efog-blog
Recent outings and activities...
Charing Cross Station to Fitzrovia
On one of the hottest days of the year, Sunday 29th June, four of us braved the heat for a Literary-themed walk from Charing Cross Station to Fitzrovia. We met at 10.00am and hoped to finish before the temperature became too unbearable. Our route took us to Trafalgar Square, up Charing Cross Road (with a couple of detours into Cecil Court and Litchfield Street) before zigzagging our way to Rathbone Place, Charlotte Street, the lovely Colville Place, Whitfield Street and then into Tottenham Street where we finished just round the corner from Goodge Street Station. The stops along our walk covered multiple subjects and points of interest, noted below.
Trafalgar Square: We learned of Charles Dickens' impressions when it was first laid out ('abortive ugliness'), heard about George Orwell sleeping rough here (documented in The Road to Wigan Pier) and also how Joe Simpson recovered sufficiently from the severe injuries sustained in the Andes (described in Touching the Void), to scale Nelson's Column on behalf of Greenpeace to protest about acid rain.
84 Charing Cross Road, which was once the offices of bookdealers Marks & Co; the address became well known due to the book of the same name and its subsequent radio, TV and film adaptations, all based on the correspondence between Helene Hanff (an early writer of television dramas in the US) and the shop's manager, Frank Doel, who was tasked with fulfilling her requests for obscure classics and British literature that she was unable to find in New York. A long-distance friendship developed between the two from 1949 until Doel's death in 1968. Hanff finally visited Charing Cross Road in the summer of 1971, but the bookshop had closed in December 1970. It is now a McDonalds.
On Charing Cross Road, we also talked at length about the renowned bookshops: Blackwell's (the first to offer online book purchasing), Foyles (the convoluted nature of finding or buying a book until they had a sensible re-org about 20 years ago, letters from Hitler, their literary luncheons), Dillons (who ran adverts, referencing the chaotic purchasing system at Foyles, that said "Foyled again? Try Dillons") and then about Waterstones (the rise, fall and rise of the eponymous ex-owner and how the chain that bears his name is intertwined with all of the aforementioned).
Tottenham Court Road was described by the British writer V S Pritchett as ‘the ugliest and most ludicrous street in London’, but that hasn't stopped it featuring in a number of literary works including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, Ian McEwan's Saturday and several of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The ending of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, where Rigaud is killed by a falling house, was thought to have been inspired by a real-life disaster on Tottenham Court Road.
Bookshops (current): that have rare collectors' items and / or signed copies (Any Amount of Books and Henry Pordes), one specialising in first editions, old and rare children's books, particularly Alice in Wonderland (Marchpane) and another that deals in 'all things spiritual and esoteric' (Watkins Books).
Bookshops (past): the art and design bookshop that once gave Charing Cross Road its character and whose owner had another shop round the corner where some of the first exhibitions of Miro and Dali were held in the UK (Zwemmer's), the left-wing booksellers, founded in 1933 to import communist and radical publications, that remained on Charing Cross Road until it went bankrupt in 1993 (Collets) and a first-edition specialists whose visitor's book had many distinguished signatures (Bell, Book and Radmall).
Locations for footage & plays linked to literature: Admiralty Arch (Howards End), The Garrick (Brighton Rock and An Inspector Calls), The Wyndham Theatre (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), St Martin's Theatre (Agatha Christie's unpublished short story The Mousetrap), an antiquarian map and book sellers that once stood in Cecil Court and is now an art gallery (the film 84 Charing Cross Road, the Beatrix Potter film Miss Potter and the ‘J.R.Hartley Fly-Fishing’ TV advert for Yellow Pages).
Pubs & restaurants associated with authors: The Ivy, where multiple noted authors have celebrated milestone birthdays, knighthoods and more, The Black Horse pub described by Anthony Burgess (author of A Clockwork Orange) as “too funereal to be convivial” and The Bricklayers Arms pub which he said “was quiet, small and a good place for assignations”, The Fitzroy pub where Dylan Thomas met the artist Augustus John plus The Wheatsheaf pub, nearby, where John introduced Thomas to his future wife. We also saw The Marquis of Granby that was 'the last pub of the night' for George Orwell and others in the 1930s as it was located in Marylebone whereas The Wheatsheaf and The Fitzroy were in Holborn and closed half an hour earlier. Further along the road, we stopped in front of The Lisboeta which stands on the site of L'Etoile, a French bistro which had been T S Eliot's favourite restaurant as it was a short stroll from where he worked at Faber's offices in Russell Square.
Other buildings associated with authors: where Ian Fleming once worked (Admiralty Arch), the home of the Beefsteak Club whose members have included Rudyard Kipling, Sir Harold Nicolson and Sir John Betjeman (facing Charing Cross Road), an art gallery that was once a tearoom where Edward Thomas, Walter de la Mare and Rupert Brooke used to congregate - it had previously been a barbers where Amadeus Mozart had his hair cut, aged 7, on a visit to London (Cecil Court), the picturesque 18th century passageway where a young George Gissing, considered one of the three greatest novelists in England by the 1890s and said to be George Orwell's favourite writer, lived in 1878 (Colville Place) as well as the street where Jerome K Jerome shared a cramped bedsit with George Wingrave, the future bank manager with whom he made the trip that was to become Three Men in a Boat (Whitfield Street).
Other mentions: inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books (Cecil Court), the 'Penguincubator' machine that was briefly installed on the pavement outside Collets to dispense Penguin paperbacks, until it was realised that customers could get more than one book out for their sixpence (Charing Cross Road), code poems written by the son of Marks & Co's founder that were used to encrypt messages in WW2 and were based on his father's use of book pricing codes (Charing Cross Road) and also Pollock's Toy Museum, now closed, that once also had a shop on the ground floor to contribute to its support and was written about by Robert Louis Stevenson in his essay A Penny Plain and Twopence Coloured and for which J B Priestly wrote a play The High Toby (Whitfield Street).
Afterwards, we retraced our steps a little to the The Fitzrovia pub, which has no literary connections that I'm aware of but does serve a good Sunday roast and had cold drinks.
Jill S, 30th June 2025
Hollow Ponds and Gilbert's Slade
On 21st June 2025, having decided to cancel the walk at Castle Hedingham due to the forecast of extreme heat, we had 7 members meet by the Eagle Pub in Snaresbrook at 10 am for a local stroll.
The group by the Hollow PondAt first there was a small amount of cloud, but also we knew we should be finished before the hottest part of the day.
Nigel mentioned there was a nice glade near Forest School known as Gilbert’s Slade so we headed for that first passing the numerous swans on Eagle Pond and also seeing some large carp on the way. It was a pleasant circular walk past another smaller pond and mainly under the shade of the trees.
When we returned to Snaresbrook Lane opposite the car park we decided to carry on and head round Hollow Pond. Walking round it we saw a couple of people braving the sun and heat rowing on the lake, we also saw a grey heron sat on a boat preening itself. After passing the café we headed away from the lake and came out again at the car park on Snaresbrook Lane. It was then just a stroll down to the Eagle for liquid refreshment.
The whole walk took roughly 2 hours, and was 3.65 miles.
Richard, 22nd June 2025
Photo by Madeleine
Tower Hamlets Cemetery and Mile End Parks
The Central Line was partially running, and the sun was fully shining, on Sunday 15th June, when a group of EFOGgers met at Mile End for a visit to Tower Hamlets Cemetery.
The tour started at lunch-o’clock, in other words one pm, so most of the group met beforehand for a quick snack at a nearby café. Some of us sat in a row on high stalls, facing others of us on high stalls, and separated by a low divider which was demarcated with charging points, making it feel like we were about to start an office meeting, a nice reminder that most, if not all, of us have dispensed with that annoying ritual.
The cafe was very nice but a little slow – I think the fruit for the juices needed to ripen before being picked and jucified – but the residents of the cemetery very obligingly waited for us, and we made it to the main entrance by one.
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a beautiful green oasis in Mile End, and was opened in 1841, one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries within London. Our tour guide, Ken, who works for the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery, did a truly excellent job of showing us round, giving us a history of the site, telling us about the lives of some of the people buried there, and pointing out a wide variety of plants.
The cemetery was closed in 1966 when the company which owned it ran into financial difficulties, and many of the graves as well as the two chapels were destroyed, before campaigners were able to secure the cemetery as a heritage site and nature reserve in the early 90s.
There are around 47,000 monuments and headstones in the cemetery, most of them crammed in very close rows. Some larger ones mark the graves of ship builders and prominent Victorians; one very grand monument, marking the grave of the director of the cemetery had a brick removed, with the plan being that the light would shine through it forming the shape of a cross on the ground in front of the stone.
A very moving modern sculpture commemorates the many children under the care of the charity Barnado’s who were buried in unmarked graves in the cemetery park; and two of Dr Barnado’s sons are buried there too.
Amongst the plants Ken pointed out were white holly berries; a lily whose leaves smell of roast beef; and a plant that smells of both garlic and onion, yum.
After the tour, it was definitely time for tea, and seven of us went on to Mile End park, where Paul led us along the Regents Canal to the Ragged School café. By this point it was pretty hot, and we were more than happy to sit inside and enjoy some tea and overpriced cakes, before wending our various ways home.
Louise, 23 June 2025
Some of the group had assembled earlier on Sunday 15th June for a pre-walk cafe-stop, but I arrived at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park just before 1pm, to wait for them there.
The cemetery that now comprises Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is one ‘Magnificent Seven’ London cemeteries, established around the mid-1800s to address the problem of overcrowding of burial places in London. One of the most well-known of the seven is Highgate.
As the group of eight arrived at the cemetery gates, we were met by our guide, Ken, one of the ‘Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park’, who told us he had worked as volunteer there for many years. Did he say 20? Although owned by Tower Hamlets Council, the day to day business of managing this 27 acre site is performed by a large group of volunteers. As well as being a space open to the public 24 hours a day, the park is also designated as a nature reserve.
Ken provided us with a lot of history of the site, present management, information about the ’Friends’ group, and what wildlife is present or may be found there, before beginning the tour. Various gravestones and monuments of particular interest were pointed out, as were numerous species of plants that exist or are encouraged to grow there. There wasn’t a lot of bird-life in evidence, and most of that by way of sounds rather than sightings, but some of us were aware of Jays, Magpies, Coal Tits, Wren – and a wonderful (what sounded like) song competition between a Blackbird and a Blackcap.
The guided walk took about 2 hours, after which we walked to nearby Mile End Park, a 29 acre linear park which stretches from near Limehouse to Victoria Park adjacent to the Regents Canal. We cut through the park to the canal and walked the relatively short distance southwards to the Ragged School Cafe, located in the basement of the Ragged School Museum. The cafe has some seating outside by the canal, but these were busy and anyway we were happy to get out of the sun and have our teas, coffees and cakes inside – nine of us seated around Table Nine.
As we prepared to return, two greyhounds decided to pay us some sight-hound attention. I like these sighthound breeds, so was pleased to exchange greetings. One greyhound was wet, the other dry. It was explained that the wet one had fallen in the canal. Considering the heat of the day, or the exuberance of the dog, it was not possible to say why this had happened. Nevertheless, the dog leaned up against my leg, as affectionate, tired, or upset greyhounds are prone to do. Some of the canal was passed between us, but it didn't really matter. Some of us walked back to Mile End Station afterwards, although some had already departed and a couple decided to walk on down the canal towards Limehouse Basin. At the station the rest went different ways and just Louise and I travelled back to Stratford Station together.
Thanks to Louise for arranging the guided tour.
Paul Ferris, 22 June 2025
Epping Forest Walk
I was due to lead the walk on the Saturday 7th June, but with Thursday’s adverse weather forecast from the BBC (which did not materialise in the area until heavy rain late Saturday) I moved it to Sunday 8th to be safe. 5 members met at Loughton Station for a linear walk in Epping Forest, and Trevor caught up with us at the end of Smarts Lane cleverly knowing which path we were taking. So, 6 of us joined the forest from The Stubbles with our first stop at the Strawberry Hill Pond to see the many ducks and ducklings (Mallards, Mandarins & Moorhens) and luckily for them and us, Dave had brought along some proper duck food which they greatly enjoyed. On leaving the pond we walked through the forest, crossing the Epping New Road to join up with Green Ride, taking a right at Three Bridges, we took this path all the way through to the ‘ups and downs’ which are always good for the cardio workout. At High Beech we had stopped for lunch on a picnic table near the Visitors centre. It is such a shame to have lost the cycling hut cafe, and unfortunately the queue at the other café was very long, so it was a good thing we all prepared and had all brought lunch with us.
After lunch, we continued onto the General’s & Verderer’s rides stopping to admire the ‘Big View’. Crossing Woodridden Hill and following on the track we came across a few Rhododendron bushes out in bloom. We continued and crossed over the Epping Road to pick up the Green Path again and then a left onto Genesis Slade and on down to Theydon Plain which was quite a picture with all the buttercups in flower. Arriving in Theydon Bois we had a stop at The Bull for liquid refreshment before getting our trains back home. By my step counter - a route of 7m (others had 7.5m) - it was an enjoyable walk either distance, the weather was lovely, and it was nice to be out in the forest.
Sue S. 8th June 2025
Themed Music Evening
On Thursday 29th May, we held another Themed Music Evening for our weekly get-together at the Scout Hall. This was our fifth such evening and the subject, this time, was TV & Film Themes. I had received 20 suggestions to play but, rather than the group members sitting in a semi-circle looking at me / me staring at my laptop and trying not to feel too self-conscious, Brian had suggested we try something to make it more interactive.
Once everyone had got tea / coffee and biscuits and I'd checked that I had sound coming from the speakers, we got started. We'd placed the chairs such that everyone sat in groups of four or five and, as each track was played, the groups conferred to discuss which show or film they thought it had been the theme tune for. The consensus was that the person who'd chosen the track wouldn't contribute to the discussion, to be fair. Once the track was finished (or I'd cut it short if it was longer than a couple of minutes), I asked each team, at random, what they'd concluded and noted who was right. The person who'd originally chosen the track then told everyone what it had been the theme for / explained why they'd chosen it. Seemingly 'Running Scared', a children's TV series from the late 1980s was set in Forest Gate and parts of it were filmed nearby; Trevor had been working as a groundman at a sports club at the time that the studio filmed on the grounds and, for 2 days, had been unable to do any work to ensure equipment was out of the way of filming. When it actually went on air, about 30 seconds of footage appeared on the TV.
Some tracks were easily identified, some were a toss-up between two or three programmes, some were correctly guessed by some teams but not all and one track (sung in Arabic, for a French film) flummoxed everyone. One person couldn't remember the name of the film, that the track they'd chosen, had come from and, to much hilarity, another didn't even recognise their choice, participated in the group discussion and their team had no idea what it had been the theme to. To be fair, apparently the important bit is towards the end of the track and I was cutting everything short at 2 minutes.
Our mixed bag managed to cover children's TV shows, regular TV shows and films. It was a fun evening and was definitely made more interesting by finding a way to actually get the group to socialise and interact whilst the music was played. Our playlist consisted of the following:
The Persuaders by John Barry
Captain Pugwash theme
The IT Crowd theme
Midsomer Murders theme
This Wheel's On Fire by Julie Driscoll & Adrian Edmondson (Absolutely Fabulous)
Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush (Running Scared TV series)
Ya Sidi by Orange Blossom (film 'Marseille' theme song)
Theme from The Onedin Line
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac (Theme to F1 on TV)
Theme from Jaws by David Williams
Theme from Space: 1999
Love Me Tender sung by Nicholas Cage (from David Lynch's Wild At Heart film)
The theme from Bod
Miami Vice by Jan Hammer
Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers (film Ghost)
Theme from the original Halloween film by John Carpenter
Theme from Schindler's List
Gabriel's Oboe by Ennio Morricone (The Mission theme)
Theme to Camberwick Green
Roobarb (and Custard) theme
Assuming we add another music evening when we plan the next programme, we'll definitely come up with something that people can discuss / guess whilst each track is playing.
Jill S, 31st May 2025