Oi, Chislehurst! You’ve forgotten to put any water in yer pond… #Chislehurst

We spent Saturday in the woods around Chislehurst and, in a small clearing, found this memorial to William Willett, the man without whom it would now be an hour ago. The memorial has a [BST] sundial on the back, which is nice, but makes no mention of the fact that – according to Wikipedia –[1/2]

Few people know that when the last ice sheet retreated from Leytonstone it left these “glacial erratics” scattered along Church Lane. [@lucycmunro.bsky.social (on left) provides sense of scale; Poundland (in distance) provides sense of perspective – it used to be a British Home Stores.] #Leytonstone

Oi, you two – you can stop that right now! #EppingForest

More Epping Forest: the Rodney “Gipsy” Smith memorial near Waterworks Corner, and a hollow tree and a bit of a tree graveyard somewhere towards Loughton; it’s very easy to lose track of where you are, despite the Central Line being just… over there… somewhere. #EppingForest #Walthamstow #Loughton

The other thing about growing up in East London was that my Grandad was Father Christmas. He worked in Carpets at Bearmans department store and, every December, when the real Father Christmas was on lunch, he had to take over. And he absolutely hated it. I’m not sure the kids enjoyed it much [1/2]

If you don’t believe the cow thing, check out the top-left image in this poster. THERE WERE COWS. On the right is Whipps Cross Lido, scene – allegedly – of at least one bit of bovine blundering. The last image is more of a puzzle, as that’s not Brisbane Road and Orient have never won anything. #LOFC

Unchartered Streets@uncharteredstreets.bsky.social · 2w ago

The thing about growing up in East London is that you start thinking it’s perfectly normal to have a chunk of ancient woodland at the end of the road and to occasionally find a cow in your front garden. It’s only later on in life – when you meet people from, say, Balham – that you realise it [1/2]

The thing about growing up in East London is that you start thinking it’s perfectly normal to have a chunk of ancient woodland at the end of the road and to occasionally find a cow in your front garden. It’s only later on in life – when you meet people from, say, Balham – that you realise it [1/2]

So, yeah… thing is, when we asked you to paint a mural illustrating the history of Palmers Green, we were thinking you’d probably start with, well, I guess Broomfield House, and then maybe the coming of the railway… we didn’t realise you were going to be so… thorough… #palmersgreen #broomfieldpark

For some people, a scorching hot Saturday in July means strawberries at Wimbledon and a jug of Pimm’s. For those with more refined tastes, however, it means a fry-up in East Barnet and a walk along Pymmes Brook, from Jack’s Lake (pic. 2) to the North Circular at Silver Street (pic. 3). [1/2]

There are many otherwise perfectly rational people out there utterly convinced that, for the past 22 years, a small bit of SW17 has been going about its oddly soulless business just off the M1 in Buckinghamshire. Be that as it may – and it definitely may not – MK Dons v Orient is NOT a local derby.

Unchartered Streets@uncharteredstreets.bsky.social · last mo.

With next season’s fixture list imminent, I’m reminded of something that occurred to me on our walk through Bromley the other week: that, following their recent promotion, it might be Bromley FC that the O’s get to visit in the traditional Christmas/New Year derby. This felt wrong. [1/3]

With next season’s fixture list imminent, I’m reminded of something that occurred to me on our walk through Bromley the other week: that, following their recent promotion, it might be Bromley FC that the O’s get to visit in the traditional Christmas/New Year derby. This felt wrong. [1/3]

So, Principality Building Society… although you initially accepted that I was not a robot, you now think that, in the five minutes it’s taken me to compose my question to you, I might have BECOME a robot… is that correct? And does this happen much, in your experience? [1/2]

The railway arches south of the Elephant are home to many mysterious goings-on. Some we should probably draw a discreet veil over. Or possibly a galvanised-steel roller shutter. But some are the Orbit Brewery taproom where, as the sun went down, [1/2]

… and then, somewhere on the road from Twickenham to Teddington, everything suddenly faded to black and white, and we felt a strange chill in the air… [Still walking from Shepherd’s Bush to Sunbury…] #StrawberryHill #Twickenham #Teddington

So, as you can see, this stone pillar on Brentford High Street commemorates three local events: Cassivellaunus’s confrontation with Julius Caesar in 54BC, the resolution of King Offa’s dispute with the Bishop of Worcester in 781, and Edmund Ironside’s victory over Cnut in 1016. [1/2]

So, on Saturday we walked from Shepherd’s Bush to Sunbury-on-Thames through the urban hellholes of Chiswick, Brentford, Twickenham and Teddington. Sunbury itself isn’t an urban hellhole, of course, being just over the border in Surrey: Farage country. [1/2]

Even people who loved Blueboy’s records back in Sarah days were often stunned by how the band sounded live; I mean, Popkiss on 7” is great, but onstage, with both guitars fully unleashed, it absolutely roared. And still does. That’s my excuse for reposting this, anyway... #Blueboy #SarahRecords

Unchartered Streets@uncharteredstreets.bsky.social · 2mo ago

After Reform’s banning of the Pride flag from their council buildings because (to quote Zia Yusuf) “flags should represent everyone, not divide”, the new Reform council in Havering, where we were the other week, has cancelled the borough’s annual Pride celebration and will only fly flags that [1/2]

After Reform’s banning of the Pride flag from their council buildings because (to quote Zia Yusuf) “flags should represent everyone, not divide”, the new Reform council in Havering, where we were the other week, has cancelled the borough’s annual Pride celebration and will only fly flags that [1/2]

Among Bromley’s many other attractions is this bit of rock from Lochinver in north-west Scotland. “One of the oldest rocks in the British Isles”, according to the plaque, it was presented to the people of Bromley in the year 2000. [1/3]

That bit of sturdy Victoriana on the plinth, by the way, is the town pump; amazingly, it still works, and is used by the mayor whenever Bromley needs reinflating. I’m not sure who the chap in the top left of the evolutionary tree is, though; I’m guessing it’s probably Adam. #Bromley #CharlesDarwin

Unchartered Streets@uncharteredstreets.bsky.social · 2mo ago

On our walk to Keston we passed this tribute to local lad Charles Darwin in Bromley town centre. Sadly, someone’s chucked silver paint around Chuck’s legs and feet. Probably a Reform supporter made angry by the thought of evolving. And B&Q, presumably, were out of red-white-and-blue paint. #Bromley

On our walk to Keston we passed this tribute to local lad Charles Darwin in Bromley town centre. Sadly, someone’s chucked silver paint around Chuck’s legs and feet. Probably a Reform supporter made angry by the thought of evolving. And B&Q, presumably, were out of red-white-and-blue paint. #Bromley

All I’m saying is, in the course of ten miles, this (pic. 1) will become this (pic. 2). And, on the way, it will experience Catford. [River Ravensbourne in Padmall Wood, Keston, and entering the Thames at Greenwich.] #Keston #Bromley #RiverRavensbourne #Deptford #Greenwich #Catford #PadmallWood

Unchartered Streets@uncharteredstreets.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Even those who didn’t get beyond the first paragraph of my book about Deptford (see attached) will know that Julius Caesar didn’t discover the source of Deptford Creek (aka the River Ravensbourne) while on a camping trip in the woods just south of Bromley; [1/2]

Even those who didn’t get beyond the first paragraph of my book about Deptford (see attached) will know that Julius Caesar didn’t discover the source of Deptford Creek (aka the River Ravensbourne) while on a camping trip in the woods just south of Bromley; [1/2]

Farage’s mob say in London you can’t set foot outside your house without encountering a mugger; whereas I say in London you can’t set foot inside a clump of trees without encountering the moated remains of a medieval manor house. #ScadburyManor #Chislehurst

Right, I can see what you’ve done wrong here, Bexley – you’ve only gone and ordered the top of your spire in metric, and the bottom in imperial, haven’t you? #Bexley

On her way through Hall Place Gardens that morning, Fiona suddenly realised that life on Earth would never be the same again. #Bexley #Crayford #Bexleyheath #HallPlace #RiverCray #QueensBeasts

So, on the right is the Darent, flowing down to the Thames. And on the left – trust me – is the Cray. In other words, this is where the Cray empties into the Darent and ceases to be. And we’ve just spent 35 minutes walking from Dartford station to not quite see it doing it. #Dartford #RiverCray

Kent has one of England’s most beautiful stretches of coastline. I think it’s somewhere round Broadstairs. #Dartford #RiverCray

I call this one “Horses”. After the Patti Smith album. #Dartford #RiverCray