Category: From London
The Lea Valley – Cheshunt to Waltham Abbey
When Gytha Thorkeldóttir (who is she?) offers to William the Conqueror gold equal to the weight of her now dead son, he refuses to turn the body over. So it’s […]
Nottinghill (Part Two) – The Grand Union Canal to Kensal Green Cemetery
What a difference a few minutes makes in London. One moment I’m in scrubs infested by snakes in Saxon times. And the next, I’m on a canal from the industrial […]
Notting Hill (Part One) – Westway, Wormwood Scrubs and the Mitre Bridge
As the Hammersmith Line makes its way overground to Ladbroke Grove, a busy dual carriageway known as [1] Westway dominates the view. Built in the 1960s, it writhes through North […]
The Thames Estuary – Southend-On-Sea
“The pier is Southend, and Southend is the pier”, said John Betjeman. Indeed, the pier at Southend is the longest pleasure pier in the world. And an object of pride. […]
The Wandle – Wandsworth to Colliers Wood
Part One of The #WandleValley Walk is full of surprises. As urban as it is, I still find nature reserves, parks, confluences, herons, horses, weirs and even Vikings. And a fast flowing, clean river tq 2 @wandlevalley #londonsrivers #wandsworth
The Thames Estuary – Thorpe Bay To Southchurch and Prittlewell
Not many have heard of Prittlewell. Unless one is a Southend United fan (the grounds are in Prittlewell), or if one lived in the medieval priory here when it owned […]
The Green Chain Walk – Mottingham to Eltham via a Palace
The first royal born at Eltham Palace in 1316 is John of Eltham, the second son of Edward II and Queen Isabella. From then, and until the Tudor Henry VII, […]
The Thames Estuary – Leigh On Sea and Hadleigh Castle
When word arrives that Princess Beatrice and Ralph de Binley are in the village of [1] Leigh waiting to sail to France, the guards at [2] Hadleigh Castle are summoned. […]
Belgravia – A Dangerous Swamp
It’s the Middle Ages. The Westbourne flows by [1] Sloane Square. Blandell Bridge is nothing more than a plank across the river. Around are wide, open fields. It’s pleasant enough […]
Winchester – The Capital City Of Wessex
[1] Winchester is such a historical city, that I can’t visit it without mentioning the Gauls, the Romans and the Anglo Saxons. They are the building blocks of this city. […]