Tracking The Tube: District Line: 03: Turnham Green to Monument

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Weather: Warm and sunny
Distance Walked: 19.2km
Distance By Tube: 13.31km
Stations Visited:19
Fantastic Place: Natural History Museum

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19 Stations on this Leg

Magnolia in Bloom

Nice sunny day today and getting quite warm by the time I stepped out at Turnham Green station, which appears to be disguised as a flower stall. The flowery theme continued as I headed towards Stamford Brook with lots of Spring blossom, wisteria, Bachelor's Button and magnolia in bloom.

The route took me past the former nurses' home of the Royal Masonic Hospital, a wonderful Grade II listed building built in the 1930's with all the style and brutal grace that implies. Now converted into luxury apartments which I would imagine sell for a pretty penny.
 
There are a wide range of styles of station building on this part of the district line. From the humble, warm, red brick ones like Ravenscourt Park (one of my favourite Tube Station Charades that I am for some reason asked to do each Christmas Games) through to the modern glass construction of Bishopsgate via the granite fronted, almost hidden entrances of Mansion House. Not sure why this line doesn't have a consistent style like some of the other lines.

Ravenscourt Park itself is another of the great green spaces that I've come across on my various London walks (and fortunately there are far more of these and far less golf courses this far into the city) and it was thronged with children on half term and mothers with prams taking in the balmy spring weather. A very nice garden centre lies near the exit of the park and the entrance to the station which will do brisk business over the next couple of of Bank Holiday weekends no doubt.

Passing under the elevated section of the A4 took me past one of three venues at which I have seen

It will always be the Hammersmith Odeon to me!

gigs at in the past. In this case the Hammersmith Odeon, I'm struggling to remember who I saw here but most recently it was probably Steve Hackett the former Genesis guitarist on one of his solo tours a couple of years ago, I'll have to dig my old programmes and tickets out to see who else I've seen here. Hammersmith station is another of these that are buried inside a shopping centre.

It seems a theme of my walks recently have been hospitals and again on this leg I passed one, Charing Cross to be precise which is right up against the large Margravine Cemetery and the Queens Club tennis court. Barons Court station is one of the more attractive stations, warm soft orange sandstone with ornate lettering. An area of mansion flats follow including the former residence of Mahatma Gandhi before West Kensington station arrives, a small building on the bridge over the tracks.

Passing Earls Court Exhibition Centre (second gig venue of the leg - saw Pink Floyd there) via a very attractive crescent of buildings with pollarded  limes and London Planes before arriving at the other end of Earls Court station from the previous leg.

A stretch of very attractive squares with fenced in communal gardens all full of attractive trees and shrubs, gravel paths and neatly tended bedding follow before Gloucester Road station appears. This is another attractive building built in two styles, a ox-blood red one more reminiscent of the Metropolitan line and a taller yellow brick built building with mosaic lettering below the roof line.

Natural History Museum - London

 The area between Gloucester Road and South Kensington is one of my favourite parts of London and I have probably visited it more times than most areas of London. The Natural History Museum is one of my favourite places and we visit it several times a year. I used to be brought here by one of my big sisters for a birthday treat and I have a photo of me standing in the main doorway when I was about seven. Since then it has been cleaned thoroughly showing off the artfully coloured stone and the detailed carvings of animals, birds and plants. Just beyond it is the Science Museum and the Geological Museum two more frequently visited places and we have continued the tradition by taking two of our young 'god-children' to the Science Museum to educate them in the way to handle long queues! On the other side of the road is the Victoria and Albert Museum which is another treasure trove of delightful objects.

No time to stop today however and so after South Kensington station (with its ornate ironwork entrance), not using the Museum Tunnel this time, there is a longish stretch towards Sloane Square. This included a very attractive stretch around Sprimont Place which includes Grade II listed buildings (Arts and Crafts?) and a lovely village like feel with small shops (including nice looking cheese and fish shops).

Cadogan Hall

Near Sloane Square is Cadogan Hall where I've seen Marillion and Show of Hands. A cracking venue with great acoustics and a good atmosphere for a seated gig.

Sloane Square is best seen around Christmas at night where the trees are all decorated with balls of light. During a bright day the place is a bit like a busy island in the middle of a roundabout despite the upmarket shops and restaurants (and Peter Jones!) that line the streets around the station.

Its a return to quiet residential streets after leaving the hustle and bustle of Slone Square but only for a while. The area around Victoria station is a mass of building sites and busy roads (hence the rubbish picture of the tube station - the street is very narrow there with lots of big lorries going back and forth delivering and taking away materials.

Passing the stripy edifice that is Westminster Cathedral (not to be mistaken for Westminster Abbey which comes up shortly)  the busy Victoria Street leads to the heart of political London as it passes St James Park Station and the now sold off New Scotland Yard (not sure if the next base of the Metropolitan Police Force will be called Brand Spanking new Scotland Yard or not) with the Palace of Westminster, Portcullis House and Westminster Abbey all in close proximity. In fact despite living in London for over half my life I hadn't realised that Westminster Abbey was quite so close to the Houses of Parliament! The place was heaving with tourists and Westminster Station itself, though interesting inside being one of the modern ones for the Jubilee Line extension is rather drab on the outside.

Oliver Cromwell

The Elizabeth Tower

Westminster Cathedral

Arthur Sullivan Bust in Victoria Embankment Gardens

The next stretch was through the very attractive gardens that occupy the ground between the government offices and the Thames on what is the Victoria Embankment. Under this Joseph Bazalgette created the main sewer that cured the 'Great Stink' and due to his foresight in the scale of the sewers means that for thee most part London is rather more fragrant than it would be. Yet all the statues along the gardens tend to be, apart from some rather well designed War Memorials, to be government worthies. Bazalgette just gets a small bust and plaque at a busy road junction near Embankment station.

Next up is Temple Station which serves the Inns of

St George and the Dragon

Court, a rather strange place which I walked through with some trepidation as I wasn't at first sure if it was a public way or not (it was). Blackfriars station is next, a horrible modern, oversized, glass monstrosity out of keeping with the buildings around it and on a busy road junction around it. Next to it is the Blackfriars inn which is in the art nouveau style and is an oasis of peace in this hectic part of London.

Cannon Street and Monument come up quickly and are again modern buildings with little grace or style, the latter being very close to the Monument which marks the start of the Great Fire of London. I've climbed it once and the views are spectacular. I also did a walk that went from the Monument to the furthest edge of the Great Fire taking in many interesting places on the way.

That marked the end of this leg of the walk as it was only a short distance to Bank station for a simple journey back to Greenford on the Central Line. The tube was crowded with an odd mix of suited businessmen and costumed children who had just come from a performance of  Frozen!