Day 74
Ravenscourt Park - Rayners Lane - Redbridge - Regent's Park - Richmond
For a brief while recently, it looked as though Spring had finally got its act together and sprung - but today is as dull and grey as a politician's underpants.
Which is a shame, as several of the stations I'm visiting today are in close proximity to (and in some cases named after) some of the many parks to be found in London, and a spot of sunshine would have set them off nicely...
Still, Womblers can't be choosers, and at least it's not (as yet) raining as I arrive at my first station - Ravenscourt Park.
Named after the park to the west of the station, which in turn is named after the manor house which used to stand in it, Ravenscourt Park is on the District Line to the west of Hammersmith. Originally named Shaftesbury Road, before the park was opened to the public, it was renamed in 1888.
The park is - like all parks - a Mecca for dog walkers and joggers,, as well as playing host to toddlers' playgroups and the occasional tennis lesson.
The railway lines cross over the southern tip of the park, though the brick arches (in my opinion) add to the view, rather than detracting from it.
I wander northwards around the park's pathways, and come across a monument to one of the victims of the 2005 London Bombings.
The subject of the monument - Giles Vernon Hart - was a union leader, and chairman of the Polish Solidarity Campaign in Britain. This organisation, founded in 1980, stood in support of the Polish Solidarity (Solidarnosc) trade union led by Lech Walesa, which campaigned against the oppression of the Communist government, and eventually itself formed a government in 1989.
Sadly, Giles Hart was also one of the 52 people killed in the bombing that took place on July the 7th 2005. He was travelling to work on the number 30 bus which was blown up in Tavistock Square. This monument - which stands in an area with a large Polish community - is a gift from Poland, who also awarded Hart, posthumously, the Cross of Valour.
As mentioned earlier, the park was originally the location of the Ravenscourt Estate and its manor house. All that has long gone, but there's still a lake at the northern end of the park, which was originally part of the moat of the manor house. This was fed by Stamford Brook (a former tributary of the Thames, and name of the station next door).
The house had already passed into public ownership when it was finally destroyed by bombing in World War II, having been used as both a public library and a tuberculosis dispensary in the intervening years.
It's a pleasant patch of green to wander around - even on a relatively dull day like today - but I must be moving on.
I leave the park through the southern entrance, onto King St., which leads to Hammersmith and is the main shopping street of the area. Almost immediately there is evidence of the large Polish community hereabouts, as I pass the Polish Social and Cultural Association building.
POSK (Polski Osrodek Spoleczno-Kulturalny) was set up in the 1960s by the Polish living in London, many of whom had fought alongside Britain against the Nazis, to promote education regarding the 'respective histories, arts, literatures, languages and cultures' of both Poland and the United Kingdom, to encourage a 'mutual understanding'.
It's interesting to note that phraseology. This was not set up in order for the Poles to isolate themselves from the wider community, nor was it an attempt to promote 'Polishness' over and above 'Britishness'. It was by definition an effort at integration and collaboration. And yet, following the result of the Brexit referendum last year, this building was the target of vandalism, being daubed with racist graffiti. A sad reflection on our times - and an indication of how little we've learned or developed in the last Century.
I continue along King St., walking towards Hammersmith, and from there catch a Piccadilly Train to my next destination.
***
Rayners Lane is the point, in north west London, where the Piccadilly and Metropolitan Lines meet, on their way to Uxbridge and as such, it's a relatively busy interchange.
Both the station and the area around it are named after the street, on the corner of which it stands, and which runs northwards from here to Pinner and southwards to Eastcote. The name was originally Rayner's (with the apostrophe) Lane after the family that owned the farmland that once stood here.
The area around the station has numerous shops and restaurants, having greatly developed as part of the Metro-Land growth of the 1920s and 30s. One piece of Art Deco architecture from that period still stands, though it is no longer used for its original purpose.
The former cinema (variously known as The Grosvenor, The Odeon, The Gaumont, The Odeon - again, and The Ace) is nowadays the sole temple of the Zoroastrian religion in the UK.
Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions on the planet, although no exact dates for the life of its founder - Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) - can be given. It's thought he lived in approximately 1000 BC, in what used to be called Persia (modern day Iran) and his religion is one based on a single supreme being, called Ahura Mazda (Wise God).
Not being of a religious bent myself, the specific teachings of most theologies are of little interest to me, especially since most of them have at some time been twisted into justifications for wars or persecution of some form or another. On the face of it, Zoroastrianism seems fairly typical - be 'righteous' and seek 'truth' by doing 'good deeds' and you will ultimately be rewarded with everlasting life in the afterworld. They do stress that there should be no discrimination based on Caste, Colour, Race or Nationality, so that's slightly better than most.
Personally I'd have preferred the cinema to be still here...
I do a little circuit, wandering northwards, along Rayners Lane, and then turning right to bring me back to the main road (which is actually Imperial Drive). And here I spot another religious edifice of sorts.
This time it's a theological studies centre called Christ The Redeemer's College, offering biblical studies and training for Christian Ministry, in association with Roehampton University.
And once again, it seems that religion has moved in and taken over, where once there was fun and frivolity (and yes, no doubt, the occasional bit of sin and debauchery).
Whereas the Zoroastrians have displaced the 'false idols' of the silver screen, the tutors at this college have moved into another former 'den of vice' - a pub, previously called The Rayners.
I can only assume that the current occupiers of the large office block across the road - which just happens to be the Head Office of Ladbrokes Bookmakers (another den of iniquity by any standards) - must be constantly looking nervously over their shoulders, expecting to be booted out any moment by a horde of maniacal nuns...
***
I leave Rayners Lane before my sins find me out.... and I head on the long trek eastwards across town to my next stop - Redbridge.
This is another of those stations on the Fairlop Loop section of the Central Line, and is also slap bang next to the North Circular Road - a road which (as the name suggests) circles the north of London and in fact passes right by my own home patch of Ealing.
Being so close to such a major road, there's not much greenery immediately outside the station. The road dominates the area, passing by the station on a flyover, though there are a few daffodils pushing through on the subway roundabout beneath the roaring traffic.
I'm crossing under the North Circular in the hope of making my way to a patch of green next to the River Roding, which - the map assures me - is just the other side of the road, behind some houses.
It's this river - or rather a bridge that once stood over it - that gave Redbridge its name. The patch of green doesn't seem to have a name, though there's a much larger one to the south called Wanstead Park, which looks promising.
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way of getting close to the river, or indeed the parks, without going miles out of my way along the North Circular, or along the road which crosses it at the station - the Eastern Avenue.
I can see the river - flowing beneath me as I stand on the Eastern Avenue - but every promising pathway or back road I take hoping to discover a riverside walkway, leads instead to padlocked gates or high fences.
So, disappointed, I make my way back to the station. I take another brief look along the Eastern Avenue, and up the North Circular road, but there's nothing very remarkable about the constant stream of cars, and after a fairly brief sojourn here in East London, I head back West to more fertile ground.
***
The next stop is, like Ravenscourt Park, named after the green open space it stands next to. This park, however, is rather more famous than the first one I visited today - as it's one of the 'Royal' parks and a major tourist attraction.
The station itself has no surface level building, and the entrance could easily be missed, were it not for the traditional roundels displayed above the descending steps.
The park itself is to the north of the station, and was originally monastery owned land belonging to Barking Abbey. Henry VIII appropriated it following the dissolution of the monasteries, and turned it into one of his many hunting parks. Of course, it gets its current name from the Prince Regent (later George IV) who commissioned architect John Nash (who had already designed Regent Street for the Prince) to design the park and surrounding area for him.
As I head into the park the sun decides, at long last, to put in an appearance. The benches and lawns begin to fill with lunchtime idlers and I join them in spending a pleasant half hour or so strolling round the huge expanse of the park.
The park is a mixture of the formal and the relaxed. There are plenty of fastidiously cultivated flower gardens and fountains, along the 'Broad Walk' and in Queen Mary's Rose Gardens, but there's also a great deal of open grassland, particularly to the north of the park.
It's at the northern end that the park's major landmark is to be found - the world famous London Zoo. This would easily merit a day-long visit all to itself, and my time is sadly too short today, but I have visited previously and can happily recommend it to you.
It was created in 1828 (actually several years before the park itself was officially opened to the public) as a place of scientific study, and is the oldest scientific zoo in the world. It was opened to the public in 1847.
It houses a huge collection of animals, of which some have become famous in their own right - for example, Guy The Gorilla (whose statue stands in the zoo's Barclay Court) and Chi Chi the Panda.
It has also played a supporting role in several films, including Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, An American Werewolf In London, and the final, iconic scene of Withnail and I, in which the titular character quotes Hamlet's 'What a piece of work is a man...' speech.
My route through the park doesn't take me as far north as the zoo, and I turn westwards to skirt around the 'Inner Circle'. This 'park within a park' contains the second of the major attractions here - the Open Air Theatre.
Unfortunately, at this time of day, the open air theatre is a firmly closed one, so all I can show you is the slightly obscured view of the tiered seating over the top of the locked gates.
However, like the zoo, it's well worth a visit (as long as the rain holds off) and their season always includes both plays and musicals.
Time is pressing on, so I head southwards again, and back out of the park onto Marylebone Road. I pass by the Royal Academy of Music - among whose alumni are such famous names as Simon Rattle, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Evelyn Glennie, Leslie Garrett and Arthur Sullivan - and before too long find myself back at the station, ready to head off to my final stop of the day.
***
Another reasonably long journey - this time to the south-west of London - brings me at last to Richmond (or to give it its full name, Richmond upon Thames).
And again, we find here (though some considerable distance from the station) a Royal Park. This one was created by Charles I, and was - as is usual for such places - originally a hunting park. It still provides a home for over 600 red and fallow deer, happily these days safe from the royal hunting parties.
As it's such a trek from the station, I don't actually visit the park today, but instead confine myself to the town centre.
It's a fairly bustling place, and - being so close to the river, with its desirable riverside properties - definitely an affluent one. The main shopping area around George Street is home to many boutique style shops and high end fashion outlets, as well as several restaurants. Others are tucked down tiny back streets, where you'll even find a world-renowned chocolatier and patissier - William Curley.
To the north of George Street - behind the shops - is Richmond Green.
Apart from being a pleasant enough space in its own right, it's also the location of Richmond's main (though not its only) theatre.
This was designed by Frank Matcham, the Victorian theatre designer also responsible for the London Palladium, the London Coliseum, the Hackney Empire and others further afield, such as the Blackpool Grand Theatre.
It's often a venue for preliminary performances of major plays before they hit the West End, and has also been used as a 'stand-in' for other theatres in movies such as Evita, Topsy Turvy and Finding Neverland.
It isn't, however, Richmond's only theatre.
Across the road from the station is a pub and hotel called the Orange Tree, and it was here, in 1971, that artistic Director Sam Walters and his wife Auriol Smith created the company that was to become the Orange Tree Theatre.
It now resides next door to its original home, in a converted school, and is best known for its revivals of neglected classics, as well as staging new plays.
Sam Walters stepped down in 2014, having been the Artistic Director here for 42 years (making him the longest-serving artistic director in the UK).
***
The Thames is of course the major attraction of this area, and it's always a popular spot - not least because of the various pubs which overlook the river.
In fact the river divides the borough of Richmond upon Thames in two - and it's the only London Borough therefore to be situated both north and south of the river.
Being so spread out, there's just too much ground for me to cover in the remaining daylight.
I don't manage, therefore, to visit every landmark or attraction Richmond has to offer. There's the aforementioned park of course, as well as another former royal hunting ground, the 'Old Deer Park', where you can also take a dip in the Lido if you're brave enough.
At the top of Richmond Hill is the former Royal Star And Garter Home for paralysed and disabled ex-servicemen - now being redeveloped for by a housing company. And around the corner form this is the factory in which more disabled veterans hand-make all the artificial poppies - about 11 million of them every year - sold for Remembrance Day.
But all that is for another visit. Today I stop for a few minutes to watch the ducks, geese and occasional swans bobbing along with the river, before I retrace my steps to the station and begin my own journey back home.
Which is a shame, as several of the stations I'm visiting today are in close proximity to (and in some cases named after) some of the many parks to be found in London, and a spot of sunshine would have set them off nicely...
Still, Womblers can't be choosers, and at least it's not (as yet) raining as I arrive at my first station - Ravenscourt Park.
 |
| Ravenscourt Park |
The park is - like all parks - a Mecca for dog walkers and joggers,, as well as playing host to toddlers' playgroups and the occasional tennis lesson.
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| Bow-wows and pow-wows |
The railway lines cross over the southern tip of the park, though the brick arches (in my opinion) add to the view, rather than detracting from it.
 |
| Underneath the arches... |
 |
| Monument to Giles Vernon Hart |
The subject of the monument - Giles Vernon Hart - was a union leader, and chairman of the Polish Solidarity Campaign in Britain. This organisation, founded in 1980, stood in support of the Polish Solidarity (Solidarnosc) trade union led by Lech Walesa, which campaigned against the oppression of the Communist government, and eventually itself formed a government in 1989.
Sadly, Giles Hart was also one of the 52 people killed in the bombing that took place on July the 7th 2005. He was travelling to work on the number 30 bus which was blown up in Tavistock Square. This monument - which stands in an area with a large Polish community - is a gift from Poland, who also awarded Hart, posthumously, the Cross of Valour.
As mentioned earlier, the park was originally the location of the Ravenscourt Estate and its manor house. All that has long gone, but there's still a lake at the northern end of the park, which was originally part of the moat of the manor house. This was fed by Stamford Brook (a former tributary of the Thames, and name of the station next door).
 |
| The Lake |
The house had already passed into public ownership when it was finally destroyed by bombing in World War II, having been used as both a public library and a tuberculosis dispensary in the intervening years.
It's a pleasant patch of green to wander around - even on a relatively dull day like today - but I must be moving on.
I leave the park through the southern entrance, onto King St., which leads to Hammersmith and is the main shopping street of the area. Almost immediately there is evidence of the large Polish community hereabouts, as I pass the Polish Social and Cultural Association building.
 |
| POSK |
POSK (Polski Osrodek Spoleczno-Kulturalny) was set up in the 1960s by the Polish living in London, many of whom had fought alongside Britain against the Nazis, to promote education regarding the 'respective histories, arts, literatures, languages and cultures' of both Poland and the United Kingdom, to encourage a 'mutual understanding'.
It's interesting to note that phraseology. This was not set up in order for the Poles to isolate themselves from the wider community, nor was it an attempt to promote 'Polishness' over and above 'Britishness'. It was by definition an effort at integration and collaboration. And yet, following the result of the Brexit referendum last year, this building was the target of vandalism, being daubed with racist graffiti. A sad reflection on our times - and an indication of how little we've learned or developed in the last Century.
I continue along King St., walking towards Hammersmith, and from there catch a Piccadilly Train to my next destination.
***
Rayners Lane is the point, in north west London, where the Piccadilly and Metropolitan Lines meet, on their way to Uxbridge and as such, it's a relatively busy interchange.
 |
| Rayners Lane |
The area around the station has numerous shops and restaurants, having greatly developed as part of the Metro-Land growth of the 1920s and 30s. One piece of Art Deco architecture from that period still stands, though it is no longer used for its original purpose.
 |
| Zoroastrian Centre |
The former cinema (variously known as The Grosvenor, The Odeon, The Gaumont, The Odeon - again, and The Ace) is nowadays the sole temple of the Zoroastrian religion in the UK.
 |
| And a bit of history... |
Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions on the planet, although no exact dates for the life of its founder - Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) - can be given. It's thought he lived in approximately 1000 BC, in what used to be called Persia (modern day Iran) and his religion is one based on a single supreme being, called Ahura Mazda (Wise God).
Not being of a religious bent myself, the specific teachings of most theologies are of little interest to me, especially since most of them have at some time been twisted into justifications for wars or persecution of some form or another. On the face of it, Zoroastrianism seems fairly typical - be 'righteous' and seek 'truth' by doing 'good deeds' and you will ultimately be rewarded with everlasting life in the afterworld. They do stress that there should be no discrimination based on Caste, Colour, Race or Nationality, so that's slightly better than most.
Personally I'd have preferred the cinema to be still here...
 |
| Rayners Lane |
I do a little circuit, wandering northwards, along Rayners Lane, and then turning right to bring me back to the main road (which is actually Imperial Drive). And here I spot another religious edifice of sorts.
 |
| Christ The Redeemer College |
This time it's a theological studies centre called Christ The Redeemer's College, offering biblical studies and training for Christian Ministry, in association with Roehampton University.
And once again, it seems that religion has moved in and taken over, where once there was fun and frivolity (and yes, no doubt, the occasional bit of sin and debauchery).
Whereas the Zoroastrians have displaced the 'false idols' of the silver screen, the tutors at this college have moved into another former 'den of vice' - a pub, previously called The Rayners.
I can only assume that the current occupiers of the large office block across the road - which just happens to be the Head Office of Ladbrokes Bookmakers (another den of iniquity by any standards) - must be constantly looking nervously over their shoulders, expecting to be booted out any moment by a horde of maniacal nuns...
***
I leave Rayners Lane before my sins find me out.... and I head on the long trek eastwards across town to my next stop - Redbridge.
 |
| Redbridge |
This is another of those stations on the Fairlop Loop section of the Central Line, and is also slap bang next to the North Circular Road - a road which (as the name suggests) circles the north of London and in fact passes right by my own home patch of Ealing.
 |
| North Circular |
Being so close to such a major road, there's not much greenery immediately outside the station. The road dominates the area, passing by the station on a flyover, though there are a few daffodils pushing through on the subway roundabout beneath the roaring traffic.I'm crossing under the North Circular in the hope of making my way to a patch of green next to the River Roding, which - the map assures me - is just the other side of the road, behind some houses.
It's this river - or rather a bridge that once stood over it - that gave Redbridge its name. The patch of green doesn't seem to have a name, though there's a much larger one to the south called Wanstead Park, which looks promising.
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way of getting close to the river, or indeed the parks, without going miles out of my way along the North Circular, or along the road which crosses it at the station - the Eastern Avenue.
I can see the river - flowing beneath me as I stand on the Eastern Avenue - but every promising pathway or back road I take hoping to discover a riverside walkway, leads instead to padlocked gates or high fences.
 |
| River Roding |
So, disappointed, I make my way back to the station. I take another brief look along the Eastern Avenue, and up the North Circular road, but there's nothing very remarkable about the constant stream of cars, and after a fairly brief sojourn here in East London, I head back West to more fertile ground.
***
The next stop is, like Ravenscourt Park, named after the green open space it stands next to. This park, however, is rather more famous than the first one I visited today - as it's one of the 'Royal' parks and a major tourist attraction.
 |
| Regent's Park |
The park itself is to the north of the station, and was originally monastery owned land belonging to Barking Abbey. Henry VIII appropriated it following the dissolution of the monasteries, and turned it into one of his many hunting parks. Of course, it gets its current name from the Prince Regent (later George IV) who commissioned architect John Nash (who had already designed Regent Street for the Prince) to design the park and surrounding area for him.
As I head into the park the sun decides, at long last, to put in an appearance. The benches and lawns begin to fill with lunchtime idlers and I join them in spending a pleasant half hour or so strolling round the huge expanse of the park.
 |
| Taking it easy. |
The park is a mixture of the formal and the relaxed. There are plenty of fastidiously cultivated flower gardens and fountains, along the 'Broad Walk' and in Queen Mary's Rose Gardens, but there's also a great deal of open grassland, particularly to the north of the park.
 |
| Flowers along the Broad Walk |
It's at the northern end that the park's major landmark is to be found - the world famous London Zoo. This would easily merit a day-long visit all to itself, and my time is sadly too short today, but I have visited previously and can happily recommend it to you.
It was created in 1828 (actually several years before the park itself was officially opened to the public) as a place of scientific study, and is the oldest scientific zoo in the world. It was opened to the public in 1847.
It houses a huge collection of animals, of which some have become famous in their own right - for example, Guy The Gorilla (whose statue stands in the zoo's Barclay Court) and Chi Chi the Panda.
It has also played a supporting role in several films, including Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, An American Werewolf In London, and the final, iconic scene of Withnail and I, in which the titular character quotes Hamlet's 'What a piece of work is a man...' speech.
My route through the park doesn't take me as far north as the zoo, and I turn westwards to skirt around the 'Inner Circle'. This 'park within a park' contains the second of the major attractions here - the Open Air Theatre.
 |
| Open Air Theatre |
Unfortunately, at this time of day, the open air theatre is a firmly closed one, so all I can show you is the slightly obscured view of the tiered seating over the top of the locked gates.
However, like the zoo, it's well worth a visit (as long as the rain holds off) and their season always includes both plays and musicals.
Time is pressing on, so I head southwards again, and back out of the park onto Marylebone Road. I pass by the Royal Academy of Music - among whose alumni are such famous names as Simon Rattle, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Evelyn Glennie, Leslie Garrett and Arthur Sullivan - and before too long find myself back at the station, ready to head off to my final stop of the day.
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| Royal Academy of Music |
***
Another reasonably long journey - this time to the south-west of London - brings me at last to Richmond (or to give it its full name, Richmond upon Thames).
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| Richmond Station |
And again, we find here (though some considerable distance from the station) a Royal Park. This one was created by Charles I, and was - as is usual for such places - originally a hunting park. It still provides a home for over 600 red and fallow deer, happily these days safe from the royal hunting parties.
As it's such a trek from the station, I don't actually visit the park today, but instead confine myself to the town centre.
 |
| George Street shops |
It's a fairly bustling place, and - being so close to the river, with its desirable riverside properties - definitely an affluent one. The main shopping area around George Street is home to many boutique style shops and high end fashion outlets, as well as several restaurants. Others are tucked down tiny back streets, where you'll even find a world-renowned chocolatier and patissier - William Curley.
 |
| Paved Court |
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| Richmond Green |
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| A bit of info |
Apart from being a pleasant enough space in its own right, it's also the location of Richmond's main (though not its only) theatre.
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| Richmond Theatre |
This was designed by Frank Matcham, the Victorian theatre designer also responsible for the London Palladium, the London Coliseum, the Hackney Empire and others further afield, such as the Blackpool Grand Theatre.
It's often a venue for preliminary performances of major plays before they hit the West End, and has also been used as a 'stand-in' for other theatres in movies such as Evita, Topsy Turvy and Finding Neverland.
It isn't, however, Richmond's only theatre.
Across the road from the station is a pub and hotel called the Orange Tree, and it was here, in 1971, that artistic Director Sam Walters and his wife Auriol Smith created the company that was to become the Orange Tree Theatre.
 |
| The Orange Tree(s) |
It now resides next door to its original home, in a converted school, and is best known for its revivals of neglected classics, as well as staging new plays.
Sam Walters stepped down in 2014, having been the Artistic Director here for 42 years (making him the longest-serving artistic director in the UK).
***
The Thames is of course the major attraction of this area, and it's always a popular spot - not least because of the various pubs which overlook the river.
 |
| The Thames and Richmond Bridge |
Being so spread out, there's just too much ground for me to cover in the remaining daylight.
I don't manage, therefore, to visit every landmark or attraction Richmond has to offer. There's the aforementioned park of course, as well as another former royal hunting ground, the 'Old Deer Park', where you can also take a dip in the Lido if you're brave enough.
At the top of Richmond Hill is the former Royal Star And Garter Home for paralysed and disabled ex-servicemen - now being redeveloped for by a housing company. And around the corner form this is the factory in which more disabled veterans hand-make all the artificial poppies - about 11 million of them every year - sold for Remembrance Day.
But all that is for another visit. Today I stop for a few minutes to watch the ducks, geese and occasional swans bobbing along with the river, before I retrace my steps to the station and begin my own journey back home.
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