A street art walk around Commercial Street and Great Eastern Street

Wednesday, 30 January, 2018

The end of January! Did I mention how grey and dark it’s been? Yes, I have.

Today in my free time I wanted to go find the new street art pieces by Alice, one of my favourites. In view of my walking resolution, I had the route figured out to get to them and then make my way home, taking the bus after the thirty minutes were up.

Again, my map reading skills (or lack!) let me down. I wandered around on the wrong side of Commercial Street for a while, wondering where Quaker Street was.

Hoists
My journey to getting lost did take me past these houses with the old hoists at the back
Elder Street 1
Going completely the wrong way, I was on Elder Street, home to the great Huguenot weavers houses from the early eighteenth century
Elder Street door
Lovely door on Elder Street
Elder Street
The length of Elder Street
Gardners
Back on track on Commercial Street. One day I’ll go into Gardners to see if it really does just sell paper and polyethlene bags

I always feel pretty foolish when I get lost. In this case, I know I have walked along Quaker Street many times. I can even picture it but Google had to guide me to it by voice. Hanging my head in shame.

Then when I found it, I discovered a David Bowie piece and a lot of reconstruction but no Alice!

New construction
Through what I call the canyons of London, more building. This one with the characteristic pile-of-boxes look I’m seeing so much of in East London

The whole neighbourhood is painted and pasted and I could never photograph it all, although I do keep trying. It wouldn’t matter since most of the time there’ll be something painted or pasted over what I’m carefully recording – it’s a full time job.

Continue reading “A street art walk around Commercial Street and Great Eastern Street”

Walking resolution

Monday, 29 January, 2018

(Guess what? No photos!)

I love walking, especially if I can build in some new sights or I have a goal at the end. As an agoraphobic person, there were years I couldn’t get very far. I’m still far better if I take along my camera or phone for taking photos, or if I plug into the radio – I prefer talk radio over music, though. Best of all is radio drama! I wish I liked audiobooks more – I think it takes a while to get used to listening to a book rather than reading it but I may try that again soon.

Back in 1990 or so, I joined a class where we learned to eat less and move more – back then it was a bit novel to say that! We learned about food and we spent an hour exercising – it was mostly Latin dancing (our leader was a champion Latin dancer) and I loved it. I never missed a class. On our days off, we walked by ourselves. Half an hour of target heartrate walking, minimum. It was fantastic. Sometimes I’d get so energetic, I felt like running instead.

So a while later I took a running clinic at the Running Room in Toronto. I was very keen and went every week without fail. I wasn’t the fattest person in the class but I was certainly the oldest by many years. I didn’t give up. And then I had to.

They had a great system of one minute walk, one minute run, rinse and repeat, adding a minute or more run to each segment as we gained strength and experience. But it hurt. Every time. Nothing stopped the pain, not stretching, not time, nothing. As well, I’d overheat. I dressed as lightly as possible and even invested in one of those cooling gel headbands. These helped but didn’t elminate how hot I’d get – hot enough that occasionally I’d retch.

So I went to see a sports medicine therapist. She told me I had shin splints, acute tendonitis. Her advice? Don’t run. I was devastated. From now on walk, she said.

So I switched to the Walking Clinic. We eased up to 5k walks and then to 10. Then the pain and the heat smothered me again. Back to the sports medicine clinic. And again I was told not to walk either and to work up to a maximum of one kilometer.

Still, I walked. Five, ten, more kilometers. I rarely took a bus. If I knew where it was, I just walked there. And then I got arthritis in my knees. It started with feeling uncomfortable climbing up or down the stairs at Robin’s apartment. I didn’t think much of it until the doctor confirmed that I had arthritis and that it would continue to worsen.

On top of the arthritis, on a particularly tough walk one day I had even worse pain than usual. This continued for a few weeks until I was out with a friend and suddenly couldn’t step down from the coffee shop stall I was sitting on. An ambulance finally arrived to take me to the hospital A&E, where they told me I had torn my meniscus and gave me crutches.

I’m going to skip the details, although those are also clear in my mind.

My knee healed, I walked with a cane for ages. I had no confidence but one day I tossed it aside when another therapist suggested I try weaning myself of it. Now I can walk about 5k in all, as long as I have a nice break in there somewhere, sometimes two or three breaks 🙂

So starting with late last week I’m walking a minimum half an hour a day again. It’s a bit more casual than it was back in my Latin dance days and I stop to take a photo or ten along the way but it’s a good resolution! And it makes for a good photo walk blog entry too.

Pictorial walk – lower Clapton and Hackney Central

Saturday, 27 January 2018

There’s a lot to see in my neighbourhood and many ways to walk towards the same point.  There’s also a ton of history – enough to probably bury me under for years so I try to pick up bits of it as I can.

Just at the end of the road is the newest Pembury Circus development. It’s built on part of the Pembury Estate.

Pembury estate has two distinct parts; Old Pembury (divided into East and West) and New Pembury. Old Pembury consists of 24 walk-up blocks dating from the 1930s. New Pembury consists of streets of maisonettes and bungalows dating from the 1960s.

In recent years some of the Pembury estate was demolished and newer buildings were constructed along the periphery, called Pembury Circus. I have no idea how much of it is affordable housing but it was the beginning of big changes in the local community. One concession to the former residents was the inclusion of the community centre on the ground floor of the largest new building. There are many community events and a cafe serving breakfasts and lunches. One of these days I want to try their chana roti.

Pembury Circus towering over the rest of the estate
Pembury Circus towering over the rest of the estate
It's kind of fun walking through this space towards the much older neighbourhood
It’s kind of fun walking through this space towards the much older neighbourhood

The 1930s part of Pembury Estate
The 1930s part of Pembury Estate
Hackney Downs
Hackney Downs

At the top of the road that borders the estate is Hackney Downs Park, which gives its name to the station and my whole neighbourhood. This is one of many Hackney borough parks.

Walking away from the park and along the top edge of the park is one favourite way to get to Lower Clapton, another area that is just starting to change into more trendy, vibrant area.

I've coveted this house on the way to Clapton for a long time. Buy it for me!
I’ve coveted this house on the way to Clapton for a long time. Buy it for me!
I'm a bit of a sucker for narrow roads! This will take me to Lower Clapton Road
I’m a bit of a sucker for narrow roads! This will take me to Lower Clapton Road
Pages of Hackney, a wonderful indie book store
Pages of Hackney, a wonderful indie book store
The historical Round Chapel in 1871, but its beginnings were in 1804
The historical Round Chapel opened in 1871, but its beginnings were in 1804

The next part of my journey is probably my favourite bit – cutting through from Lower Clapton Road to the Narroway (the upper part of Mare Street, Hackney’s main road). To get there you walk from the now abandoned Clapton Police Station and through the grounds of St. John-at-Hackney Church. It amazes me that in very urban Hackney there are pockets of land that look mostly unchanged from their pastoral beginnings.

 Some tombs in the grounds of St. John-at-Hackney Church (seen in the background)
Some tombs in the grounds of St. John-at-Hackney Church (seen in the background)

To my right is St. John-at-Hackney Church.  a very active church. the original dating from 1275. The current church building was built during the 18th century (1792). It was designed by James Spiller, who was influenced by Sir John Soane. (This a massive coincidence since I recently have been to John Soane’s museum.)  St. John does a lot for the homeless as well as hosting large musical events. Of the old church only a tower, St Augustine’s Tower (substantially rebuilt 1520), remains. The tower is open to the public once a month so I will take some photos there when I can.


St Augustine's Tower, the only remaining part of the old church
St Augustine’s Tower, the only remaining part of the old church

At this point weve reached the Narroway (Narrow Way) which is being pedestrianised. It used to be the route for buses and, trust me, with so many bus routes in Hackney with a bus station entrance at the bottom

, that didn’t make it a very fun place to walk. I won’t lie – it’s maybe the lamest shopping area around. Its redeeming quality is a small Marks & Spencer.

Pedestrianalistion still underway
Pedestrianisation still underway
Love this utility cover on the Narroway
Love this utility cover on the Narroway

 

DeBeauvoir Town, Gainsborough Studios, Plaquemine Lock,The Wellcome Collection

Thursday, 25 January, 2018

After some wet and windy days, when staying home seemed exactly what was best, there was some fair weather. Perfect for a long walk. I say long but these days 5k seems to be my limit. I find this very sad but carry on walking and taking breaks wherever I can.

My goal today was to find an art gallery, Victoria Miro, down at the fast developing area of City Road Basin which leads off of Regents Canal. I was also curious about a pub that claimed to serve authentic Creole and Cajun food. And from there make our way down to see the latest Wellcome Collection exhibit.

We managed all of it!

We started at Haggerston, by the canal. They’re really developing this area and it’s much prettier later in the year but it’s one of the more developed canal neighbourhoods.  This side is a bit older.

Walking through the DeBeauvoir/Hoxton neighbourhood you come across Gainsborough Studios apartments on the south bank of the canal.  The film studio was active between 1924 and 1951, best known for the Gainsborough Melodramas it produced in the 1940s, including the films of Alfred Hitchcock. The studios were demolished and flats were built in 2004.

Alfred Hitchcock sculpture
Gainsborough Studio flats’ nod to Alfred Hitchcock – this bronze sculpture

The City Road basin area is developing quickly and looks to be yet another modern high rise neighbourhood. It’s shiny and clean but lacks the soul of the older streets. One day, I suppose all of London will look like this but I’m happy that I have the chance to see the old and the new coexist, each interesting in their own way. Today there was a lot of walking to do so there are no photos of the new basin flats – another time.

New builds
New neighbourhood emerging close to Regent’s Canal in Hoxton

Older Hoxton
The older streets of Hoxton. How long will they remain?

Continue reading “DeBeauvoir Town, Gainsborough Studios, Plaquemine Lock,The Wellcome Collection”

Short trip to Westfield

Monday, 21 January, 2018

Yesterday, after two failed attempts, I made it to Westfield – I had three goals. To try on some shoes on sale at the Ecco store (they’re on sale online but I don’t know my size) to buy some photo albums at the WHSmith sale, and to pick up some dumplings for dim sum.

I’m not a fan of shopping malls. Westfield has two big ones – the first was at Shepherds Bush, the second at Stratford – on opposite ends of London.

Stuff about Westfield – just a bit at least – at the bottom of my blog!

Walking from the bus towards one of the station entrances. This is one of two stations in my neighbourhood, Hackney Central
Hackney Central entrance
A narrow slope takes you up to the station. It can get pretty crowded at rush hour
Refreshment Stand, Hackney Central
There’s a little refreshment stand near the Station Hall. Now that a chain coffee place has opened just on the street outside, I’ve wondered if business has sufered. The sign reminds people it’s cheaper here!

Hackney Central is an Overground station. It used to be called The North London Line and it was a fast but nasty train route across North London from east to West. Then London Transport took it over and cleaned it up. It changed from dirty and rundown to clean and modern. It’s now a pleasure to use. My main uses are from here to Stratford, or in the other direction to Camden, and beyond.

Hackney Central station hall
In the station hall. There are just two platforms, for trains running east or west across north London
Hackney Central platform
The trains run every ten minutes this time of day and I had nine minutes to wait. I’m the queen of missing trains and buses

Open carriages on the Overground I first saw this open carriage concept in Spain many years ago. It finally arrived in London in 2009 with the Overground, and now I see it everywhere Continue reading “Short trip to Westfield”