1. Start of route at Brockley Rise/Chandos

Before getting on the 172, walk round to Blythe Hill Fields, especially if it’s a clear day. It’s not an arduous climb and the views are amazing. Look one way and you’ll see the towers of Canary Wharf and move your head slightly and there’s the Shard and other iconic City buildings. The fields are extensive and so you can stroll through and admire the selection of trees that have been laid out as Blossom Walk – find the red maple, white willow, European hornbeam and a whole host more. Blythe Hill is on clay and is therefore suitable for brickmaking so when there was a housing boom in the 1890s, it was an obvious source of materials. The bricks were moulded by brickmakers who fired the bricks in kilns on the spot.

2. Crofton Park station bus stop

Although this is the same stop as was on the 171, there were still some previously unexplored places to see. One such was the garden at the back of Crofton Park station. A lot of thought and love has gone into making this a real beauty spot and despite its close proximity to the tracks, it’s nevertheless a peaceful and reflective space. There are murals and bird boxes, places to sit and a bug hotel.

When you go back to the bus stop, take a quick look at the shop on the corner. It’s currently an opticians but look up above the door and you’ll see an old sign “Springett & Lord” – this was a tobacconists in days gone by.

3. Vesta Road bus stop

The Wickham Arms pub dates back to the mid 1850s when urbanisation was taking place in this part of London. Until then, it was predominantly agricultural land. The pub takes its name from one of the local land-owning families and Wickham Mews is allegedly where the Prince of Wales (to become the future Edward VII) had clandestine meetings with his mistress Lilly Langtrie. The pub gained a colourful reputation during the mid-20th century as an establishment loosely associated with the notorious Kray Twins, and for a time, featured photographs of the twins.

Walk up the road to the Deptford War Memorial Gardens, with a war memorial at one end, unveiled in 1921 to honour local casualties of both World Wars. Built in Portland stone and with a very tall column, it features sculpted military figures and is a peaceful, historically significant local landmark.

4. Old Kent Road/ Ilderton Road bus stop

The bus stops near Brimmington Park. It’s adjacent to the former Old Kent Road and Hatcham railway station, which closed temporarily in 1917 but which has never been re-opened. Due to its proximity to the railway, there are a series of arches which have since been dedicated to graffiti of all descriptions. Back on the street, there is a cute mural that looks like it could be Triffids but there is no signature so it’s not easy to identify the artist or what it represents. From here, walk round the corner and you’ll see the Christ the King chapel, a former Corpus Christi mission from 1887 which closed in 1962. It was only 50 years later that it was taken over as the chapel.

5. Peckham Park Road bus stop

Cross over the very busy Old Kent Road to go to the Livesey Exchange 2. The original Livesey Exchange is the brain child of Nicholas Okwulu who repurposed 65 garages into vibrant workshops and cultural hubs. Livesey Exchange 2 was opened in 2023, as a cultural and community centre which pays homage to Victorian industrialist George Livesey. The purpose of the Exchange is “to offer the space for skill development and diverse programmes, equipping residents to adapt, grow, and weather adversity.” As you walk outside the building, you’ll see posters and artwork, showcasing work of local creatives. Inside there is more artwork, currently featuring photographic work by Ecuadorian Gabriela Ureta, who has been based in the Old Kent Road for more than 20 years. One thing is for sure – if you decide to pop along to the Livesey Exchange, you’ll get a very warm welcome from Nicholas!

6. Bricklayers Arms bus stop

This is a pleasant place to stop – walk along Page’s Walk with its cute Victorian cottages. Each door and shutters have matching colours, each different from their neighbour, giving a stunning overall look. At the end of the Walk is the Victoria pub, built in the 1880s for workers at the then nearby Bricklayer’s Arms train depot, now long since disappeared. Round the corner is Willow Walk, one time used as a goods depot by the tanning industry. It was strategically placed, next to the Bricklayers Arms railway station.

7. Aldwych/Drury Lane bus stop

Final stop for alighting on this route is the end of the line. There’s plenty to see here so it might be wise to choose one or two special places to visit, depending on your proclivity. One of mine being tea, I headed over to the Twinings building at 216 Strand. It’s their flagship store and is the world’s first dry tea and coffee shop. To give you a potted history of tea in England and the Twinings story – Thomas Twining purchased Tom’s Coffee House – even then a prime location in London – in 1706. It was in this area that the wealthy and aristocratic families relocated after the Great Fire of London. Competition between the 2000-plus London coffee houses was stiff, so Thomas introduced fine quality tea as his point of difference and it fast became a fashionable drink amongst the upper-class ladies of London. Over the years, Twinings has had some notable customers, the most celebrated of whom is Jane Austen. Another was the artist William Hogarth who at the time was so poor, he often couldn’t pay for his tea and offered to paint Mr Twining in exchange for his refreshments.

Today, the shop is a veritable emporium of teas from all over the world, in particular from India and China. There are several pots of tea on the go for you to sample the different flavours and they also do regular tea-tasting courses for the discernible palate.

Australia House is near the stop too, outside of which is a potted history of the vast continent. It’s Aboriginal people who were the original inhabitants, arrived at least 60,000 years ago and it’s thought that they are the oldest continuous living culture in the world. Australia was one of the first countries to establish democracy in the modern world. The Commonwealth of Australia was established in 1901, after the 6 British colonies of Australia federated into a single new nation.

Australia House’s foundation stone was laid by King George V in 1913. All the materials used in its construction were shipped over from Australia. It’s an imposing building, serving as the Australia High Commission in London.

Round the corner from here is the equally commanding St Clement Danes church. It’s reported that the first church on this site was founded in the 9th century by Danes, with the current building being completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren. This was gutted during the Blitz and was only restored in 1958, when it was adopted to be the church of the Royal Air Force. It is open to the public on most days of the week but check their website for times if you intend to visit. Outside the church are sculptures to commemorate two of the RAF’s wartime leaders, Arthur “Bomber” Harris and Hugh Dowding and there is also an elaborate statue of William Ewert Gladstone in the plaza in front of the building. Another interesting piece of information – Harold Harefoot King of England died in 1040 AD and is buried somewhere within the confines of the church, though the exact location isn’t known.

Head back to the bus stop and you’ll pass another couple of noteworthy places. There’s a Victorian lamppost that was made by the Walter Macfarlane Saracen Foundry of Glasgow in the 1860s. And look for the statue of Samuel Johnson in the churchyard of St Clement Danes. The writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson was most famous for his dictionary. He lived and worked nearby on Fleet Street, renowned for its historic connection to print houses. St Clement Danes was a church frequented by Johnson.

This was a wonderful end to the 172. The route took me through a whole host of different aspects of London. From the great views at Blythe Hill Fields at the start, through residential and urbanisation in the middle section and historic London at the end. There is so much to see and to take in and each stop was an adventure. Aspects that I particularly enjoyed were meeting Nicholas at Livesey and hearing all about his project to work with the local community and seeing the area all around the end of the route in the Strand. The undoubted highlight for me was visiting the Twinings shop and being able to sample teas previously unknown to me.

Toilets that are open to the public and free of charge:

• Livesey Exchange (LEX 2)
• The Victoria pub, Page’s Walk