The W4 Route

Thursday 12 December 2013

Linda and I took the W4 from Tottenham Hale Station to its starting point deep in the Ferry Lane Estate.  We explained to the driver that we should be travelling back and he kindly allowed us to stay on board, out of the cold and the remains of the mist.  We gave him a card and he and another waiting passenger expressed interest on the project.  He said he had been driving buses for 10 years but had never ridden a bus outside his patch!  As we travelled towards our destination, at Oakthorpe Park near the North Circular, we came to realise that he had friends all along his route, as he waved, and even bipped his horn to people he knew.

We were off at 10.04, and noted that we were travelling along Jarrow Road.  Tottenham was on the route the Hunger Marchers took in the 1930s, and indeed more recently.  I have, however, found no reference that would tell us whether the street was named for the marchers.

We came out of the estate, and back to Tottenham Hale Station, where massive 'works' are transforming the already acceptable bus area.  Then we turned left to run alongside the retail park and pass the Prince Arthur Pub, presumably named for one of Queen Victoria's many children.  We noted that new build houses are having insulation put on, but felt the builders should get a move on before the wind shreds the tin foil.

Continuing along Broad Lane, we reached the junction with the Tottenham main road, where street improvements will not be complete until this time next year.  We headed past Tottenham's huge police station and down towards Bruce Grove Station, passing a blue plaque noting that Luke Howard, the man who named the clouds, 'lived and died here'.  Both Linda and I thought we had passed a different plaque to him, perhaps somewhere more leafy, but we are clearly wrong.  He started life as a Quaker, but then joined the Plymouth Brethren.  He also corresponded with Goethe, who wrote some verses about him and his cloud classifications.

After Bruce Grove, we were almost immediately into Seven Sisters and passing a range of shops and businesses, some with the Turkish and South Asian influence we expect in this bit of London.

 

The bus was mainly on 'hail and ride' but was quite busy just the same, as we headed into the Broadwater Farm Estate. We admired the Bob-Marley-and-Gandhi mural, and thought that the whole place was looking pretty spruce and neat - a fact only worth a comment if one remembers its rather rocky and difficult past.

Coming out of the estate, and into more mixed housing, we wondered what the wide expanse of green was.  Some friendly fellow passengers enlightened us:  this was Downhills Park, which we thought an appropriate name for is sloping expanse, though I suppose a tired walker might name it 'uphills park'.  It took us to Lordship Lane, one of those names which could muddle  south Londoners who were wondering where they were.

On we went, through residential streets with pleasant green areas and then made a sharp right turn off Willow Walk.

We were quite surprised when suddenly we were at Turnpike Lane Station, and heading along familiar streets to reach Wood Green.  Coming past the Lord Nelson Pub, we were able to glimpse the handsome war memorial, which commemorates the 990 men of the borough who died in the First World War.

The Grand Palace, which we remember as a Chinese Eatery a few years ago, now seems to have a Polish Flavour to its banqueting.

We turned along Wolves Lane to pass the Garden Centre and leave Haringey for Enfield.  We admired the driver's skill as he squeezed past the parked cars past the Bird in Hand Pub and over the little stream which is the Pymme's Brook atthhis stage in its course, to reach Oakthorpe Park and the end of our journey at 10.50.

Actually, there was no park that we could see, rather the North Circular and the Cambridge Interchange and hundreds of motor vehicles.  But, undeterred, we headed off (under, not across the road) to reach our next bus.

The W3 Route

Northumberland Park to Finsbury Park Station 

Monday February 11^th  2013

As the four of us (Ricky was joining the LWB) exited from Northumberland Park Station – one train an hour: what’s that about? – we saw a W3 moving off from the 2-route bus stand… Momentary panic, as the day had been constructed around bits of transport that only went once an hour or even worse once a day… however, the W3 is a more frequent traveller and we only had about 5 minutes of waiting. I turned my back resolutely on the new build Spurs Shop (being told not to be too loud in my views), and looked instead at the information board on the Tottenham Marshes.  The train had taken us past bits of the River Lea but these marshes were news to us though they adjoin; they have 'friends'.

True to our starting point we headed down Northumberland Park with its mixture of housing – one very tall block named for Kenneth Robbins and some older houses, often subdivided. The Cedar Nursery’s cedar was gently covered in snow, and we wondered after whom the Bill Nicholson Pub was named – Jo was nearest to right in guessing a Spurs player, though player/coach/manager/guru is nearer the mark, so not surprisingly this is a supporters pub.  Shortly afterwards the bus emerges onto Tottenham High Road ever so briefly, just north of the stadium, before crossing over and heading down almost the entire length of White Hart Lane – today it was indeed white as snow had fallen and not yet thawed and though no sign of harts; it clearly was a lane, winding its way as only lanes can and do. The eponymous train station also boasts a ‘Railway Tavern’ with a pub sign depicting a fine engine; however it proves to be a dead pub which seemed to be a reflection of the rather derelict nature of Tottenham High Road generally, showing little sign of recovery post riots. At least the cemetery looked both kempt and cared for, and quite pretty in the snow, extending as it does south to Bruce Castle, though the little fish-shaped pond was not visible today. Its most notable ‘resident ‘ is Sir William Butterfield whom we have to thank for innumerable churches and the very striking Keble College Oxford.

  

By now my travelling companions, between their competitive historical trivia, were pointing out Alexandra Palace on the hill ahead but first we had to negotiate Wood Green.  On the way we passed the Rowland Hill Primary School, whose large circular roof seemed modelled on African round huts (though standing up to the UK weather). We all knew he had started the Penny Post but he also was a head teacher (and ran a school before free education for all) just round the corner in Bruce Grove, which would account for him being remembered here.  Turning off White Hart Lane just before the New River we passed a series of roads named for Scottish landmarks and thus emerged into Lordship Lane by an imposing Gothic Revival (see Butterfield above) building – another passenger put us out of our misery and told us it was Wood Green Crown Court.  Formerly a Masonic School it oozes solid Victorian grandeur and its website offers it up as a wedding venue – perhaps you tie the knot quickly before getting sent down??

Crossing Wood Green this way (the W3 is excellent at taking you to but not tangling with several key venues) we did not have to crawl past all the shops but headed on down past the Piccadilly Line station.    Again this is not the obvious route by which to leave Wood Green, so we were interested to be passing a sign to the ‘Wood Green Cultural Quarter’ (have you noticed how boroughs are trying to rebrand bits of themselves by calling them quarters?) and Heartlands High School, so named by the local children as it sits at the heart of Haringey.

Alexandra Palace has its own modest railway station and the bus has to negotiate several hairpin bends to get over all the tracks and start climbing up to the ‘People’s Palace.’ On top of the hill it felt as though we had the park and buildings to ourselves, and even with the poor visibility it was obvious you could see across the snowy roofs to Central London and beyond. Presumably named for the popular Queen, the Ally Pally BBC transmitter is still standing if not transmitting, and we thought it just as well the palms were tucked up inside the Palm Court not shivering in the snow.  Towards the foot of the hill there used to be a racetrack.

race-track, hence the pub called the Victoria Stakes. 

The excellent views led to a discussion of what was the highest point in North London, which I had generally taken to be Hampstead Heath; this link should settle any disputes. 

After climbing, the W3 now adds twirling to its skills and the next part of the trip saw it taking several lesser but steep back streets past Priory P ark, a covered reservoir very evident from the top deck, and weaving under old railway arches which now carry stretches of the capital Ring walk (and the abandoned station which formed part of the never-completed Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace rail/tube line) eventually descending through the swirling snow flakes to Stroud Green.   It was too dark to capture the decorative panels from ‘The Old Dairy’ (now a pub), but there were several brightly decorated cafes, some more cherished than others, along the Stroud Green Road, which comes to an abrupt halt at Finsbury Park station forecourt facing the Arsenal Shop.

What a delight – a double-decker route which takes you (in an hour) from one Premiership Club patch to another via the low points and high points of Haringey borough, and in spite of the temperatures we emerged cosy and glowing.

PS It’s such a long time since we started dabbling in the W routes we did not really think what they might stand for – a range of options, perhaps Wanstead, Walthamstow, Wood Green and Woodford for starters…

The U10 Route

Uxbridge to Ruislip (Heathfield Rise)

Thursday May 30^th 2013

My planned leisurely arrival at Uxbridge Station had unfortunately turned into an undignified dash out of the station to the bus area with only 4 minutes to spare – very key if you have come clear across London for a once an hour service – but I, along with 9 other passengers, boarded the two-doored single decker at the designated departure time. At this time of day all the passengers were elderly – I counted two Zimmers, 2 sets of sticks and 1 confused, plus the usual quota of shopping trolley owners, who all clearly knew the bus timings (as you would) and all knew each other and the driver. In fact I got some funny looks as being the stranger on board. (Jo and Mary were having Bank Holiday breaks in places more glamorous than Uxbridge, though according to a recent Comment on the U7 some-one’s grandmother thought it worthwhile running away to!)

We left Uxbridge by the usual (and possibly only) route left down the High Street and round the roundabout – the green planting has grown well and is beginning to hide the back of the Pavilions Shopping Centre and the Atrium build. This is of course an alternative route to Ruislip which could have been achieved much more easily on the Piccadilly line. 

The route takes the Harefield Road which follows the course of several waterways – some of these appear natural (The River Colne) others more man-made as in  Frays River  or the Grand Union. Like the U9.

This residential area had probably been part of the older settlement of Uxbridge and indeed this route seemed to link several ‘Middlesex Villages’, being clearly designed to pick up commuting folk from their stations to take them home into the greener parts of London. Many of the roads were separated from the houses by generous grassy verges, or those little triangles of green on the corner, all with mature trees and well tended gardens. If last week was wisteria this week is chestnuts and ceanothus .

This part of Uxbridge/Hillingdon seems to be called Swakeleys so I was a bit surprised to find this website as the area looks thoroughly 20^th Century and residential.

The other slight mystery was that the bus kept promising me ‘Douay Martyrs School’ (I suspected a Hail and Ride error – see the H2 for further explanation of this) but while this was clearly a Catholic School it was obviously well camouflaged in amongst the greenery as I did not really spot it. Additionally, while my research tells me that Douay is near Rheims in France and the English College there, working in exile so to speak, produced it own version of an English Language Bible for use by Catholics, I am not sure where the martyrs fit in.  Anyway it all seemed very remote from the tranquil streets of Ickenham, which we were steadily approaching, passing through a pleasantly wooded area and a bridge crossing the River Pinn, along which you can walk thanks to Hillingdon’s handy guide to the Celandine Way.

Though Ickenham is on the Piccadilly line it looks like a very rural little station and coming into the village itself after Long Lane there were two pubs and a village pump and pond to complete the picture. Not surprisingly there is an active Residents' Association.

Leaving Ickenham, the ‘villagey feel’ continues as the bus makes it way towards Ruislip, though the grander homes of the earlier part of the ride now gave way to smaller more modest semis. The ride was very smooth (so smooth the one not pensionable age passenger fell asleep over the handle of her infant’s buggy) and the driver kindly paused for a lady who was waiting on the wrong side of the road and then chose to cross behind, encircling the bus completely before finally boarding: the mutters of other passengers indicated that they knew her ‘habits’ of old. 

‘The White Bear’ pub would not have looked out of place in the country, though neatly situated between Ruislip Manor and Ruislip stations. The latter was the cause of our only slight delay on this trip – there appear to be major road and building works round Ruislip Station and none of the usual bus stops there were functioning.

Ruislip High Street still felt quite intact and intimate so it was not surprising that we picked up a handful more passengers for their trip home.

At the end of the High Street the shops give way to police station, residential homes for the elderly and another pretty pub before the U10 turns left up Sharps Lane. Like much of the ‘Metroland’ area, growth and development would have been stimulated by the arrival of the rail and underground trains and the last 10 minutes or so of this trip were through a thoroughly solid residential area now with mature trees and gardens. Bishop Winnington Primary School has a history dating back to 1812 (so well before any of the key Education Acts) but the buildings the bus route passes are clearly more modern. Heathfield Rise does indeed incline upwards. There is a resting place beside a triangle of grass but the driver did not linger for his statutory 2

minute break, but took on a load of passengers mainly youngsters on their half-term break.

This route had been a very pleasant cross-country trip allowing me glimpses of some of the ‘bones’ of the original villages that now go to make up the commuter areas of Uxbridge, Ickenham and Ruislip.  

The U9 Route

Uxbridge Station to Harefield West

Thursday December 4^th 2013

In case you have been wondering about the gaps – and don’t anyone say we short change you on information you never knew you wanted to know – there used also to be Routes U6 and U8, but they are no longer with us. With great thanks to Ian Armstrong of London Bus Routes History, this is what they did in their time:

The U6 operated from West Drayton to Hayes via Stockley Park from June 1991, but was absorbed into the U1 in 1996.

The U8 operated on Sundays only from August 1991 to June ‘93 from Uxbridge to Harefield via Ruislip.

This was to be our last day in Uxbridge  (and the day Jo discovered that the station building was listed and had some beautiful stained glass) and quite a cold one it was too, necessitating a couple of dives into the Pavilions to look for the facilities and some old-fashioned Christmas Garlands of the kind Woolworths used to sell.

These last 3 Buses in the U series routes count as infrequent (3 x hour, 2 x hour  1 x hour) so it was better to kill time indoors. Not surprisingly for an infrequent route, when our bus came it was a small single door single decker bus but for its size did score over a dozen passengers. Fortunately it seemed to have some heating as this was a country route.

We left Uxbridge by the Atrium Roundabout, some of the offices are ‘TO LET’ but the ground floor has been taken by a new gym called ‘RUSH’ which sports very bright green lettering. Several of the town’s roundabouts are sponsored and always well planted and maintained.

The U9 takes the smaller, quieter Harefield Road, passing Colnedale, where the name hints that this area’s history is closely lined to the River Colne. This minor road is bordered by smaller cottages, and then some larger properties. The Swakeleys roundabout takes traffic over the access to the M40 and like much of this route and the other Us is festooned with posters objecting to the proposed High Speed 2 railway. Today we were not heading to Swakeleys but straight across and along Harvil Road. We had taken on the last passengers and the driver’s foot went down on the accelerator; this was totally justified with a speed limit of 50 MPH and few stops.

I guess few stops were needed as both sides of the road seemed to be fields /farms, and this ridge-like road offered fine views over the distant or perhaps not so distant hills – given that the railway we crossed was the Chiltern line perhaps these were the Chilterns we saw?

The key landmark along here is  The Dogs Trust whose byline is that they never destroy a healthy dog; certainly there is plenty of space around here to let their rescued pets frolic. What also caught our eye was a large poster for ‘Jovial Jerseys and Harmony Holsteins’, while I query the use of harmony as an adjective I presume the farmers concerned have their two breeds of cow living happily alongside each other, not that sectarian violence is a feature of bovine life?

The bus slowed down as we approached the outskirts of Harefield Village

there was a sign for ANZAC WAR GRAVES  – these date from the First World War when Australian and New Zealand soldiers were treated at  Harefield Hospital, and those who did not make it were buried in St. Mary's Churchyard.   The crossroads mark the heart of the village complete with Green, several pubs and the later addition of the Library (more protest posters visible here) and there is much made of the village motif – a hearty hare.

Somewhat to our surprise the bus turns down quite a narrow road (we had to negotiate slowly past a parked gravel/tar spreading lorry) towards an area called Mount Pleasant – the views were spectacular down over the Grand Union Canal and a series of lakes, as Jo correctly surmised, former gravel pits. They of course lie over the ‘border’ which separates Greater London from the rest of the country…

Having picked up a few younger passengers the bus returned to the village centre to press on to its final destination – Harefield Hospital. It does feel very remote, with no nearby stations and merely this route and a non-TFL services as public transport, so it was not surprising that there were several cars and hospital transport vehicles dotted round the site.  About a third of the beds are dedicated to heart surgery and treatment and it has long been famous for its transplant and associated procedures, which goes to show that pioneering work can take place in less than shiny new surroundings. These buildings date from the late Thirties.

This marked the end of the route – the driver left his engine running (not usually advised) while he nipped into the Refreshments block; because of the remoteness we stayed aboard, and then we set off again to return to the Uxbridge hub.

The route took the 24 minutes advised and had been one of most rural trips of the Project. 

The U7 Route

 Thursday 5 December 2013

The U7 (there is no U6, I don't know why) is a small single decker, in this case a very dirty one, which takes you from Uxbridge Station to the big Sainsbury's in Hayes.  It runs only twice an hour, so Linda and I found ourselves with time for a cursory and unsuccessful search for the kind of paper Christmas decorations we used to have when we were young(er).

The bus started to fill up as we left the station area and moved into the shopping streets.  We passed several pubs, including the Good Yarn which, as we have mentioned before, takes its name from the tailors shop which used to occupy the site.  And here again we thank Wetherspoons for explaining the name.  The same cannot be said for the Corown and Sceptre, though perhaps Royalism is deemed to be a natural state of mind.

We went out along the A4020, and then round and back to pass Randalls, as well as the skating rink we saw being constructed last week:  it now appears to be ready to welcome skaters.

The cold weather and high cloud were assisted by the dirty bus windows in making St Andrew's church look rather dramatic, and the we headed along the Greenway:  aptly named as it has a wide and treelined area down the middle between the two roads.

Then it was, of course, right down the lane-like road that leads to Brunel University, and its playing fields (sorry, 'sports park') as well as the Uxbridge cemetery and mortuary, and a Pentecostal Church. We also noted Marian House.  This proves to be a care home for aged Catholic nuns.

The next feature was of course Hillingdon Hospital, where several of our fellow passengers got off, to be replaced by others, one gentleman studying a leaflet about heart disease, so I hope he will be OK.

Pield Heath Avenue took us down to the main road, and then along West Drayton Road to reach Hayes End and its community centre.

We also passed Hewens College, which we thought was looking a bit run down, paint peeling and so on.  But clearly they are in the throes of major changes, so have other priorities.

Heading along the narrow (and humped) Mellow Lane West, we saw horses in a field to the right, while the left had side was occupied by bungalows.  Our route continued through assorted housing, some ex-social housing, but almost all with hardened from gardens.  There were occasional hedges and small trees, some with beautiful autumn colour.

We turned left to pass Uxbridge County Court, and came to a parade of shops.  The bus stop was on an island with a cycle lane to the left of it, which seemed safer than asking people to share the crowded main road with its many cars and vans.  One of the vans was a Dairy Valley delivery van, promising lassi, sweets and paneer.  The only website I can find is in the USA.

Now we came to one of the two high rise residential blocks on Hayes, and then on towards the Lombard Retail Park.  The bus was much emptier now, though there were still a few people aiming at the Sainsbury's at the end of the route

We have often been interested in the punning names of hairdressers, but were somewhat taken aback by 'Eroticut'.  They do not seem to have a website, so we cannot discover exactly what they offer....

We also passed the Big Events and Marquee Company, whose website offers amazing ideas, more than 40 years to late for Linda and me.

We had a long wait at the traffic lights before being allowed to turn right and then left, and reach the Sainsbury's at Hayes, where our journey ended at 12.25.