Another weekend that Jackie isn't working, another weekend with no rain so another weekend exploring London.
This time we combined Walk numbers 2, 3 and 4 which cover part of east London. The map below shows the 3 walks on one map. They all started and finished at two tube stops which is why it was easy to link these walks together.
So if I start with walk 2 where we started and run through some of the big sites.
We started at Old St Tube. The start of the walk was next to a big busy road that wasn't particularly scenic.
Old Street
The first interesting bit though was just a short walk off this busy road to Hoxton Square which had some trendy looking cafes, bars and restaurants, including the Breakfast Club which had a queue out the door. There was also the White Cube Gallery which is apparently famous.
Sign outside the Breakfast Club, might explain the queue.
Time is wrong
One of the fashionable bars on Hoxton Square, there were lots of these that didn't look like much during the day.
From here the walk took us along a familiar route for us up Kingsland Road, which is a hub for Vietnamese restaurants, up to the Geffrye Museum which we visited last year. The Geffrye Museum (http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/) "shows the changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day" - it's not as boring as it sounds, one of our favourite museums in London. We didn't go inside this time but sat in their garden for a bit, had a tea from our thermos and a cookie time cookie courtesy of a friend of ours that just returned from NZ. After our morning tea we had a look around the Geffrye herb garden.
View from our morning tea spot, quite tranquil.
Jackie exploring the herb garden
Jackie striding out in the herb garden
From here we went made our way back to Old Street past a few more interesting places...
That's the 'Gherkin' poking up above the shops. The Gherkin is one the the more modern iconic buildings in London.
We walked past this coffee shop, I've been in before, it's amazing on the inside but the coffee wasn't good enough that I felt the need to go in again. Although in saying that I would like to go again just for the experience, it really is a gem on the inside, shame the coffee isn't the best.
20 Years of Beats 'n' Pieces, thought Rua might like that. This is the 333 Club, another unassuming building during the day but an "ultra hip" bar by night according to our card.
We popped into one homewares shop and that was pretty much the end of the Walk #2.
Walk #3 started from Old St Tube and headed down City Road.
First site was the Wesley Chapel and Museum which is where John Wesley, the founder of Methodism began his movement in 1738. The church that we went to as kids was a Wesley Methodist church so it was interesting for me to see this.
Opposite the church was Bunhill Fields, a cemetery with some famous people buried in it, and there was no entrance fee! We found the graves for Daniel Defoe and William Blake easily enough, they were kind of out on their own. Thomas Bayes was also buried here which might be of interest to mum and Jill and anyone else of a mathematical/statistical bent - we couldn't find his grave though.
Wesley Chapel, I guess the statue in the middle is John Wesley
Jackie paying her respects to William Blake
Grand grave of Daniel Defoe who authored Robinson Crusoe
From here we headed towards the concrete jungle of the city although came across the HAC ground, which is an oasis amongst the buildings with an immaculate cricket ground and a Georgian mansion. After a bit of research we found HAC stands for the Honourable Artillery Company, the grounds and mansion can be hired. For £2,750 you can hire the cricket ground for the day, they have 6 dates set aside for cricket in 2011, 5 are booked already.
The HAC ground
Photo taken from the same spot as the previous photo but I've turned around to look the other way, what a contrast.
From here we walked through Finsbury Circus...
Jackie at Finsbury Circus
Another shot of the Gherkin at our lunch stop
A well earned lunch towards the end of walk #3
After lunch it was just a short walk to Liverpool St Station, the end of Walk #3 and the start of Walk #4.
This was the most exciting walk by far. First of all we hit Spitalfield market, which has been done up recently so is now quite a modern covered market with lots of boutique clothes stalls along with the usual knock off clothing and food stalls. From here we found our way to the Sunday Up Market which was a bit more interesting. It was less organised, more sprawling and just had more interesting stuff. Jackie picked up a wrap from one of the stalls there.
Jackie with her wrap
From here we exited on to Brick Lane, famous for few reasons including the 2003 novel and 2007 movie of the same name...
One end of Brick Lane is famous for curries, the other is like a 24hour music festival with market stalls, music, dancing and general mayhem.
Some shots of the sights around Brick Lane below...
Supposed to have the best Bagels in London, we didn't try one but might have to make a special trip back to try them.
Nothing special about this balti house, it's just standard.
After Brick Lane we passed the White Hart pub which was a hang out of Jack the Ripper, this area was his hunting ground.
We then moved on to Petticoat Lane which is famous, although I'm not sure why. After a quick check on Wikipedia it seems to have been famous as a market for lace and petticoats. Now I think it sells a lot of ethnic clothes and fabrics and cheap clothes. We were actually too late for the market but were there to see the mess that was left and it was terrible.
Some of the rubbish left by the Petticoat Lane market stalls
The Gherkin again as seen from Petticoat Lane.
More rubbish from the Petticoat Lane markets, there was a big group of council cleaners clearing up which must happen almost every day, seems like a waste, why can't the stall holders clear up after themselves?
From here we were back to Liverpool St Station and the end of Walk #4.
Woah epic post, must've been a long 3 walks.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are saying that Bayes was probably buried in that cemetery?
There's a song "Midgets in Bricklane" by Solo, he's pretty good, so did you see any midgets? It has sitars in it, his other songs don't.