Parks of London – My London+

This isn’t a part of London I know really (SW4), yet I pass through it on the tube sometimes, and often through the main line station of Clapham Junction. However, I’d heard of a shop in Clapham called The Hive Honey Shop and I thought it was about time I visited. Unfortunately, the shop has moved its business online, but I didn’t know that when I set off from Clapham Junction station.

The shop used to be in Northcote Road, a long road leading from St John’s Hill, Clapham. The road boasts lots of independent shops and was quite a surprise to me.

My second destination was Clapham Common. I was hoping by then for a cafe as it was a warm day and all the walking was making me thirsty.

We have had some rain at last, and the grass is beginning to recover with a few patches of green. Unfortunately, the trees are suffering from stress and we are now in what is known as a false autumn. Trees are shedding their leaves early. They are brown and brittle.

Clapham itself is quite spread out and boasts three tube stations on the Northern Line. The common has a Victorian bandstand and a modern cafe with those all important toilets! You can read the history of the common here where J M W Turner painted a view across the common between 1800 and 1805.

The cafe made a good stopping place for a cup of tea and a sit down. In fact, I sat on the bench in memory of Jeremy Brett, the actor best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Homes.

In this photo you can see that smaller trees have been packed with green bags filled with earth to help support them during the dry conditions. Small trees don’t possess the deep root system of the larger ones, and without this help, they may not survive.

I wandered in the direction of the pond, and this was my favourite spot.

Walking in the other direction, I was heading towards the town and here there was another pond.

Temperance Fountain – woman giving water to a beggar

A busy main road with some nice old buildings

Time to leave. I’ve enjoyed Clapham. I must explore this part of London more.

Looking down on the platforms at Clapham Common station

The Mound has become a bit of a laughing stock. Only a temporary installation, The Mound (by Marble Arch tube station) opened in July, and shut two days later for a short time because it ‘wasn’t quite ready’! People joked about it. Having paid to visit, some said it was London’s worst attraction. When it finally re-opened it became free to visit, and beneath it was a light show, which most people visiting said was the best part of it. Finally, the whole project was way over budget. Was this the best way for the City of Westminster to spend its money? Well, when a friend and I were trying to decide where to go for our day out, I said, ‘how about The Mound?’ So, we went.

Right off, I’ll say we had a lovely time. We walked through three parks – St James’s, Green and Hyde Park – to get there. Had we taken the tube we would have missed changing of the guard and a military band rehearsing. London always has something going on and constantly surprises me. When we were close to Hyde Park, two guys asked where The Mound was. I explained we had to get across the next big roadway, and the entrance to Hyde Park was ‘that big white arch over there.’ The Mound was on the other side of the park. We said we were going there and wished them luck. Later, when we stopped on the edge of Hyde Park/Marble Arch we sat down for lunch and found the guys had been following us so as not to get lost! We laughed about it and later saw them on the top of The Mound.

From the top – Marble Arch fountains with Cumberland Gate Lodge in the distance

Our first impression of The Mound was not great. It looked patchworked together. But it was free to enter and, having seen the light show on TV, I was looking forward to seeing that.

The views from the top were OK, but to be honest, it wasn’t spectacular. Nevertheless, we could make out some landmarks and information boards were plentiful and history facts were interesting.

Going down, again we saw the mass of scaffolding to make this installation. I was fascinated by this. To me this was the great work of art! It was also funny to see the trees in pots with their trunks going through the roof – the roof reminding me of our attic with its roofing felt!

We then entered the light show. Wow! I’d seen one of these installations as part of an art walk last year. But this was spellbinding. Some of these changed colour and there were a few videos. Everything was mesmerising. It’s so dark down there you are almost bumping into people. Luckily, it wasn’t crowded. We both agreed that the light show was the best thing about this installation.

The Mound is due to be dismantled in January 2022. We were both glad we’d been to see it, and the walk back was just as nice as before. Was it the best use of the Council’s money? No. But it was there and I am not one to refuse to see something once it’s been built. I still like to experience these things for myself.

Here are a few other impressions of London that day.

Tag: Parks of London

Clapham Common

The Mound at Mable Arch