The Number 4 Route

Thursday 11 October 2018

North of the river at last, and I get a turn to post!  Linda was not with us the first time (she was in paid employment back then in March 2009)  Instead, the journey was made with other family members, including four ninths of Nicholas.  Perhaps that is why he is still interested in London buses.

At Archway, we had only a few minutes to wait, though they were anxious minutes, because the bus stop said 'towards Highgate Village, Tufnell Park or Crouch End', none of which appeared to be on the way to Waterloo.  But we stepped bravely on board at 10.20, expecting (well, hoping for) a 76 minute journey, and at first went anywhere but south:  past the Whittington hospital (where I confessed to Linda that I had at first been puzzled by the cat images.  Do you think you could hear the bells of Bow Church from here, even if they were suggesting you should turn again?  Then we went along Dartmouth Park Road, and Tufnell Park Road to reach the Seven Sisters Road, heading east.  We passed what appeared to be a church, and indeed is, called The House on the Rock (see Matthew Ch 7 vv24-27 for explanation).  A whole block along here was once called 'The Drapery' though it is now many different shops, only one, Kiswah Textiles, being a drapery type business.  We noted that the new builds going up here are to be called 'The Cotton Works' so the industrial past will still have a trace here, in the 'just 22 one-bedroom apartments' promised.

Now, at last, we came to Finsbury Park Interchange, as the bus station is now called, with a TfL clock not telling the right time, and of course the Arsenal shop.  And we turned clearly south.


We knew we were near some football ground or other, because there were lots of pubs.  Not quite all of them were named for the Gunners.  We assumed that away supporters might drink at The Bank of Friendship

There were other interesting shop names as well: we liked the thought of 'Salvation in Noodles', Linda suggesting that it was to do with comfort food, and a coffee shop called Blighty.  Icarus Organic Supplements also caught the eye.  I suppose with the right supplements one could reach the sun with wax wings?

 Our road now went uphill and, as always, the houses became more handsome and substantial.

Islington does not have many parks, Victoria Park being a Hackney space, so we enjoyed Aberdeen Park.  We noticed that Highbury Grove School has a Special School called Samuel Rhodes School attached to it, but, unless Samuel Rhodes is a viola player, I can't find out how he merits getting his name on a school

 The entertaining shop names continued, with Cobblers and Vapes' appearing to refer to the twin functions of the shop, rather than being a value judgement.  We also liked 'Hairssentials, and the fishmonger and restaurant 'Prawn on the Lawn', which tells you we were getting to Islington Green. The Dead Dolls House seems a strange name for a 'venue' and restaurant:  all I can find is that they used to be in Hoxton. Nuff said.

Then we came to the Almeida Theatre, and St Mary's Church, and finally to Angel, an hour after leaving Archway.  We can see why people in a hurry take the Northern Line, which would take about 10 minutes to here.

 

 The Co-op bank on the corner deserves a quick mention.  It was once the Lyons Corner House, which is/was one of the named properties on the Monopoly board.  They have a modest sign to that effect inside, if you are ever passing.

We were somewhat depressed by the very slow traffic along the City Road, but happily we turned right to pass the Dogs Trust, and head down Goswell Road to the Barbican.  We noted that the Indian Visa Service has an office along here, rather than the High Commission . building at Aldwych.  We also passed the Italia Conti Drama School, and then the Museum of London, which is due to move from its traffic island, perhaps to somewhere with better cycle parking.

 The monstrous New Change Building is where the couple who had also got on at Archway alighted, we thought probably to visit St Pauls. We doggedly remained on board, to reach Finsbury Circus, where I muttered about motor cyclists making use of the tiny bicycle lane.

 Along Fleet Street the traffic was again slow, so we had time to note the former newspaper headquarters along here,

 

before passing the Churches of St Clement Danes (with RAF statues) and St Mary in Strand, which needed the services of a good window cleaner, and coming to the Royal Courts of Justice

 and crossed Waterloo Bridge.  With impressive self control, I am not mentioning the barriers.

Last time we passed the Imax, it was advertising Heinz Salad Cream, but it's now TalkTalk.  

And finally, we reached the bus stop near the Old Vic where this looping and wandering route terminates. We had taken more than 90 minutes to visit various interesting, familiar and not-so-familiar areas of North East London.  We shall be much further east next week.