Monday 15th August 2022

I wanted to visit somewhere near Hackney that didn’t open until 2 pm today so I started the other way around – at Marble Arch, where I would normally finish.

1. Portman Street/Selfridges

Before I got on the bus, I walked round to Portman Square. It was originally built in the 18th century, with its first residents being from the aristocracy. Number 20 was built for Countess Home and 22 for Elizabeth Montagu. The gardens are private so I wasn’t able to get in but I managed to sneak a photo of the plaque about the railings. The original ones were erected in 1882 but removed in 1942 to provide scrap metal to help the war effort.

2. Euston station

So I found the start of the 30 bus route and climbed upstairs for the first part of the journey to Euston. The beauty of this adventure is I have the time to see things that I’m usually too busy to notice – so I found a statue of Captain Matthew Flinders outside the station. He was a British navigator and was the first to utilise the name Australia (previously called New Holland). Also outside the station is a memorial for the men and women of London, Midlands and Scottish railway who were killed in WWI.

I walked over the road and went into the Wellcome Collection, and discovered that the exhibitions are closed to the public on Mondays. But I went upstairs to the library where there were some paintings including two by Frederick Cayley Robinson of Acts of Mercy, The Doctor and also one of Barbara van Beck, who was famous for having a condition whereby her face and much of her body were covered with hair. Despite this condition, she did actually marry and have a child.

3. British Library

Back on the bus and alighted at the British Library, where I found a large bronze statue of Newton (After Blake) in the forecourt as well as an installation by Antony Gormley called Planets, eight boulders with incised human forms placed on existing plinths. Hidden away near Planets, is a tree planted in 1998 to commemorate Anne Frank and all children killed in wars and conflicts.

Inside the Library was a free exhibition on Stories that Shape the World which had exhibits from the Magna Carta to Beatles memorabilia and many original books such as The Book of the Queen by Christine de Pizan (1364-1430) and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge.

4. Penton Street

Next stop was Penton Street and a visit to a couple of squares in the Canonbury area. Both Claremont and Myddelton squares were both built in the early 1800s and are in Georgian style. I had hoped to see the gardens in the middle of Claremont square but they were closed. Both squares have been used for filming – Myddelton in Howard’s End and Claremont in Harry Potter. In the garden of Myddelton square is St Mark’s church which was closed today.

5. St Mary’s Church

I went to find the 30 again and got out at St Mary’s Church in Islington. I walked round to the Almeida Theatre and although I was able to go inside the lobby, I wasn’t able to take any photos but I picked up some leaflets on what plays are currently playing and coming up. While walking round to Canonbury Square, I came across the Estorick Collection. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but they were having an event so the door was open and I was able to peep in. I managed to find out who the Estoricks were and discovered it’s a gallery specialising in Italian art. It’s one to visit on a later date but there is an entrance fee. On to the rest of Canonbury Square where I wanted to see the house that George Orwell had lived in at number 27b. I did find it but it was covered in scaffolding. The gardens were open to the public here so I took a few minutes break to eat my lunch and enjoy the serenity of the park.

6. Clephane Road

On to the bus and out again at Clephane Road stop. I walked round to St Paul’s Shrubbery, which is a small park with some facilities for children. From there, I picked up the New River Walk which turned out to be a lovely gem. Shaded, quiet and pretty, I walked along until I came to Alwyne Road where I had hoped to see a house with an Elizabethan summerhouse in the garden. I think I found it but it had a large wall surrounding it. I did go round the corner to Alwyne Villas and found an interesting octagonal house as well as number 19 which had been the home of Dame Flora Robson.

7. Mildmay Park/Southgate Road

When I was doing my pre-bus research, I found out there was a disused railway station at Mildmay Park so I got out of the bus to see if I could find it. It was allegedly on the east side of Mildmay Park (the road) but I wasn’t able to locate it. I will definitely try another time.

8. Dalston Lane

My next stop was the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden – this is what was opening at 2 o’clock and why I needed to visit it towards the end of the route. It was created in 2010 to offer green space to local residents in this built up part of Hackney where there is limited green public space. There were many people sitting, chatting and drinking teas and coffees from the café and it felt like an oasis in the middle of this district. Just outside the gardens, there is a large mural called Hackney Peace Carnival. It’s fantastic street art and worth seeing if you’re in the area.

9. Hackney Central station

Final stop of the day was at Hackney Town Hall. It’s not possible to have a tour at the moment but the inside lobby is beautiful and in the art deco style. Outside is a large sculpture called Warm Shores by Thomas J Price, commissioned to honour Hackney’s Windrush generation and their descendants. Over the road is Hackney Empire, built in 1901 as a music hall, it’s now a theatre and puts on many live shows. In the past, such illustrious entertainers as Charlie Chaplin and W. C. Fields performed here.

10. Hackney Wick/Trowbridge Road

Back on the bus to its final destination. As I was walking to Hackney Wick station, I came across Trowbridge Gardens and café which had a small exhibition inside. A collaboration between artists, locals and the community, it was a good ending to my very busy day.

Another great bus route and interestingly, the part I liked best today was the New River Walk. It could be that as it was a very hot day, it provided me with cool air and shade but I did think it was exceptionally pretty and I hadn’t expected this (from my research)