'Halfway To Paradise'

Day 55

Ladbroke Grove - Lambeth North - Lancaster Gate - Langdon Park

"Well, it's happened... Took a little longer than I thought, but... it's happened."

So spoke the panther Bagheera in Disney's The Jungle Book, and these wise words echo my own thoughts as finally, today, I reach the...

 

HALFWAY!!!

 

...point (cue fanfare...) of what has turned into a rather epic journey. It's lasted over two years already and the more days out Wombling I do, the longer it seems to take to write up each post. What with the pre-Womble research, the day itself, the photo editing, and the blog writing. each day out can take up to a week to appear on your screens.

It's a good job none of us is in any particular hurry, eh?

Anyway, off we go again with a new letter of the alphabet, and a nice milestone in sight by the end of the day...

***

And if the first half of my day is anything to go by, it should be a doddle. Despite the stations on today's itinerary being fairly widespread, the journey to the first one is both quick and easy - which is actually something of a surprise to me.

Ladbroke Grove is in what I always think of as the 'no-man's land' of the tube map - those little snippets, usually of the Hammersmith & City Line, that seem to lurk in a mildly anxious way  among the 'Big Four' (Central, Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Northern Lines) - hoping not to be noticed. Being somewhat 'off the beaten track' I therefore expect the journey to be complex and time consuming - but a quick Central Line train to White City, a five minute stroll to Wood Lane, and 2 minutes up the H&C and I'm there.

Ladbroke Grove

Outside the station there is a fair smattering of shops and cafés - the usual mixture of chains and independents - but nothing overly exciting. Ladbroke Grove is a long street running from Holland Park to the south all the way up to Kensal Green to the north, passing under the 'Westway' section of the main A40 as it does so. It's the main road on the route of the annual Notting Hill Carnival, and in fact the station was originally called 'Notting Hill'. However, following the opening of Notting Hill Gate station a few years later, it went through several name changes before adopting its current moniker.

The main item of interest here though (other than the carnival) is actually the road which runs parallel to Ladbroke Grove for pretty much its entire length. This is Portobello Road, and is the home of the world's largest antiques market.

Actually the 'market' is really five separate markets, along different sections of the road, consisting of Fruit & Veg, Second Hand Goods, Clothing, Household Goods and Antiques.

Saturday is the day to go if you want the full experience. Today being Tuesday it's very tame - just a few stalls with bits of bric-a-brac. But it's a colourful place and on a sunny day like today, very pleasant to stroll along.

 





Artwork by Fiona Hawthorne



Towards the top end of the street there is a series of artworks by local artist Fiona Hawthorne. It covers a long stretch of wall and is a fun and entertaining look at the market and the carnival.

 

 

 

 

 





Artwork by Fiona Hawthorne



There are probably a hundred or more different scenes, so I can only show you a few of them - but you get the idea.





'One Five Zero'



 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also along Portobello Road is one of the oldest cinemas in the UK - the Electric Cinema.

 

Electric Cinema

Opened in 1911 - specifically for use as a cinema, which was unusual - it has been in almost continuous operation since, and currently has seats (leather armchairs with foot-stools and side-tables) for 65 people, as well as three sofas at the back and six double-beds in the front row (presumably to dissuade patrons from getting up to anything too untoward).

 

The first screening ever shown there was of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's performance as Henry VIII - 'as performed at  Her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket' - proving that the current vogue for broadcasting stage plays onto the big screen is nothing new.

 

I continue down Portobello Road, past another local 'landmark', The Hummingbird Bakery', which has been the go-to haunt of cupcake fanciers in London since 2004.

 

Portobello Road and Hummingbird Bakery

 

And so, eventually I reach Notting Hill Gate station, where I have another relatively straightforward journey, via Baker Street and the Bakerloo Line, to my next destination - Lambeth North.

 

***

Lambeth North

Here in Lambeth North, there are two main 'attractions' - though the first, with access being restricted to pre-booked guided tours, is of limited interest, even if you're rather more religious than I happen to be.

 

Lambeth Palace

Lambeth Palace is the official London Residence of the Archbishop Of Canterbury - head of the Church Of England, and has been since the 13th Century. It sits across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament - a very literal separation of Church and State, which you'd think might serve as a timely reminder to the current incumbents of government. Some of them seem to have forgotten that so-called 'Christian values' (whatever they are) should be up to the individual to adopt (or not), rather than being imposed (however subtly) by the state.

 

As the philosopher John Locke put it, back in 1689 in his 'A Letter Concerning Toleration':

 

"I esteem it above all things necessary to distinguish exactly the business of civil government from that of religion, and to settle the just bounds that lie between the one and the other."

 

Not much of
a guide book...

The gates of the palace are very firmly closed, since I haven't booked a guided tour, but a tiny slip of paper in a glass and wood fame next to them gives a little information to visitors.

More of the palace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I continue around the walls of the palace, taking another shot or two of what I can see of the buildings within, and then turn my back on it to face across the river to the Palace of Westminster.

 

Parliament

Violette Szabo



Nearby, on this side of the river, is a statue in honour of Violette Szabo and other members of the 'Special Operations Executive' - a group of agents of many nationalities who committed sabotage behind enemy lines during World War II.

 

Violette Szabo, born of a French mother and English father, and widow of a French officer, was recruited by the SOE following the death of her husband.

 

She took part in only two missions to France, and was captured, tortured and killed on the second, but was posthumously awarded both the George Cross and the Croix de Guerre for her actions, which were to disrupt German communications during the Normandy Landings.

 

 

 

Which leads rather neatly on to the other attraction Lambeth has to offer - the Imperial War Museum.

 

Imperial War Museum

Founded during the First World War, to collect and display material to record the events taking place at the time, the museum now has five sites around the country, including HMS Belfast and the Churchill War Rooms.

 

Guns At The Entrance

 

 

 

Here at Lambeth is a large collection of military vehicles, uniforms and other items of interest as well as documents, recordings and personal effects relating to the two main subjects commemorated - The First World War, and the Holocaust.



V1

Nice parking...

The main hall is the home of such delights as the V1-Rocket (or doodlebug) and its successor the V2, as well as a selection of military vehicles.

 

 

 



V2

 

Also found here is a vehicle not connected to the military, but which in many ways represents the modern style of 'war' with which we all live to a greater or lesser degree - that of terrorism.



 

Baghdad Car

The 'Baghdad Car' was destroyed in a suicide car bombing at a book market in 2007 which killed several dozen people. The words 'car bomb' and 'suicide bomb' are heard so often on the news these days that that's all they have become - just words. But looking at the remains of this vehicle, the damage they can do is all too clear.

 

I next visit the exhibition dedicated to the First World War.

 

German Uniform

British Uniform

 

 

Here you'll find various uniforms, weapons and other equipment, but again the things that I find most engaging are the items which tell a story - be it of life in the trenches, or life back at home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First of these is a notice, presumably from the trenches, warning people not to 'stand around' where they might get shot. And just in case this seemingly obvious advice is ignored, the sign on which the warning is printed drives the message home rather more starkly than the words themselves, riddled as it is with bullet-holes.

 

Message received and understood...

 

Around the corner is something a little more domestic, but - to my modern mind - no less disturbing.

 

...And don't have
nightmares...

Some jolly bed-time reading

Sleep well...

 

 

I can't quite get my head around the mentality that came up with this little treat for children, and I'm sure the psychologists these days would have a field day with the resulting trauma!

 

In The Trenches

 

Another corner turned, and I'm in a mock up of the trenches.

 

On one side of me are the silhouettes of Tommies, while from a speaker encased on the other side come their voices. It's all rather well done.

 

I move onwards and upwards - starting at the top now and working my way down the various levels. At the very top, in its own section, is an extensive exhibition on the horrors of the Holocaust. Understandably, no photography is allowed in here, so all I can do is give you a brief description of it, but I recommend you visit yourself as it's something you really need to experience.

 

As well as the many photographs and documents, and empty canisters of Zyklon B from the gas chambers, there are cabinets filled with hundreds of shoes and other possessions recovered from the death camps. There's a scale model of Auschwitz (or a part of it at least, since the whole camp was so vast). And most poignant of all there are voice recordings and video testaments from survivors. A moving and thought-provoking experience.

 

Outside this part of the museum again, it's almost a relief to be faced with ordinary military hardware. Until we come face to face with another of the human race's marvellously effective efforts to wipe itself off the face of the earth. The nuclear bomb.

 

'Little Boy' Casing

 

The casing on display is one of five made for the 'Little Boy' atomic bomb (don't you just love the name?). Only one was ever used of course - the one dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945.

 

***

After all this death and horror, I think it's high time I had a cup of tea and a piece of cake, so I stop at the museum's café for lunch before moving on.

 

Next on the list is Lancaster Gate.

 

Lancaster Gate

 

The station, and the nearby street of the same name, are named after one of the gates into Kensington Gardens, to the south. The station, though, is actually closer to Marlborough Gate, which pretty much marks the boundary between Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.

 

Just inside Marlborough Gate, at the top of The Serpentine, are the ornate fountains of the Italian Gardens.

 

Italian Gardens

These were ordered by Prince Albert as a mark of his devotion to Queen Victoria (she was probably only expecting a box of chocolates).

 

A bit of info...

 

It's all very pleasant, with the sun out, and plenty of others are enjoying sitting in the relative peace of the gardens.

 

View down the Serpentine.

 

But after a brief stroll, I move on to my fourth and final destination of the day - and to the halfway point of the whole journey - Langdon Park.

 

***

Well, it's hardly the most spectacular of locations to mark such a momentous mile-stone.

 

Langdon Park

The station is named after the park on whose south westerly corner it sits.

 

Langdon Park

It's a DLR station, so has taken me a little longer to reach than the other stations so far today, and I arrive just in time to fight my way through the hordes of school-children heading home for the day from Langdon Park School next to the station.

 

Terry Baldock

Other than the park itself, which is a fairly non-descript example, there are two items of interest here.

 

One is the statue of a boxer in the park - Teddy Baldock, aka the 'Pride Of Poplar'. He was an English boxer of the 1920s and 30s who was apparently the youngest British boxer to win a World Title (aged 19). You can read more about him here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the station is the other item of note.

 

Whoosh

The mirror-polished stainless steel lettering of the word 'Whoosh' seen on the Eastern platform is one part of a series of pieces integrated into the architecture of the station, all created by artist Kate Davis, tutor at the Royal College Of Art.

 

Unfortunately I am unaware of the other elements of the art here until I look it up later when I get home, but apparently there is a drawing made up of steel studs embedded in the paving, and another piece installed on the underside of the bridge canopy from one platform to the other.

 

But that's pretty much it for Langdon Park. As an area, it lies to the north of Canary Wharf, and to south of Stratford and the Olympic Park, so I suppose it's another of those 'no-man's land' sort of places.

 

Still - it will forever be known to readers of this blog as the mid-point of the Wombling Challenge, and as such (and continuing the earlier military theme) it must at least deserve an honourable mention in dispatches.

 

***

And so on we go. Having, as it were, crossed the Tube Map equivalent of the International Date Line, it's hopefully downhill all the way from here.

 

Let's just hope I get the rest of the station list done a little quicker than the first half.