching towards Downing St. They were anti-vaxxers and it seems as if some of them went on later in the day to shout abuse at Sir Keir Starmer.

Final stop was the end of the line at Oxford Circus and I walked round to Hanover Square. It was developed at the time of the accession of George I being a Hanoverian, in 1714. Originally it was a residential square but these days it’s mainly offices, amongst them Vogue. There is also an art  gallery, Unit London, where there were exhibitions of Suchitra Mattai and Henry Hudson. Completely different styles and media, nevertheless it was interesting to see each of them.

Best thing/s today: Pullens Buildings and Illife Yard as well as the Graffiti Tunnel, neither of which I’d heard of before.