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THE HAMMERSMITH & CITY LINE
Starting in the midst of West London, this line works it's way through the City and out the other side following, as it does, the original track of the first Underground Line (the Metropolitan) from Paddington to Farringdon which opened in 1863.
For many years, bits of this line were passed backwards and forwards from the Metropolitan to the Hammersmith & City, until it finally became a line in its own right in the 1980s.
Hammersmith to Barking via the City gives an interesting look at all manner of London life, from middle class residential to the thriving financial City and then the multi-racial world of the East End.
This walk covers approximately 21¼ miles and was walked from West to East.
There are many highlights on the route and here are just a few of them.
MARKETS:
There are a number of street markets on this route, with two appearing very early on. Firstly, Shepherd's Bush Market which you reach just after leaving Goldhawk Road Station. This market was first opened in 1914 and gradually grew over the years, though it was damaged in bombing raids in World War II. However, it still thrives today and the Caribbean influence is unmmisable in the sounds and smells you witness as you are making your way through the tightly packed stalls.
A little further on just after leaving Ladbroke Grove Station you reach the extraorindary Portobello Road Market. Established in 1870 it is still incredibly busy and a really exciting place to visit, especially on a Saturday when there is a large younger clientele and the stals are buzzing. Definitely a place to visit and one which you shoudl set some time aside to enjoy!
CHURCHES:
It is impossible not to notice the variety of religious buildings in general throughout the whole of London - they give a real cosmopolitan feel to the City and the architecture is always fascinating.
St Mary's Church, Bryanston Square is to be found almost halfway between Edgware Road and Baker Street and was built in 1821-4 to the designs of Sir Robert Smirke, whose work is to be seen throughout London. The front of the church whioch looks into Wyndham Place is dominated by a huge curved portico and tower. Like many buildings of this nature it has undergone various alterations and redecoration over the years; not least following World War II.
Lloyd Square
Slightly off the beaten track, Lloyd Square is a delight and is found about halfway between Kings Cross/St Pancras and Farringdon. Built from 1818 by Thomas John Lloyd Baker, the housing here was constructed for people of fairly modest means; today you will need to be more than modestly off to afford these delightful residences which are large and smart and set off by neat black railings.
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Extraordinarily this business was set up in 1570 by Robert Mot and is still going! It is to be found on the right hand side of Whitechapel Road as you follow the route almist exactly halfway between Aldgate East and Whitechapel. It has been responsible for producing some important bells bit least the 2000lb Liberty Bell and also Big Ben which was cast here in 1858.
Pubs:
Like places of worship these can come in all shapes and sizes and they too often have an interesting history attached: Take 'The Grave Maurice' which is to be found on Whitechapel Road just before Whitechapel Station. This was a haunt of the Kray Brothers and their gang in the 1960s. It's curious name refers to Maurice, Prince of Orange (1567-1625) who managed to expel the Spanish from the Netherlands - the word 'Grave' in this context means something akin to 'Count'. A little further along here just past the former Albion Brewery is the notorious 'Blind Beggar' pub; notorious because in 1966 it was here that Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell who, as one of the South London Richardson gang was one of the arch enemies of the East End Krays. Nowadays it is a respectable family pub, it's name deriving from a ballad called 'The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green'.
Abbey Mills Pumping Station
In the midst of the wasteland between Bromley by Bow and West Ham is one of the most extraordinary pieces of architecture in the whole of London. The work of James Bazalgette and Edwin Cooper, this cathedral to sewage and water circulation is such a confluence of styles that it is impossible to pigeon-hole, though it remains firmly Victorian in its extravagance for what is a fairly mundane use. Built in 1865-8 it is very well worth taking this section of the walk to appreciate it.
The Plashet School Bridge
Just before reaching East Ham station on your journey from Upton Park you will see another extreme piece of architecture, this time in a bridge over the road. Crossing over Plashet Grove and linking the two buildings that make up Plashet School, this canopied walkway was constructed during the school summer holiday in 2000. It is 67metres long and had to take a curving route to meet the two buildings and to avoid trees; at a cost of some £500,000 it will need a long lifespan, but it is so unusual as to be fascinating.
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