A short walk along Wellington Street and I arrive at Strand, turn right and head towards Trafalgar Square. Not a huge amount of interest to be honest, pre pandemic its a busy road that takes you from Westminster east to the city of London, which is the historic and the central business district of London. However I am heading west. The only thing that really catches my eye is a blue clock above the entrance to a now closed down watch shop. From 1877 the Civil Service Supply Association were based here, although I am not sure how the long the clock has been there. In 1927 the building was rebuilt in an art deco style and became a department store which closed in 1982 after a fire. Strand historically has been famous for pubs, apparently the gunpowder plot was hatched in a pub here, and theatres, although in the modern day just the Adelphi, Vaudeville and the Savoy remain. Authors Charles Dickens and George Eliot both lived here. The Strand Magazine was named after the street and Bush House was home to the world service from 1941 until 2012. I continue walking and soon arrive at Trafalgar Square a place that really needs no explanation as it probably ranks up there as one of the most recognizable parts of London, with Nelsons Column as its centre piece and the National Portrait Gallery as its backdrop. One of my earliest memories was coming here during the summer holidays and feeding the pigeons. My mum would buy us each a little tub of bird seed off the sellers and immediately pigeons would descend on us, nowadays I shudder at the thought. Today though on a slightly overcast day during the pandemic its almost empty and the bird seed sellers are nowhere in sight. There are four plinths in the square, three of which have statues of historic people, but one, often referred to as 'the fourth plinth', has temporary art installations the current one is entitled 'The End' by Heather Phillipson. It was unveiled in July 2020 and will remain until 2022. It is a large swirl of whipped cream with a cherry, a fly and a drone on top. There is a camera in the drone that plays a live feed which you can watch at www.theend.today .
Another place to mention is St Martin in the Fields Church which is north east of the square, it has an unusual warped window on the east side of the church by Iranian artist Shirazeh Houshiary which is worth a look. There is also a cafe in the crypt which is highly recommended however it was shut the day I was there. And a last little oddity is London's smallest Police Station in the south east corner of the square. It dates back to the 1920's and is made from a hollowed out lamppost, and is big enough to hold two prisoners.
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The Strand, Fleet Street and Trafalgar Square make up the red properties, the next set on the monopoly board. Logistically it's a fairly easy set to complete as it's just one road with Trafalgar Square at one end. But to make things easier and to be at the right end of the road for the journey to the next property, Fenchurch Street Station, I will head along The Strand to Trafalgar Square first, then head back along The Strand on the opposite side of the road to Fleet Street. No doubt I will find myself crossing the road back and forth as there is a lot to see on this busy thoroughfare. Unlike some of the other sets there is no theme or connection running through them, each has its own story. Whilst it's not on the monopoly board Charing Cross gets a mention here as it's at the end of The Strand opposite Trafalgar Square and is the nearest tube station for those wishing to visit Trafalgar Square. It's also considered the 'centre of London' and is the point where all distances from London are measured.
Another set complete and this sees me complete half of the monopoly board. No real highlights in this set to be honest, Vine Street the exact opposite in fact. (Great) Marlborough Street probably comes out on top simply because of Liberty which is definitely worth a look and once you are done there Carnaby Street is very close. Take those two out of the equation and none of the three 'properties' are really worth going to.
I arrive at Bow Street, the final 'property' in the orange set, and like the previous two 'properties' its a fairly short street just 0.1 miles (0.16 km) in length, and continues as Wellington Street towards The Strand, which is part of the next set of 'properties', the red. The nearest tube station is Covent Garden. The connection to the Police and the law continues, in 1740 the magistrates court opened and the forerunner to the modern police force, the Bow Street Runners were formed in 1750 by novelist and dramatist Henry Fielding. In 1832 the Metropolitan Police built a new police station here and in 1839 the Bow Street Runners disbanded. The police station closed in 1992 and is now a museum. Bow Street magistrates closed in 2009. Whilst I was there the building was undergoing renovations so I was unable to take a photo. The Royal Opera House is also situated here although the main entrance is on the other side in Covent garden. Opening in 1732 the Royal Opera House has been plagued by fire. The first building was destroyed in a fire in 1808. The second building opened in 1809 but was destroyed in another fire in 1856. The third building opened in 1858 and has survived until the present day, although in 1956 the Floral Hall was badly damaged in a fire. In 1994 a modernisation and extension began completing in 2000 which include a reconstruction of the Floral Hall. Before I continue on towards The Strand and begin the next property set I pop into Covent Garden, which as this is during the pandemic, is almost deserted except for a few people eating and drinking at the Piazza. Probably the emptiest I have and will ever see Covent Garden. The London Transport Museum is also here.
After a couple of photos in Vine Street I headed back down to Piccadilly and headed towards Bow street, the final property in the orange set, after which I will have done half of the Monopoly board. Almost immediately I pass St Jame's Church which I thought was an interesting looking building, surprisingly modern looking with a clock face. It was designed and built by Christopher Wren and opened in 1684. I continue along Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus which is one of London's most recognizable locations, often seen in film and television, due to the large video screens and neon signs. It's actually a road junction connecting Regent Street, Shaftsbury Avenue, The Haymarket, Coventry Street and Glasshouse Street, three of which are property sets that I will be visiting at a later date. Regent Street green set, Piccadilly and Coventry Street Yellow set. In the middle is the Shaftsbury Memorial Fountain which has the statue of Anteros , often mistaken for Eros, designed by Alfred Gilbert in 1893 and very popular with tourists. I cross Piccadilly Circus and continue along Shaftsbury Avenue which is also known as the theatre district and is generally a busy area. To the left is Soho which needs no introduction and I would highly recommend a visit, and China Town to the right. Further along past China Town on the right is Covent Garden, another very busy place and popular with tourists. I take a right along Earlham Street, where Pink Floyds Syd Barret lived, to the Seven Dials, a circular road junction with seven streets running off it. The streets are home to many independent shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs. Highly recommended for Coffee is probably my favorite coffee shop and roasters in London Monmouth Coffee. The coffee, the beans and the service is excellent however it can get extremely busy at weekends and height of the tourist season with long queues. It is on Monmouth Street, hence the name. From Seven Dials its a short walk to Covent Garden
Tens minutes walk, crossing Regents Street, through some back streets and a little way along Piccadilly I arrive at Vine Street and to say it was a disappointment was an understatement. The street itself is 21 meters in length and is basically just the back of the shops with a few goods entrances and fire escapes. The street is thought to have been named after The Vine public house, which in turn may have been named after a Vineyard that was there during Roman times, which seems hard to believe now. Vine Street was famous for its police station during the 19th century and at one point was one of the worlds busiest police stations. the station closed in 1940 and the street was renamed Piccadilly place. Due to a rise in crime in the area the police station reopened in 1966 and in 1972 the name was changed back to Vine Street. The police station closed in 1997 and was demolished a few years later for redevelopment. I left Liberty through the back entrance/exit and almost immediately I found myself in Carnaby Street. If one street in London summed up the swinging 60's it was Carnaby Street. From the late 50's it became home to boutiques, John Stephen, Mary Quant opened boutiques here as did clothing Brand Merc who originally focused on the fashions of the Mods and the skinheads. Bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Who and the Small Faces shopped and socialised here and often played at bars and clubs nearby.
https://artandhue.com/ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/shows-trends/a30873182/mary-quant-designer/ https://www.merc.com/ This was my first visit to Carnaby Street in almost 30 years, although my very first visit had been during a school trip during senior school. I didn't recognize the place. Back then it seemed to be a mecca for left of centre fashions, youth fashions, the mods, the punks, the heavy metal kids, the hippies were all catered for. Now though it was much slicker with Brand shops such as Levi's, North Face, Vans, Dr Martins, Puma and Ben Sherman to name a few. After what had been or seemed to have been a long walk from Marylebone Station it was time for a coffee. I popped into Joe and the Juice where I had a very good Flat white. Friendly staff and some nice music played I would definitely recommend this place. https://www.joejuice.com/ I finished my coffee and continued with my journey to Vine Street Marlborough Street doesn't actually exist and was mis-named on the board after Marlborough Street magistrates court, it is actually Great Marlborough Street. The street itself is not very long but does have very good shopping, most notably Liberty. With its size and mock Tudor design it is impossible to miss. The store was constructed from the timber of two ships, HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan, and the front of the shop is the same length as HMS Hindustan and is a grade II listed building. Liberty opened in 1875 and is famous for fabrics, especially scarves. It sells high end and emerging brands and labels. I went in and immediately felt under dressed for the occasion but to be fair the staff were all very friendly so i felt at ease. Inside it really is impressive, well laid out with very nice displays. At one point on the ground floor you can look up at an see each level as they have what I would describe as a small square wooden balcony. There is also a cafe and a hairdressers. Other notable shops or things of interest are the Aquascutum store and the stage entrance of the London Palladium. Park Crescent, as the name suggests, is a semicircle consisting of elegant stuccoed terraced houses that were completed in 1821. The crescent is divided in half by Portland Place and a private garden sits in the middle. Inside is a statue of Queen Victoria's father Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn which was installed in 1824. The houses and the Garden are Grade I listed buildings. On the day I was there, there were renovations going on, lots of builders and noise so I hurried through and turned right into Portland Place. Portland Place was named for the Third Duke of Portland William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, who was a Conservative politician during the late Georgian era. He served as Chancellor for the University of Oxford from 1792 until 1809, and twice served as Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1783 and then of the United Kingdom in 1807 until 1809. He is also the great-great-great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II. The buildings are grand and typical of the area, many of which are now occupied by company headquarters, professional bodies, embassies and charities. South Bank International School, Queens College Preparatory School, Chinese Embassy which had a small demonstration outside, Polish Embassy, Kenya High Commission, Colombian Consulate and the Association of Anaesthetists are amongst the aforementioned that I notice. Farther along the road in the middle is a statue of Wladyslaw Sikorski (20 May 1818 - 4 July 1943) a Polish military and political leader. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Sikorski Further along the road I pass BBC broadcasting house, which to be honest is nothing to write home about although i imagine the day to day goings on inside are a lot more interesting. At the end of the road where it becomes Langham Place is the Langham Hotel, which is an impressive building and one of the largest and most famous of the traditional grand hotels. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a decent photo of it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langham_Hotel,_London On the opposite side just down a little and on the opposite corner from the BBC is All Souls Church which I thought was an interesting building. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls_Church,_Langham_Place
Shortly after I arrive at my destination, the first of the orange properties, (Great) Marlborough Street. I begin my journey to the next set of 'properties' from where I finished last time, Marylebone Station. I head onto Marylebone Road, turn left and head in the general direction of (Great) Marlborugh Street, another of the 'properties' that I had never visited before. Its a long busy road that takes you into central London with a couple of tube stations and not many shops. I soon pass Old Marylebone Town House, which is also known as Westminster Council House, which was the local seat of Government until 1965 when then enlarged City of Westminster was formed. Built in 1920, a grade II listed building it houses Westminster register office and has hosted many famous weddings including Cilla Black to Bobby Willis, Paul McCartney to Linda Eastman and later Nancy Shevell, Ringo Starr to Barbara Bach, Melanie Griffith to Anthony Banderas, Liam Gallagher to Patsy Kensit and later Nicole Appleton. I continue walking along Marylebone road and soon pass Madame Tussards which is on the opposite side of the road. It really needs no introduction, a popular tourist attraction, the present location opened in 1884 and until 2010 it incorporated the London Planetarium, which is the green domed building, but now houses the Marvel Super Heroes 4D attraction. Madam Tussardsis a place I have never had any interest in visiting but its a prominent building on Marylebone Road, although I prefer the look of what was the London Planetarium. A little further along the road I come to St Marylebone Parish Church. The church was completed in 1817, however it is actually the fourth church to have served as the parish church and on the third site. The first church was built close to what is now Marble Arch and dates back to 1200. The area takes its name from the church. I go inside and have a look around. It was empty, but given it was Friday morning not surprising. I often wonder how busy churches are on a Sunday nowadays, I have passed quite a few on since starting the blog but never on a Sunday. Its actually quite small but impressive looking with a couple of galleries that I was unable to go up to. Behind the church there is a small garden and another smaller entrance. One of the more notable residents that lived in the area, and close to the church, was Charles Dickens who lived at 1 Devonshire Terrace, and it was here that he wrote some of his books. Fittingly there is a memorial in his honor which as well as Dickens himself features some the characters from his books. I continue walking and soon come to Park Crescent, which I will turning into to continue my journey to (Great) Marlborough Street and signals the end of my walk along Marylebone Road. Its not been a bad walk and I found a few places of interest but unless you are going Madam Tussards its not a place I would particularly recommend heading to.
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AuthorLouis Mogg. Archives
March 2020
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