Guided walks – local history, literary themes and commemoration

The weather at this time of year is perfect for going on a guided tour and learning more about the area you live in. Or, perhaps, you'd like to find out about places further afield?
Well, you are in luck, because there are lots of walk ideas coming up, starting this weekend.
Tomorrow, Saturday 29th, Jen and I will be leading short walks around Archway.

Then, from Monday October 1st, Footprints of London's Literary festival kicks in for the whole month with literary-themed tours every day. I've got two Holloway walks in the programme – one tour about Mr Pooter and his Diary Of A Nobody, the other tour is about all the writers and poets who have lived and worked in the area.
On Saturday 13th there are free walks available in The City, Westminster, Camden and Islington, all on the theme of commemoration.
Find out more about all of the above here.

A. Freeman, horse dealer, Pentonville Road

If you go the gates with the flipped letters on Mayward House on Pentonville Road, next door to The Crafts Council, you will see a driveway leading to Freeman Mews at the rear.
Along the passage there is a series of marvellous hand-painted tiles depicting scenes involving horses.
This site was the location of A.Freeman, horse dealer, and would have been where coachmen would have exchanged their horses for fresh ones when on a long journey – note the proximity to the Angel Inn, a major coaching stop in this area. Horses could have also been hired for specific uses or events.

I am currently gathering more information about this company so please do let me know if you have anything to add.

Camden Highline – a linear park between Camden and Kings Cross

Last month I went on a tour to find out more about this innovative crowd-funded project to turn the disused railway lines that abut the Overground railway in NW1 into a linear park.

I will say no more except this this a fab idea – hopefully in 4-5 years time we will be enjoying a traffic-free experience above the roads, linking all the new developments at Kings Cross with Camden Market.
Free one-hour tours (at street level) still available.
See here for more info.

Congress House, Dyott Street

Last week I paid £10 to go on a 'tour' of Congress House, the modernist building created on the corner of Great Russell Street and Dyott Street for the TUC.
I write 'tour' because it was really disappointing as we never went higher than the ground floor. And it was all done and dusted in less than an hour.

The 'tour' started with talk in the foyer of the new entrance on the corner which is now called The Rookery*. This talk turned out to consist of not much more than could be found neatly presented within frames on the wall by the stairs behind the front reception.
I have always wanted to have a peek in there – I really expected more.
I saw Jacob Epstein's piece from, ooh, 20 metres away because it is sited across a 'courtyard' that you can't actually enter let alone stand or sit in; basically, it's a huge lightwell.
We also saw the architect's scale model though I am sure you can see that if you stop off to chat to the front desk any time. The lower ground floor contains the auditorium which is, yawn, just that, an auditorium with a sprung wooden floor and a stage. I was more interested in the stacked chairs.
And I was also intrigued by the appalling bit of 'make good' using red and white tape at the top of the stairs. Nice!

*The Rookery! What a stupid name – ditto that hotel of the same name in Cowcross Street – oh do come and visit my filthy, over-crowded, germ-laden slum full of thieves, whores, drunks and destitutes!!

The Marlborough Theatre, Holloway

A marvellous theatre, designed by the prolific Mr Frank Matcham and built in 1903, used to stand in Holloway Road on the west side of the street, almost opposite M&S.
I was recently alerted to a short film on the Talking Pictures TV channel showing the building just before it was demolished sixty years later in 1963.
The movie is less than five minutes long and isn't the best quality. However, I managed to snap a few stills with my camera and put this together:

The tall building that now stands in its place is called The Marlborough Building in memory of the theatre and the row of villas that used to stand adjacent to it.
If you'd like to find out more about the theatre and what the Holloway Nag's Head are was like in 1903 then (plug! plug! plug!) why not come along on my walk?

The film also includes some street scenes of Holloway Road looking north; cars and buses and what not: