RENWICKGENES

Back Again

2011-12-04T13:08:00.003Z

November 28. Having spent some 4 hours in Clubland meeting a friend from my teens and twenties I decided to walk across the park to Lambeth to have a look at my birthplace. This involved another trip over my river, walking from Big Ben over Westminster Bridge to Lambeth. By chance whilst near Pall Mall I dropped in to the Stephen Wiltshire Gallery and bought a post card showing the bridge from the air. This artist has made some amazing views of parts of London as well as many 'Cityscapes', mainly black and white they are not everyone's cup of tea but well worth viewing on his web site.
My birthplace, St. Thomas's Hospital has changed a bit in 83 years and the record I wanted is either destroyed or with London Metropolitan Archives. It is just over 3 years since I was by Westminster Bridge and little has changed except a cabin is missing in 'The London Eye' and a piper, bagpiper that is, was playing on the bridge, it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey but he played on.

Return to SONNING on Thames

2011-07-03T22:15:00.004+01:00

Sunday 3rd July 2011.
This was a place where EG and I stayed one night, very old pub but we missed our way leading to an extra 10 minutes walk and I wanted to find out why. Instead of going up the path top left in int right hand picture, we SHOULD have turned left and the pub was about 20 yards ahead. Note the brick wall going off right, it was built from bombed out bricks taken from east London in 1945
You can see the pub above. It is one of the few pubs to be owned by the nearby church. This is because it dates back to about 1300 and was then the lodging house for some visitors calling on the Bishop of Salisbury who lived in a palace about 200 yards away. He later transferred his residence to Salisbury and the palace became a ruin. Just like that!
Sonning was at one time recently the home of the Palmer family, as in Huntley and Palmers biscuits. The palace site is now a school.
The walk along the river in the wrong direction was quite pleasant, far too many people for peace but if you go out on a Sunday you have to expect that.
We had a large lunch at the pub, The Bull, very satisfying, i recommend it but tall people (over 5ft6) should watch out for the low ceilings.

Return to THE RIVER

2011-06-11T21:46:00.003+01:00

11th June 2011
M and I returned to The Olde Bell Inn at Hurley, Berks where E and I had eaten some 3 years ago. Another delightful day and VERY good food taken indoors after a walk down to the lock and along the riverside for about 1/2 a mile. A really lovely place to spend some easy time, the only road in the village leads to the river so there is little traffic, only 2 shops and not many houses so again little traffic although this day there was a wedding at the church (dating back to 633 AD in places) with the recption at The Olde Bell. A nearby house (Lady Place) is said to have been a US Intelligence HQ in WW2, a house next to the Inn was used by The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII,NOT to-day's Prince Charles) to meet a 'friend'.
Whilst walking beside the river came across a chestnut tree recently fallen, one that Edie hid behind no doubt.
If you go to the pub/inn try the green pea soup flavoured with Loveage, it turns a dull dish into a winner.

Change of plan

2011-01-17T17:58:00.003Z

Since my last post almost a year ago many things have happened and EG and I are now investigating the idea of motor boating up the Thames using friends as drivers while we walk most of the day. This has the advantage that the non walkers get a chance to learn how to negotiate the 40 or so locks whilst we get as much exercise as we want and when necessary can call on help from the water bourne people. I have suffered a simple but painful injury whilst EG's friend suffered some sort of fainting trauma resulting in everyone seeing sense and giving up Coast to Coast until the males are fully fit again.
This photo was taken with friends visiting Ephesus and has no connection with Old Father Thames or EG

Back to Old Father Thames

2010-02-27T20:50:00.004Z

Yesterday, 26th February I revisited the source of the Thames, the point was to see the source when the spring was operating as a spring, in 2008 when EG and I were there the source was dry so I believed that there would be running water because there has been several days of heavy rain.

To make it more interesting I decided to appraoach from the west by stopping at a pub near Sapperton and walking along the disused Severn to Thames Canal for a mile to Trewsbru then dropping across fileds to my destination. The ground was soggy, very soggy and it was hard going but when I got there total disappointment, no water, not even a puddle so I took a few photos and returned to The Tunnel pub to finish my lunch. It has been said that it was only in the 19th Century that Thames Head became known as the Thames source and some consider that this was because there was an artificial spring created from water leaking out of the canal. Those interested should refer to the Cotswold Canal Trust website.

New walking route

2010-02-20T21:50:00.003Z

Got going about 4pm with a pacemaker thing to indicate my number of steps and new socks, specially made for snowboarders, 'made of wool' said the guy in the shop, when I got in I looked carefully, 8%wool, 59% synthetic, 33% cotton. But they fitted and did me wll for my trial walk which involved an extended walk across fields to a road I know followed by 600 yards as a pedestrian with no footpath, sidewalk or escapes. I survived but I did not like it and must find a better route. 8500 steps, 5.4 miles according to my pedometer, 1 hour 10 minutes, something is wrong there and it is because I have the pace length wrongly set. On flat even ground I can do about 30 inch pace but going up a 45% hill it can be down to 12". Sunday to-morrow, just a dander.

Pre-Plannig

2010-02-19T09:23:00.002Z

The first steps towards pre-planning Have started, I now have Wainwrghts book and 2 Ordnance survey maps. Some of those hills look quite steep, in many cases over 25% gradient which seems to me on a par with going up Snowdon or Ben Nevis. I managed those without difficulty but of course it was only one mountain in a day, for this walk there will be two or three in a day but Wainwright does a good job in setting out the route with some explanation of what is going on around, however to judge from the DVD made with him the man did not try to do the walk on a continuous basis. By chance I have met up with a lad in the climbing gear shop who plans to be doing the C2C with his father later in the year and I had a long discussion with him about buying a GPS. Four hundred quid seems a lot for a piece of equipment to be used for one trip only, against that must be set the possibility that it could be a life saver following a simple accident. I shall take my car SatNav out for a few trial walks, not quite so convenient but we shall see.

2010-02-06T13:00:00.003Z

This is the end of the first week of February and I have been walking for an hour or so most days in oto get a suitable fitness level for my next serious walking trip with my Thames companion EG, we are planning to do Wainwrights Coast to Coast walk, St Bee's Head to Robin Hood Bay walking whenever possible on footpaths rather than hard surface. Distance is about 195 miles and since this is serious up and down hill walking the present plan is for about 6 miles per day with the intention of looking at the countryside as well as the marvels of nature. Six miles does not seem much but it can be rough walking and the weather can vary from glorious to blooming horrible. So far I have done no serious planning, such important details as where to stay and how to move luggage have to be thought about and decided. The current plan is that there will be 4 of us walking and we may have a back up pair to deal with luggage moving. There are complications, EG has serious illness in the family, one of the other 2 has a foot difficulty, the other is a busy lady and 30 days away from serious office work may not be possible.

Unknown

2010-01-28T22:06:00.000Z

Nothing to say at present but just want to keep the blog open

Clifton Hampden Bridge

2009-03-16T21:11:00.004Z

The door is of the church note the two carved faces and the ornate ironwork on what is essentially a modern door. It is a legal requirement that notices are pinned to THE DOOR which is a bit destructive of the woodwork and this parish council has decided on a sensible notice board. The picture of the bridge was taken from the church

Clifton Hampden

2009-03-16T21:03:00.003Z

I have already revisited Cricklade, Lechlade and Henley on Thames but on 14th March 2009 went to Abingdon to look around the town the EG and I whizzed by. It turns out the town is one of the oldest in England. We, Maggy and I, had lunch at a pub on a midstream island then went on the Clifton Hampden, particularly to see the church redesigned by the father of Giles Gilbert-Scott who also did the bridge. This picture shows a seriously refurbished cottage in the village, if you go back you can see what it was like last August. Note the boards forming the sidewalk just to right of centre, they aree for pedestrians to walk on during a flood, my guess is the cottage floods too.

In the train going back to Richmond

2009-02-24T21:00:00.002Z

We got a train from Charlton to Waterloo then another to Richmond, had a good clean up and went out for a celebratory dinner.
The next day EG went up north to friends prior to flying to Nice?
We met her on her return to London and took her out to dinner at her Heathrow hotel for her 60th birthday.

It now needs EG to write her story but that is a while off, she has problems at home which are much more important.
Good luck Sis, you were a super companion all the time, I could not have wished for anyone better.

Mission accommplished

2009-02-24T20:47:00.002Z

You can see the shape of the housing for the motors on the left. EG has a smile as wide as the river, I fear I ws a bit pooped but Maggie was there to greet us....not the Queen, not the TV, not even a friend but that is the way it goes. EG was disappointed that there was no mug or T shirt on sale for people like us who had done the whole trip so unbeknown to her I had a T shirt specially printed with an outline of the river plus her picture and mine.

You will remember that we had to divert outside Oxford and two weeks later I went back there and walked the missed 2 miles, EG had to return to USA and did not make it but when she is over next we will do it together.

Was it worth it? YES, YES, YES.

Would you do it again? Perhaps, but not at breakneck speed, there is just too much to see so close to the river that you could spend days around the London Bridge area alone.
I shall soon be giving a list of books to read and some words about where to stay, meanwhile, Thank you for staying with me.

We made it

2009-02-24T20:45:00.000Z

This tunnel takes the path across the barrier control systems to parkland on the other side

Modern art...the barrier

2009-02-24T20:36:00.002Z

The modern art looked like a mess of wire and that could be said of the Millenium Dome project.
The other picture is our first sight of The Barrier, it looks a little like a series of hoods straddling the river.
The Dome was built on the site of an old gas works (vide Brentford) to be a large exhibition hall in south London which had needed one since 1934 when The Crystal Palace was burned down. The Dome was inspired by The Government and as with so many Governmental ideas it went wrong from the start and although finished on time the cost overruns were staggering and then no one could be found to operate the place as intended. That problem has been solved to some extent by having an exhibition arena and associated shopping precincts.

Looking backwards upriver and economically

2009-02-24T20:30:00.003Z

A large notice stated we must take instructions from the crane operator. Who would argue with that bucket liable to drop half a ton of gravel on you?
It is sad to think that what was once a very thriving industrial area is now either derelict or used for recreational purposes. As a student in 1951 I was walking on the adjacent ground watching real men 'spin' 2" steel plate into saucer shaped dishes 8ft diameter for use in all sorts of pressure vessels to go around the world.
What would Shakespeare have said?

Back side of Greenwich

2009-02-24T20:24:00.001Z

It is a well laid path, pity about the fencing on the right, however we trundles along, missing the path at one place because the temporary signage was only obvious to those going in the reverse direction.

Trafalfar Tavern, Greenwich

2009-02-24T20:15:00.002Z

We got a good last supper at the Trafalgar and got going on the last few miles to The Barrier. The Trafalgar is at the edge of a piazza with The Cutty Sark, a windjammer and Lively Lady a yacht sailed round the world solo by the late Sir Francis Chichester. He was knighted by the Queen when he got back to Greenwich, all very symbolic, she used the sword used by Queen Elizabeth I to knight either Walter Raleigh or Francis Drake. Francis Chichester was no mug, he had been flying pre 1939 and knew his way round the worlds of aviation an sailing. About two years later an upmarket greengrocer from Portsmouth with no experience of the seas beyond the English Channel decided to repeat Chichester's feat and he did. He was knighted too, perhaps his was the greater feat, long live Sir Alex Rose, (now dead). After that the word went out that there would be no more gongs for feats of endurance and skill. In fact two have since gone to women for sailing skills.
So off we go, one last great effort to reach our destination.

Three important service

2009-02-24T11:12:00.002Z

Pillar box, Telephone and Public Loo. The glass dome is the top of the tunnel lift shaft. The weather had improved by now and it was time for some food, a trip into the nearby naval museum produced a handy bookshop but not a place to eat our final lunch so we poked around and found the Trafalgar Tavern.
We are in Greenwich, an important place from the naval aspect, previously home of the Royal Naval College as well as the Greenwich Observatory and the place that longitude and time is measured from, some of my Parker ancestors lived around here.

Brunel's tunnel at Greenwich

2009-02-24T11:06:00.003Z

Having walked along the path from that crazy sign to Island Garden our path went under the river, the final chance for EG to sing to me 'we are crossing the Thames'. The acoustics in this tunnel are such that she sounded like someone singing in a tunnel. We had to walk down stairs to get down but at the Greenwich end there was a lift with a really miserable man operating it. Then we were in the fresh air and on the south side. Even at the Source there was a difference between the two sides of the river and the people living each side, there is still a difference 180 miles down stream, on the whole north of the river looks down on south of the river, perhaps because south of the river had The Stews, perhaps not.

Isle of Dogs

2009-02-24T10:55:00.002Z

There is a loop in the Thames at this point, it has created a near island which was used 150 years ago to create The West India Docks, the soil was removed and carted to Vauxhall to raise the ground level and provide the basis for The Pleasure Gardens. We are standing at West Ferry Circus and as a pedestrian one can see that this is a piece of modern art, the lights are changing all the time and although the colours are not standard traffic light colours they are nearly so and as a driver I am sure I would have been confused. We are opposite Rotherhithe where my grandfather's second wife once lived. I never met that grandfather, his first wife was so ashamed of having to divorce him that she and her children 'killed' him during World War I thus accounting for the fact that there was no father until my grandmother remarried. A sad sorry story, many times repeated I am sure.

Final day...mixed emotions

2009-02-24T10:34:00.002Z

The emotions were mixed but the weather was bad. We left Richmind on the District Line and got a straight run to Tower Hill Station, walked down to Tower Bridge, I admired the statue of the 'girl on a dolphin' in front of the Tower Hotel (her brother is on the Chelsea Embankment) and we went on through St Katherines Docks keeping to our well marked path. It was wet and cold and windy, most depressing but as seasoned travellers we were not down hearted, just miserable. We are at present on the north bank because that is the shorter route and in many ways more interesting because one can see the south bank. This part was all docks and warehouses in the 1950s but has been rebuilt as living accommodation and the picture shows an imaginative glass cased sun lounge attached to each floor, it also serves as a fire escape. A feature of the walk yesterday was the large number of people we kept on having to find our way through, this morning was a total contrast, hardly a soul rto be seen and I asked one of the few people we met why there was no one around, 'Because they are all at work'. Rather obvious, we were in the residential area for 'City Workers', the smarty pants people who we now know were drawing large pay packets for bringing the economy to its knees.

Tower of London and Tower Bridge

2009-02-23T22:57:00.002Z

The Tower of London, built in 1070 or so by King William I, scene of a number of notable executions and home for the Crown Jewels. The flag is on a boat and is called The White Ensign and flown by ships of the Royal Navy. The bridge is Tower Bridge, opened in 1894 and it looks most regal, even in bad weather. The bascules were originally operated by hydraulics but although the mechanism is in the museum electricity has taken over, the centre picture is taken from downstream and just shows The Tower, colour picture taken from upstream just shows the Tower Hotel. We had to walk over Tower Bridge and get the Underground train back to Richmond, I messed up and failed to see a non existant sign resulting in a longer walk than we should have had. EG was not pleased, no more was I but it was the end of the last full day , less than 10 miles to go. Come what may I knew we would make it.

Globe Theatre, the stews and Anchor pub

2009-02-23T22:38:00.002Z

Cross under Waterloo Bridge, pass the OXO tower, cross under Blackfriars Bridge and you are on Queens Walk. There is a modern riverside pub which we walked through, passed Tate Modern, an old power station with a new use and we got to The Globe Theatre, a faithful reproduction that Shakespear would have recognised. The driving force behind this building was Sam Wannamaker an American citizen who fled USA before McCarthy got him and his family, his grandfather fled Russia before the Russians got him and his family. Doubts have been raised that this theatre is not built on the site of the original Globe becasue some evidence has been found that The Rose theatre was in the same area. Willy Nilly Shakespeare at one time operated from the Cutain Theatre in Shoreditch which is on the other side of the river and very close to where some of my ancestors lived. We also walked through The Achor Pub, a great deal older than the modern Globe. Very close to the Globe is a small alley way which it is said leads to the 'Stews', the brothels of 18th century London. There was no bridge over the Thanes at that time except London Bridge which was closed to all traffic at curfew time so those men wanting female assistance had to cross the river by ferry, enough to put one off. I came across something similar in Denver, Colorado; a smart hotel on one side of the road with an underground railroad to a bawdy house opposite.

Both banks

2009-02-23T22:23:00.002Z

On the South Bank, between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge we have the remains of the 1951 Great Exhibition, the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, modern buildings which replace the superb shot tower shown. Called a shot tower because molten lead and possibly iron was dropped from the top, through a sieve to create small pellets whcih were round and cold by the time they hit the ground, superb industrial archaeology replaced by a concrete monstrosity. Across the river, on the north bank and Victoria Embankment we have Cleopatra's needle, brought from Egypt around 1900.
The Victoria Embankment is so called because it was one of the earlier flood prevention schemes along with Chelsea Embankment.

The South Bank

2009-02-23T22:11:00.002Z

Definitions vary but we walked downstream from St Thomas', crossed Westminster Bridge and reached the large promenade generally known as South Bank. The first building is the former offices of the former London County Council created about 1905 as an artificial county to allow London, or at least most of it to have a unified government. A simple building it is now a mixture of hotel, museum, shops and this and that. Then we get to the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel taking about 30 minutes to complete a revolution. The view is interesting all the way from near ground level to the top and down again, especially if you know the area or have a suitable map. Moving on one passes the Shell building then on to Hungerford rail and footbridge. The whole of this promenade is crowded, very crowded with people either drifting or watching the buskers. The tower with OXO on it deserves a mention. Planning laws are quite strict and appear to be erratic, the story goes that the builders and owners wanted to advertise the product OXO on the building but that was vetoed so the architects incorporated a series of windows which you see.

View upstream from Lambeth Bridge

2009-02-23T14:15:00.002Z

The picture on the left is copied from my own whilst the other is a copy from a painting by Maude Parker previously mentioned.
The tall tower is St Stephens Tower and the shorter one with the clock face is known world wide as Big Ben, in fact the term Big Ben really refers to the largest of the bells in the clock tower and was named after the Clerk of Works, a portly man named Ben.
I have looked at my original and it is clearly low tide, those boats are beached.
Here is an interesting fact, we are close to Westminster Bridge and at the time the Romans were around BC 45 or so the tidal rise and flow was about 3 feet, I am guessing a bit but now it is nearer 10 feet. The reason is that the eastern part of the country is gradually leaning more and more into the sea. The quick witted will have realised that is the reason for the Thames Barrier.

Lambeth Palace

2009-02-23T14:07:00.002Z

The London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, deputy head of the Church of England, HM The Queen is head thanks to her ancestor Henry VIII declaring himself so. The palace has a prison within the towers, used at one time to imprison, possibly torture, those who disagreed with the King. There is also an interview room known as The Star Chamber, if you gave the wrong answers you were a gonner.

The church to the right has a graveyard containing the tomb of Captain Bligh, one time captain of The Bounty. There was a famous film Mutiny on The Bounty starring Charles Laughton, folk lore has it that a scene dated about 1800 was shot overseas and a steam ship appeared in shot but was not noticed until the film was shown. Good for a laugh

St Thomas's Hospital, Lambeth

2009-02-23T14:01:00.002Z

I I was born here in January 1929 and it shows but that is the way life hits you. The old maternity unit has gone. By chance a cousin was born in the same hospital a year or two later but he survived only a few months, the poor scrap had a number of defects, defects which were fatal then but now could be dealt with by some skilled surgery.

Vhelseea, early water works

2009-02-23T13:55:00.002Z

On the left you have a picture of an old water works at Chelsea, the village of Cjelsea also had a 'Physic Garden' which still exista and is devoted to growing exotic plants, mainly the drugs of the days gone by. The more modern picture is the view up stream from St Thomas's Hospital by courtesy of Elsa Montgomery who was a nurse at the hospital. For me it is the most important building on the river.

Trying out more than one picture RubbishRubbish

2009-02-23T09:31:00.000Z

Battersea and Vauxhall

2009-02-22T21:48:00.002Z

On the left a horizontal windmill to power a corn mill, on the right the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, a place for the well heeled to ostentatiously display their wealth, the hoy-poloy were kept out.
Battersea became well known because it housed a 'dogs home' for lost dogs, Vauxhall once was home to a small engineering company making petrol motors for small river boats but, like many other engineering companies of the time they had a go at making motor cars with some success. The first cars were steered with a tiller a la a boat but wheel steering took over before long. In time the Vauxhall company expanded to near Bedford and was taken over by General Motors. Despite being a US company they made most of the lorries for the UK army for WW2, they had no option. The same lorry but with a different colour paint served the RAF and Royal Navy.

The original Chelsea Bun bakery

2009-02-22T21:44:00.002Z

Chelsea is close to Millbank on the left bank and is more usually known for the Hospital built in 17th Century for old army veterans, they wear a distinctive Red Coat uniform and can be seen in many pubs in the area. Great guys.
The Chelsea bun is a current bun loaded with large crystals of sugar on the top. Incomparable.

Millbank Prison

2009-02-22T21:40:00.002Z

The prison was damp, dark and unpleasant, I have a list of prisoners in 1881, that is available from Latter day Saints. The main entrance was from the river and if you google you can get a full history.
Apart from the Tate there is a school on the site and a pub, the pub even has as its cellar one of the old cells.

River embankment by The Tate Gallery

2009-02-22T21:35:00.002Z

Nothing spectacular but the Tate is on the site of a notorious prison and I wanted to juxtapose the two images.
The trees you see are London Planes, the bark naturally exfoliates and thus discards the industrial grime which would kill almost all other trees. One wonders why they developed that way, were they originally growing beside a volcanoe?

Break step

2009-02-22T21:30:00.002Z

An order to marching troops. The point is that a suspension bridge is designed to sway, walk over the Golden Gate bridge as I have and you will know what I mean, but if you get a group of people marching in time there is the possibility that the whole road will sway in time and without worning the whole thing gets out of control. Very nasty.

We crossed this bridge to get to the other side, of course, but the other reason was to get some lunch in The Tate Gallery and EG wanted to use the artistic rest rooms.

Albert Bridge, the most beautiful on the river

2009-02-22T21:14:00.002Z

On the right we have a modern residential block with modern lights on the Riverside walk but middle distance you can see the outline of the suspension chains, wires and rods for the bridge. It is a spectacular sight when illuminated at night.
We are in the areas of Chelsea, Battersea and Vauxhall.

Putney to Tower Bridge

2009-02-22T21:11:00.002Z

This is London without a doubt, suburbs come in rapid succession, mostly with a history that is worth a page and I have made a selection of the ones I found most interesting, others would find a different selection. Numerous pictures but I am not sure how to get more than one at a time.
Be Patient, I am doing my best.

This is a Sunday, half church, half walk

2009-02-22T20:42:00.002Z

The intention was to get to Matins at All Souls Church, Regent Street followed by travelling back to Kew, then walk forward to Putney.
We reached All Souls in time but wearing our walking gear. All Souls is in the heart of wealthy London and it shows, there are of course many casual visitors from around the globe. We were required to put our back packs and all weather gear well away from the rest of the congregation 'in case it frightens people'. This is a church that aims to put over the Christian message in the most strident terms and as often as possible. Five enormous video screens, not a bad idea really EXCEPT that one obscured the altar, either you follow the cross and it is central to the whole service or you go along with the razzmataz. A good idea was to have the words of the hymns displayed, no need to keep looking down at you hymn book. I was not happy with the service but I would hope one day EG will give her version, as an American she sees more of the display than I normally do.

After the service we went into the Underground, caught the Central Line (Red) to Ealing Broadway, a trip I have made scores of times during 1940 to 1953. The railway station has been adjusted since my earlier days and now has various small shops including a Cornish Pasty joint which provided a reasonable snack, I was happy, EG not.
Then the 65 bus to Kew Bridge. I have done that route many, many times and knew exactly where we were going and when to get off. By the time we got to Brentford EG was a bit edgy, quite convinced we should alight. As it was she insisted in alighting just on Kew Bridge close to where the Q theatre had been. ( saw a Strindberg play there in 1949, not my cup of tea).
Now we are going again...down to the River and heading downstream, the first place of note is Stand on the Green, hard by the bridge and across the water from us, sorry no pics. Then Mortlake Bridge and Brewery. This is a famous Brewery because it overlooks the finishing line of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race who race in light or dark blue colours because at the time of the first race, presumably in Henley, Oxford turned up wearing Dark Blue kit and Cambridge nothing in particular so the guy organising the race decided that Cambridge would wear light blue because that is the other colour in an Old Etonian tie (The old school tie much derided by those who do not have one but worn as a statement by those who do, a bit like those fraternities they have in USA).
It happens that the first time my wife and I went out together we went to the Boat Race on 1950, Cambridge won, I support Oxford because my mother told me to.

The boat race is London's greatest free sporting event, last about 25 minutes and 16 young men row their guts out under the control of a coxswain who can be of either gender.

Going further down stream we got to Hammersmith Bridge pictured above, then on to Putney where a bridge was built a fair time ago as the one nearest to London Bridge at the time, the ferrymen were a bit upset. Like it or not Putney is London proper, a Sunday and it was full of people shopping or dawdling. We were able to get an electric train back to Richmond after a short wait.

Brentford, Middlesex

2009-02-22T15:48:00.002Z

Forty years ago Brentford was a bit of a dump, it had a gas works, coal gas that is, and not much else. With the arrival of North Sea gas the old works was abandoned until flattened and rejuvenated as a park. There is also a Music Museum and a Hall of Steam, both worth a visit if you are inclined that way.
Brentford also has a football team, highly thought of by some.
Round about 1943 I had walked along part of this path having jumped into the Ha-ha with some friends who did not want to go out the easy way.
One girl, Norah Marriott landed badly and cut her knee, it was several weeks before that was cleared up, where are you now?
This section finished at Kew Bridge, we got a good old 65 bus back to Richmond passing the Maids of Honour bake house on the way.

Grand Union Canal

2009-02-22T15:39:00.002Z

Nothing much to look at, there is a lock but it in the canal side not the river side. You have to have a lock otherwise all the water would run out of the canal at low tide. The Grand Union runs up to Birmingham and all places north, it passes by What used to be known as Hanwell Lunatic Asylum. The asylum dates back to about 1850 and was considered to be one of the most advanced places in England for treating mental illness. Where possible the inmates were free to roam the enclosed hospital grounds and mostly took part in agricultural activities which meant the asylum was very nearly a self sufficient community, it even had its own brewery (remember water was frequently not fit to drink).
My interest was awakened when I discovered that a GG greatgrandfather had died there. I was able to get a copy of the inquest report, known as an INQUISITION at that time. It makes unhappy reading but it also showed me that there was a social service system operating in this country in 1861 (the year he died).

Syon Park, Brentford and Kew

2009-02-22T15:32:00.003Z

I said earlier that anyone who was anyone had a house by the river, Syon Park is well worth a visit.
The flag is not the City of London but the cross of St George. The lion type thing top centre is probably a play on the name of the owner. It is now a garden centre and sculpture park. The Thames Path here is good solid stuff but there is a deep ditch on the non river side, this acts a ha-ha for the animals in the palace gardens.
A ha-ha was a feature of numerous large gardens where the owner wanted to keep animals pout of his garden but still be able to see them. The same is supposed to be derived from the remark a visitor would make as he approached the animal only to find a ditch prevented both parties from meeting.

Richmond on Thames

2009-02-22T15:16:00.002Z

Somehow we did not manage to photograph Richmond, a pity because there are remains of another royal palace, it was said to be Queen Elizabeth I's favourite and she died there, naturally. EG and I stayed in Richmond as well as my wife. EG did not want another B & B or hotel, she wanted to have a washing machine, drier, iron and all that sort of homely stuff which I do know how to use but prefer not to. The flat we rented was beside the railway and only 5 minutes walk from the station, shops and buses and restaurants very convenient all ways round and it had a car park for residents.
This day we got to Richmond at lunch time and decided to eat by the river then go on to the bridge at Kew. ( Having lived in Ealing, some 5 miles away, I knew that there would be a bus back to Richmond every quarter of an hour).
I had a good meal at that pub, EG did not seem too pleased but we got moving and had the choice between the right or left bank paths. I considered that the right bank path would be nicer because I had explored some of the other side earlier in the month and knew it to be a bit industrial.
So we went off merrily and soon found ourselves beside the grounds of the Royal Botanical Society, generallly known as Kew Gardens...not another lock but another Palace, recently restored. Kew Gardens has an enormous cast iron green house, the one in San Francisco is a copy, my recollection is that Paxman, who designed the glass house known in 1851 as The Crystal Palace, also designed Kew glasshouse. Paxman was in advance of Henry Ford, he had the foundry set up as a production line and used as few pieces as possible.

Eel Pie Island

2009-02-22T14:24:00.002Z

This island has a history being the home for eccentrics and wierdos as well as Trevor Bailey, the inventor of the wind up radio, designed for the mains powerless and batteryless people of Africa but now adapted to so many items of daily use.
Perchance I used to swim in the Thames at this point in 1940/41 along with the boy next door and his sister. Gordon and Eileen Aitken are you there? We gave up after a while because some dope had thrown in a bottle and I trod on it. Messy.
Not as messy as the state a few young women were in by the time they had been attacked and killed by a mad axe man around 1960. His name escapes me but he was found by the Police after 3 or 4 murders living quite close to the local Police Station. There is a painting of the island in Barry Keene's gallery in Henley on Thames, he has a web site but is not too keen on photographs.

Teddington Lock..the big one

2009-02-22T14:16:00.002Z

I said earlier that the royal barge had to negotiate this lock to reach Hampton Court. That was not totally accurate because the lock is later than Henry VIIIand although I do not know just how it was done I assume that the bargee would do his best to wait for high tide then the barge would be towed/pulled/rowed over whatever weir was left.
I await correction from others.
There is also a coffin lock here, not for coffins but for easily manhandled boats.

The last lock, or the first...Teddington

2009-02-22T12:32:00.002Z

Teddington is the last lock on the Thames and is also the upper limit of tidal flow at present. Later I will go into the geology/geography of the river, you will come to understand what I mean.

Note the berk fishing at the edge of the flowing water,about a boats length to his right is a small control gate

Kingston on Thames 1933

2009-02-22T12:18:00.003Z

It was a bit wet that day and the wooden road slabs lifted.
Some say that Kingston is a corruption of Kings Stone, certainly there is a long tradition that Kings were crowned there away back.
At one time the Hawker aircraft company was in Kingston and they made the Hurricane fighter aircraft. Most people have heard of the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire plane which helped to win the Battle of Britain in 1940 however folk lore has it that the pilots preferrred the Hurricane, they were both single seat fighters and by the end of the Hitler war the Spitfire could fly at 400 mph but was not quite as fast as the enemy flying bomb, also known as the V1, a very clever piece of aeroengineering using a form of jet propulsion.
Because the Spitfire was a tad slow the technique for catching these things was to fly high, dive down to increase speed then fly alongside and tip a wing to put the bomb off course, no good shooting at it because the shooter would be destroyed by the explosion. People on the ground knew a flying bomb was nearby because you could hear the engine going 'whoomp, whoomp'; if you realised the 'whoomping had stopped you had about 30 seconds to decide what to do...run..lie down..hide..pray...if you heard the bang you could decide it you had taken the right action. I have made light of it but one was playing a form of Russian Roulette.

ErrorTeddingtonLock

2009-02-22T12:17:00.000Z

The quadrangle, Hampton Court

2009-02-22T12:10:00.002Z

This is in fact the main entrance from the road, the inner quadrangle is even more impressive.
This Palace has a number of 'Grace and favour' homes within. These are homes owned by The Crown and various privileged persons are allowed to live there, rent free. I cannot name names because I do not know but they appear to be the offshoots of minor aristocracy or people who have served the crown directly in some capacity. There are similar residences at Windsor Castle.

Palace at Hampton Court

2009-02-22T12:03:00.002Z

This notice outside the palace gives you some idea of the size of the place. Enormous and mainly Tudor. Building started by Cardinal Wolsey but he had a little dispute with King Henry VIII, lost and had to go off and build another large house at Layer Marney Towers near Colchester, Henry completed the palace as we see it now. Transport from London to Hampton Court was easy, he just hopped into a barge at whichever palace he happened to be in London, The Tower, Lambeth, Richmond or with a friend, everyone who was anyone had a riverside house of course, and was rowed upstream by willing servants. There was one problem. Teddington.

Cyclists on our footpath

2009-02-22T08:55:00.002Z

Having gone through a few hairy moments while walking along the upper Thames we found ourselves assailed by a silent killer and I do not mean a heart attack. From now on the path is shared with cyclists and they all seem to be rude cyclists, coming from the front you can see them coming and get out of their way before they hit you at speed, those coming from behind are mainly silent and fast, woe betide the casual walker who happens to move into the path of an unannounced cyclist. And no more than one out of about 50 did announce his presence. For yonks cyclists have had to have an audible means of announcing their presence but that 'bell' seems to have been forgotten.

Hampton Court Palace

2009-02-21T10:21:00.002Z

147 miles behind us, only 35 to go.

It was with a sense of relief I saw this sign post, it was a bit like seeing the finishing post of a race.

No more friendly taxis, a good old London Bus for transport to Richmond on Thames.

As a pensioner I get free travel on all short distance buses in England and Wales, I am not sure how much EG paid but a lot less than a taxi and the bus arrived within the time a taxi would have taken.

Note for Mommy,hungry; you will remember coming to this station a few years ago, that was when you were over about a Pissaro painting if I have it right.

You are in luck

2009-02-21T10:18:00.001Z

This is the topiary work I wrote about yesterday, I may have the number of birds wrong but what a delightful piece of work

Spot of Topiary

2009-02-20T21:21:00.001Z

My picture declined to be loaded but it was a super pice of work showing 4 birds taking off in formation

Sunbury Lock Keepers House

2009-02-20T21:11:00.002Z

I would like you to notice the yellow bricks, these are a feature of the older buildings in this part of Middlesex. They are known as London Yellows.

Note the crest in the gable, the City of London arms again.

That word Middlesex, not some earlier hermaphrodite but an abbreviation of Middle Saxons, lower down the river we have on the north bank Essex, East Saxons and I live, near Southampton in Wessex

Sunbury

2009-02-20T21:09:00.001Z

I thought this to be a rather nice picture, it happens to be of a l..k.

The Swan at Walton on Thames

2009-02-20T21:04:00.003Z

Lunch time and a very good lunch too, the best barrista on the river, good loos, an essential now we were in civilisation and within the pub two pictures by Maude Parker showing The Royal River.

Walton on Thames is hard by Weybridge where sits the old Brooklands Race Track, now out of use because it was considered too dangerous. For good mechanical and dynamical reasons the track was banked but one or two drivers got over excited and went over the top to their deaths. Now they go twice as fast on a flat track and crash into a load of tyres in reasonable comfort.

Shepperton Ferry

2009-02-20T21:01:00.002Z

You see, lifebelts as well.

It must be the most expensive ferry in the world in terms of cost per minute of travel or per 100 yards, but it was better than swimming and there was no option.

Across the river we were in a more rural scene for a couple of miles having left a hard pavement.

Quay

2009-02-20T20:59:00.001Z

All nicely done, the ferry had its own quay so that we could get aboard without getting wet.

Ferry Times

2009-02-20T20:58:00.000Z

It was a well organised set up, had a real motor and a man to drive it.

Shepperton Ferry

2009-02-20T20:56:00.001Z

Ferry and surrounds

Near Laleham

2009-02-20T20:38:00.003Z

Back to normality but you now tell that we are rapidly approaching civilisation.

Laleham pick up point was by the church and we were taken back to Eton. Next day I drove us all to our flat in Richmond and from there a taxi returned us to Laleham church. The last of the prearranged taxi trips.
A word about a taxi. Some 2 centuries ago a German set up a transport company moving goods around mainland Europe, his name Count Turnou and Taxi.

Planning permission not required

2009-02-20T20:35:00.002Z

As long as you pay the mooring fees you can have what you like, and why not?
This place is close to Shepperton film studios and that may account for the unconventional shape.

Staines to Laleham

2009-02-20T20:32:00.002Z

A number of people live on boats beside the river and manage to grow a large variety of plants, these were for sale. This is not a very interesting section of the river but we had to go by Penton Hook, a loop in the meandering which appears to be all set to become an ox bow lake in a few decades, have a look on your map.

Staines and the City of London

2009-02-19T22:26:00.002Z

This post is one of the ways the auatic boundary of the city was marked. That red cross is part of the City of London arms.

Goods were brought upstream from London by water but when they got to Staines they were taxed, similarly the agricultural produce going downstream.

There is a lot more to it than that and later I will give some references.

Perchance Staines is near Ashford, Middlesex where my second son was born at home about 3 miles from the river.
We are a Thames family, not only have we lived for years drinking water from the Thames, our waste products have been returned to it for some unsuspecting person downstream to drink. London water is really quite pure, it has been through six sets of kidneys.

Runnymede/Staines

2009-02-19T22:16:00.002Z

Probably one of the most important places in the history of England. Magna Carta was signed here and somehow a copy is in Washington. A s well there is a hill nearby with a memorial to the US forces, that part of England belongs to USA and I am pleased that it does, you came to our rescue twice, I hope you felt it was worth the effort and loss of life.

We moved on from the meadow to have lunch inva smart hotel, they did not blanche at the sight of two travellers dressed for walking through mud and dirt. The wash rooms were a delight to use.

We were within sight of Staines, a non descript town with the claim to fame that it was the home of the first linoleum factory in the world. The Romans built a bridge here inway back and some say the name Staines is a corruption of stones.
If you think about it the romans had no problem building good bridges over the Tiber and other rivers but there is no evidence that they put a proper bridge here. It would have been a series of stones interconnected with wooden planks. Come flood time the planks could be removed and you had to swim, go across by feryy or go without.

Runnymede

2009-02-19T22:10:00.000Z

The picture failed to arrive

Albert Bridge

2009-02-19T22:08:00.003Z

Over the river again to music.
The red line on the pavement/side walk means 'no stopping at any time no matter what the provocation'

Victoria Bridge

2009-02-19T22:02:00.003Z

There was some plodding along the streets of Datchet and through a field or two until we got there when I was delighted to hear from EG her favourite ditty.

On the way to Datchet

2009-02-19T21:59:00.002Z

Other people guard their real estate even more than their boats. For good or ill we have a 'Pight to roam' law in this country which in many cases is just that, but there are some around who look upon it as a right to spoil everything within sight. They leave litter around too.

In a boat yard

2009-02-19T21:56:00.001Z

Look carefully and you will spot that the stern tapers off almost to water level, this type of craft is called a 'slipper launch, most gracious and elegant. Some people value their boat more than their car or family.

Windsor to Laleham

2009-02-19T21:38:00.003Z

On our way again we headed over the river at Eton and down the opposite bank towards Old Windsor. EG is a spritely, choral type of young woman and very nearly every time we crossed the Thames she would sing 'We are crossing the Thames, we are crossing the Thames' even in a bus or train! The whole walk has suddenly become much less rural and more suburban, more people about. It was no longer Our Path.

A Pillar Box or Letter Box

2009-02-18T22:18:00.002Z

This is one of the few Victorian pillar boxes left in use and is in Eton High Street, note the vertical slit for the letters, also the letter R, with a crown on the left. Further round is the letter V, together VR stands for Victoria Regina, after Victoria we had King Edward VII and his Post Office initials were E VII R. A feature of letter boxes is that they are always positioned so that the slot faces the nearest street light. The red colour is officially known as Post Office Red.

We stayed at a hotel in Eton and a day was allowed to see Windsor and the castle, EG took advantage of this while I went home to collect car and wife. The next day EG had off for sickness but was all fired up once we were settled in our week long abode in Richmond on Thames.

Windsor Castle

2009-02-18T22:14:00.002Z

One of the many homes of The Queen.
Built originally by William the First about 1070 it stands on a chalk outcrop and is in an ideal defensive position, on the other hand if you look very carefully top left you will see an aircraft. It might just be a noisy home. But well worth it!

The approach to Windsor/Eton

2009-02-18T22:12:00.001Z

You can just see Windsor Castle in the centre with a Ferris type wheel on the right.

We were not alone

2009-02-18T22:04:00.002Z

This section of path leads down to the Thames at Cliveden Ferry. Cliveden is a very large country house once owner by the Astor family but now a hotel. Nancy Astor was the premier socialite of her day and everyone who was anyone stayed at Cliveden. More recently it has been associated with a certain laxity of personal behaviour when a society osteopath formed an association with an up market call girl who later helped to amuse a cabinet minister. The net result was the cabinet minister resigned, later to become a peer, the government of the day slowly fell apart and the osteopath killed himself. The call girl married and came to live near me at Crowthorne.

Leaving Cookham and heading for Eton/Windsor

2009-02-18T21:57:00.002Z

Windsor and Eton are on opposite sides of the Thames connected by a pedestrian bridge. Britains most famous Public School (fee paying par excellence) is in Eton and to the casual visitor the school is Eton. The boys still wear a rather old fashioned form of dress but as they seldom stray from the town they do not stick out when at large. Eton excels in academic education and does not do at all badly on the sports field. In 2009 the present leader of Her Majesty's opposition is an OE (Old Etonian) also Prince Charles's two sons.

Having had over 100 miles of them

2009-02-18T21:47:00.001Z

This sign was just a little unnecessary but nice of the council to tell us

Just about the last week

2009-02-18T21:43:00.002Z

We now begin the last full week of walking, perhaps less than sixty miles miles to go. We are just beginning to see the beginning of urbanisation. But there is still some rural life to get through.

EG

2009-02-18T21:41:00.000Z

I was the day job, this is her when not walking with me.

Industrial Cookham

2009-02-18T21:36:00.002Z

Cookham is most generally known as the home of Stanley Spencer and there is a gallery devoted to his paintings. His style is instantly recognisable and some would say beryl Cook has Spencer's style and has added humour and panache. Others would not but I like my art to be realistic. Willy nilly you cannot gainsay the beauty of the riverscape even on a cloudy day.

A train!

2009-02-18T21:33:00.002Z

They do exist in the wilder parts of England, look carefully, this one has double doors to allow rapid exiting for the overcrowded passengers. Thsi line runs from Henley to Maidenhead where it joins the main line to London.

Ob the wat from Marlow to Cookham

2009-02-18T21:31:00.001Z

A modest establishment, my guess is that when first built the little cabin at right was the privy.

Marlow Church

2009-02-18T21:28:00.001Z

Before we left Marlow Church we had to hhave a photo. This was a Sunday and therefore a half day so we set off for Cookham, in the wet.

The house i Shiplake where Wind in the willows was written

2009-02-18T21:26:00.002Z

Marlow Bridge

2009-02-17T21:43:00.002Z

One way traffic on this old bridge, the photo was taken from near The Complete Angler Hotel, note the name, a title used by Izaac Walton who lived around here. I had a birthday lunch here last month with my wife, elder son and his in-laws, I can fully recommend the place. The car you see is going towards Bisham but the Thames Path is on the far side of the river and beyond the church.

Marlow, bridge and church

2009-02-17T21:34:00.002Z

This supension bridge goes back a bit and you are requested to read about it on Google or the book I will name later on.
The B & B in Marlow was also a long walk from the river, I knew this because I had done a reconnaissance a few weeks before hand. An unusual place too, we got there a bit tired with instructions to telephone a number, the person gave us the combination to get into the house, we were met with a table holding an number of envelopes with keys; it turned out that EG and I were in separate houses but we did get ensuites. Once cleaned up we were off into the town for dinner, taken at a French restaurant I knew of, very good too. Then back to the B & B for sleep and breakfast. We both had mobile phones so co ordination was easy and we got to breakfast together. Good breakfast but no welcome, odd place however it was Sunday and we were off to a service in Marlow Church, it was raining but the people did not seem too surprised at two wet strangers clearly dressed for walking a long distance.

Church at Bisham

2009-02-17T21:29:00.002Z

This little church is associated with Bisham Abbey which is some enormous age and now is a sports training ground for British athletes. I have a post card dated 1919 which my father sent to his mother in London saying 'Please send me some more money I have only a farthing left' A farthing is a quarter of a penny and at that time we had 240 pennies to a pound. The word farthing is a corruption of an ancient word 'foertling' or footling meaning something of little worth.

2009-02-17T21:27:00.000Z

Coming onto Bisham

2009-02-17T21:25:00.001Z

Sorry, another blooming lock but it is rather nice countryside.

Approaching Marlow

2009-02-17T21:23:00.001Z

There is a good spot of money tied up there, those tubs run from 50,000 to 100,000 £ or $

From Culham Court, Medmenham

2009-02-17T20:56:00.002Z

The path was diverted at this point and we had another climb but suddenly the signage was not there and fearing another faux pas I was at great pains to double check as we went along that there had not been a major navigational error. EG got me there all right. Now we are on our way to Hurley.

Fully equipped boat

2009-02-17T20:47:00.002Z

Look at it, every gizmo known to the maritime world except a missile launcher. Note she is flying the Union flag, sometimes known as the Union Jack. This is not normally flown on a boat unless it is part of the Royal Navy when it is flown at the bow (sharp end) when moored. The Union Jack is composed from three crosses, the cross of St George being a red cross on a white background and representing England and Wales, the blue cross or saltire of St Andrew representing Scotland on a white background and the diagonal red cross of St Patrick on a white background representing Ireland, the three main components of the United Kingdom. Those in the south east of USA will have seen the older British flag flying in La and Ga without the St Patrick cross because that was added in 1801.

Temple Island

2009-02-17T20:44:00.002Z

Some guy decided to build this charming temple as a folly, look carefully and you will see a number of white balloons, the place had the air of a wedding reception, all very jolly. Whoever they were good luck to them.

Last of Henley

2009-02-17T20:40:00.002Z

We left Henley in good spirits having survived getting down that difficult spiral staircase. There was something not quite right about the place where we stayed, we were told that an ensuite room, clearly vacant all night, had been cancelled at the last minute, too late for me to use it. It was also a long walk from the river, this did not matter too much because we were scheduled for only a half day walk, the rest to be devoted to the previously mentioned museum.

The approach to Henley

2009-02-17T18:30:00.001Z

As you walk downstream towards Henley this is what you see. Henley is the home of Stuart Turner pumps, real good suckers they are.

Henley...Main Square

2009-02-17T18:23:00.002Z

This would have been built originally as the Market Square.
There is a straight stretch of river downstream of Henley and that is used annually for the Henley Regatta, boats and crews come from around the world to compete. It was the original site for the Oxford and Cambridge boat race when is also held annually but now near London and I will write about that later. I wrote earlier that I was canoeing at Henley, I was with two other scouts, John Sudbury who died a year or so back and Michael W Powell, I have tried to contact him without success. If anyone can help please do so, Michael W Powell born December 1928, worked for AEC and Foxboro Yoxall.

Main Road, Henley

2009-02-17T18:12:00.002Z

Really, this is the main street, the council tried hard but they could not keep that shop out. I am on my way to the chemist (pharmacy) to try to get more stuff to treat my swollen legs. I ended up seeing a doctor, charming young woman who confirmed the treatment of drinking more but did prescribe penicillin just in case the swelling broke down. The B & B here was in an old house and again we have an issue with the travel agent, we were supposed to have 2 en-suite rooms but I was landed with a long walk to the loo, a real bind when you are up 3 times in the night. Access to the bedrooms was up a spiral staircase with glass sides. It was a bit of a bind hauling a heavy case up and later down but the breakfast was good. EG had a proper en-suite and very nice too.

Wind in the Willows museum

2009-02-17T18:09:00.001Z

Toad of Toad Hall. This museum, part of the Thames museum is a winner for all Toad fans. Later we shall see the house whee the book was written.

Henley Museum of The Thames

2009-02-17T18:05:00.002Z

Henley has this museum and The Henley Museum of Rowing, the latter was of less interest to us so we spent some time going round this one. Well worth a visit but do go prepared with some historical knowledge.