Celebrate a great idea - Garden Day, Sunday May 12

Today is Garden Day, launched to encourage gardeners to down tools and spend some quality time enjoying the results of all their hard work. So go out there, relax, and salute the start of the growing season. I am!
https://www.gardenday.co.uk/

Bluebells in Perivale Wood

A short walk from Perivale underground station in west London is a wood that's open to the public just once a year, when the forest floor is carpeted with more than five million bluebells. Dozens of people make a note of the day, and journey to see them.

Perivale Wood takes in 27 acres of ancient oak forest and meadow, a remnant of the forest that once covered all of southern England. It was one of the UK's first nature reserves and is owned and managed by the Selborne Society, founded in 1885 to commemorate the 18th c. naturalist Gilbert White. In 1957 it was registered as a site of Special Scientific Interest and the Society began an intensive management programme to restore its fragile habitat, which had suffered from neglect during and after World War II.

The bluebells are all English, with stems that curve over - if any upright Spanish ones appear, they are quickly removed. The wood is carefully managed. We saw signs of coppicing on the larger trees, such as this hazel (below) and a programme of planned felling is creating clearings where seedlings have a chance to develop and rejuvenate the forest.

The first Open Day was held in 1970, initially in May, but now it's on the last Sunday in April as global warming means the bluebells are flowering earlier. The carpet of blue was actually just past its best this year, but the colour and scent from the flowers was still wonderful.

The reserve is also home to 24 species of trees, among them two oaks, at least 400 years old, and planted to mark the boundary between Perivale and Greenford (above). As well as the bluebells, there are banks of wild flowers, three ponds, two streams and glimpses of the Grand Union Canal that runs along part of the wood’s border. The Open Day is on the last Sunday of April. Entrance is £1, and no booking is necessary.

My easiest container planting ever

 It's that time of year when everything in the garden is racing ahead and there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. But when it came to planting up a container (above) I had major help this afternoon from Pop Plant.

A pre-planted basket arrived by post with all that was needed, so there was no visiting the garden centre with a wish list, then finding not everything was in stock.

All I had to do was put some compost in a container, put the basket on top, and water. The plants are colour co-ordinated - there are 11 options - in both basket and container versions. It was all done in less than five minutes. The large, healthy plants are already starting to bloom.

The Pop Plants system would also be ideal for someone just starting out in gardening - according to a recent survey by Common Sense Gardening, 84% of millennials questioned said they wouldn't garden unless it was simple to do and their gardens were easy to maintain. They also said they'd appreciate gardening being made easier. So someone has been listening!
http://www.kindergarden.co.uk/Products/_PopPlants.aspx

Exploring Willesden Lane

There’s so much to be seen and enjoyed in London that sometimes we forget to explore the history of our own neighbourhood. A recent walk with neighbours took us from Willesden Green station down to Kilburn, via Willesden Lane – not the most obviously interesting trail, but one that uncovered a story of change and development typical of many suburbs. The station itself is a Grade II Listed Building, opened on Nov 24, 1879 and upgraded in 1925 by the Metropolitan Railway’s architect, Charles Walter Clark, when crowds were flocking to the British Empire Exhibition further up the line at Wembley. The diamond-shaped clock on the facade is a trademark of his style, and the ticket hall retains much of the original green tesserae mosaic tiling.

One surprising feature - just below the ceiling is a frieze of dark red tiles representing trees: once Willesden Green was a hamlet surrounded by forest.

Incidentally, the wide space outside the station (above) is not the remains of  Willesden's green, but a turning circle for the trams that ran there from Cricklewood from 1906 until the 1930s.

Our trail led from there along to Willesden Lane, stopping to look at Electric House, a residential block that replaces a 1920s art deco building that was once an electric goods showroom. Willesden Lane is itself a remnant of the area’s past – before the Reformation it was the route taken by pilgrims heading for the Shrine of the Black Virgin of Willesden.

An 1823 map shows it surrounded by farmland and called Mapes Lane. But this name goes back even further, to Walter Map (1140 – 1210) who served King Henry II, and was a canon of St Paul’s cathedral; he was assigned rents from lands St Paul’s owned in the area. It was not until Victorian times that the fields began to be covered with homes for the rapidly expanding population of central London. This began in Kilburn, and gradually crept up the lane, the houses becoming larger and more up-market the further out they got. Many churches were built to cater for these new occupants.

The True Buddha Temple, on the corner of Sidmouth Rd, was once a Welsh Methodist chapel, with a Welsh-language school. Today the Victorian facade has been adapted and a large statue of Buddha sits beneath a tree in the front garden.

Further down the lane is another example of how the area is changing – the Sree Swaminaryan Hindu Temple.

Once St George’s church, built in 1888 in Early English style, stood on this site, but falling congregations led to it being demolished in 1986. Another historic building that has been lost, Mapesbury Manor House, was on the same stretch of road. First built in Tudor times with a moat, it later became a school, but was pulled down in  1925 – the front of the site is now covered with a row of houses.

Christ Church, on the corner of Christchurch Ave, has managed to survive, despite fluctuations in its fortunes. The second-oldest parish church in the area (the oldest is St Mary’s of Willesden, mentioned in the Domesday Book), it was consecrated in 1866 to cater for the fast-growing area, and attracted a large congregation – people arriving late for the 11am Sunday service had trouble finding a seat. It suffered some damage in WWII and financial and structural problems led to part of it being converted into flats in the 1980s, but one part has been reserved for services. Opposite is a large 1937 art deco apartment block, Tarranbrae.

Walking along towards Kilburn, we spotted a row of what may once have been exclusive Italianate villas and a curious art deco building decorated with Egyptian motifs.

All these new residents needed sustenance, and in 1899 a large pub was opened.

Having started life as The Prince of Wales, it’s now known as the Kilburn Arms, but still retains some original features, including etched glass in the old Saloon Bar doors and the curved windows.

The afterlife of residents was also catered for. Next to the pub is an elegant gate house, one of two  that guard the entrance to Paddington Cemetery, a 24-acre site dating from 1855 and today a green refuge with many interesting monuments. By now we were nearing Kilburn High Rd, and the threatened rain had set in. We turned north into the maze of smaller streets, the terraced houses built to provide accommodation for local workers, but with decorative details that would not have been out of place on grander developments.

In Dyne Rd a large 1970’s block of flats, James Stewart House, occupies what was once the site of Willesden Town Hall. No trace of this earlier, grand building remains (it was demolished in 1972, having become redundant when the London Borough of Brent was established) but on the pavement there is another survivor of the past: a Victorian letter box, still providing the service for which it was designed. Long may it last in these days of email and Instagram.

London's new roof garden at 120 Fenchurch St

An imaginative roof garden has opened on the 15^th floor of a just-built office block at 120 Fenchurch St in the City. It’s free for the public to visit and unlike the nearby Sky Garden at the WalkieTalkie, you don’t have to book in advance - just turn up.

The garden is surrounded by a high glass wall that gives some protection from the wind. On a sunny March day, the flower beds were full of daffodils and tulips.

A striking water feature runs through it, and there are plenty of wooden benches, popular at lunchtime with office workers. (Bring your own sandwiches, though there will soon be a restaurant one floor down.) The pergola that covers the central area is designed to be smothered in wisteria in early summer - dozens of vines have been planted to grow up the struts. There are also fruit trees, just coming in to blossom at time of writing.

A lot of thought has gone into the planting, ensuring that there will be an ever-changing display of seasonal colour.

The garden covers the entire roof, some 2,800 sq m, and has 360° views that range from the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie to St Paul's and Tower Bridge.

When you exit the lift on the way out, it’s worth stopping for a few moments to admire the digital art installation on the ceiling of the entrance hall (below), with stunning moving images, mostly taken from nature. 

 

The building, One Fen Court, is designed by Eric Parry Architects on behalf  of  the insurance company Generali. The garden can accommodate just over 200 people at once, so while access should usually be fast, there may be some queues, especially on a sunny lunchtime. It's open Mon - Fri 1000 – 2100 in summer,  1000 to 1830 in winter (October 1 to March 31). This live link shows how many people are actually there:

https://thegardenat120.com/#content/page/gardencapacity_ipsos
More info at:

https://www.thegardenat120.com/#content/page/visitor_info

Cherry Blossom time in London

Spectacular cherry blossom outside Swiss Cottage library in N.W. London. This avenue of trees is in the little park right by the Jubilee line stop - no need to visit Japan!

Along the Dollis Valley Greenwalk

Q. What do the Ice Age, finches, St Cyril, ravens and an Art Deco Cinema have in common?
A. They all featured in our walking group’s March ramble up the Dollis Valley Greenwalk.

We’ve been following the Dollis for some time, and were tackling the section that runs from North Finchley to Barnet Underhill. As we started out, our walk’s leader, John, produced two unexpected facts  – this valley goes back to the fourth Ice Age, and was likely to have been cut by melt waters from the glacial ice that reached Finchley when the ice sheets were at their maximum extent. (Geologists term it the Finchley Gap.)  Also, he said, once upon a time flocks of finches frequented the area, hence the name, first recorded in the early 13c.

St Cyril was the next surprise. As our walk continued downhill into the valley, by Woodside Park we came across a very unusual little building – the first wooden church built in London since the Great Fire of 1666, and dedicated to him. St Cyril of Turau (826 – 869AD) was a Greek missionary who brought Christianity to the Slavic nations. The church was consecrated in 2016, and is a reminder of home for members of the local Belarusian community, many of whom moved to the UK after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. Its design, though modern, includes many traditional features, such as the domed spire and shingled timber roof.

When we reached the Dollis Brook we found it in full spate, thanks to some recent heavy rain. The Greenwalk runs alongside it for about ten miles, linking areas of countryside and public open space. It includes grassland, thorny hedgerows and woodlands with oak, hazel, ash, field maple and wild service tree. It’s a leafy haven for nature lovers and dog walkers, and a lot of care has gone into its planning and conservation.

One field had been brightened by a swathe of daffodils, and everywhere branches were coming alive with spring blossom.

The area we were walking through once produced hay for London’s horses. Today, part of Brook Farm Open Space continues this tradition; the managed meadows beside the stream are mown annually and provide a summer habitat for flowers, butterflies and insects.

Surprisingly, the only birds visible that morning were crows, although there was a lot of twittering coming from hedgerows. There were several tall trees beside the path. One looked at first glance to be housing a number of bird nests – these turned out to be clusters of mistletoe, soon to be hidden by leaves.

The path was rather muddy, but we watched our footing and were delighted to have sunshine all the way. Towards the end, by Underhill's playing fields, the back gardens of what looked like almshouses could be glimpsed behind a hedge. A minor detour to their entrances in Grasvenor Avenue revealed these were Ravenscroft Cottages, part of the Jesus Hospital Charity set up in 1679 by James and Mary Ravenscroft for the care and support of six ‘poor and ancient women’.

A coat of arms bearing three ravens is on the wall by the front gate. The first almshouse was in nearby Wood Street, but many more were built in subsequent years and there are now 54 of them in the area.

Our final surprise was a bit away from the Greenwalk – actually on the Great North Rd, and spotted as we waited for a bus home. It's the grand Art Deco facade of the Everyman Cinema.  Originally an Odeon, it was designed by Edgar Simmons and opened in 1935 with a Moorish-style foyer and an auditorium that mixed Moorish and Art Deco styles. It has had major refurbishments over the years, being converted into a five-screen complex, and was reopened in 2000 by Emma Bunton (Baby Spice). It closed in 2015, but then became an Everyman. It now has listed building status, so hopefully will grace the area for many years to come.