I love London, I love history, and I’m a Christian, so I decided to do a Blog about Christian London, past and present. Equipped with my 60+ Oyster Card (thanks, Mayor of London), I’ve spent a lot of time wandering the capital and have found that Christianity is alive and well and living in London! Yes, God is here and always has been: in churches, charities, in people and ordinary places. There’s over 1,000 years of Christian heritage in the City, which spread outside its ancient walls as London grew.
So…this is how it’s going to work. Each month I’m going to take a different theme: e.g. buildings/people/churches/places/museums, with a current or historic Christian connection, which I have personally visited, and give my own, sometimes quirky perspective on. There will be 4 or 5 each month, depending on the number of Sundays in the month, totalling 52 by this time next year. That’s the plan, anyway.
First, some acknowledgements.
Tired of London, Tired of Life: One thing a day to do in London; and London: The Weekends start here: 52 Weekends of things to see and do (Virgin Books) are two wonderful books by Tom Jones (not the singer!) about anything and everything that can be visited in London, much of it free. Other ‘What to do in London’ books are available!
Open House London weekend: held on the third weekend in September; all types of buildings in the 33 London boroughs open their doors for free visits, including churches and synagogues. If you’ve never visited, I recommend you go this year!
http://www.london-city-churches.org.uk There are at least 50 church sites in the Square Mile, these are mostly open to the public and each has its unique story and characteristics. It’s encouraging to see how much these churches have done and continue doing to serve their communities. Some have been involved in social action for 1000 years!
So here goes, hope you enjoy my exploration of Christian London……
January – A Parish Church, a Palace, a Park and…some Plants
Walking down from Waterloo Station towards the River, past the London Eye, the London Dungeon, the Shrek Experience, a variety of eateries, and the other tourist draws, you go under Westminster Bridge and it feels like a different part of London. With St Thomas’ Hospital and Evelina’s Children’s Hospital on the left and the Houses of Parliament across the River on the right, there’s a sense of heritage and history, goodwill and peace. A 15-minute stroll brings you to Lambeth Pier, not included in my ‘things beginning with P’ heading, but which I do have something to say about later. Cross the road and you reach….
A Palace – Lambeth Palace has been the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for 800 years. (I thought Justin Welby was looking old….) The oldest remaining part of the palace is the Lollard’s Tower (1435) which was used as a prison in the 17th Century. And there’s this Tudor gatehouse which gives the palace its imposing frontage.
Front of Lambeth Palace
When I walked down Lambeth Palace Road to look at other parts of the Palace, I found it was covered with hoardings as the palace’s library is being refurbished. I was a little disappointed until I noticed what’s written on the hoardings:
This Blog is a sort of diary/journal about our trip to Hong Kong and New Zealand. It’s not a Travel Guide, just our experiences of these places: things we saw and heard and did and how we felt about them. We travelled to Hong Kong on 27th December, stayed for two nights, and then went on to NZ for a further 14 days. We loved every moment, and our only regret is that we couldn’t stay longer. Each entry describes our day, finishing with my three best/worst things about that day. I sometimes struggle to think of three worst things, that’s how good it was!
First, a little information about New Zealand: it’s in the Southern Hemisphere so its Summer is November to March-ish. There are two Islands, the North Island is sub tropical, the top of which is approx. 35 degrees off the Equator, while the South Island is mountainous so it’s cooler, rainy in Summer and snowy in Winter. The Maori name of NZ is Aotearoa which is translated as ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’. We experienced quite a lot of the Long White Cloud…..
History: the Maoris first colonised the Islands in the 1100s and Europeans in the 1700s. The two people groups signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 recognising British sovereignty, and New Zealand gained independence from the UK in 1947; the Queen is the Head of State. The population is approx. 4.7 million, about 75% are European descent, 14% Maori. (This is mostly from Wikipedia, by the way). The fusion of cultures is fascinating and beautiful, I wish we could have spent more time exploring it. As I keep saying to myself, next time……
Day 1, 27th December: Weird, but in a good way
What’s weird is doing a long haul flight 2 days after Christmas. While everyone else is enjoying that indulgent post Christmas slump, we leave the house at 8am and are driven through a snow storm to Gatwick International Airport to start our adventure. C and K have kindly chauffeured us, so after bag drop, we treat them to breakfast (our first of three brekkies in less than 24 hours). Gatwick looks Christmassy in a business-like ‘we are an international airport operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year’ way. We say our goodbyes to C and K…..fast forward to finding our seats (in Economy, this trip is costing a lot of money) and prepare ourselves for an 11 hour flight, all ready to leave…..and then the Captain announces that we can’t take off because the plane has to be sprayed with de-icer. The whole plane, not just the windscreen. This is supposed to take 20min and we watch with interest via the outside camera, as orange liquid is sprayed on the wings and the whole fuselage, which takes ages (well, actually 45 minutes.) And we’re off…..not much to say about a long haul flight except for the great in-flight entertainment and the yummy food. And the best thing ever, noise blocking headphones! I got a set for Christmas and they really do cut out most of the noise and have better sound quality than the airline ones for movies and music. So 2 and a half films, some music, a little sleep, 2 meals (including another breakfast) and 11 hours later…..we’re in Hong Kong!
3 Worst things: 1. Delay in taking off. 2. Not enough sleep. 3. Arriving at 7 am, but for us, it’s 11pm.
Day 2, 28th December, Part 1: Sleepless in Kowloon
Cost of train from Hong Kong International Airport to Kowloon Train Station: £7.50 each. Cost of Shuttle from Kowloon Train Station to Hotel: Absolutely nothing! Arriving at the station, we just have to find our Hotel (Metro Park Kowloon) from a displayed list and go to the pick up point for that hotel (K5) where an electronic display tells you when the next bus is due. The K5 bus reminded me of the Kingston bus numbers, no other similarities between Kowloon and Kingston noted! We travel through the unfamiliar streets, enjoying the culture shock, but being a bit too tired to really appreciate the jumble of sights and sounds. Arrive at Metro Park, posh looking hotel in an ordinary street of cafes, mini supermarkets and shoe shops – a bit like having a hotel in Penge High Street. By now it’s about 10am and not surprisingly, our room is not yet ready. We can have a Superior room, ready now, but it will cost us…..we decide to go and explore for a couple of hours, even though it’s really 2am for us. We leave our cases and coats and go out into the street, where the temperature is a pleasant 24 degrees C.
Kowloon is on the mainland and is less touristy than Hong Kong Island. It’s more the industry and manufacturing side, while HKI is the financial and tourist district. We find ourselves in the middle of a steel manufacturing area, there are people welding and hammering, which does look a bit out of place in a narrow and busy shopping street. It’s also the Garment District, where clothes are made and then sold at the nearby Ladies Market. We also notice a huge YMCA building which apparently is also a budget hotel, favoured by families. We’re now starting to get hungry again…..and along the main street what do we see but that shining example of globalisation, MacDonald’s. Time for our 3rd breakfast, and I’m falling sleep over my Egg MacMuffin and coffee. Then it’s back to the Hotel, where after a few more minutes, thank goodness, we are allowed access to our room. And joy of joys, a proper flat bed, don’t bother unpacking, just kick shoes off and zzzzzzz. And I’m going to leave it there, this is night time for us! Part 2 of 28th December next time.
Metro Park Hotel’s Festive Lobby
Our Room – A welcome sight zzzzz
Day 2, 28th December, Part 2: Lights and Lasers, Sound and Symphony
Crashed out for about 4 and a half hours, wake up and it’s still only 4.30, how long is this day going on? Feeling refreshed, we head out to the Tsuen Wan MTR Underground train line and for 45p each we travel three stops to the Harbour area, which is arty, touristy, fun and……crowded. The 1911 Census recorded a population of 7,300. It’s now 2.1 million, making Kowloon one of the most populated places on the planet. All 2.1 million seem to be down by the Harbour this afternoon! We get our first sight of Hong Kong Island with its huge skyscrapers, just starting to show off its neon lights in the smog and fading light of late afternoon.
We explore the waterfront for a while and then pop into the Tourist Information to find out how to go about buying tickets for the Star Ferry to the Island tomorrow. While we’re there, we make an exciting discovery: at 8 o’clock that evening there will be the last performance of 2017 of ‘A Symphony of Lights.’ This is a light and music show, with lasers shone from the tallest buildings on the Hong Kong side and projections onto a large curved wall on the Kowloon side. All accompanied by music from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. We have about 2 hours to wait, so we visit the ferry terminal, a shopping mall and the Cultural Centre, which consists of an Art Gallery and Concert Hall. A couple of shows I’d like to see, but it’s not possible this time round. Then time for something to eat, and we find a cheap and popular fast food restaurant. You choose your dish from pictures and a description and queue up to give its number and letter (luckily, in English) to the cashier, pay, and then queue up again with your receipt to pick up your meal. The only problem was, we had to collect our meals from two different counters, our drinks from another counter, and it all got very confusing, being shouted at in Cantonese and trying to understand what we were supposed to do. Sat down with our meals, but I’m pretty sure we ate what each other had ordered……Back to the waterfront, and we manage to get a spot with a fantastic view of the light show and projections. The buildings across the water look amazing, lit up with huge Christmas decorations and powerful green lasers reaching over to our side. And the projections are of a dragon flying through mythical islands and skyscrapers, fireworks and fields of flowers. With the dramatic music, it’s beautiful and oriental, and in the warm evening air, at last we’re feeling we’ve arrived on a different part of the planet. The show finishes, the crowd applauds rapturously and we make our way to the taxi rank, too tired to take the train. We show the name of the hotel to our driver and speed off through the night. Now, we’re not sure what the route looks like above ground, but it does seem to be taking quite a while. We stop at an unfamiliar building which the driver insists is Metro Park, maybe it’s a different entrance? We get out of the taxi uncertainly, and look up at the sign, yes, this is the Metro Park Hotel, but not the Kowloon one! Our driver has gone, so we hail another taxi and finally get ‘home’, having shelled out more than we intended on taxi fares! It’s 10pm, at last the night’s in the right place!
3 Best things: 1. Easy, cheap transfer to Kowloon Station and the Hotel. 2. Cultural and Waterfront area. 3. Symphony of Lights Show
3 Worst things: 1. Jet lag – so tired! 2. Our room wasn’t ready (that’s not a complaint). 3. Being taken to the wrong Metro Park Hotel (that is a complaint).
Day 3, 29th December: The Peak, I ‘heart’ you!
After a proper night’s sleep, time for a yummy breakfast, a truly international meal. Chinese (of course), Japanese, Full English, Continental breakfast, Danish pastries and more. Then it’s off to Hong Kong Island via the Star Ferry for the princely sum of 32p each! The crossing takes about 10 minutes and halfway across you can see the tall skyscrapers looming up on both sides.
First impressions of HKI are of a larger version of Canary Wharf, all glass and steel and shiny marble walls and pavements. We walk along a high level glass corridor which ends at a HUGE shopping mall, lovely if you like shopping, I don’t! Eventually we decipher the signs to the bus station and catch the No 15 to Victoria Peak, known locally as just The Peak. This is a mountain which overlooks the waterfront of HKI, a ‘must see’ tourist spot. The bus negotiates scary hairpin bends up the mountainside and we see huge skyscrapers in the valley below with their tops on a level with us, halfway up the mountain. We pass some prime real estate in a private gated development, super posh and they have their own bus stop! The only slightly annoying thing about the bus ride is the extreme air conditioning, everyone else has come prepared with coats on – and it’s 27 degrees outside!
Once at the top, the views are breath taking. There’s a circular walk right round the top so there are brilliant views on all sides. Hong Kong has the highest percentage of people living and working above the 14th floor. It must be strange to spend your day living in the sky. After a leisurely stroll taking lots of photos we visit The Sky Terrace (very crowded) for an expensive light lunch, we then join the queue for another ‘must do’ experience: the cable railway (or tram, as it’s known) which goes straight down the mountainside at a 45 degree angle. Our tickets say ‘The Peak, I ‘heart’ you!’, which is very cute. A scary few minutes, going very fast backwards, pinned to our seats and we find at the bottom that the tram stop is also the bus stop, so we get the No 15 back to the waterfront where we wander round an installation of giant fish constructed from scrap metal, and then find a Starbucks at the base of one of the skyscrapers and chill for a while…..we decide to head back and instead of the ferry, we take the Underground to the stop nearest our hotel, because it’s much quicker. Once we get back to the Metro Park, we feel a little weary after a day in the sun, so we get some snacks, including custard tarts, not something you would associate with Hong Kong, but they come highly recommended as a local delicacy. Night, night, flying to Auckland tomorrow!
3 Best things: 1. Trip on the Star Ferry. 2. Views from Victoria Peak. 3. Tram ride down the Peak.
3 Worst things: 1. Uber cold air con on the bus. 2. Over-priced lunch. 3.That we don’t have longer in Hong Kong..
Middle Skyscraper is 100 storeys high!
Scrap metal fish with glass corridor behind
Crazy Tram ride
Shark and Escalator
Victoria Peak
Day 4, 30th December: Tai Chi and Pop Up McD
Another delicious breakfast which will hopefully keep us going most of the day. The last day of our Hong Kong Stopover, I’m so glad we did this! Our flight to Auckland is at 6pm, so we have almost another full day here. We catch the K5 back to Kowloon Station after breakfast, why, I hear you ask, when our flight isn’t til 6pm? Because we can check our cases in at the station and they will be transferred to the airport and, at the correct time, loaded onto the correct plane! I was at first a little unsure of leaving the cases on a big pile somewhere in the station and trusting that they would be put on the correct flight. Of course, it’s much more sophisticated than that! There’s a check in desk, you present your e-ticket and passport, put your case on the scale, the clerk prints the label and your case gets sent on its way on the conveyor system behind the desks. So, exactly like the airport.
We can get back to downtown Kowloon on foot so we follow a walkway from inside the station through a maze of a permanent construction site until we reach the beautiful Kowloon Park. This is a large green space, surrounded by the ever present huge skyscrapers, with tropical plants, fountains and ornamental lakes, complete with flamingos. There is also an aviary, play parks, exercise areas and an empty swimming pool. I don’t know why it’s empty, the air temp is 26 degrees, perfect for a dip and interestingly, there are a few Westerners sun bathing round the side! We are starting to feel the heat so we sit down at some picnic tables next to a sort of McDonalds hut, which sells only drinks and ice creams. Refreshed with a cone and a drink, we sit and watch the world go by, which in this case, is a troop of boy and girl scouts of all ages, who seem to be doing some sort of treasure hunt. They run past in small groups, suddenly getting very excited at the sight of a flag attached to a lamp post, writing in their notebooks and running on. There seem to be hundreds of them, a constant trail of chattering kids, shouting with joy when they spot the flag. I would love to know what the message is on the flag, but unfortunately it’s meaningless to me! Moving on, we find a group of ladies doing tai chi, they are quite far away and I feel it’s a bit intrusive to get closer for a photo. It’s fascinating to watch so I sneak a pic anyway (from a distance.) Lastly we visit the Cultural Centre, a museum with a fascinating history of the Hong Kong region, including pre- and post-colonisation by the UK. The most interesting part is the photos of the changes in the waterfront area over the last 200 or so years, unrecognisable now.
Time to go back to the station after a lovely day. We walk back via the enclosed walkway, which seems to have got longer and more twisty and turny. We feel rather disorientated because we thought we were on an elevated walkway when suddenly a lorry turns into a gap in the huge fence in front of us, we are actually at ground level. It’s hot, dusty and noisy and we’re glad to reach the air conditioned shopping mall/station complex. We pass an ice rink where families are enjoying a Saturday afternoon skating session. Take the fast train to Hong Kong International Airport where we count our remaining cash and find we have HK$28 left, roughly £2.80. Our last purchase in Hong Kong is a large cappuccino to share (from McDonalds, which seems to have featured a lot in the last 56 hours.) An hour later our flight is called, goodbye Hong Kong, it was great! Hope to see you again one day!
Three Best Things: 1. Checking luggage in early at the station. 2. Exploring Kowloon Park. 3. 56 hours in Hong Kong on HK$1,000 (£100) – they said it couldn’t be done!
Three Worst Things: 1. Hot, noisy, dusty walk through construction site. 2. Bumpy onward flight. 3. That’s it!
My Wandle Guide book says there is a roughly surfaced path but it’s now a ‘proper’ path. What can we spot? Firstly, in a tiny field on our left is a horse, looking a bit lonely. And there’s a huge electricity pylon with wires going across the River to a massive electricity substation. A little later there are some 1930s factory buildings with ‘saw-tooth’ roofs. These are zigzag shaped roofs with glass panels facing north so that factory workers would get enough natural light in winter, but not direct sunlight in summer. On the left, if you look up you can just see a huge stack of those metal barriers used at events such as Royal Weddings, Marathons, etc. If you’ve ever wondered where they come from, now you know – Wimbledon. Towards the end of this part there is a narrow strip of land with allotments on it, can you spot the shed that’s tumbling into the Wandle?
As you might have guessed, there were once several mills on this stretch of river. The most famous was Garrett Copper Mill, hence Garrett Lane, which manufactured brass items and copper utensils. Apparently the mill here was ‘a monster, allegedly Europe’s second largest at one time.’ I’d LOVE to see that! There was also a chamois leather mill and a silk weaving works. There was also Garrett Print Works, but apparently that’s a different Garrett (bit of a coincidence if you ask me.) Modern industries have sprung up here: Car showrooms, light industry, DIY retailers, etc.
Next we come to Trewint Street which is in Borough of Wandsworth, the Garrett linseed oil mills stood here. The Wandle Guide Book says: ‘There is a proposal to open a new section of riverside path northwards from Trewint Street Bridge – this would save a long and unattractive diversion along the main road.’ It can’t come too soon! On the Bridge there’s a sign about the proposals, which points out that a sign saying ‘No’ isn’t very welcoming! Now we have to turn left to reach Garratt Lane; this is the second worst part of the Trail, I think. Follow this busy road under the railway bridge, then left into Penwith Road, which has a pub called The Wandle on the corner to remind us where we are. Here we cross the River and turn left into Strathville Road. Straight ahead we can see the River from Duntshill Road; several Wandle history books show this view at different times. This is of course an area bursting with mills in the 19th and early 20th centuries: parchment making, cloth printing, and ‘flock’ making; this is the manufacture of old rags and textiles into paper. There’s a road called Flock Mill Place nearby.
Now, instead of following the Trail along this road to King George’s Park, we can turn right into a brand new development of flats and then right again into Riverdale Drive, and we’re back on the River! Here we can see a former mill building, now tastefully converted into apartments, a lovely weeping willow and a vibrant green bridge! The path leads to the Park which is yet another lovely big green space in the heart of south London. With the Wandle on our right, it’s a pleasant walk up to Kimber Road, passing a Fitness Centre and a skate park. Crossing into the upper part of King George’s Park, after a few hundred yards we can turn right onto a brick footpath over the River, which was the site of Henckell’s Iron Mill. The Wandle Guide says: ‘There were water powered mechanical hammers and giant shears which could cut through iron bars two inches thick.’ We are back in Garrett Lane, but not for long, turning left into Mapleton Road, back to the left bank and heading back to the Park. This now becomes a recreational area: tennis courts, children’s playground, lake with a fountain. Exiting the park into Buckhold Road, we turn left with the huge Southside (formerly Arndale) Shopping Centre on the right, and Wandsworth High Street (A3) ahead, the VERY WORST part of the Trail. The noise and fumes of four lanes of traffic are such a contrast to our leisurely riverside stroll, but now we cross the road and turn right into Wandsworth Plain with its terrace of houses dated 1723, one of which has a sundial. The time is only correct when it’s GMT, not British Summer Time! We can’t get anywhere near the River at this point, but under construction on the site of Young’s ‘Ram’ Brewery is a retail/housing/leisure area, these always look more attractive in the advertising poster, don’t they?
At the end of Wandsworth Plain we cross Armoury Way (confusingly the A3 again) and turn into The Causeway, where we can walk beside the now wide, fast flowing Wandle and a deep noisy weir. Very different from the gently tinkling sound of the infant Wandle. As well as the highly successful Young’s Brewery (this has been a beer brewing site since 1576) there was once a flour mill and a ‘Brazil’ mill, nothing to do with nuts but for grinding Brazil wood to make a powder for dyeing cloth. Following the path until it crosses Bell Lane Creek we reach The Spit with its Blue pointy triangle sculpture. We can now see the Wandle mouth, a few more yards and we’ve made it! Yes, we’ve followed this beautiful River through four London Boroughs, some lovely parks, peaceful nature reserves and fascinating heritage sites. I’ve enjoyed researching, walking and writing about it, hope you’ve enjoyed reading this Blog.
The River Companion and Wandle Trail Guide says: ‘the new Wandle Trail stitches together a ribbon of parks and nature reserves’ and there certainly does seem to be much more green space than boring ‘road walking’. Hats off to the Wandle Group and the Wandle Industrial Museum who have made the River accessible, beautiful and interesting. This is especially so in Morden Hall Park. There is riverbank planting to ‘improve habitat and biodiversity’, there’s me thinking the plants just grew naturally! Last time I visited was late summer and some beds of Autumn flowers had replaced the rose garden beds. There is a wetlands area to explore and the National Trust Snuff Mill where we can see the two watermills which used to power the snuff mill and some millstones. Imagine having one of those round your neck! An exhibition explains how and why people used to take snuff, too weird, but seems it was big business in the 1800’s. A wealthy tobacco and snuff manufacturer, Gilliat Hatfeild (yes I know, strange first name and incorrectly-spelt surname) brought the mills and Morden Hall in 1870. As the Squire of Morden he acquired the surrounding land which he made into a deer park and we have Gilliat Junior (his son) to thank for leaving the House and Park to the National Trust. Incidentally, Gilliat Junior was unmarried and preferred to live in the modest Morden Cottage, just next to the Snuff Mill, rather than at the much grander Hall.
And now, weary of beauty and history and all things watery, it’s time to stop for lunch at the welcoming National Trust Cafe. (The NT are getting a lot of mentions, perhaps they should give me a free lunch….or at least a cup of tea!) Suitably refreshed, we are ready to follow the Trail over the pretty stone bridges, past the wetlands and onto the surprisingly unobtrusive tramline. It’s not dangerous to cross as the trams are VERY loud as they approach. Look up and we see the Trinitarian Bible Society Building, which really does look out of place. Next is Deen City Farm, well worth a visit if you have children; it’s free to visit but please make a donation. As we approach, can you spot the fake black and white cow? This next stretch of river has a manmade sluice coming off it called the Pickle Ditch, which sounds really cute but probably derives from ‘pike and eel’. This once served Merton Abbey.
Next we arrive at Merton Abbey Mills, ‘London’s alternative market.’ Worth a visit to the craft shops and cafe and the still working Wheelhouse, on the site of the Merton Abbey print works. In 1724 there was a calico printing works which was taken over by Liberty and Co. of Regents Street in 1904, only ceasing production in 1972. Incredible to think that the original mills on this site were in the precinct of a church the size of Westminster Abbey, hence, Abbey Mills. The site has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Crossing Merantum Way you can see bits of the original priory wall. The arch is not original, it’s been rebuilt, but it looks nice and fits in with the wall. Not so nice are the flats which occupy the site of William Morris’s Merton Abbey Print Works.
Now a walk through Priory Retail Park where several people are fishing, which gives a strangely rural look next to the huge Sainsbury/M & S building. Crossing Merton High Street we come to the second Wandle Park. Several streams to follow here over pretty bridges, and in the children’s play park, a random large white wooden jug. If we choose to follow the main river here, along Wandle Bank, Merton Flour Mill still exists, converted into flats. The next bit is called Wandle Meadow Nature Park but when I was there it had a look of Death Valley (without the buffalo skulls), being parched and scrubby looking. It used to be a sewage works. Through an arch under the railway and we follow a wide path, avoiding cyclists, where there are several of these numbered markers, I should really find out what these mean! Now we are at Plough Lane, Wimbledon, sounds a long way from Croydon doesn’t it? Crossing the road at the pelican crossing, we begin the final stretch. There are approximately 3 miles to the Thames!
My interactive sponsored walk of the Wandle Trail (as described on my Just Giving site) will take place on 22nd October. With less than 1 week to go, I thought I should give you the information on this page as well:
The idea is that anyone can join me to walk all, or part of the Wandle Trail, using the notes from this Blog to talk about what we see as we go along. And you can sponsor yourself, or me if you can’t do the Walk. I’m raising money for Stop the Traffik, a charity which helps to combat human trafficking around the world; see justgiving.com/Clare-Simons.
These are the details for the day:
As I said in the introduction, the Trail falls neatly into 4 parts, each taking about 1 hour to walk. So the plan is to meet at Waddon Ponds at 10.00am and walk to the next meeting point, Wilderness Island (by the entrance to the Island in Mill Lane) arriving at 11.00am. Then we walk to Morden Hall Park, arriving at 12.10, where we stop for lunch for about 45 minutes (meeting point is the café.) Setting off again we arrive at Plough Lane Wimbledon at around 2.15pm. Then, after another short break, we do the last leg to The River Thames, which takes a little longer. We should arrive at around 3.45pm, bearing in mind that we’ll all be flagging a bit! That’s the plan anyway, in reality it will probably take longer due to all the stops to look at interesting things. If you’re planning to join us at Wilderness Island or Morden Hall Park, best thing would be to text me (07708 497848) when you get there if we haven’t reached there yet.
Practical Stuff: there are toilets in all the parks we walk through. Most of the Wandle Trail is paved footpaths, however some bits can get muddy so wear ‘sensible’ shoes/trainers. It’s not going to rain (thanks BBC Weather) but bring a waterproof coat anyway. Bring a bottle of water, or flask of tea/coffee if you prefer. Just as you can join in later in the Walk, you can also LEAVE at any point. You don’t have to walk the whole 12 miles! You will need to have someone to pick you up or be prepared to use public transport to get home, I’ve got a leaflet of The Trail with the nearest bus/tram/train routes.
I still have 2 more parts of the Walk to post, plus the photos, this should be completed by Monday evening, sorry it’s taken so long.
Lastly……if you can’t do the Walk, please sponsor me anyway, on the Just Giving page above. Thanks, Clare xx
Now remember that we have diverted from the Croydon branch to the Carshalton Branch of the Wandle. As we walk beside this narrow river, with Wilderness Island on the right bank, we soon reach the confluence of the two branches, ie, where they meet. They join and go over a weir together, making a lovely waterfall noise. Hard to believe that the island and these banks were once a hive of industry; there were gunpowder, leather, oil and copper mills and factories right here. After a short, overgrown walk we are at The Hack Bridge, Nightingale Road. There has been a bridge here since the Middle Ages, presumably first a wooden one, replaced in 1800 by an iron one, and twice more since.
In July I crossed over the bridge and met a father and son cycling the Trail. We got talking about the Wandle and the son told me that he was doing a university dissertation about the possibilities of using the River to produce hydro electric power. Amazing to think the Wandle could go back to producing power, more than 100 years after its industrial heyday. They told me that this is a viable possibility….hmm, let’s wait and see! Now we get to a path with the River on the left, and on the right….are the remains of Corbett Close, formerly several blocks of flats, now piles of grey rubble hidden behind a huge hoarding. This is an example of how landscapes can change again and again; my reference book shows a map of Hackbridge Lodge and the driveway to Hackbridge House on this site, demolished to make way for the Corbett Close flats, which have been demolished to make way for….more housing? Now we are at Culvers Avenue and there is a helpful Wandle Valley Information Board which shows you how far you’ve come! A short walk through a recreation area with a welcome bench and then a little further on, on the right is another area of modern industry, formally heavy mill industry. As we approach Middleton Road there is a yellow brick house which belonged to the owner of one of the three mills that were once here. Standing on Goat Bridge and looking back, it’s hard to imagine how the area must have looked with a leather mill, a corn mill and a ‘drug grinding’ mill. Jura-Spray Ltd. occupies this space now.
Over the bridge into Watermead Lane and we see some cottages where workers at a nearby tannery lived. Now we get to a nice yellow gravel path which replaces the narrow, muddy, uneven path that was there a couple of years ago. This makes it a very pleasant walk through what feels very much like countryside. The open space on the left is Poulter Park. At the end of this stretch is Watermeads, a National Trust Nature Reserve which was the site of three mills: textiles, paper and snuff; hard to imagine at this beautiful, peaceful spot. We cross into LB Merton somewhere here. Before reaching Bishopsford Road, we can see through the trees the white weather boarded Fisheries Cottages, so called because one of the former tenants worked for the short-lived Wandle Fisheries Association. We can also glimpse a former corn mill, Grove Mill, now a gated development of posh flats. (The gate was open so I sneaked in to take a photo!) A little further on I met a couple who were enjoying splashing around with their children. They told me about a friend of theirs who had studied the reeds in the river bed. They said how nice it is to live in an urban area right next to a river. There is a pond to the right of the main river which has a ‘Danger, Deep Water’ sign, as it’s deceptively completely covered with water plants. Now there is another lovely open space, Ravensbury Park, with its little bridges and willow fringed banks and Riverside Cafe. And here’s an encouraging National Cycle Trail post which informs us we are 3 miles from Carshalton and only 5 miles to Wandsworth, hooray!
There are some interesting mill stones to be seen as we approach Morden Road, and a surprising number of teenagers (and older) playing Pokemon Go. Cross the road by the pelican crossing and behind us is the yellow brick building of Ravensbury Mill (they’re always yellow, aren’t they?) which is now part of the Wandle Industrial Museum. Through a small gate hidden in the fence and we are now in Morden Hall Park.
Remember, words in Bold are photos, which I’m still working on! I will post them shortly.
Two of my favourite things are walking and rivers. I love walking because it counts as exercise and you can take time to look around and notice things you wouldn’t see if you were driving or cycling or even jogging. I love rivers because they are natural phenomena, but at the same time, historic, as over the centuries they are used for transport, industry and pleasure. Roads change over time: enlarging to carry more traffic, changing route, falling into disuse, but rivers tend to stay more or less the same. And because river banks are relatively level, no steep inclines (which I don’t like), they are easy to stroll along in a leisurely fashion. The downside of river walks is that they are linear rather than circular so you either have to walk all the way back or arrange transport to take you home!
So, to my epic journey along the Wandle Trail! The Wandle is a fascinating river and thanks to the fabulous Trail you can stroll along its banks for almost all its length. Most of it is accessible for buggies and wheelchairs but there are a few muddy or narrow paths. I’ve divided the Walk into four sections, each taking about 1 hour to walk at a gentle pace.
These are the sections: Waddon Ponds to Wilderness Island
Wilderness Island to Morden Hall Park
Morden Hall Park to Plough Lane
Plough Lane to River Thames
I’m starting at Waddon Ponds, because that’s where you see the ACTUAL River emerge from the pond and begin its journey to the Thames; however, the ‘official’ start of the Wandle Trail is at East Croydon Station (who knew?) and goes down to Wandle Park via Old Palace, but no river to be seen. I could have started at Wandle Park but THERE’S STILL NO RIVER THERE! There is a manmade channel but the river itself goes under the tram line and the A23, then into Mill Lane, still underground. However, Wandle Park is a very nice green space with a skate park, a wildlife pond and a bandstand on which in July you can see plays performed by CODA*, this year it was Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing. There’s also a London Borough of Croydon sign which claims that this IS the source of the Wandle!
Before I start the sections, here are some interesting facts:
The Wandle flows through 4 London Boroughs: Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Wandsworth.
The Wandle is too shallow to be used for navigation (boats.)
BUT it’s very fast flowing which is why over time there have been more than 90 mills at various places along its banks. That’s a lot of industry.
The mills and other historical buildings have all been documented in other excellent publications** so I won’t be specifically mentioning them, but my focus is on what can be seen on the Wandle Trail so they do come up from time to time. So, as Nancy Sinatra said: You ready boots? Start Walking!
*Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association
**River Wandle Companion and Wandle Trail Guide, Bob Steel and Derek Coleman, Culverhouse Books
The Wandle Guide, The Wandle Group, Sutton Leisure Services
Words/phrases in bold indicate a photo (on separate page)
Waddon Ponds are in a little tucked-away park behind Purley Way, lots of different species of water birds, pretty flower beds, children’s play area. It’s next to Mill Lane, where there was once a flour mill and now it’s just various industries. Start walking along the path and immediately the River disappears behind a hedge but you can just hear it tinkling busily along.
Walking along this narrow path, somewhere you cross the borough boundary from Croydon to Sutton, then you cross the first Wandle bridge; at this point you could probably jump it! On this side you pass some bungalows which I think were for older Sutton Council tenants but which are now boarded up, the remains of their pretty gardens looking sad and neglected. And look! There’s a fake heron in a garden on your left, when I first saw it I thought it was real…..
Next you get to another bridge, cross over and there’s a building which I think is now offices and was formerly a flour mill (another one) and next door is the mill owner’s house with a Sutton Heritage Red Plaque (like a Blue Plaque but not quite as posh.) The mill that was there originally is mentioned in the Domesday Book and was a corn mill and then a snuff mill. And here are the mill workerscottages, with the River Wandle babbling along in their front gardens, lovely! Then it’s a short walk along the aptly named Wandle Bank to your first road crossing, Hillier’s Lane. On the other side there are a couple of manmade concrete waterfalls with stones set in them, so even when you can’t see it you can hear the water rushing along.
Now we reach the lovely Beddington Park, the subject of many photos on Facebook, some interesting historic buildings and a wonderful clear shallow stream that everyone can remember playing in when they were children. I’m not sure if the Trail goes right beside the River as it gets very muddy on the banks, but that’s where we will walk, perhaps spotting a dog enjoying the stream. Over a couple of bridges and then we reach the metal curved bridge, which I’m sure was painted blue when I was young, though some say white, but now is definitely green, and looking a lot like Monet’s Garden (google it). The River then flows into the Lake, and from the banks you can see all kinds of water fowl with their cute babies in Spring. And in the Grange Children’s Centre on the left there is something that really looks like a giant poo, sorry, but it does! Moving swiftly on, the last time I was doing this part of the Trail I stopped to talk to these two guys who looked like they were fishing, but were actually collecting mosquito larvae in nets for a PHD in Entomology (the study of insects). The mosquitoes here don’t carry malaria, I was happy to discover.
Now we get to the part of the Trail where you can’t walk beside the River. Wandle Side and Riverside Close invite you to follow them, but alas, they are private property and dead ends and you can’t get access to the River. Never mind, we do get to see the colourful Elm Pond which has green dyed water (for some reason.) Then we go down Butter Hill, spotting The Lodge, Butter Hill on the way. At the bottom of Butter Hill/Mill Lane, we pick up the other branch of the Wandle which has come from Carshalton Ponds. Strictly speaking you are supposed to go to The Ponds as part of the Trail, but I thought for this Walk I’d take the short cut and just do the 12 miles!
Over the bridge into Mill Lane, and what do we see under the railway arch? A small but very colourful Garden Centre, SOS Gardens, should I tell them I’m giving them free advertising? Next we see the strikingly yellow Strawberry Lodge (maybe it should be red?), built in the late 17th century for the gunpowder maker Josiah Dewye. This part of the Wandle had several mills: flour, snuff, corn, oh and I think Papermill Close gives a clue as to what else. Does anyone remember the Vinyls factory that used to be here? Now there are tasteful apartments which look a lot nicer and don’t smell of chemicals. And here we are at Wilderness Island, where you can actually get lost, I did. But we are not venturing inside today, we have a trail to walk!
NZ…… and HK
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