Rotten Row's Tercentenary Bollards and Gas Lamps

A one of The Royal Park's volunteer guides, I will be leading some free tours on Saturday 6th June about The Great Exhibition site in Hyde Park. This is part of the Great Exhibition Road celebrations. Tours start at 2.30pm and 4.15pm, but group size is limited – simply show up on the day and register at our stall outside Imperial College. My colleague Elizabeth will leading the walks at the same times on Sunday 7th. Find out more here. 

On Friday afternoon I went to Hyde Park to check out the route and then headed eastwards towards Knightsbridge along the path between The Serpentine and Rotten Row (Le Route de Roi, / The King's Road).

View across the Great Exhibition to Albert Memorial looking teeny tiny in the distance – join us for one of our regular tours and get up close to the memorial.  

The King's horsey highway is separated from the cyclists and pedestrians by a very long line of bollards interspersed with gas lamps. I went to take a closer at some writing on one of the lamp bases and saw that it had been presented by Cheryl Beth Smith and Jennifer Nicole Smith in 1990. I then noticed that the adjacent bollards had names around the top. When I'd taken the middle snap, above, I hadn't then spotted the names and can now see that it says The Wiltshire (something). Could be a regiment, could be a pub. 

The sponsors' names are arranged in groups/types. The first ones I don't recognise. See above for John Young and Nicholas James. There's also Burchipluma Ind[ustries?], Lady Alexandra (something) and Graham Axford. Thank you all, whoever you are.

Poor Anne has lost her family name so it's hard to ascertain who she was, but I am sure we all know Whitbread the brewer and Hepworth the tailor.

There then follows a series bearing names to do with horses and riding:

The Horsemans Press, The Saddle Association and The Donkey Breeders Association, Blenheim Riding School and Commanche something (forgot to check for other words). Hmm, was this a horsey brand in the 1990s? It got me thinking how marvellous it would be if a group of fearsome be-feathered braves suddenly galloped past!

I did not take a photo of every name as, even by my own standards, that would be bonkers, so on reaching the next gas lamp base (shown above) I walked through to the lake and watched two young girls take turns to make videos of each other posing and pouting and/or looking sweet and carefree whilst wearing what looked like very cheaply-made clothes. One of them was actually wearing a pair of hotel slippers. Are they making memories to show their future grandchildren?! 

Back to the bollards. I decided to look at the next section of bollards and found one with the name Adair on it but the info strip is upside down. This section is opposite the barracks and stables so it's fitting that many of the names reflect this, showing commanders, generals, military services etc. One of the police bands is becoming unattached. 

 

We then move into the world of catering and high street names, some of which no longer exist...

Allied Lyons was formed in the late 1970s when J. Lyons & Co merged with the brewery that owned Ind Coope and Tetley. And then we have Pizzaland – back in the eighties it was either them or PizzaHut who with those horrid thick crusts. I'm much prefer a thin crust and back then I would often enjoy a Pizzaland Platter at lunchtime – half a pizza with salad. 

Chicago Rib Shack is a real blast from the past. Founded in 1982, this was created by Bob Payton, the American hotelier and restaurateur. One of his other eateries used to be at No.7 Hanover Square and whenever I am walking past there I am reminded of The Chicago Pizza Pie Factory (f.1978). I tried eating there a couple of times but found it too cakey. As I've already said, I'm a thin crust girl. 

 

Utility companies, petroleum and oil comes next a well as some we-known names including a series bearing The Post Office (not shown). Marks & Spencer is well-represented – I think I counted six of theirs. There's also quite a few donated by Asda and the The Evening Standard adjacent to one bearing the name of Derek Jameson, tabloid newspaper editor and broadcaster.

At this point, near to the exit for Knightsbridge station, I decided that was enough. It was a hot day so, I went to sit on a bench in the shade for a while to finish my cryptic crossword and do some more people-watching. 

At home, I tried to find more information about this 300 year commemorative effort but, so far, I've only found just one mention which barely skims the subject and The Royal Parks page about Rotten Row doesn't help. 

I've just recalled that I talked about Rotten Row near the Rose Garden on my birthday walk through the parks with friends in August 2023. Yet there's no mention of the sponsor names on this 1990 memorial and none of us at that time noticed the letters around the bollards.  

The 1990 event was a big affair as reported in the press, but I can't properly show you that here because I let my British Newspapers Online account lapse – I can only see these headlines which show that the parade included the largest ever cavalcade of horses, a gala event and carriage rides. I can't get into the info without renewing my subscription, so if you have an account and can supply any further info please do let me know. I'm also keen to see a list of the names involved and to find out how much each bollard/lamp had cost.

I like how this gives us a window into the big cheeses of the 1980s. Next time I am wandering along Rotten Row I will keep my eye open for some bygone brands and there's every chance that I will write another post about this. 

Cannon lamp posts

Earlier this month I was busy googling info about St James's Square when this image on eBay cropped up in the search results. Here's a screen shot of that page in case the item is sold by the time you click on the link:

The image is dated 1933 and shows at the eastern corner of St James's Square at its junction with Charles II Street here where today an [electric] lamp post stands, the same design most of the others around the square.

Ooh ooh, I thought, I know I've seen a different photo of that lamp post somewhere else. But I couldn't recall where that was, nor could I find ref of it in my files. Hmm. I parked the idea and bookmarked the eBay link. 

Then, a few weeks later, whilst tidying up my ever-expanding collection of London books, I rediscovered and started re-reading H.V. Morton's book Ghosts of London, first published Nov 16th 1939. I love reading old books that contain recollections, observations and personal accounts of old London and this is one of my favourites. Chapter 11 is about gas lamps. Morton recounts time spent with one of the maintenance team who look after and light London's street lamps. The chapter includes a marvellous photo of what Morton is told is a unique cannon lamp post outside No.2 St James's Square, at that time the head office of Canada Life Insurance  – Aha! This is where I'd seen it! 

Morton's text continues... 

He was a brother of... Lord Falmouth. This ship played her part in the tremendous victory over the French off Cape Finisterre, and this London lamp post was one of the guns which she captured from the French. Boscawen presented it to his brother, and, when the gas lighting came in about sixty years later, the old cannon was used as the stand for the first gas light in front of Lord Falmouth's house (...) The lamp standard springs from the muzzle that once fired shot at Anson's squadron one hundred and eighty-eight years ago. 

But here's strange, the eBay image showing the post being removed is dated 1933. This surely cannot be correct if Morton is writing about it in the run up to Nov 1939. I very much doubt that it took him over  six years to complete.

But is it, was it, unique? I wonder if a clarifying word/element is missing in this claim, that this post design was the only one of its kind on a public highway. Because, a few days after rediscovering Morton's book, I happened to be wandering from Fleet Street to Lincoln's Inn Square and, as I entered the south side of New Square from Carey Street, I happened to notice what looked like a very similar silhouette ahead of me:

However, on closer inspection, I decided it was a modern replica – too new, too smooth, too perfect. Hmmm (my ponder word). I looked across the square and could see that there were many more of this design here and there, interspersed with fancier shapes and many of the lanterns are still gas-powered. I decided to walk clockwise around the square. 

This is the southern edge looking eastwards (left) and westwards (right) towards another cannon-shaped base which had an illuminated gas lantern at 5.30pm, followed by a similar one at the corner:

The western side includes a lamp base with faceted rings around it:

Further along I noticed that many of the cannon-shaped lamp bases sport the name BROXAP with the letters arranged vertically. So, yes, they are indeed newly-produced – it turns out the company makes 164 different types of bollard!

Hmmm (again), but why make the bases of some of these lamp posts resemble bollards? 

I have an idea... 

Almost at the NW corner there is another lamp with a cannon-shaped base but this one appears to be older. The metal is different, less new-looking, and it also has some ventilation holes drilled around the top band:

Could this particular lamp post be an original cannon base as per the one that was at St James's Square? Perhaps this is the last one left standing, where before there were many, and this one has been reproduced around the square. Note that this is a private square not a public highway, hence explaining why the St James's one is cited as being 'unique'..? If my hunch is true then there might be more of these things in the vicinity or within other inns of court or private squres.

How lovely to have all these things come together in the space of three weeks – the eBay listing, the book, the street furniture here.

There are many more lovely features in New Square so, before I end this post, lets just look at a few of them. There's some fabulous wisteria adorning the eastern side:

The date of the hall can be found within the brickwork of the building and there are impressive lamp posts and lanterns on the northern side of the square, almost regal in their design:

On the NE corner you'll find an excellent example of a Royal Mail post box complete with a directional sign pointing to a Post Office that used to be at the northern end of Chancery Lane. Today, the nearest POs are within the Rymans on Grays Inn Rd or on Aldwych

My work here is done. For now. 

Park Lane and Park Street discoveries

This is about when you are looking for one thing and you happen upon other delightful stuff along the way.

Wandering the streets of Mayfair, planning a route for an Art Deco tour I was in Park Street musing that the houses along here would have followed the edge of the park, hence the name. As I reached the impressive wazzbaffle at the corner of Culross Street I realised that, even though I had written about this building on my Substack here I hadn't at that time noticed these large metal gate posts:

Probably because this was something I only became aware of months later after noticing a lonely post in Notting Hill and then other similar examples near Regents Park here. 

I wandered down Culross Street for a detour to admire the Georgian houses that face Hyde Park just north of Grosvenor House, Hotel and Ballroom:

I noticed some bollards in front of the houses. On closer inspection saw that they bear the name of Sugg, a company that features on my gaslamps walks being as Thomas Sugg create some of the first lanterns for the first gas-lit streets c1807, though he and others would have been making lanterns before that, just not for gas-powered lighting.

I've not seen bollards with the Sugg name on before, though there must be many. This is probably because these bollards at first glance don't look that interesting – they don't appear to be repurposed cannons and there's no date at high level, as per the ones in my last post about Chelsea.

As if this and the filigree gateposts wasn't exciting enough, as I walked across the cobbles I spotted a cover plate, approx the size of a coal hole cover but I cant conclude that was indeed its purpose, set right in the middle in front of 97... and it is mostly still infilled with woodblocks. 

Nice!

See the A-Z of Woodblocks here and let me know if you can add to it.

A wander around Borough Market and Borough Yards

The skies are [finally] blue here in London and it's hot hot HOT. Hurrah!

People often say that the sun has come out but they forget that it's always up there burning ferociously, but usually covered by clouds. When it's as hot as this, it gets me thinking about the power of those clouds, wondering if there is a tog rating for cloud blankets as per duvets.

Anyway, enough about the weather. I went to Tate Modern on Monday afternoon and afterwards, as I wandered the backstreets heading towards London Bridge, I snapped a few pics, inc these two:

Whist I despise the Tate's modern extension to Gilbert Scott's elegant Bankside power station, I do rather like the graphic patchwork patterns that can be achieved by zooming in on it. Nearby there's a lovely glimpse of St Paul's through the trees. 

I crossed over Southwark Street and, as I went under the railway lines and looked left/east, I noticed that the patterns from the metalwork above were making shadows that echoed the Shard in the distance. The Shard dominates the area as shown by my second pic here where it looms over the beautiful old façade of a hop dealer's premises in Borough High Street...

My intention had been to head to London Bridge and catch a bus home to Holloway but as it was such a nice day with not so many people about I let myself go wandering. I headed into Borough Market which was mostly clear after a busy trading morning, meaning signage and imagery is easier to see.

And then an amble around the streets that surround the market. I've long been fascinated by this building that faces Southwark Cathedral and when I get a moment I will find out who/what BMT stands for, seen within its 1897 marker.

Adjacent to this building there are a couple of old bollards from the 1820s and some corner protectors of interest:

I walked to the riverside and noticed that the modern crane being used to redevelop a nearby building that is covered in scaffolding and white protective material echoed the masts on the replica of The Golden Hind. Again, nice patterns and colours:

I then stood and admired the view of the City of London across the River Thames – OK, let's be honest, I went in the pub and had a beer on the terrace and admired the view from there(!): 

This pic shows how many London landmarks are visible from this spot – a double decker red London bus on London Bridge is going past Adelaide House (the first reinforced concrete office block; an Art Deco era marvel that is currently undergoing internal renovation), then there's The Walkie Talkie, The Gherkin, 22 Bishopsgate, lots of other tall buildings that have names I can't remember right now, and a glimpse of Tower 42... all here surrounding what would have been one of the biggest buildings it its day, the Grade II* listed Fishmongers Hall, built 90 years before Adelaide House in the early 1830s.

By this time it was almost 6pm and the shadows cast by the sun were marvellous. I took few pics near The Clink Museum:

Plus a couple of myself near the newly developed Borough Yards, a clever repurposing of the arches beneath the railway lines:

There are some interesting things here. I specifically like the neon boards that resembles the signs that used to be outside cinemas, but here illustration the diverse range of trades and professions here throughout the many decades, and someone has highlighted that the bottom of the metal brackets look like faces:

Deckchairs are currently arranged in front of a large screen where the Olympics is being shown. Men's gymnastics is amazing. Here I bumped into some people I had chatted to at Tate Modern. How delightful. We chatted for quite a while and swapped contact details. 

I finally headed home. Walking towards London Bridge via Winchester Walk there was another lovely view, this time of the cathedral bathed in late afternoon sunshine (about 7.20pm).

What a lovely afternoon. 

Bollards in Crystal Palace

Today we are in lovely South London. Well, I say that, but I took these pics well over a year ago.

As you exit Crystal Palace railway station and head to the park, do ake a closer look at the bollards in Ledrington Rd, dated 1854. The peeling paint patterns is delightful.

The tops illustrate layers of colourful history – dark green, pink, red, blue, turquoise and yellow, though not necessarily in that order.

It's about time I went back for another wander – it's a lovely part of town.

Cally Festival, Sunday 16th September

Another bit of self promotion, but also a good excuse to put some pics on here of a neglected, and now misunderstood and much-maligned, area of north London.
Starting at Kings Cross, Caledonian Road runs due north for over a mile (I must check that!) all the way to Holloway. In the past the street was well-used by cattle-drovers taking their stock to market in the area that is now Caledonian Park. The park/market area was originally just a stop-over for the herds on their way to Smithfield Market. And in later years there was a thriving antiques and bric-a-brac market there. Only the clocktower, and the shells of former pubs are left these days to hint at the history.
The Cally is a real mix – on the east side there's the Thornhill and Barnsbury Estates with their carefully-designed terraces and managed squares and gardens, including a road once lived in by a recent PM, then on the western side council estates were erected thus creating a real mix of cultures; a "them and us" situation – almost a Regent Street 'divide' of the north. A recent BBC programme about the road only glanced upon the diverse history and, in my view, spent too much time talking about the current dodgy landlords and prostitutes at the KX end.
I travel up and down the Cally almost every week spotting old bits of history here and there and some of my observations are shown below.
But to the point... this Sunday the whole area is coming together for the Cally Festival – a pop-up street celebration of the area's diverse offerings, which will include art, craft, music, dance and more.
The stretch of the road between Offord and Bridgeman Roads will be closed to traffic for the day and, judging by last year, it should be good... I hope to see you there... come and find me at my Amelia Parker stall.

What a load of bollards

Bollards. There, I've said it again!

They are all over London and all sorts of different shapes. Some are there to protect pedestrians, buildings and corners; others have dual purpose as boundary markers.

My 'collection' is quite pathetic compared to Maggie's set... she's bollard mad!

Top: Caledonian Rd, Bow Common Lane, Hoxton, Acton.

Middle: Carter Lane, Lambs Conduit St, Leytonstone, Holland Park.

Bottom: Camden, Middlesex St, Highgate, Upper St.