10-26 Tourists off the beaten path, aka Offbeat tourists

We’re staying in an Airbnb and, as you may know, when you confirm a booking you’re sent lots of recommendations of things to do in town. I was somewhat horrified to see that most of these experiences are photo shoots around London for your Instagram page. I perused the non-photo offerings and found one that sounded interesting: “Find non-touristy, unseen & local London with a city planner”. It was a six hour tour, and I thought it might be fun.

We met Fabian, our guide, at Paddington Station and were pleased to see that there were only 7 people on the tour. As we were walking, Fabian pointed out that the grand houses around Gloucester Square had a number of bricked up windows.

The reason for that is that in 1696, the government decided to tax people based on the number of windows in their home, the idea being that windows were a bit of a luxury so if you could afford a lot of windows, you should pay higher taxes. The tax was eventually overturned because the homeowners started building rooms with no windows at all (for servants) which meant there was no ventilation and led to lots of health problems. As historic preservation became important, it was decided that those bricked-up windows could never be reinstalled. Along the way, most of these great houses were divided up into flats. He pointed out the facades of the building which look like they’re faced in limestone blocks. They’re not. The block pattern is carved out of the plaster type material. Likewise the columns on the houses are actually made of wood, covered with plaster. When you look closely, you can see where the plaster is cracking and peeling away from the surface. Then, as now, it’s all about appearances. Our first stop was Bathurst Mews, a short walk from Paddington station. According to Wikipedia, “A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential areas, having been built to cater for the horses, coachmen and stable-servants of prosperous residents.” These muses fell into disrepair over time and in the 1960, you could buy one for pennies. Starting in the 1980s, people started buying them up and converting them into luxurious homes. The facades must retain the original look, with the wide stable doors and no additions can be made, at least none that show. Roof patios can be added as long as they aren’t visible from the street. The only enlargements allowed are those that go down, ie, basements. Fabian said that some mews houses have two or three floors underground that hold gyms, screening rooms, etc. Some even have swimming pools! There were three mews houses for sale on Bathurst Mews with prices between 1.5 and 3 million pounds.

The reason Fabian chose to show us this particular mews is because at the end of the mews, there are still working stables that were never converted to housing. Because of its proximity to Hyde Park, people rent horses and take riding lessons there.

We then walked to the tube and headed to West Brompton. A short walk from the station we entered a seemingly odd choice of sightseeing destination, Brompton Cemetery. This cemetery was a private enterprise opened in 1840. By that time, most of the cemeteries in London were running out of room. Often times, graves were dug up after a couple of years, the bodies disposed of and other bodies buried in their place. This was regarded as a health hazard and a disrespectful way to treat the dead, so permission was given for a cemetery to be built way out in the country. Of course, what was way out in the country in 1840 is now the heart of London. The cemetery ultimately proved to be a losing proposition financially and the enterprise went bankrupt and was taken over by the government. It’s divided into three sections. Central Avenue was where the wealthy showed off their wealth by building grand graves stones and tombs. These often featured crosses, Celtic crosses, angels, as well as symbolic carvings, such as a broken pillar for a young person representing a life cut short; an urn partially covered by a drape representing the thin veil between this world and the next, etc.

This one reads "Lucy Ellen Downey who fell asleep Christmas eve 1924."

The middle class had smaller stones off the main avenue of the cemetery. These areas are mostly overgrown with grasses and brambles, done intentionally to both cut down on maintenance costs and to provide habitat for wildlife.

The less affluent could get space in the catacombs. In their day, the catacombs were open to the public and relatives would often visit. Unfortunately, leaving the catacombs open also meant that they were rife for graverobbing. Nefarious folks could sell fresh corpses to doctors for dissection, illegally, of course. The catacombs were then gated and closed at night and eventually, because the coffins were starting to deteriorate, they were closed altogether except for one night per year when you can pay £5 to tour them.

It's an oasis of tranquility in the middle of a bustling city, and people often just come to stroll, to sit, have lunch, etc.

We then took a couple of trains and buses to the Banksy Tunnel under Waterloo station. Again, quoting Wikipedia, ”Leake Street (also known as the Banksy Tunnel) is a road tunnel in Lambeth, London where graffiti is legal and promoted despite the fact that it is against UK law on public property. The street is about 300 long, runs off York Road and under the platforms and tracks of Waterloo station.“ Painting in the tunnel started in 1980 when Banksy chose the location for the “Cans Festival”. Street artists from all over the world came, and still come, to add their art to the tunnel.

Tagging is not allowed, though many people still do it. When we visited, there was a photo shoot going on and at the far end of the tunnel, an artist was just starting a new work.

On the way out there was a relatively new piece of art by Blek le Rat. (I’m not into street art, but that’s supposed to be a pretty big deal.) Fabian pointed out that, as is often the case, local government is seizing the opportunity to monetize what was originally a form of protest by leasing the arch spaces in the tunnel to businesses. Expect to see a Starbuck there eventually.

We then took a bus ride to Brixton, which is the epicenter of the Jamaican community in London. In the middle of Brixton is Electric Avenue.

You may be aware of the 1982 song of that name by Eddy Grant, but did you realize that the song is about the Brixton riots? Historically, it was the first street in London to be lit by electric lights. At the time (in the 1880s) it was a very fashionable and wealthy area. It now houses a vibrant market specializing .in Afro-Caribbean products, salons and restaurants. You may have seen Steve McQueen’s amazing film anthology “Small Axe” which is based on the real-life experiences of London's West Indian community between 1969 and 1982. The title comes from the proverb: Small axe fall big tree”. Historically this community has dealt with discrimination and violence and there’s still a mistrust of white people among a lot of the residents of the area, so we were advised by Fabian not to take a lot of photos because it’s considered offensive. One photo we were encouraged to take was of a wall at the end of Electric Avenue that depicts Michael John, one of the local residents who has been a leader in the community. He is so highly regarded that no one has ever tagged the painting which has been there for 30 years.

This was our lunch break so Bruce & I chose to eat at a Jamaican food cart (duh!) I had oxtail with rice & peas and salad, Bruce had a jerk chicken sandwich. There was one table and someone was sitting at it, so I asked if we could join. He started to leave and I said, no, we don’t want you to go, we just want to join you. We started chatting and he told us that right across from where we were sitting, there used to be a Jamaican restaurant that belonged to his father. It closed a year ago because he decided to move back to Jamaica. The building has sat empty for a year, but now his niece is going to open a hair and nail salon there. He said that the local council is trying to fix up the neighborhood, improve the facades, etc., but it’s with a mind toward gentrification. In fact, two high rise buildings are scheduled to be built in the next year, so if I go back there, it will probably look very different. Fabian took us through a neighborhood shopping mall that has been there for decades.d It’s a series of tiny stores selling everything from fish to African fabrics (which I resisted) to housewares, with lots of little restaurants tucked in between them. There are two main aisles of stores and one of them was starting to be taken over by trendy restaurants and stores, not places that people in the neighborhood wanted. Happily in this case, the locals protested and the council made a rule that only a small percentage of the storefronts could be rented to outsiders. The funny thing is, those trendy places were completely empty when we were there. The local spots were hopping.

We then took the bus to Peckham and along the way Fabian pointed out fencing in front of one of the council housing buildings. It was made with metal stretcher poles from WW2. Because London was bombed so heavily, thousands of stretchers were needed. Once the war was over they had to think of something to do with the poles, so some clever person thought of this.

We walked along Peckham Rye high street so that Fabian could show us the planning scheme they’re working on. The street has been closed to all traffic but buses. The idea is to try to reclaim the land used for roads and make it better serve the people of the neighborhood. It will be interesting to see what they’ll come up with.

The area is multicultural, with a mix of stores and restaurants that you’d never see in the west end.

From Peckham, we travelled to Rotherhithe which is right on the banks of the Thames. The buildings here were once warehouses but have been transformed into expensive flats. The buildings are connected by small bridges, which is how the goods stored here were shifted.

On the walk to the Thames, we passed a primary school by an old cemetery. Space being at a premium, there are gravestones in the play area. It’s the oddest juxtaposition!

Another interesting bit of history from Rotherhithe is the connection to the pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower. The ship originally departed from Rotherhithe. It was only when there were problems with the Speedwell, the Mayflower's partner ship, that they returned to Plymouth, England. The Speedwell was deemed unseaworthy and Mayflower sailed alone out of Plymouth harbor.

When you walk to the river, there’s an impressive view of Tower Bridge.

We were there at low tide, which reminded me that there are people called mud lurkers who walk the banks of the Thames at low tide looking for treasure. They generally use metal detectors searching for old coins and jewelry and things which are often washed up with the tides. One slightly more pedestrian sight along the riverbank is that of bricks from buildings that were demolished in WW2.

As our tour ended, we all decided to head to the local pub for a quick pint before going our separate ways. If anyone is heading to London, I highly recommend this tour. You feel less a tourist and more someone learning how to become a local. It’s great value for money and a lovely way to spend a day.