In the words of Bagheera the Panther, from Disney's 'The Jungle Book':
"Well, it's happened. Took a little longer than I thought, but it's happened..."
Yes - today is my final day of alphabet-based tube travelling. This is it. The Big One. The Final Frontier. The Undiscovered Country. The End Of The Road...
I'VE DONE IT!!!
In Calendrical terms, it's taken just over three and a half years to get here, having started on February the 25th 2014. However, in terms of actual days spent out on the tracks, so to speak, today marks - rather neatly - exactly 100 days of Wombling. A fittingly round number, I'm sure you'll agree.
I've left myself just two stations to visit today, and they're both - in their own way - 'Final' stops.
Firstly, Woodside Park is the final
tube station (alphabetically speaking) on the network. So - had I originally confined myself to visiting just those 270 stations, it would have been here that I finished my journey.
Since, however, I was foolish enough to include both the Overground and DLR lines, I will actually 'cross the finishing line' at one of the latter - Woolwich Arsenal.
There's also quite a lot to see - certainly at Woolwich - so having only the two stations on my list today gives me plenty of time (I hope) to do them both justice.
***
So - off to Woodside Park first of all then.
It's up on the Northern Line's High Barnet Branch, in a largely residential area.
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| Woodside Park |
I exit the station by what I soon discover to be the 'rear' exit - to the north - which leads to a road called Holden Road.
Being at the back of the station, there's only a relatively small and unimpressive sign giving its name - but just in case it's the only one I can find, I think it wise to take a photo of it anyway. I'd hate to leave here with this being the only station I
didn't photograph.
Just outside the station, on the back fence of one of the local properties, is a small notice on A4 paper.
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| Oooh... creepy! |
I can't pretend to have any belief in the supernatural or occult. To my mind there's more than enough wonder in the physical world, without needing to convince yourself that there are 'more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...'. So I greet this sort of nonsense with a snort of contempt. I mean, how on earth do you measure the 'hauntedness' of a place to be able to claim it as the 'second most haunted village in England'? Is it the number of supposed sightings? In which case, surely it's the 'second most
gullible' or '
suggestible village in England'.
And even if there were such things as ghosts - why the hell would they hang about on street corners for the convenience of a bunch of misguided numpties flashing their torches around?
Please - take your £9, and buy a copy of Brian Cox's 'Wonders Of The Universe' on DVD, or something equally mind-expanding...
Anyway, minor rant over.
I head onto Holden Road, which runs roughly north to south, and at the northern end of which is the bottom of the Whetstone Stray - a long stretch of parkland following the line of the Dollis Valley Green Walk. This, you may remember, is something I've encountered at various points along its length - for example at Totteridge & Whetstone, the next station to the north of here.
Before I reach the park, though, I first stop at an insignificant looking house about halfway along Holden Road.
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| Site of Number 127 Holden Road |
The original house at number 127 has gone, but a plaque attached to the side of the current property informs me that Mr Spike Milligan, of Goon Fame, once lived here.
I knew about the connection already, having visited the statue in his honour at Stephens House & Gardens, near
Finchley Central station. I pointed out then that his house was actually nearer to Woodside Park than to Finchley Central - but this is a day for joining the dots and closing the circles, so it's nice to see the blue plaque confirming the link.
I continue north and reach the Green Walk. I'm mildly disappointed to discover that, like the other encounters I've had with it, this one will be equally uninspiring.
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| Dollis Valley Green Walk |
The problem is that the very thing that most people would be interested in seeing - and the thing that gives the valley its name - is Dollis Brook. I'm sure we all like a bit of running water don't we? But for some reason Dollis Brook always seems to be hidden away behind a mass of dense and impenetrable undergrowth. So the hoped-for photos of a babbling brook in a picturesque setting remain frustratingly unattainable, and I return to Holden Road disappointed.
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| There's a brook in there somewhere... |
Following Holden Road further north, it bends to the east and eventually meets up with Woodside Lane, a similarly residential street.
Another park lies to the north of this street, and it's called - after the small lane that leads to it - Swan Lane Open Space.
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| Swan Lane Open Space |
Much more like it! A wide expanse of greenery, with just enough trees to form a pleasant border to the image, and with a lake off in the distance.
Whether this lake bears the (surely inevitable) name of 'Swan Lake', I don't know and I don't actually venture far enough into the park to see whether any actual swans can be found here, but even so it all adds up to a much more picturesque setting than the last park.
Continuing eastwards, and having crossed a bridge over the tracks of the Northern Line, I eventually end up on the High Road.
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| High Road, Woodside Park |
This is a fairly typical example, with the usual shops, pedestrians and cars parked along its length, but with one particularly noticeable vehicle which - thanks as much to its incongruity as well as its colour - certainly catches my eye.
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| Is Lady Penelope at home? |
I know nothing about cars, and am by no means a 'petrol head' but I have to say there's something about a 'classic' American car that just can't be equalled by a Nissan Micra or a Vauxhall Astra.
After that it's just a case of heading back west to complete the loop, and returning to the station - this time approaching its front entrance via Woodside Park Road.
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| Woodside Park... again |
Thankfully there's a much more traditional station name sign on this side of the building, so I take another photo, and head off to my next - and final - station.
***
So here it is, the end of the line - in more ways than one, as Woolwich Arsenal is not just the final station on my list, but also the terminus of this branch of the DLR.
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| Woolwich Arsenal |
The station is named after the former weapons and armaments factory that once dominated the area by the river, and I'll be heading there to have a look at what's left of it later on.
Firstly though I explore the area immediately outside the station, where the first thing one notices is the huge public square - mainly paved, but with seating on various levels and a large water-feature along one side.
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| General Gordon Place |
This is General Gordon Place, a popular spot with the locals, not least because of the Big Screen TV permanently installed in one corner. It seems to be permanently tuned in to the BBC news channel, so I imagine that the inhabitants of Woolwich must be the best informed populace in London.
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| Square Eyes |
I do happen to know this central area quite well, as close by there's a theatre in which I performed a few years ago - but ,more of that shortly.
Firstly, I head south-west from the square along Wellington Street, to one of the other main historical sights of the area - the Royal Artillery Barracks.
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A Builder, who may or
may not be called Bob |
Before I get there, I'm accosted by a builder working on one of the many construction sites along the road. He's clearly spotted my camera and insists on posing for a photograph. Happy to oblige, if mildly bemused, I take his photo and he seems to take great pleasure in striking what I'm sure he believes to be a heroic pose. Since he doesn't know me from Adam, and has no way of knowing about this blog, and therefore no chance of ever seeing the photo he posed for, it all seems a fairly fruitless exercise. But it's a friendly enough encounter and puts a smile on my face as I continue on my way.
Just a little further along Wellington Street I reach the north-east corner of The Royal Artillery Barracks. I'll come to the Barracks themselves shortly, but here on Wellington Street is a stark reminder of the times we're currently living in.
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| Site of the murder of Lee Rigby |
It was at this point that Fusilier Lee Rigby, of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was murdered by two Islamic Extremists as he returned to the Barracks.
Having run him down with a car they used knives and a cleaver to kill him, in what they claimed was retribution for the killing of Muslims by British Armed Forces.
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| In memory of Lee Rigby |
The location has become something of a shrine, and both flowers and flags line the railings along the street.
The Barracks themselves occupy a large, roughly rectangular site to the south of Wellington Street, and were built in the late 18th Century to house the Royal Artillery.
The main entrance is on the south face of the building, so I begin to make my way around the perimeter.
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| Side entrance to the Barracks |
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| 36" Mortar |
At the north-west corner, opposite a side gate to the barracks, is the first of many pieces of artillery I will see by the end of the day.
This is a 36 inch mortar (so the nearby sign tells me) and was never actually fired in war, but only in tests.
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| History of the Mortar |
I reach the front of the barracks, and am greeted with an impressive façade.
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| South Façade of the Barracks |
The building was originally just the section to the east of the white triumphal arch, but was doubled in length, and the façade added to join the two halves, in the early 19th Century. It is now the longest continuous architectural composition in London and measures 329m end to end.
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| South façade and parade ground |
I'm conscious, as I take one or two photos of the building, that in these days of heightened security my actions may perhaps be misconstrued. Only a few days before my journey, London suffered yet another terrorist attack on a tube train at Parson's Green station, in which a bomb was left. Thankfully the bomb failed to detonate properly and - although 29 people sustained burn injuries - nobody was killed.
But none of the soldiers who pass by me on their way back to the barracks from the nearby Woolwich Common seem to be particularly concerned at my presence, and at least (today of all days) I can back up my claim to innocent interest with an entire blog's worth of similarly harmless snapshots.
Across the road from the south-east corner of the parade ground are the ruins of St George's Garrison Church.
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| St. George's Garrison Church |
This was built in 1863 in order to provide the residents of the Barracks with a place of worship.
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| History of the Church |
A sign at the front gives a potted history of the place, which was ravaged by fire following a direct hit from a V-1 rocket in 1944.
Today the church is shut up, though it is apparently open to visitors on Sundays. I just about manage to get a glimpse of the modern canopied roof that protects the mosaics and other remaining interior decoration inside the building.
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| Inside the Church |
Heading north again, back to the town centre, I pass the massive new 'Love Lane' development.
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| Apartments in the Love Lane development |
This was begun in 2011 and includes several blocks of apartments, the new Woolwich Library, a huge Tesco hypermarket, and a gym.
The Tesco store provided much welcome sustenance to myself and my fellow actors who, between us, played every single character in a theatrical adaptation of "Treasure Island" produced a few years ago at the Greenwich and Lewisham Young People's Theatre (or GLYPT).
This is the theatre I mentioned earlier, and sits on the south side of General Gordon Place, in a converted tram-shed.
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| Greenwich & Lewisham Young People's Theatre |
The company was started in the 1960s and was part of a larger project to provide the area with theatrical culture. As well as GLYPT, which was based around Theatre in Education, the project also included the Tramshed, as a cabaret venue, and a theatre in the centre of Greenwich - the main Greenwich Theatre.
I pass by the station once again on my way further north towards the riverside, and the source of the station's name.
On my way I pass by the entrance to Woolwich Market on Beresford Square.
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| Entrance to Woolwich Market |
The sign over the entrance to the square makes much of the market's history, though I'm afraid that today it seems to be just another collection of stalls selling rather tatty goods.
However, it does stand at the former entrance to the original Royal Arsenal, after which both the station - and of course the football club now based in north London - are named.
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| Royal Arsenal Gatehouse |
The Royal Arsenal began in the 17th Century and as well as manufacturing armaments and explosives, was also the former home of the Royal Artillery before they moved to the barracks I visited earlier.
The busy A206 now stands between the original gatehouse and the remaining buildings of the arsenal, and for the most part these have now been converted into luxury apartments, restaurants, gyms, and offices. However, there remain plenty of reminders of the original purpose of this site.
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| Cannon to the left of them... |
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| Nike Statue on No 1 Street |
Crossing the A206 I come to "No 1 Street" - a green space, with a bar called Dial Arch, and several artistically arranged examples of the cannon maker's art.
A statue purporting to represent the winged goddess Nike stands at one side - celebrating 'Victory' (and not, as you might have thought, running shoes).
There are informative signs dotted around the streets, giving more history of the area, and cannon of various shapes and sizes can be found on pretty much every spare bit of pavement of open space.
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| History of the Arsenal |
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| And Cannon to the right of them |
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| They like their guns here... |
At the riverside, as well as yet more artillery, I find a curious collection of sculpted figures.
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| "Assembly" |
This is called "Assembly" and is by the artist Peter Burke.
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| One of the cast iron figures |
I imagine the figures, which are in the form of hollow moulds or casts, are aimed at representing the casts used to make the cannon that were originally produced here - but that's only my guess.
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| "Assembly" - looking back towards Woolwich centre |
I take a brief look at the river itself - always a must when you get this close to it - and take a couple of photos, including one of the Woolwich Ferry.
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| The Thames - looking east |
This is a free car ferry service crossing from here to the opposite bank of the Thames at North Woolwich. There's been a ferry service here since the 14th Century, though the free service (which one might have thought was a historical hangover from the days before capitalism) was introduced as late as 1889.
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| Woolwich Ferry |
Heading back through the various streets of apartment blocks that now occupy the former arsenal, I find the Greenwich Heritage Centre.
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| Greenwich Heritage Centre |
It wouldn't be a typical day's Wombling if I didn't come across an intriguing and informative local museum, only to find it firmly closed on the one day of the year I happen to be in the area and able to visit it.
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| Typical... |
So, I continue eastwards through the former Arsenal buildings.
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| From munitions to muscles. |
I'm heading to a picturesque little park called Wellington Park.
Outside the park are several huge blocks of metal used in the manufacture of the huge guns produced by the arsenal. They include this beast, which is an anvil weighing 103 tons. It reminds me of the sort of thing Wile E. Coyote would attempt to drop onto the Roadrunner, only to end up being squashed flat by himself.
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| Beep! Beep! |
The park itself is actually the roof of an underground carpark built on the site of a shot and shell foundry.
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| Wellington Park |
And that brings me to the end of my tour of the former Woolwich Arsenal site. I haven't mentioned the football club as yet, partly because - as you'll know by now - I'm not that fussed about football, but also because I dipped my toe into their history when I
visited the station in North London that now bears their name.
What's more interesting to me is the fact the team is - directly and indirectly - linked to the names of
two stations on the London Underground map. That's quite an achievement.
I head back to the town centre, passing the slightly less picturesque pedestrianised shopping area on Powis Street, to the north of the station and General Gordon Place.
Here you'll find all the pound shops, charity shops, burger chains, and betting shops - in other words the standard, if less than salubrious, establishments of an inner city high street.
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| Powis Street |
Luckily it's easy enough to pass this by as I've already seen all the interesting stuff in the area - and none of it is anywhere near here, so its shabbiness doesn't bring down the mood of my final day's travelling.
Indeed, my day is about to end on a bit of a high, as I have arranged with Mrs Nowhere Man to meet up back at the station. She's here primarily to help me celebrate the grand finale of this long journey, rather than my ending it alone with just a tattered copy of the tube map for company.
But she's also going to be taking the final photograph of this journey. And - for once - it'll be a photograph featuring yours truly, together with an item I picked up some time ago when I visited the Transport Museum at Covent Garden.
So here I am - your cheery guide on this long, foolhardy, but somehow fulfilling journey. And in my hands is a poster from the Transport Museum, featuring the names of most (though not quite all) of the stations I've visited...
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| ...and his Nowhere Plan |
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| The Nowhere Man... |
As we're stood on the pavement in front of the station, taking photos of each other, an official voice calls across from the station entrance to ask what we're doing.
I sigh inwardly as I prepare to argue the rights and wrongs of taking photos of a station sign, while standing on a public footpath.
But Damian - the Irish employee of the DLR who has approached us - is thankfully a reasonable and friendly chap, who (despite no doubt secretly thinking that the whole thing is completely bonkers) not only allows us to continue taking photos, but also chats with us about the project and the various stations he personally finds interesting to visit.
The irony is that earlier, at the one place I expected my photography to be challenged (the Royal Artillery Barracks), I was left completely unmolested by the various muscular, burly, and often heavily armed soldiers who observed me pointing my camera through the railings of their building.
And yet here, at the station, where the only thing 'classified' is the adverts in the discarded newspapers, I'm immediately under suspicion.
Still - as I say, it's all handled in a pleasant and friendly manner and I suppose it's the world we live in these days.
And that, O Best Beloved, is how the Wombler finished his Wombling. It's been - on the whole - a lot of fun. Some of the places I've visited will stay in my memory for a long time (though not always for the best of reasons) - while others have already blurred and merged into an amorphous, vaguely London-Shaped blob.
Nevertheless, here they all are in a single image. It's a biggy - so might take a while to load on your screens - but if you view it at full size you should be able to make out which station is which.
If, of course, you're interested in such things...
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
