Capturing the unremitingly normal

I suspect that these pictures say quite a lot and reveal a huge amount about the hum drum of tube travel in London.

But I quite like the slightly surreptitious nature of taking the picture - that is unwitting subjects, but not intrusive pictures (I hope).

It also reveals to the sharp observer which tube lines I frequent the most...

But crucially I notice now just how quickly observational photographs of the world today date - many of the pictures I have taken over the last 6 years of shops and people in Hampstead, West Hampstead and Kilburn have already changed and dated incredibly quickly.

Sure, shops and businesses change, but the speed with which images, fashion and styles change and the extent to which colour shifts too is fascinating. In this respect is the tube system in London with it's iconic colour and style one of the few timeless feature of life today.

I'm not sure but I guess time will tell...

Until then, I'll leave you with the unremitting notmality of life on the tube in the mid-morning of a weekday.

King Midas NW3?

Without a doubt it's one of the nicest and most hidden treasures of Hampstead and all the better for not being the focus of historic pilgrimage...

It's Golden Yard - sadly not named after some Midas element but after the Goulding family who lives here from about 1580 until Sarah Brown (nee Goulding) sold the last property in 1779.

In some document's the yard features as Goulding's Yard and clearly just changed over time and useage. As I have blogged previously The Mount Square was previously known as Golden Square and probably had the same family name origin.

For those that haven't found this little gem before it's nestled between the Heath Street and the Holly Bush Pub and the street name sign had been charmingly adorned to reflect the name in what is one of the nicest little touches in street architecture.

The houses are classic Georgian style Hampstead cottages - brick built, almost plain, but with a cool charm that is immeasurable.

NW3 to Scotland

Sometimes the history of an area emerges unexpectedly in front of you and so it was one day the other week when a billboard came down revealing this old painted advert for the trains from Kings Cross to Scotland.

The space only lasted for a few days and indeed came to the attention of the South End Green Association who spotted it and featured it in their newsletter... but I managed to get a few pics and then mislaid them.

So i'm now catching up and popping them on here. Because I don't think we'll see it again I'm uploading all the pictures I got.

If you squint and stare you will see it says
LNER
KINGS CROSS
SCOTLAND
SHORTEST AND ...

My Mum's called Sally!

Hampstead has it's fair share of historical and famous people and few greater in reputation than Gracie Fields.

More usually connected with Rochdale, Hampstead was the London bolt hole/base for Dame Gracie.

I wandered past this the other day and realised I hadn't featured the house and so reminded myself to do so.

It also drew into my mind the nature of past singers and actresses who I sense might (and this may be a heresy for some) fade from public perception. I mentioned the Gracie Fields house to a pretty clued up friend and it clearly meant nothing to her... is Gracie Fields becoming a faded memory?

More on Gracie and her significance to Rochdale can be found here:
http://www.link4life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=c.showPage&pageID=1118

The house is Number 20 Frognal Way and it's reported that the house was "Her husband Archie Pit built a £15,000 28 room mansion at Hampstead called The Towers. It had marble bathrooms, crystal chandeliers, a lift, and the housekeeper was a Russian princess. Gracie was terrified of the butler, hated the house and kept to her own little bed sitting room."

But I can't help but think that this relates to 136 Bishops Avenue which was also owned/lived in by Gracie - certainly from the outside this house in Frognal Way does not feel big enough...

Modernism of the last century

Controversial - even terrible - that was the reaction to this 1938 construction of a small row of three houses by the architect Erno Goldfinger.

Now they feature on the Hampstead Tourist Trail, not least because number 2 is now a National Trust property.

The James Bond creator Ian Flemming so hated the architecture and apparently these houses in particular that he named his principal villain Goldfinger thus placing the name into household status.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ern%C5%91_Goldfinger

Goldfinger was a much celebrated Hungarian modernist architect, a generation on from the bauhaus movement, but also much known for his firery nature and character.

This house, at number 2 Willow Road, was Goldfinger's house of residence and opposite the house on the Preacher's Hill part of the Heath is a bench in memory of his son.

It's fair to say that even though the house is celebrated now, it was controversial with modernists at the time...

Erno passed away in 1987 and was cremated at Golders Green cemetary where his ashes were scattered.

Blog-log Day 4 - Hampstead Liberal in Tel Aviv

So just howdoes the main road along Tel Aviv coast end up being named Herbert Samuel Esplanade?

Herbert Samuel, later Lord Samuel, has largely dropped from public knowledge in the UK but in terms of several elements for me he's a crucial piece of a local jigsaw.

On a simple and political level Herbert Samuel was leader of the Liberal Party - not the most prestigious period from 1931-1935 - and is one of the Leaders during an almost 'dark ages' following the splits with Lloyd George and well before the Grimond Revival.

Further, Herbert was a school boy at UCS, University College School - then in Gower Street, now in Frognal, Hampstead. Thus making him an Old Gower (as frmer pupils of UCS are known).

And finally and crucially he was the first Governor (Commissioner) of Palestine under the British Mandate - making him the first Jewish ruler of what is now Israel since ancient times. It's for this third role that he generate the kudos to gain the main street in Tel Aviv being named after him... There's a short video on him here: www.youtube.co.uk/474towin

I just wonder how many other UCS boys have a main road in a city named after them?

Dear Gertie, how are you getting along?

I spotted this ages ago and love the simplicity and anonymity/personality of it.

It has that air of affection, naivety and charm.

The plaque is in South End Green, just by the gates of Maryon Mews and is just tuced away at the bottom of the pedestrian gate.

Who was Gertrude and what happened in November 1897 - is this the start of a novel? Other than 1897 is of course the Jubilee of Victoria's accession to the throne...

Perhaps Getrude was a local cat who always patrolled these parts, maybe Gertrude was the oldest resident when this block was first built, was getrude the name of the youngest daughter of the builder/architect who did the topping off or foundation stone laying... answers on an electronic postcard please...

Ed

It is a garden, but it's not at all strange...

If you haven't seen this before it's a fascinating bit of open space and history.

We're in Hampstead on Rosslyn Hill nest to the Royal Free Hopsital and it's called the Heath Strange Garden. And sure enough quite literally it's a small garden that was the site of the Old Hampstead General Hopsital and is named after the man who founded that hospital in 1902 - Dr Heath Strange!

Dr Strange lived at 2 Belsize Avenue, Hampstead, and is buried in Highgate Cemetary (I haven't been to track the grave down yet). Heath was married and he and his wife had four children none of whom themselves had children.

Dr Strange's great-nephew has a website here http://www.yourtotalevent.com/index.htm

An obituary can be found here
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=2357680&pageindex=1

Further however, is the fact that the garden is so completely hidden and really quite charming. It feels as though it is above the car park and is slightly tucked away - I think overlooked by Bartram's Convent in Rowland Hill Street (the brown building in the background in the picture below right).

Also there however are the former plaques that were on the old hospital buildings

"AD HAMPSTEAD GENERAL HOSPITAL 1902"
and then
"THIS STONE WAS LAID BY
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS
PRINCESS CHRISTIAN
SCHLEWIG-HOLSTEIN
OCTOBER 21ST 1902

BEAR YE ANOTHERS' BURDENS"

Princess Christian was quite a coup as the person to open the hospital and if you read here biog she's quite a noise in the world of nursing at the turn of the previous century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Helena_of_the_United_Kingdom

Here is the location of the garden on google maps
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?utm_campaign=en_GB&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en_GB-ha-emea-gb-bk-gm&utm_term=road

if you zoom in it's the garden shaped like a figure 8 and you can see the large white plaque that I assume previously was atop the old hospital building entrance.

Taken from my pocket

I took this pic. almost from my pocket during a meeting and when flicking through the photo album couldn't work out what it was...

After a bit of squinting and memory delving I realise that it's the interior roof of the newly restored St Stephen's on Rosslyn Hill, NW3.

The brickwork in this former church is pretty stunning and I now have a mental note to get in there with a tripod and a good zoom lense...

But until then, here's just a small taster of the quality and complexity of the architectural brick and stonework inside St Stephen's.

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/04/come-on-st-stephens.html

Our history is literally under our feet...

It's sad I know, but I get really excited when I find little gems like this...

It's a locally made and branded manhole cover!

Regular readers will know that we have sort of been here before
http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-under-your-feet.html

But when I think of Holly Hill, which I know pretty well, the idea of visualising a foundry making manhole covers is pretty unlikely.

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2009/05/1828-and-still-going-strong.html

Now it's a very pleasant, prosperous residential area with Junior boys School and is the main access to The Holly Bush Pub and Fenton House.

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/04/fenton-house-front-and-back.html

So finding this just in the street, is West Hampstead was really nice - the case for carrying my camera around is pretty compelling - if you like this sort of thing!

Ode to the refurbishment...

Well, it's open for visitors and splendid it looks in it's full restoration - so come on down to Keat's House (Wentworth Place).

But I thought that these picture of the house under scaffolding were more unusual and less likely to survive the gaze of history and memory.

The House is of course in Keat's Grove off Downshire Hill and South End Road and is immediately next to Heath Library and has stunning garden and grounds.

There is a really good website set up by the City of London which you should take time to look at

http://www.keatshouse.cityoflondon.gov.uk/

The refurbishment has been done meticulously and in huge amounts of detail and there are a great range of new exhibits - I'm especially struck by Fanny Brawne's engagement ring from John Keats!

Opening times
Mondays (except bank holidays) - closedTuesday - Sunday open 1.00 pm - 5.00 pm
Admission
Adults £5.00
Concessions (Pensioners, students and the unwaged) £3.00
Children 16 and under

Keats House, Keats Grove, Hampstead, London, NW3 2RR
Tel: 020 7332 3868
Email keatshouse@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Keep up at the back, it's changed already!

Ha! No sooner had I put up the previous post on the shop front in Flask Walk than I was up in Hampstead...

Blow me down if the shop hasn't been re-opened as this ice cream parlour (pic right).

So I thought it only polite to update the blog with the after as well as the before!

Capturing yesterday, today

One of my first blog posts was on the loss of Joe Steele's the butchers in Hampstead village and so I was it passing the other week and thought I would capture the 'now'.

The building has great charm and simple decor and there is something quite special about the early Edwardian shop front and internal decor of butchers, fishmongers and the like.

Flask Walk remains one of the nicest features of the local area - if you haven't been then get yourself over to Hampstead for that early saturday morning walk and stroll...

The preservation of the shop front in South End Green is one of the best examples I have seen for the charm of a old shop

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/07/butchers-and-then-there-was-one.html

and the development of the Wet Fish Cafe remains the best conversion and development upon a theme I have yet seen...

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/06/wet-fish-cafe-is-just-best.html

Beheaded of Hampstead...

There can't be too many people from the local area who have been beheaded and then recognised, but Sir Harry (Henry) Vane is one of them...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Vane_the_Younger

We're up on Hampstead High Street - just before modern day Greenhill opposite the end of Willoughby Road and there is a small close called Vane Close.

Vane Close is just by the entrance to the Royal School and on the wall to the left is one of the old London County Council plaques.

Harry Vane is definately a glamorous story and could even be quite a film with his american story and role on the national stage at a time of major political and constitutional change.

Few people so involved in the early days of America, the tribulations of the reign of Charles I, the Civil War and all that brought with it followed by the Restoration of Charles II.

1828 and still going strong...

This isn't the most obvious thing and in fact i only spotted it by accident. I was photographing round Holly Hill, Hampstead, NW3 and decided to capture the Junior Branch of University College School (JB, UCS) - of which I am a Governor.

And there on the pavement in the railing is a splendid original iron post.

It reads:
St. Johns
Hampstead
B. Griffin
- & -
J. Kelly
1828

St Johns is the parish of the church in Hampstead and it's a great little survivor of times gone by.

The post now is 180 years old which makes you pause and reflect when you see the quality of comparable street architecture being installed today across London...

In 1828 of course the world was a very different place: Wellington as Prime Minister, Andrew Jackson President of America, Zulu Leader Shaka dies, Francisco Goya the painter dies, Dante Gabriel Rosetti is born as is Leo Tolstoy... George IV has been on the throne for 8 years and will reign for a further 2.

A plaque, a small street and a hot political issue

It's a small street in Hampstead, but given events, events dear boy, events, it's highly significant...

The street is Rowland Hill Street and this plaque notes the former house of Sir Rowland Hill

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowland_Hill_(postal_reformer)

Hill's reputation was formidable and established during his lifetime and he was a key political figure in non-Conservative Government's as a passionate advocate of public service, social reform and institutional reform that sought to break vested interest and development based solely on profit.

The plaque erected by the Society of Arts has under it a small brass plaque that reads:

THE ABOVE PLAQUE WAS FIRST ERECTED

BY THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS IN

1892 AND MOVE TO ITS PRESENT

LOCATION IN MAY 1978

Just writing this post I'm recalling the march we did to try and save the local Post Offices from closure in 2005 when Councillor Margaret Little (pictured right in the picture we took then)supported the Belsize Residents Association and the Heath & Hampstead Society... sadly those Post Offices have closed across Belsize by this Labour Government.

A good cut on request

I gave the retirement of Steele's the Butcher's in Hampstead quite a lot of coverage and was pulled up sharp in sunday by a resident who said I hadn't givent he same coverage to her local butcher...


So here putting the record straight is Barretts Traditional Butchers - they are in England's Lane, Belsize Park, and they do a roaring trade

They do food to order and to season and so are able to cater for all tastes and needs.

It's not unusual to see a long queue so get there early.

It's quite interesting to note the extent to which there were butchers in each local shopping parade and the extent to which these have no closed down in favour of the in house supermarket butchery provision.

Of course I will be giving coverage to the butcher on the Kilburn High Road have no fear... more to follow.

Swing swing together?

This is a plaque on the wall of a lovely house in Pilgim's Lane and unusually topped by a ships figurehead.

William Johnson Cory was a poet from the victorian era and his principle poem was Ionicus.

Cory is really a person of the victorian era - when classics was a valued form of respect in society - when education was a key part of social standing - when latin verse, indeed verse itself, was currency.

Cory retired to London in the mid 1870's, having left Eton in a bit of a cloud, but he set up home and married and had a family. There was much in Cory's writing about homoerotic thought and relations and his is considered something of a guru on the subject - though nonetheless controversial for all of that...

As a former master of Eton Cory's effect on society was significant - he wrote the boating song, he educated literally hundreds of pupils - many of whom by definition went on to the governance of Britain and indeed then, the empire.

As to the figure above the plaque - presumably from the front of one of Cory's boats from his travels or Eton?

These are called a figurehead, and was not always a woman. It could be a man, or a representation of Neptune or other mythological figure, or a horse, lion or dragon, ie something that suited the name of the ship. For example, HMS Centurion might have the figure of a Roman soldier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Johnson_Cory

The boating song for those that don't know...
(first verse only!)

Jolly boating weather,
And a hay harvest breeze,
Blade on the feather,
Shade off the trees,
Swing swing together,
With your bodies between your knees,
Swing swing together,
With your bodies between your knees.

(and yes, there is a Kit and the Widow song to the same tune...)

Takings pictures is really hard...

This wasn't intended as proof of the problem, but considering Flask Walk in NW3 is one of the nicest passages around this photo reveals the problem.

It's actually very hard to take the picture that captures the charm and the 'olde worldy' atmosphere.

Of course down Flask Walk you have a great bookshop, penshop, cafe, pub, tailor, florist - it's a veritable hive of activity... (sadly no butcher)

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/06/upper-flask-or-lower-flask-pub.html

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2007/12/when-is-it-too-late-to-try.html

It's not without issues and problems and you can see the trade waste piled up.

But if you don't go to Hampstead very often, then why not this saturday wander up there - you're just 2 minutes from the Heath, have the Northern Line and a great range of buses too...

Gwan, gwan, gwan...

America's first radical?

Not sure why this one feels obscure but it does - up in Hampstead we have Vane Close.

It's just by the Royal School on Hampstead High Street, just down from Greenhill.

And tucked away under the tree that grows over the corner of the street is this plaque.

Now I'm a bit of a history fiend but Harry Vane fell out of my knowledge and so a bit of digging has been in order to find out more:
- who
- when
- why

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Vane

All of which made me realise that there are substantive characters who just pass through history - successful, significant and noted and yet without credit or any household status today... Ad amidst all of this he is cited as being Amercia's first radical!

Quite why precisely he was executed is pretty unclear other than he had fallen out with King and execution was an accepted means of removal. All pretty gim really!