Many architectural styles and a rural Grand union canal
3.8 miles
Aug 5 2017
We went by Overground train from Highbury & Islington to
Richmond. We walked back down through
the town to the river where we ended our last walk in Aug 2016. Richmond theatre is a fine Victorian building.
Beside the river we squinted through a meridian marker from the time Kew had
the meridian. Richmond bridge, is a huge old cast iron bridge and we passed
fine old buildings now in Brunel University. Isleworth has a collection of
interesting old and new buildings, an old school, the blue school was being
renovated by Polish builders. We walked along the riverside pub The Town Wharf
pub, indicating older uses. A small Victorian street gave onto the Apprentices pub
by the Thames, used for celebrating the end of apprenticeship. On the river
people paddled standing on surf boards and scullers rowed upstream. The small
Dukes river was named after the Duke of Northumberland in 1605. Syon park has a
beautiful 18th century house with a glass house where Helen and
Robert had celebrated a huge Indian wedding. We had coffee and cake in the
garden centre. Brentford lock basin is now 21st century with modern houses and
a plaza. The modern GSK building is canalside with an interesting yellow and
red metal arc shaped sculpture in the grounds.
The grand Union canal felt rural with overgrown summery plants, a pair
of swans also coots and moorhens. We left
the canal at Boston Manor and walked through suburbia, sheltering from a
torrential summer rain storm over a beer in a pub. We picked our way along the
damp streets to Boston Manor station and took the Tube home.
This was a short walk but had a huge range of architecture from
Elizabethan in Richmond to 21 st centruy at Brentford. In contrast the walk
along the Grand Union canal felt very rural.
Once again London surprises with its range of styles and sights.
Good seeing rather old pubs in Isleworth and building in
Richmond, modern sculpture at GSK building.
Bad rain at the end of the day
Surprising how rural the Grand Canal was close to
Brentford, seeing the Duke river, also
Brent river.
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