Catch up post 2 - The Riviera

03 January 2007!!!!

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Read an update to this post here
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A shorter walk just to stretch my legs. It all seemed to quiet in the house after the holidays.

This time I wanted to see the view from the other side of the hill I walked up last time. So I headed for Taymount Rise. It was also suggested to me by Michael from the Forest Hill Society as a good place to see interesting buildings.

I walked past The Capitol again. I can't quite seem to do this justice. It is a great building with lots of history .. cinema, bingo hall, derelict, pub, etc. but the light has never been right to capture the essence yet.

From here up the road to Taymount Rise. The first thing that strikes you is the beautifully refurbished church. Of course it turns out it has been turned into apartments, so no wonder. Of course, it is being done elsewhere as well, but it seemed odd here. Slightly spooky. But then again Christ Church is even keeping the graveyard ... !!

At the top of the road was something out of a Poirot film. Taymount Grange is one of several buildings that seem Art Deco (1920's ?) and certainly don't seem to have late 20th century luxuries like double glazing. With the view, art deco architecture and palm trees you could be forgiven for feeling like you should be on the sea in the mediterranean instead.

This was quite enough of a shock for one day. The wintry haze did not help with the light for photos, so I returned home. This is an estate worth revisiting. I wonder what it is like actually living in these places? They look great and preserve lots of features from past decades, but how comfortable are they?

It would be interesting to catch up on a little more modern history of Forest Hill and meet a current resident to see if they romanticise these buildings as much as I do.

Catch up post 1 - blast off

Too little time over Christmas and in January to post, but here are a few recent walks to report on.

20 December
Went for a walk with the new camera to get to know it a little better and to get out the house whilke the weather was still good (anticipating a change).

This time I followed a path I had never noticed before running parallel to the railway on the northern side. It is not all that attractive (or safe at night) but it means you can walk a little faster without dealing with the busy pavements of Dartmouth Road. It also gives a nice insight into the original buildings of Forest Hill and all the new construction that is going on.

Following this along I came to the Foresters Hall. This was built about the same time as my house and it seems like it should have an interesting story to tell. Another one to ask Steve Grindlay about.

This led back up to Dartmouth Road more or less in line with the Forest Hill Baths (now sadly closed until further notice). The day was already getting dark and the fog on the horizon was clearing just enough for me to take an interesting shot of Crystal Palace. It took me about 30 photos to get it right. IT was taken from just outside Provender, a pretty good Health Food and Organic Cafe opposite the pools. Worth a visit.

From here I crossed the road to the Forest Hill Library, and up Thorpewood Avenue, then Derby Hill Crescent past the 1950's looking houses on the hill. At the top is an interesting sight of a nicely designed Art Deco-ish housing development (see one of my later posts for a different view from Taymout Rise). You can walk to the top of the building as the steps are not enclosed, but it was too dark for a decent panoramic shot, so I must return some time.

From here there is a rather hidden footpath that brings you back down to London Road. Again, nice in the day time, but rather long and badly lit for the night. However, it affords a nice view of the different houses and gardens in this area.

The path emerged immediately opposite Sainsbury's, so it was a quick right turn, and a dash to the Dartmouth Arms for a coffee (they also do good coffee here by the way) and then home, past the Christmas decorations trying to get us all in the mood for the impending day.

Recent offline

Thanks to Christmas, New Year, a dead XDA phone and a "series of unfortunate circumstances" I have been offline for a while. C'est la vie!

My thanks to Steve Shaw (might as well plug him as he got me back up and running after all) I am back for more rambling thoughts.

Only managed two walks recently, and should get round to posting these very soon.

Happy New Year!

(and a free tip; always remember to back up your PC!)