Janice

4th June 20188th June 2018

Chatsworth Road Market

Sunday, 3 June, 2018

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Chatsworth Road Market. It’s not one I go to very often since it’s a bit out of the way, is quite small, and is increasingly becoming one of those “food court markets.” Still, it’s a nice road and, besides, I had run out of peanut butter.

A few years ago, when visiting the One Change shopping area, I found a stall selling peanut butter from New Zealand. I wasn’t keen to try the sample I was offered but, after being promised there was no sugar, I did try it. It’s amazingly good. The flavour is perfect, the level of roast works really well, and there’s no sugar or palm oil or anything other than peanuts (and salt in some versions). I sound like an ad but there’s no going back now. Anyway, it’s Pic’s – I sound like an ad!

Chatsworth Road Market is in Homerton (originally Humberton) east of Upper Clapton. Homerton used to be a very rundown area and it’s probably still one of the least desirable parts of Hackney. I’ve seen photos of Homerton High Street at the beginning of the 1900s and it was a bustling shopping area then. Now there’s not much going on at all.

I took the bus to Homerton Hospital. This is our local hospital and serves a large community. I was shocked some years ago to hear that there are 5,000 births there every year – this is as many as my big city hospital, Women’s College, in Toronto. More about the hospital another day, when I have to visit, but for now – it’s a sprawling low-rise hospital across several buildings and annexes. I’ve been treated very well there.

**A small glimpse of Homerton University Hospital across its car park**

At the end of the road before I head up to the peanut butter and the market, is Brooksby’s Walk. I can’t find out who Brooksby was so the search continues. Right at the junction is Chat’s Palace, which has been an arts centre and music venue for thirty years. It’s housed in the impressive former Homerton Library.

The peanut butter is in a Spar supermarket. Spar is a huge chain in Europe but here in the UK it’s pretty minor. It’s a high-end market with lots of independent branded groups. Here in Hackney it tends to bring in a lot of local businesses too – bakeries, florists, and food that’s ready to go.

The Castle Cinema is a recent (yet old) addition to Brooksby’s Walk. It was originally the Castle Electric Theatre, built in 1913 opened on 8th September 1913 as an independent single-screen cinema., seating less than 700. It became a bingo hall, then a warehouse, then a snooker hall. And it got pretty run down in there. Then a few years ago Spar was opened and it seemed a shame to ignore the upstairs cinema. The cinema was actually restored and opened after a very successful Kickstarter project. Over 650 people raised 120% of the target! I’ve never been inside but I hear it’s gorgeous, including a very lovely original bar, with velvet, beads and some gorgeous bar lamps. I hear you can even eat dinner here. I’ll have to go to one of its movies one day to check it all out.

Meanwhile, the Spar isn’t too shabby either. You just have to get past some of the prices in here!

Continue reading “Chatsworth Road Market”

31st May 20188th June 2018

Hackney Town Hall

Thursday, 31 May, 2018

31st May is London History Day. This custom started last year. It coincides with the school holidays. More than 70 museums, galleries and cultural spaces were open and one that I noticed was a tour of the Hackney Town Hall and vaults so I booked a spot for 1pm.

Krish woke up with a terrible back ache and couldn’t move much for some time so it was hit and miss that I’d even go. Then things got better all around.

So on that warm, muggy day I raced over to the town hall and sat in the lobby with over a dozen other visitors, waiting for our guide. She turned up, armed with a stack of paper and wearing these shoes…

Who wears shoes like this to climb stairs, stand about, and walk around for an hour? So funny! Is it OK to criticise a tour guide? Then, I will. We learned later that this was her first time but I can’t help wondering why Hackney Council chose her for this job and do hope she gets better! Ninety per cent of the spiel was read from a paper, without expression and – guess what – reading into a paper script means your voice doesn’t travel. I honestly didn’t hear much of what was said so I’m going online to find out the history that we were surely told! Hope this guide gets better.

One thing I do remember is that the newest Portland stone Town Hall is 81 years old and that it is the third incarnation – the first being over at St Augustine’s Tower, and is small and now converted to Coral, a betting shop, the second was right on Mare Street taking up the space that the Town Hall square now occupies. Today’s borough was formed in 1965 when the smaller boroughs of Stoke Newington and Shoreditch were merged into the original borough of Hackney. It now forms the largest borough in London.

The Town Hall cost £99,870 to build in its promised ‘conventional but not showy’ style. It took three years to get there – from 1934-37.

Hackney’s shield shows St. Augustine’s Tower at the top. An eight-pointed Maltese Cross, for Hackney, which derives from the symbols of the Orders of the Knights Templar and Knights of St. John, both of whom held the Manor of Hackney. Three bells representing Shoreditch, these are the bells in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons. Oaks for Stoke Newington, representing its origins in the Forest of Middlesex.

The motto is Justitia turris nostra – Being fair is what makes us strong! Or “Justice is our Tower” (reference to St Augustine’s)

Despite its limited budget, the architects managed to incorporate the art deco style of the times and, although spare, there’s enough evidence of this.

**The lobby with its art deco trimmings (and those shoes!)**

**On the first floor, lovely marble and a pretty cool Art Deco lamp at each staircase**

**Council chambers, modelled after the House of Commons**

On our tour with us, Carol Potter, the current Speaker — **On our tour with us, Clare Potter, the current Speaker**

24th May 201827th May 2018

Foiled Plans, Shoreditch and Whitechapel

Thursday, 24 May, 2018

What a crazy and too-warm day I had! After starting out so late yesterday I decided that I’d make an earlier start to see the London Hospital Museum. It’s been on my list for just ages. I took a quick look online for the location, decided where to have lunch, and added the Citizen M Hotel into the mix since the lobby concept looked interesting.

I started from Dalston Junction, a short bus ride from here and after three stops I arrived at Shoreditch High Street Station. Hard to remember what it was like before this line arrived in the area. So convenient and a pleasure to ride.

**Arriving at the cavernous ticket hall at Shoreditch High Street Station**

**Outside, a cornucopia of colourful street art**

I had decided to go to Dishoom and try their signature dish, black dal. It’s my second visit, my first being with my friends Mylene and Michele a couple of years back. This is billed as Indian street food. There’s a big effort to make the place look like somewhere in India, with lots of attention to detail in the fixtures, furnishings and ambience. Since I’ve never been to India, I can’t say how authentic it is.

Verdict – that black dal is fabulous. There were spices that I couldn’t quite figure out. Definitely one to research and make at home! I also had bhel, which I thought would be a refreshing contrast to the spicy, creamy dal. The drink is a sweet and salty lemonade. Perfect choice! £15 later…

I left Dishoom and headed over to Shoreditch High Street to find the hotel. I searched and searched. I had the address, I had the map, I even had the voice GPS on and, even after two complete circuits of the small block, I could locate neither a sign nor an entrance. It’s a mystery! I’m a bad map reader but this is ridiculous and way too time-consuming, so I headed for a bus over to the museum. At least I saw some nice art.

**Pretty diverse art at the back of Great Eastern Road and Shoreditch High Street**

If I was frustrated by not finding the hotel, I was due for more confusion. After first not finding the street with the museum because I was talking on my phone and not focussed enough, I then couldn’t find the museum anywhere. I looked again and again. It’s supposed to be in a church between Newark Road and Stepney Way. I could find no such thing. This puzzled me no end but no amount of looking or checking turned up anything that resembled a church or signage for the museum. There were, however, some original buldings around the hospital – reminds me of childhood. I was getting warmer and sweatier and on my third circuit, I headed for the bus home. Foiled twice in one day!

**Old homes around the new London Hospital**

I’ve looked at the map at home since, with a cooler head. I think I may know what I did wrong. I’ll try again in the next week or two.

23rd May 201827th May 2018

Penge Street Art Trail

Wednesday, 23 May, 2018 (afternoon)

I follow the Instagram account London Calling Blog ‘Documenting Street Art since 2015.’ They blog about and post street art from every London neighbourhood and have often helped me identify the pieces I’ve photographed. One thing I noticed is that Penge has a lot of street art. It has do with LCB’s Street Art Community Project aka SprayExhibition20 when a lot of pieces went up. The trend has continued.

I used to live not too far from Penge and I remember it being a not-too-desirable fairly boring place to be back then, so I wasn’t expecting too much. I knew it was quite residential and that it had a high street and that’s about all.

I was at a disadvantage, Krish having asked where I wanted to go and me having rattled off a half dozen options. He chose Penge. In a parallel universe I’d have prepared a map and plotted art pieces along the route. Instead I had some roughly scrawled notes to go with my admitted lousy map reading skills. Argh.

We set off about 2pm and arrived just after 3pm – love the Overground! We started at the southern end of the route, Anerly. Not much to see here but one shop shutter near the station did set the pace. Walking to our first stop, Maple Road, I remarked this looked quite a lot like Herne Hill but not as grand. Krish agreed.

Maple Road is a pretty ordinary street. It starts off small and residential and then starts to gain momentum with shops before meeting Penge High Street. We explored along the route and in some back alleys (quite reference to notes) and found quite a lot of art, good, bad, and indifferent. It’s a hard job choosing photos to post here but here we go with the first lot. I’ll add artists when I find the names.

This one is famous - doesn't quite do it for me — **This one is famous – doesn’t quite do it for me**

Leon Seesix - Dotmaster — **Leon Seesix – Dotmaster**

**We are not the droids you are looking for**

Neequaye Dreph Dsane - Dreph — **Neequaye Dreph Dsane – Dreph**

23rd May 201818th August 2020

Amhurst Road, Hackney Downs Studio, and Evelyn Court

Wednesday, 23 May, 2018

A busy day planned today! It started with a trip to the doctor where I asked about my leg pain and inability to walk like I used to. Of course, it’s to do with my arthritis and the fact I tore my meniscus several years ago. Advice is to lose some weight (noted) exercise my legs every day (noted) and to take better pain relief (noted) – I noted all these with some trepidation. The final bit of advice – This is normal and natural. Don’t beat yourself up! I like this new doctor.

On the way back from the doctor, I checked out a new cafe called Fingers Crossed on Amhurst Road at Shacklewell Lane.

**A not-flaky-or-chocolatey-enough chocolate croissant and a perfect handmade no-sugar chai latte at Fingers Crossed**

Around the corner from the doctor is a little inner yard full of artisans of many kinds. You would definitely have to know it was there to venture in. So I did walk in there to see how things were. I was surprised to see that they are building new places back there – looks like studios etc, and the cafe/events centre was padlocked so I’m not sure if it’s just an overnight or a permanent thing. Will keep checking on that!

Somewhat hidden entrance to Amhurst Studios from Shacklewell Lane — **Somewhat hidden entrance to Hackney Downs Studios from Shacklewell Lane**

**Some of the older Studios in the yard**

**Work on new studios at Hackney Downs Studios yard**

Going back up to Amhurst Road from Hackney Downs Studios - local secret — **Going back up to Amhurst Road from Hackney Downs Studios – local secret**

Continue reading “Amhurst Road, Hackney Downs Studio, and Evelyn Court”

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