London houses

This is a bridge not a house

 Living in London gives you many options for routes to follow and sights to see. I have a list. This weekend I managed to combine a few of these in one big Ultra Marathon distance.

For a change I ran into town on the north side of the Thames and discovered some interesting places including this tunnel below. I can't remember where exactly it was, although I think it was near the Hanseatic Walk.

At Chelsea Bridge I turned into Chelsea and ran up to King's Road to seek out the 'Two Pupils' statue by Allister Bowtell. It shows a boy jumping over a bollard while a girl watches. 

At the opposite end of Sloane Avenue I sought out London's 'Thin House' in Thurloe Square. This is a deceptive building which, when photographed from the right angle, appears to be only a metre wide. Unfortunately it was covered in scaffolding which took away some of the impact.

On the other side of Hyde Park I entered Leinster Gardens. What looks like an ornate row of mid-Victorian terrace houses is actually a mirage as number 23-24 aren't houses at all, but fake houses. Behind the building is....well nothing, a hole leading down to railway tracks. Why?

When the Metropolitan underground line was constructed in the 19th Century, the technique used was to dig down, lay tracks and then construct a tunnel overhead. The line came through 23-24 Leinster Gardens and the houses were demolished to enable construction. The decision was made not to rebuild them as this would be a good location to leave the tracks exposed enabling the trains (then steam powered) to vent. Instead a 5 feet thick fake frontage was built linking numbers 22 and 25.

23-24 Leinster Gardens - front

23-24 Leinster Gardens - rear

Next up was the colourful houses of Hillgate Village. Not so much a village as a few streets just off Notting Hill Gate. These three storey brick and stucco terraces are in the Kensington conservation area. (Millionaire conservation rather than environmental me thinks - Ed.)

A short run uphill was Holland Park and the beautiful and serene Japanese Garden.

The whole area of  was full of expensive cafes and designer boutiques.  As I headed west I approached Shepherd's Bush...

London is a city of contrasts. However, I have never seen it quite so pronounced as I did in crossing Holland Park Roundabout. It felt as though I had literally crossed into another city altogether.

To the east - Chelsea, Kensington, Notting Hill and Holland Park - were clean, empty streets, expensive cafes, designer boutiques, people that exuded wealth and privilege. 

To the west - Shepherd's Bush, bush, bush, bush, no income tax, no VAT.... sorry. This side was a chaotic mass of humanity, noise, movement and life. Roadside markets, street preachers, hawkers, greasy spoons. 

I'm not being critical of either side. It was just such a visceral experience and so marked that it made me acutely aware of the diversity of our Capital. Aware of the disparities and inequalities but also of the richness (culturally, societally) and tolerances displayed.

One city, so many different people. Different cultures, religions, backgrounds, languages, attitudes, levels of income, housing, status, but all managing to coexist together peacefully (most of the time). It is something I am thankful for as a new Londoner. Not that I excuse the wealth divide at all!

The reason for heading this way was to visit a football stadium - more of which in a later post. I ran home stopping only for a falafel wrap, baklava and coffee. Food is another richness here. 31 miles run.