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London Street Art and Books

Want to maximize your time in London and get off the beaten path to see London as few tourists do? Take a stroll along Regent’s Canal and see a truly unique bookstore, street art, a one-of-a-kind park, Victorian-era structures, canal boats, and locks and iconic Camden Market.

London’s a big city and it’s impossible to see and do it all. You want to pack in as much as you can while you’re here, so planning is essential. Without a plan, you’re likely to waste time and do a lot of backtracking between sights and activities. There’s a better way!

Focusing on different areas each day is a great way to see a lot, keep energy and enthusiasm up and minimize the time (and money) spent moving around the city. This is the first of several geographically-compact outings we’ll post. They’ll include some well-known and must-see locations, but they’ll focus on off the beaten path and less well-known hidden treasures.

King’s Cross St. Pancras Station

This walk starts at King’s Cross St. Pancras Station. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, get there early to beat the crowds for a picture at Platform 9¾ before setting off on the walk. From there, the exit by Caffé Nero leads to Battle Bridge Place, where this walk starts.

From St. Pancras or elsewhere in King’s Cross, exit toward Pancras Road and look for the enormous birdcage with a swing inside (north of Euston Road). Take the pedestrian and cyclists only tree-lined walkway on the right to walk north past the shops. Cross the street at Goods Way (the crosswalk will be right in front of you). Walk over the bridge to cross the canal to Granary Square.

Granary Square & Coal Drops Yard

Ahead is Granary Square, a former canal basin on Regent’s Canal where barges once loaded and unloaded; it’s now a public square with large, choreographed fountains, cafes and restaurants. On the left side of Granary Square is Coal Drops Yard shopping center housed in restored Victorian-era coal drops. Trains would drop their loads of coal into the buildings where it was sorted and then distributed by horse and cart throughout the area. On the right side of the Square is House of Illustration, Canopy Market and a few more shops and cafes.

If you’re there during the day Friday through Sunday, you can browse the market. For a simple budget meal, Waitrose sells sandwiches and salads for an impromptu picnic on the square.

House of Illustration is in front of the market. For a small fee, you can view their current exhibitions of artists and illustrators in three different galleries. It’s a surprising treat for anyone, but a must-see for artists and illustrators.

Word on the Water

London Art and Books
London Book Barge

On the canal in front of House of Illustration, there’s a ramp to the towpath where you’ll find Word on the Water, London’s famous book barge. This floating bookstore used to travel up and down Regent’s Canal, but found a home here. Browse the shop, take some pictures, chat with one of the owners who work the shop daily, and support a local bookstore by buying a book to read next time you’re on the tube.

St. Pancras Lock & Gasholder Park

Stay on the towpath and walk west (under the bridge you crossed earlier); just around the corner is St. Pancras Lock. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to watch a boat navigate through the self-service lock. Adjacent to the lock on the far side of the canal, there’s a large, red-brick, Victorian water tower that once supplied water for steam locomotives at St. Pancras Station.

  • London Art and Books
    St. Pancras Lock in use
  • London Art and Books
    Party boat on Regent’s Canal

Keep walking west past the lock, and you’ll see Gasholder Park on your right. You can’t miss the large cast-iron structure that is the park’s dominant feature. The cast-iron frame was originally on the opposite side of the canal where it was part of a gas storage facility erected in the 1850s that remained in use through the late 20th Century. During redevelopment of the area, it was removed, restored and reconstructed in this newly built park. Next to the park are three more restored Victorian cast-iron gasholder guide frames giving architectural interest to the recently built Gasholders apartments.

Continue along the towpath until you reach the stairs for Camden Road (look for Costa Coffee). Along the way, look out for small pieces of street art and enjoy the variety of canal boats moored along the route. Also, watch out for cyclists on the sometimes-narrow path.

The walk from Word on the Water to Camden Road is less than a mile and should take about 20 minutes, depending on how often and how long you stop to look at things along the way.

Camden Town & Market

At the top of the stairs, turn right and walk into Camden Town, known for its counter-culture scene and nightlife. Its streets and buildings sport stunning street art, and its markets are known for fashion, food and curiosities. Follow this route through the street art and fun and funky shops of Camden Town to reach Camden Market:

  • Right on Kentish Town Road (in front of Camden Town Underground Station)
  • First left onto Buck Street
  • Right on Camden High Street
  • Walk over the canal (and Camden Lock) to the market on your left
London Art and Books
The worst street art in Camden. You’ll have to go to see the amazing stuff yourself!

Camden Market is actually a few adjacent markets that started as a small Sunday market in the early 1970s. It’s now a mix of traditional market stalls and permanent buildings operating almost all day every day (individual business hours vary). Stroll around and enjoy people watching, shopping, and numerous world-food options. If you’re an Amy Winehouse fan, visit her statue on the far side of the market at 407 Chalk Farm Road.

End Walk at Camden

If you’re ready to end your day, exit the market onto Chalk Farm Road/Camden High Street and walk to either Chalk Farm (left turn on Chalk Farm Road) or Camden Town (right turn on Camden High Street) Underground Stations, both are on the Northern Line.

If you’re hungry for more and the weather is cooperating, buy food and drink to picnic on nearby Primrose Hill and enjoy a spectacular view of London.

Primrose Hill

Follow this route to reach Primrose Hill from Camden Market:

  • Go back across the bridge you crossed before the market and return to the canal towpath.
  • Walk alongside the lock continuing west until you reach Gloucester Avenue (immediately after you walk under the large rail bridge).
  • Exit the towpath and turn right on Gloucester Avenue.
  • First left on Princess Road.
  • Walk to Regent’s Park Road, there’s no sign, but look for a church on the corner and it’s bigger, busier street with a zebra crossing.
  • Cross at the zebra and turn right to go north.
  • The entrance to the park is one-tenth of a mile up Regent’s Park Road at Albert Terrace. Walk up the hill and enjoy the view and your picnic.

End Walk at Primrose Hill

London Art and Books
View from Primrose Hill

After enjoying the view and picnicking, the closest tube station is Chalk Farm Road, which is a half mile away. The shortest route is to walk east (left when facing the London skyline) down the hill to Regent’s Park Road and go left, walking away from the park. Cross the bridge over the tracks, stay left on the other side and turn right on Adelaide Road. The station will be just ahead on the left.

If you do the walk, please come back and leave a comment to let us know how it went and what your favorite sights were. Have a suggestion for another walk? Leave a comment.

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St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert

One of my favorite spots in London is Trafalgar Square. Emerging from the claustrophobic Underground into the openness of Trafalgar feels like being transported into the beating heart of London. Street musicians perform to the accompaniment of buzzing traffic and locals and tourists alike bustle around the square.

Nelson’s column pierces the sky, its feline guardians keeping watch while fountains mist the air. My eyes always go to the fourth plinth to admire its current occupant, which always seems out of place. Then, I admire the architecture surrounding the square from the neoclassical National Gallery and Admiralty Arch to the Christopher Wren inspired St. Martin in the Fields. Only after taking this inventory am I ready to proceed to our destination.

St. Martin in the Fields

This past Tuesday, our destination was St. Martin in the Fields, which regularly hosts classical music concerts. We had been meaning to find time to attend one but hadn’t yet. Then, a wonderful new friend offered us her tickets to Moonlight Sonata by Candlelight because she was unable to attend. We happily accepted her gracious offer.

St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
St. Martin in the Fields

The church dates to at least 1222 but was rebuilt in 1542 at Henry VIII’s direction. It was rebuilt again in the 1720s, and that is the version standing today, after a recent renewal project. The church predates everything around it as it was originally quite literally in the fields outside of London. Today, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city, it has adapted as an institution to its modern setting. The basement crypt holds a gift shop, box office, and café aptly named Café in the Crypt, which is where we decided to eat before the concert, along with a number of other concert goers as it turned out.

The Crypt

The crypt entrance is a modern glass cylinder adjacent to the church enclosing an elevator and short spiral staircase. A clever sign lists the benefits of using the steps and leaving the elevator for the less able. The large and modern lobby at the bottom of the stairs contains the box office and gift shop. The café is in the actual crypt with an arched and vaulted brick ceiling and tombstones in the floor. Many of the tombstones are too worn to read. The high ceiling with up lighting makes it an attractive and warm space despite its name. We took advantage of the two-course special with wine and dessert. I enjoyed delicious coq au vin with roasted squash while Kurt opted for the aubergine pasty with potatoes. We both enjoyed an apple crumble with custard for dessert.

  • St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
    crypt ceiling
  • St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
    Cafe in the Crypt
  • St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
    tombstones in the crypt floor

An elderly woman was eating alone at the table next to us. After looking at us a few times, she asked me if I would watch her things while she used the toilet. She came back and asked how we enjoyed the apple crumble. She said that it’s her favorite but that they don’t always get it right. Before her husband passed away three years ago, they would share one. She was going to the concert and was delighted to learn we were as well. When she headed upstairs to the church, I watched her stooped figure climb the stairs. I wasn’t sure whether to feel sad for her possible loneliness or celebrate her continuing doing things she enjoys.

Climbing the steps up to the church, the cold night air and hum of the city washed down on us. After showing our tickets, we walked into the church for the first time. It’s even more beautiful inside. Dark wood pews and paneling contrast white columns supporting the arched ceiling with molded details and gold leaf accents. Six glass chandeliers illuminated the nave. Two large candelabras with enormous taper candles lit the sanctuary, and tealight candles scattered throughout the church provided a warm glow.

After collecting our seat cushions, an usher escorted us along the north aisle to our seats in the third row facing the keys of the piano. Warren Mailley-Smith would play for us. Only once seated did we see the enormous pipe organ above the entrance to the nave. Kurt observed that it must sound amazing. We agreed we’d have to look for an opportunity to return to hear it. While taking in the beauty of the setting, I noticed our neighbor from dinner at the front almost within arm’s reach of the body of the piano. I smiled to myself and celebrated.

Beautiful Music

The concert began promptly, and Mailley-Smith commented briefly on most of the pieces before he played them. His playing was magnificent throughout. A highlight from the first half was Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 2, which delighted everyone in attendance and conjured visions of Tom and Jerry cartoons. Kurt observed that everyone was smiling during that piece. Another favorite of mine was the joyful Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by Edvard Grieg.

After the interval, we were treated to a small assortment of Chopin pieces, but the highlight of the second half was the last two pieces. The penultimate piece was Sergei Rachmaninov’s Prelude Op 3 no 2 in C sharp minor. Mailley-Smith noted before playing it that one only needs hands large enough to reach across an octave to play the piano; however, Rachmaninov had unusually large hands and could reach much farther than that. Because of that, he wrote music that he could comfortably play but which presents a great challenge to other pianists. I watched in awe as Mailley-Smith’s hands flew across the keys without seeming to touch them yet yielded beautiful music. The finale was George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, another audience favorite that left everyone smiling.

A Church with Something for Everyone

It was an enchanted evening layered in beauty, and we are extremely grateful to our benefactor. The church is well worth a visit. In addition to evening concerts, the church offers tours, free lunch-time concerts as well as periodic talks and of course, church services. The church is known for its long-standing homeless outreach programs, which may be why its crypt toilet facilities are open to the public (no fee is charged, but a small donation is requested). So, if you find yourself in Trafalgar Square, surely at least one of those attractions will entice you to St. Martin in the Fields.