London #4

Wednesday 26^th.

A walk through Wandsworth Park to Putney and bus into the city – bus rather than tube as we wanted to reacquaint ourselves with London above ground rather than underground. Top of a double-decker, right in the front, rubber-necking to our hearts’ content. Swiftly through Fulham and Kensington, by Park Lane we were slowing down and by Oxford Street we had ground to a halt. No matter, plenty of opportunity to watch people and buildings.

We alighted at the end of Oxford St and walked via Tottenham Court Road, Bloomsbury, Russell Square Gardens, Mecklenburg Square, Gray’s Inn Road and up to King’s Cross/St Pancras Stations. On the way we happened across Cornelissen & Son in Great Russell Street – “store for high-end, hard-to-find artist’s equipment such as pigment, gouache and gilding materials.” What a treasure house and a delight!

Then in behind the stations to open out into a newly developed area focused around Central St Martins, University of Arts, London. “Our main campus is located in the award-winning Granary Building at the centre of London’s King’s Cross.” Great use of what was once a derelict area around the Regent’s Canal. After lunch in the Granary we visited the House of Illustration  featuring exhibitions of the work of Quentin Blake and, someone I had never heard of – John Vernon Lord. Lord has just completed illustrations for five books by James Joyce and Lewis Carroll. Remarkable work, the most intriguing being the tiny working journals in which he records everything meticulously.

Back by tube to Putney for a brief rest before Russ retraced his steps to meet Jack and Ellie for for the first time in over two years.