'Filmstar'

Day 56

Latimer Road - Leicester Square - Lewisham

A frisson of  déjà vu (or rather déjà fait) this morning as I set off on pretty much exactly the same route as I did last week - though stopping one station earlier than I did then - and what's more I'll be finishing the day in roughly the same place on the DLR line too.

This is, of course, one of the major drawbacks of my insistence on visiting all these stations in alphabetical, rather than geographical, order. This week I'm starting with Latimer Road, which being just one stop short of last week's Ladbroke Grove is so close as to make no odds, but in between I've been as far afield as Bayswater and the East End. Sigh...

It's amazing the useless information you discover when researching a journey like mine.

I was already aware that Leicester Square (which I'll be saying 'hello' to later today) and Covent Garden are the two closest stations on the network - being just 0.16 miles apart. But for some reason the compiler of the Wikipedia page for Latimer Road station has seen fit to inform us that the travel time from Wood Lane to Latimer Road is a 'slightly-more-than-one-minute' journey.

'That's rather an odd way of putting things', I muse, but on delving a little deeper (which it's always wise to do with Wikipedia articles) I discover that the information backing this claim up comes from this website. Here it becomes clear that the journey is described thus because these two stops have only just missed out on being included in the list of stations less than 60 seconds apart.

Never one to miss out on a chance of expressing my inner geek, I time the journey (from the moment the train starts to pull away, to the moment it comes to a full stop) and discover that it actually takes 58 seconds.

They was robbed!

Of course, if you include the time it takes for the doors to close at one end, and to open again at the other, or the time to get from platform to platform, the journey will be well over the minute. Nevertheless, if nothing else, this proves it's always wise to double-check your facts.

Be all that as it may, I arrive at Latimer Road bright and early.

 

Latimer Road

Or rather, I don't - though I do arrive at Latimer Road station.

The road of the same name is actually some distance to the north, though originally it extended further south into what is now the top end of Freston Road. The reason the road was so wantonly truncated  was the plonking down of a whopping great flyover and roundabout in the middle of it - the A40 Westway, and the roundabout leading from it to the 'West Cross Route' towards Shepherd's Bush.
 

Tower Block Art

 

 

 

 

 

The station is just south of the flyover, and it's in this direction I head. The buildings around me all seem to be blocks of flats of one kind or another, though occasionally with some interesting additions...

There are also a few shops and a pub or two, but nothing very exciting. However, I'm heading for a building that was also, once, a pub and which has made more than one appearance on the silver screen.

The Bramley Arms

As well as several appearances in TV shows such as 'Minder' and 'The Sweeney', the former 'Bramley Arms' (now offices, though still bearing the name above the upper floor windows) is probably most recognisable in the Ealing Comedy 'The Lavender Hill Mob', in which it is the location of a huge pile-up of police cars.
 

Still from 'The Lavender Hill Mob'

Another film (almost the antithesis of such genteel comedy) in which it has appeared is the movie of The Who's album - Quadrophenia. Here it forms the backdrop to the character 'Spider' getting beaten up by a gang of Rockers after his scooter has broken down outside the pub.
 

Still from Quadrophenia

The rest of the area being chiefly made up of flats and offices, I decide that I can safely head on to my next destination, which - in a different way - is also very much connected to the movie industry.

***

I decide, since I'm on the tube anyway, to take a quick detour and, rather than get off at Leicester Square, to stay on the train to the next stop - Covent Garden - and time the journey between the two.

Well, they were quite right - it is a very short journey. The 0.16 miles between them is covered in a mere 39 seconds!

The wait on the opposite platform, for a train to take me back to Leicester Square, annoyingly lasts rather longer...

***

Still, I'm here now. Though like Latimer Road station, Leicester Square station is not actually on the road, after which it is named - though in this case it's a little more understandable, since Leicester Square itself is a self-contained pedestrianised area, with - at its centre - a public park.
 

Leicester Square

 

Once the home of such famous names as William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds, the square dates back as far as 1670 when it was named after the elegant Leicester House - home of Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl Of Leicester - which sat on its northern side (roughly where the Angus Steakhouse now stands). The Earl was required to keep the park at the centre of the square as 'Lammas Land', meaning 'commoners' were allowed to graze their livestock on it freely from Lammas Day on the 1st August to the following April.

Leicester Square

The Empire Cinema
(with recumbent figure)

These days the only things grazing  - and indeed, in some cases, sleeping - in the square are tourists and homeless people. But there is still elegance of a sort as it is also the London home of all major film premières. Two major cinemas dominate the square - The Empire on the northern side, and The Odeon to the east, and the red carpet is never rolled up for long around here.
 

The Odeon Cinema
(with recumbent figure)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movies are in the air around here. The wall tiles in the station are bordered by film sprockets, and to the west of the central area of the park is a statue of one of Hollywood's most famous early innovators - Charlie Chaplin.

Charlie Chaplin

 

 

 

 

 

Shakespeare
'There is no darkness
but ignorance...'

In the very centre of the park is a statue of Shakespeare, featuring a quotation from Twelfth Night: 'There is no darkness but ignorance...'

As well as being probably the most famous Englishman of all time, he is also a reminder of London's other major entertainment industry - the Theatre.
 

If Leicester Square is 'Cinemaland' then surrounding it is 'Theatreland' - the 'West End' of many an actor's dreams. To the north is Shaftesbury Avenue, where the theatres are lined up next to each other like pensioners in a bus queue, and there isn't a direction you can take from here which won't lead you very shortly past a Box Office or Stage Door.
 

To the north-east of the Square is a small street called Leicester Place, where the cinematic and theatrical worlds sit side-by-side as next-door neighbours.
 

Prince Charles Cinema

The Prince Charles Cinema is well-known among movie-goers as a purveyor of the more cult and esoteric films, and has - for example - been for over twenty-five years the regular home of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (both the current 'sing-along-a' version, and previously, a live 'act-along' version featuring performances by the 'Charming Underclothes' group).
 



Spotlight

Next door to the cinema is somewhere familiar to all members of the theatrical profession as the location of many an audition, and the repository of the profession's 'Yellow Pages' - the Spotlight Directory.

Pretty much every actor working (or more often, sadly, not working) in the profession today has their photograph (or 'headshot') in the pages of the directory and online. Established in 1927, there are now over 60,000 performers (including child artists, presenters and stunt artists, as well as actors) on the books.




Back in the main Square, it's clearly still too early (at 11am) for the street-performers who would normally be haranguing the passers-by, so instead I leave the world of art and culture firmly behind me and enter, instead, the world of unashamed tourist exploitation.

I'm speaking of the blinding mass of primary colours that is 'M&Ms World'.
 

M&Ms World

Now, I'm as big a fan (literally) of chocolate as the next man, and many's the packet of M&Ms that has been consumed by me while watching the latest blockbuster film.
 

50 Shades Of Garish...

But I'm perfectly happy to purchase them from any common or garden confectioner's shop - I really don't need to visit what can only described as a 'temple' dedicated to the worship of these little coloured sweets.

As well as the chocolate itself, you can, if you so choose, find yourself a complete outfit, a set of crockery and cutlery, a selection of cuddly toys and other 'souvenirs' in the M&M colour of your choice, and pay for it all from a wallet bearing the faces of one or more of the 'characters' whose inane grins lurch out at you from around every corner.


 

Classy...



The shop extends to several floors  - though on closer examination they each have pretty much the same items of stock on offer.
 

Prolonged exposure may damage your eyesight, as well as your wallet.

 

 

 

A dedicated
'swallower' of fashion?

I'm sure they make an absolute fortune out of the tourists here, and it's a strange fact that the longer I remain in the shop, the more I feel I really need to spend some money. Though I think perhaps I'll pass on the Swarovski crystal and lambskin jacket, at just shy of £2,300.

 

Nevertheless, I do feel the urge to buy a lot of chocolate - perhaps they put something in the air-con, or maybe all these bright colours have some subliminal psychological effect...

 

 

 

 

'Sharing...'? Who are they trying to kid?

I manage to resist the urge, and head back outside into the relative normality of the Square.

M&Ms world is situated in a building which, in a previous incarnation, was known as The Swiss Centre.

This building was demolished in 2008 and a swanky new one built in its place to hold not just the colourful chocolatey treats, but also a five star hotel.

The original Swiss Centre, a slightly bizarre concept, was just what you might expect from its name - a centre for all things Swiss. Basically intended to drum up enthusiasm for Swiss Tourism, it contained shops, a restaurant, a bank and the offices of the Swiss tourist board.
 

Swiss Glockenspiel

Though the building has now gone, the short stretch of paving outside leading to the centre of the Square is still called Swiss Court, and on it is a last reminder of the former occupants.


The glockenspiel that stands here is the same one, now refurbished, that used to sit on the face of the old building and chime on the hour. These days it has a more limited 'performance' schedule, as detailed on the notice below it.



Sadly, I'm 'between shows' when I arrive, so I'll have to leave that treat for another day...




In this age of 'Celebrity', when anyone who has appeared on TV for more than 30 seconds seems to become a household name with a screaming fan-base to rival the Beatles in their heyday, it's easy to forget that former centuries also had their 'stars', though they were fewer in number and - dare I say it - actually did something to earn their celebrity.

Two of these, both from the theatrical world, are celebrated just to the east of Leicester Square, on Charing Cross Road.

Henry Irving

The first, Henry Irving, was probably the most well known of the Victorian actor-managers. Born of relatively lowly stock in 1838, he rose to become the first ever actor to be given a knighthood.




It's also said he provided Bram Stoker, who knew him well, with the inspiration for the original Count Dracula. The story was to have been a play, with Irving in the lead, (though when the novel was published Irving apparently pronounced it 'Dreadful!')




A little further round from the statue of Irving is a theatre bearing the name of another great actor - this time from the 18th Century - David Garrick.

Garrick Theatre

Garrick was the manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for 29 years, and unlike many of his contemporaries was an exponent of a more realistic style of acting than the bombast which was the vogue.

He was a huge admirer of the work of Shakespeare, and was largely influential in bringing him to the attention of a wider audience. Indeed, it's possible that without him, Shakespeare wouldn't be held so widely in such high regard today. Garrick was the first person to organise a celebration in honour of Shakespeare  - a jubilee celebrating 200 years since the playwright's birth (a baton that has been well and truly passed on, given this year's plethora of celebrations for the 400th anniversary of his death).



Agatha Christie

Not quite in the same league as Shakespeare perhaps, but possibly more widely read, is the crime writer Agatha Christie.

She is honoured with a memorial a (reasonably hefty) stone's throw from the theatre which houses her (in)famously long-running play, The Mousetrap, (which must surely now be merely hanging on out of sheer bloody-mindedness).

The memorial features images of her famous detectives Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, on the reverse - but personally I like the little detail of the mousetrap at the top.




Round another corner - and I'm heading back to Leicester Square, though this time along a street just to the north of it - Gerrard Street - and here the influence of surrounding Chinatown is obvious.

Chinatown



Ornate Gate

Every other (if not every) building is a Chinese restaurant, and the reds and golds of the Chinese lanterns give a festive air to the place. At either end are large and ornate gates decorated with (presumably) some deeply significant Chinese wording.

This isn't, of course, the Chinatown of sleazy opium dens and sinister pigtailed villains depicted in early Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle stories - that was over in Limehouse where the Chinese community first grew up around the docklands where many of them worked. I'll be visiting Limehouse in just a few stops, so I'll let you know if I get kidnapped by white-slavers or hooked on opium.

Before then, I have one final station to visit today, so off I pop - out on the DLR to Lewisham.

***
Lewisham is at the end of its own branch of the DLR, and is the most southerly DLR station. It was, until 1889, part of the county of Kent. The borough is the birthplace of such famous former residents as actors Gary Oldman and Jessica Hynes, musicians Ginger Baker and Sid Vicious, and designer Alexander McQueen.



Lewisham
(I don't think dying your hair the same
colour as the station is a legal requirement)

It also seems, at the moment to be one huge construction site - with barely a square foot of pavement or tarmac that isn't being dug up. Indeed it's quite difficult to get anywhere in a straight line, as you have to negotiate a labyrinth of red and white plastic barriers, blocking off any footpath you might want to use.

I'm heading for the area's only real attraction - such as it is - the Lewisham Shopping Centre. Along the way, I observe that I'm surrounded by tower-blocks, which seem to be the favoured form of building around these parts. They manage not to be mere concrete monstrosities, however, and the skyline does have a certain architectural interest.



Tower blocks aplenty

Eventually, however, I manage to find the shopping centre (surmounted by yet another tower-block), though it is of course, much like any other anonymous mall. Just the usual shops - no surprises there.

I do spot several notices advising customers that the centre is 'Breast-feeding Friendly', which - though entirely laudable and forward-thinking - is of very little use to me.

Coming out of the other side of the shopping centre, I go in search of Lewisham's Clock Tower - built in honour of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.

I find it on the semi-pedestrianised High Street, but since it is (a) not a very interesting example of the genre, and (b) surrounded by hot-dog and burger stands, I can't get a decent photo of it. So, with a slightly disappointing end to the day, I give up on Lewisham, and make my way home.

'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.