DC Editor
Adam writes…
As regular Daily Constitutional readers and some London Walkers will know, on my days off I like to stride out and walk London. I'm a big fan of the Capital Ring orbital walking route and I love to walk the Thames. Many of the pictures and ideas that end up on this blog are born out of my rambles.
On Wednesdays here on The Daily Constitutional, I'll be sharing some snaps, random observations and the odd bit of trivia picked up along the routes of my wanders.
Here's one from last winter - a wander from East Finchley in North London to Bow in East London - about eight-and-a-half miles starting just after the school run.
Here's the route…
When the school run is done and the rush hour is over, London goes to the dogs.
Here's Highgate Wood…
… providing some bucolic sustenance before the harsh urban roar of the Archway Road, where one can find everything from salvation…
… to a gun…
… and one of London's best views from Hornsey Road Bridge…
… and an echo of the Thames…
The famous "Dolphin Lamposts" – despite the popular name, actually a depiction of a sturgeon. This one has strayed a bit, they are more commonly found down by the Thames on the Victoria and Albert Embankments. They were designed by George John Vulliamy in the 1860s. (He was also responsible for the plinth at Cleopatra's Needle.)
The Archway Tavern…
… where The Kinks shot the sleeve for Muswell Hillbillies (see earlier blog post HERE).
Islington teems with posh and expensive eateries. Oh, and this one, too…
Ex-Arsenal man Thierry Henry at the Emirates Stadium…
On Upper Street there's the legendary music pub the Hope & Anchor, breeding ground for the Pub Rock and Punk scenes in the 1970s…
… although the ethos of Punk was predated by some 6 years at Dan Crawford's King's Head, small but perfectly formed home of scaled-down classic theatre…
Passing this famous theater inspired a detour from the main drag via Noel Road…
… to visit the former home of playwright Joe Orton, murdered here by his lover Kenneth Halliwell in 1967 in then downmarket Islington. Changed days…
The old entrance to Angel tube station, closed since 1992. The space occupied by today's Platform 2 at Angel tube station once housed both lines with a single island platform.
Up and down the City Road…
… in and out The Eagle…
Loving the clock on Moorfields Eye Hospital…
And so into Spitalfields, street art capital of London…
Hawksmoor and beer…
The Mile End mural…
Along toward Bow we find the Minnie Lansbury memorial clock…
Minnie Lansbury was a leading figure in the Suffrage movement and alderman on the first Labour council in Poplar.
Canary Wharf looms…
St Clement's Hospital…
a former workhouse and later a psychiatric hospital, it closed in 2005.
Is there a more Cockney sign anywhere in London than this one?
Gladstone, caught red-handed…
And from Bow Road tube it's back home on rails to pick up my daughter from school.
***
I do hope you are enjoying my Big Walk Wednesday photoblogs – if you'd like to share pics from your own rambles, or your own London blogs, drop me a line at the usual address.
Earlier Big Walk Wednesday posts…
11 Museums In One Day
Old Kent Road to Whitechapel
North Greenwich to Richmond Part One and Part Two
A
London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your
guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all
London Walks can be found at www.walks.com