Isleworth

Thames-side in the west of London sits old Isleworth (pronounced IZZ-el-worth), a quaint little village with a "time forgot" quality.  Today we strolled its quiet lanes.

All Saints Isleworth

The Thames

All Saints churchyard

7 (or 8?) swans a swimming

Straight on is the London Apprentice pub, with a history
reaching back into the 15th century.  The pub is said to have
been frequented by such personages as Henry VIII,
Charles I, Lady Jane Grey (the 9 days queen), and
Oliver Cromwell.

Church Street

  

Canary Wharf

Today we found ourselves wandering around Canary Wharf, an ultra-modern district.  It is touted as one of the main financial centers of the UK and of the world.

Alexandra Palace

On a lofty site in North London sits Alexandra Palace, a Victorian-era entertainment & sports venue still in use today.  The first palace burned down only 16 days after its debut; it was immediately rebuilt, opening in 1875.  In the 1930's, part of the palace was acquired by the BBC as the production and transmission center for their new BBC Television service.

The Rose Window.  It was damaged by a
German bomb in WWII.

The BBC launched television from
Alexandra Palace in 1936.

BBC transmission tower

Muswell Hill neighborhood

An Amble through Hampstead

 

Streatley Place, Victorian Hospital Boilerhouse Chimney

Samuel Johnson and his biographer James Boswell
hung out at The Holly Bush pub in the 1640's.

Hampstead Grove

Admiral's House

Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island and
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, lived here.

Holly Walk

St. John's churchyard

Grave of Austrian actor Anton Walbrook, muse of the
British film-makers Powell & Pressburger, most notably
appearing in their 1948 masterpiece, The Red Shoes.

Grave of actress Kay Kendall, the 3rd
of actor Rex Harrison's 6 wives.
Her most famous role was opposite
Gene Kelly in the 1957 musical Les Girls.

Gainsborough Gardens Gate House

Home of famed landscape painter John Constable.

Flask Walk

Today's coffee spot