Walpole Park revisited ...

Back in the dark days of January I wrote an article (Walpole Park and my dog-walking worries) bemoaning the loss of much of our local park and expressing some doubt as to whether the council would deliver it back to the good citizens of Ealing in line with their rather vague deadline of early 2014.

Serious progress has been made, but ... there is an I-told-you-so coming ... it's so not finished, and I think we've sailed way past that early 2014 deadline - and then some.

This:

... has happily become this:

But we still can't get in to enjoy it: the blur to the right hand side is due to my having snapped the shot through a gap in the railings that still divide the park.

And whilst there's a lot of heavy plant moving around it was impressive yesterday to see how many people were catching the rays and making the most of the green space that was available to them. I think it's a special talent that we have developed here in London. We may not know much about a lot of things, but we certainly know how to rock a lazy afternoon in the park.

Just look at this kindergarten class who've swapped their classroom for the blue sky and the leaf canopy overhead. And, seriously, when did you last see such a cool multi-baby buggy? What a mothership!

This chap was happily playing riffs on his guitar beside the chain-mail fence that chops the park in two:

And these folk were just laying back in the grass working on their sun tans:

And, best of all, the funny bits where it looks like they've dug up the grass for no good reason are being cultivated as wild flower meadows. Next year I look forward to celebratory picnics on sunny afternoons when the cornflowers, the poppies and the clover will be in bloom. It's going to be epic!

They're busy building a new play area for the little people, which looks pretty amazing too. Emi and his chums will have a ball playing there when it's all done and dusted.

They've planted gazillions of roses and shrubs along the pathways, and it's all shaping up to look rather splendid.

Over in the adjoining Pitshanger Manor, one-time country get-away of the famous architect, Sir John Soane, they're hosting an art exhibition. It seems an appropriate venue given Soane's connections: back in the day he entertained art-world luminaries such as JMW Turner in this place.

And the great thing about it is that it's an exhibition of local artists who want to get their names out there. You can pop along until 21st June, admire the work on view and buy it if it really takes your fancy. It's Ealing's answer to the Summer Exhibition over at the Royal Academy on Piccadilly, and I think it's great that we have a showcase for our local talent.

And that's something that chimes with the ethos of the park behind: it's the people's park and is something that just about everyone in the area feels they have a stake in. Just take a look at the number of trees and park benches that are dedicated to the memory of loved ones who have passed away.

I'm sure all the work will all be worth it in the end, but for now I'd just like it to be over so that we can let our dogs and our children race around without having to worry about them getting run over by a JCB.

All the best,

Bonny x


As shared on SYC , Little things Thursday and Good Fences

Best dog walks in West London: walking in the footsteps of Brunel ...

Now I know I've said as much before, but this walk really is just a little bit different. It takes you past some truly outstanding architecture with a more industrial, utilitarian flavour: stuff that was conceived to be useful rather than just pretty; stuff that screams out our industrial past.

It follows the tow path of the Grand Union Canal, which was once the major artery linking London with the rest of the canal system throughout the country. Barges loaded with coal, foodstuffs and manufactured goods once snaked their way down this watery corridor to feed the burgeoning demands of the Capital, jostling for position in the locks, overnighting in noisy clusters along its banks with their horses grazing on the grassy meadows that fell away to either side. It's a different picture today, but with a little bit of imagination you can just about see how it used to be: a bustling, busy waterway, full of the drama of everyday life.

One of the biggest names in nineteenth century engineering is unquestionably that of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Did you know that the two projects, which bookend his career are to be found here in Ealing? And that it's possible to take an afternoon stroll along the banks of the Grand Union Canal and the River Brent to see them both?

Grand Union Canal, Ealing

The two projects that I'm talking about are the Wharncliffe Viaduct, built by Brunel at the beginning of his career (1836 to 1837), and his (slightly wacky) Three Bridges, where a canal crosses a railway, with a road running over the top, which was his last major project, completed just a couple of months before his death in 1859.

The walk starts at the Three Bridges, which you can find on Windmill Lane, just behind Ealing Hospital. The post-code is UB2 4UT if you want to track it down on the SatNav. We parked in the retail park on Armstrong Way and crossed Windmill Lane to get down to the canal tow path. Alternatively the closest underground station is Boston Manor on the Piccadilly Line. If you follow my broken red line on the map below it'll take you from the Three Bridges to the Wharncliffe Viaduct.

Sometimes the Three Bridges are referred to as the Windmill Bridges after a windmill that used to stand close by. This is how it looked when Joseph Mallard William Turner painted it back in 1808:

Ah, the great Turner, I should mention that he came to live in Brentford with his maternal uncle, Joseph Mallard William Marshall in 1785/ 1786 for about a year. He was born in Covent Garden, but was sent out here to enjoy the cleaner air. It must have made an impression on him as he came back again in 1808 to paint the windmill.

I digress; let's get back to the Three Bridges. Brunel, by then the top go-to guy for big ideas, was asked by the Great Western Railway Company to come up with a plan that would allow a branch line (linking Southall, where the trains stopped, with Brentford Dock on the Thames) to cross the road and the canal.  This is what the great man came up with:

View from the road bridge of the canal trough with the railway below

It's a pity about all the rubbish that's been dropped down onto the railway tracks, but you get the idea. Brunel channelled the canal across the railway line in a great big cast-iron trough, and then built a metal bridge on top to carry the traffic on Windmill Lane.

Down at canal-level this is what you see:

Three Bridges: railway below, canal in the middle and road on top

Three Bridges: road bridge carrying Windmill Lane on top with the canal trough below

Three Bridges: canal trough with the road bridge for Windmill Lane on top

Now look carefully. Do you see a black metal rod on the right hand side of the bridge just to the side of the tow path?

Here's a close-up with Emi's finger in a groove to give you some sense of scale:

This iron bar was attached to the side of the bridge to protect it from rope burn. Back when the barges were being hauled along by horses - or, more recently, by tractors the ropes cut into the brickwork eroding the structure of the bridge. To protect it they put this bar on the wall, and the grooves that you can see were made by the friction and pressure of the ropes pulling the barges along. Impressive, eh? I'm feeling a little bit closer to the daily struggle of those long-forgotten draught horses and the folk who drove them already.

One of the many lovely things about this stretch of canal is that it's still working; it's still got boats, the locks still operate and there's enough traffic to make things interesting without making it so busy that it isn't peaceful to walk along.

Here are some of the rather splendid boats that we saw moored just below the Three Bridges:

Loving that roof garden!

And then we strolled by the Lock Keeper's Cottage, although I doubt that there's a lock keeper in residence these days. 

The old Hanwell Lunatic Asylum is on the left as you walk away from the Three Bridges. You can make it out in the photo below. It was opened in 1831 to house pauper lunatics, and soon grew to become quite a busy little community. Behind those high walls were large kitchen gardens, a brewery, a chapel with its own graveyard, the asylum and accommodation for about a hundred workers. The site had been chosen for its relative isolation from other built up areas, coupled with the comparative ease with which it could be visited occasionally by the families of the poor souls incarcerated within. Many of the one hundred or so people who looked after the one thousand plus patients also lived within its walls. Their work was poorly paid, but it was attractive to have accommodation thrown in, even though it involved living in an asylum. Many of the staff came up from the West Country to work here, and would seldom have made it home to visit their own families.

A blocked up arch used to allow coal deliveries to the asylum and for the surplus garden produce to be loaded onto barges for sale in the London markets. You can see it on the lower left of the photograph below with part of the old hospital building towering above. There are also a few fire holes in the wall along here that firemen would have been able to open to fetch water from the canal to put out any fires that broke out in the hospital.

My boys were very interested in how the locks worked, and spent a happy half hour chatting with some boat people who were going through the Hanwell Lock system.  It has to be said that the canal falls like a flight of stairs along this stretch with multiple locks making for slow progress on the water.

Meanwhile Maxi (our dog) had a good old bark at the canal boat dogs, safe in the knowledge that they couldn't get at him. He's a real lion when he knows he's safe.

Just past the lower gate of the Hanwell Lock (Number 96) you should take the little path on the left down to the River Brent. It's marked with an arrow like so:

This pathway will take you along the bank of the River Brent...

... all the way to Hanwell Bridge.

Hanwell Bridge

The pathway continues under the arches of the bridge, taking you underneath the Uxbridge Road and into Brent Meadow, a traditional hay meadow, on the other side. When the river is high the path may flood but you can take the steps up to the Uxbridge Road, and go across at street level.

When you emerge on the other side you have a magnificent view of the Wharncliffe Viaduct, Brunel's first major project for the Great Western Railway Company, which, as you can see, has stood the test of time and is still in use today.

Wharncliffe Viaduct

Arches of the Wharncliffe Viaduct

The coat of arms of Lord Wharncliffe, who was the chairman of the Great Western Railway Company when the bridge was built, adorn the central pillar of the viaduct. It's a pity about the graffiti, which also adorns the bridge, but it's only a minor detail on such a majestic structure. Not surprisingly it enjoys Grade I listing.

The Wharncliffe coat of arms on the central pillar of the Wharncliffe Viaduct, Ealing

You can see a large, dark crack in the underside of the arches, which marks where the bridge was extended. Brunel originally built it to fit two broad gauge railway tracks, but then Stephenson's narrower gauge tracks were adopted as the norm. Traffic increased and they modified the infrastructure to accommodate the new standard so that everything was the same throughout the country. As a result they widened the bridge to take 4 narrow-gauge tracks across the valley.

The brick pillars supporting the viaduct are hollow, creating perfect bat caves inside. I'm told that there are thriving colonies of happy bats living in the bridge, although they weren't around when we passed by. On the sides of the pillars I saw several window-like openings, which presumably allow them to come and go as they please. 

You can travel on over the footbridge on the right hand side of the viaduct and wander up the hill behind to Churchfields Recreation Ground. There's a children's play area and a lovely green park up there. On Church Road, on the other side of the park, you may like to take a look at the Hermitage, a lovely little gothic cottage built in 1809. I'm sorry but Emi couldn't be persuaded to leave the swings, and as a result we didn't make it that far to take a photo. But you can't miss it: it's a sweet, thatched building that looks like somewhere Bilbo Baggins would be proud to call home. 

Now the only slight snag is that this walk isn't circular, so you have to retrace your steps and go back the way you've come, but that's not a serious draw-back given how much there is to see. It's not a long walk. You can comfortably cover it, there and back, in an hour and a half without breaking a sweat.

Enjoy!

Bonny x

Top 5 West London dog walks: Northala Fields

Now for something a bit different: Northala Fields. Maybe you've seen it from the A40. It's on your left driving out of London: that park with those strange, conical hills with tiny, ant-like people, working their way to the top.

Do you remember how they appeared out of nowhere back in 2008? One day there was nothing, just some nondescript derelict land with building rubbish, and the next day there was this weird landscape ... .

To my way of thinking this is a funky park. Funky? Well it's hard to say, but there's nothing quite like Northala Park in the rest of London. It was built out of the rubble from the old Wembley Stadium and the stuff that they dug up when they were building Westfield. Ealing Council hit upon the brilliant plan of offering the then-derelict site to the developers as a place to dump all their building spoil, charging them £70 to £90 per lorry-load for the privilege. 60,000 lorry-loads later they had the raw materials with which to construct the four conical hills, that now sit in a slight curve along the side of the A40. And I, for one, think that this was a brilliant way to recycle rubbish that would otherwise have been destined for a landfill site 100 miles away. It just goes to prove that one man's junk is another man's treasure!

Northala Fields fishing pond

The resulting landscape is ... well, the word just has to be funky. It's pleasing to the eye, although it's like nothing Mother Nature would ever have created. It's modern, metropolitan and kind of re-invents the concept of a city park. Everything you'd expect to find is there, but just not in the conventional form in which you'd expect to see it. Children and adults alike delight in the challenge of climbing the hills for the super views of the city in the distance, and the traffic on the A40 just below. And, believe me, from the top of the tallest hill the vehicles on the A40 look more like toy cars.

There's something humorous about the landscape design; I can't help but smile when I look at those strange little hills. What do they look like? Burial mounds from Salisbury Plain or something extra-terrestrial? I don't know. Who cares? They're fun!

The city of London from Northala Park

The Sunday before last we went there to walk off a few calories after lunch. It was a glorious spring day and the place was heaving with people. I've never seen it so busy. There seemed to be folk there from everywhere, talking loads of different languages, each observing their own dress and cultural customs and all muddling along very happily together: London at its multi-cultural best.

The park has a couple of inventive play areas for the little people. They've built a miniature conical hill to support a rather splendid slide, which you can just see to the right in the photo below. And there are more miniature hills made out of that safe-surface recycled rubber in the playground beside the Kensington Road gate. The play areas have been cleverly designed with verve and humour. I especially liked the climbing frame in the shape of a ship sitting beside the ponds. If there hadn't been so many people around I'd have had a bounce on it myself.

The sailing ship climbing frame with the slide to the right

And then there are the fish ponds, which I was told are 8 to 10 feet deep and well stocked with coarse fish.

The fish ponds

Fishing at Northala Fields

The venue is open to the public for fishing; all you have to do is buy a day-ticket, bring your tackle and off you go. I found a link for the fishing details, which you can check out if you're interested: Northala fishing

The park sits beside one of the busiest roads into London from the North West, but there's not much traffic noise once you're inside. The hills were designed to shield the park and its users from the noise and pollution of the A40, and they certainly seemed to be doing that when we visited.

If you fancy a coffee or an ice-cream there's the San Remo cafe just beside the fishing ponds. The little terrace outside makes a good spot for an al fresco cappuccino.

If you'd like to check out Northala Fields the address is: Northala Fields, Kensington Road, Ealing, UB5 6UR. The nearest underground station is Northholt (on the Central Line).

If you're coming by car from London you need to exit the A40 at the Target Roundabout and go right round the roundabout to take the exit to go back to central London. As you go down the slip-way to rejoin the A40 there's a little road that goes down to your left. Take this, go right at the T-junction at the end, which takes you through an underpass below the A40 and then take the next right which will get you into one of the designated Northala Fields car parks - or there's another one straight ahead. Bizarrely there are no signs to direct you to Northala Fields from the A40. But I've drawn a diagram - drum roll - with the very latest, and most sophisticated, mapping software (not!). Just follow my turquoise arrows if you're coming from London, and you'll get there no problem.

The Northolt underground station is further up Church Road (the pretty pink one). It runs straight into Mandeville Road, which is where the station is.

Enjoy!

Bonny x

Best dog walks in West London: Thames Tow Path Chiswick/ Hammersmith/ Barnes

I am a big, big fan of walking along the Thames. I love the history. I love the riverscape. I love watching the rowing eights and the other boats going by. For me it's pretty close to perfection.

My number one, all-time favourite West London walk starts on Church Street, Chiswick, just beside the Hogarth roundabout. The nearest underground station is Turnham Green. If you come by car you could park at the Chiswick House car park, just off the A4/ Great West Road and walk down to Church Street.

And if you do park there, be sure and look in at Hogarth's house as you walk along the A4 towards Church Street. It used to be the great man's country retreat to which he came to escape the hustle and bustle of eighteenth century London. Back then he would have looked out at gently rolling meadows with a sleepy cow track running by. Today, were he to return, he'd think he'd landed in an earthquake zone with the traffic thundering past, and shaking the foundations of his lovely home.

Hogarths' House, Chiswck with his old mulberry tree still standing in the foreground

Pop in if you have a moment and aren't in the company of your pooch (it's not an open-to-dogs venue), and enjoy the atmosphere. It's a timeless sort of place - if you're deaf to the din of the A4/ Great West Road outside.

As you cross the Hogarth Roundabout (there is an underpass so you don't have to risk a kamikaze chicken run) spare a glance for Chiswick Square, the smallest square in London, which consists of two houses on each side and the historic Boston House at the back. All three houses date from the 1680's.

Chiswick Square, the smallest square in London

Walk down Church Street towards the river, and you will pass the Old Burlington on your left and the lovely church of Saint Nicholas (on your right) where the great man (Hogarth) is buried. You can read a post I did about the Saint Nicholas churchyard here: Saint Nicholas churchyard

Front Facade of the Church of Saint Nicholas, Chiswick

The Old Burlington is now in private hands. But back in the day it was a well-known public house called the Burlington Arms. The notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin, is said to have celebrated his wedding breakfast here. It still has four front doors, outside one of which is a cupboard in which the drunken and disorderly used to be locked up for the night.

The Old Burlington, one-time hang-out of Dick Turpin

Church Street, Chiswick

Church of Saint Nicholas

Now carry on down to the river, and take the little path on the right that runs along the side of those newish-looking, red brick houses. It will take you to the Thames tow path that runs along the riverbank.

Look over to the left when you reach the river and you will see the island of Chiswick Eyot (pronounced 'eight' by those in the know). I think you'll have to admit that this is not London as we know it. What a riverscape! Here it is one day at low tide:

Chiswick Eyot, River Thames at low tide

And here it is another, sunnier, day at high tide:

Chiswick Eyot, River Thames at high tide

Keep on going on the tow path, and it will take you past all the newly-built housing and out into the relative wilds of Duke's Meadows. Ah, this is more like it. Now keep on going, past the bandstand, and on towards Barnes Bridge. You'll see lots of traffic on the river. It's still a busy place.

Rowers on the Thames

When you get to Barnes Bridge, you need to go up the steps and across the bridge to the Surrey shore.

Barnes Bridge from the Middlesex shore

Now you want to turn left and follow the elevated pathway that hugs the river and gives you some stonking views of the Middlesex shore. You will see the Bull's Head public house on your right. Carry on to the start of the Leg of Mutton nature reserve, and follow the path to the left through the trees along the riverbank. As you go, watch out for the funky cow that someone has put out to pasture on their upper-storey roof terrace.

Follow on down the tow path, which leads you through the woods and on around the edge of the Leg of Mutton wildlife reserve.

Watch out again for the rowers. There are lots of eights out on the river at all times of the year.

Girls' rowing eight

Keep on going until you have Hammersmith Bridge in sight.

Hammersmith Bridge and some recent storm damage

I love the sturdy elegance of Hammersmith Bridge, and the clashing green colours that they use to paint it. I don't know who decide on that combo, but I think it's so wrong that it looks great - if you know what I mean ... .

Hammersmith Bridge

Now you need to cross the bridge. When you reach the other side turn left into the Lower Mall. There are a few good watering holes on the Mall with riverside terraces where they don't mind the odd canine or two stopping by. Check out the Blue Anchor and the Rutland Arms:

The Rutland Arms and the Blue Anchor

Or you could pop into the Dove, a little further along, for a snifter or a bite to eat. The riverside terrace of the Dove is a particular favourite of mine. They have first class tucker, great views and they're wonderfully pet friendly. This is their website if you want to check them out: The Dove, Hammersmith

The Dove

Sign above the door of the Dove

Now that you've wet your whistle in one or other or all of the fabulous pubs on offer, carry on along the river, past the colourful little waterborne community.

Take a look, back over your shoulder at the splendid view of Hammersmith Bridge.

Hammersmith Bridge

Now just keep on along the Upper Mall, which leads into Chiswick Mall. The river-side homes along here are to die for: really, really lovely properties. The only snag is that the Mall is prone to flooding. The folk who live here follow tide tables to figure out when it's safe to park their cars outside, and if you take a closer look at most of the front gates you'll notice that they come with high-tech hermetic seals and waterproof screens to keep the river out.

The Chiswick Mall continues on past Chiswick Eyot, the island in the river, and carries on to where we started on Church Street.

Chiswick Eyot from the Chiswick Mall

If you'd like to do the walk, here's a map to help you find your way. I've marked the route in purple arrows and put a big house in where Hogarth's old digs are.

Best Dog walks in West London: Part 2: Thames Tow Path Chiswick/ Hammersmith/ Barnes

Just a word of caution: if you do this walk on Boat Race day (Sunday 6th April, 2014) it's going to be very, very busy and you'll be really pressed to get a table in any of the lovely waterside pubs. The Boat Race is a top event, and if you want to come to see it, that's great, but if you'd rather enjoy a peaceful walk along a lovely bit of the river, I'd save this one for another date.

All the best and happy hiking,

Bonny x