What I Did On My Holidays, Day 6

 

 

London Sister kindly met me at King's Cross which was a good thing as it is a big and busy station. On the way to our prearranged meeting place, I passed a very long queue which I hoped was not for the toilet. It was, in fact, the queue to Platform 9¾ and consisted of excited Harry Potter fans, most of whom were accompanied by parents or other grown-ups. An expensive day out for the adults I guess.

From King's Cross to Muswell Hill where we passed a pleasant evening then an early night for me. Saturday was going to be a busy day.

We were going from Muswell Hill to have lunch with Ganching. Having set out in good time we found we were a tad early for our train connection so went for a wander in the direction of the Roupell Street Conservation Area consisting of several streets of housing dating from the early 19th century, built by a wealthy gold refiner, John Palmer Roupell. If the streets should look familiar that's because the area is often used on location shoots for films and television.

Ganching gave us a delicious lunch and after coffee, we set off for Greenwich. I think I was there about 50 years ago but I don't remember much about it. This time we visited The Queen's House which was lovely and despite giving myself a crick in my neck I did not manage a decent photograph of the famous Tulip Stairs. Never mind. I can always look at Ganching's.

Back to Muswell Hill to catch the end of my brother-in-law's Americana GMT show on Mad Wasp Radio. Then we were off and out again to a lovely Italian restaurant near Finsbury Park. All of us, Ganching too. I don't know how Londoners keep up the pace.

The Old Dairy

London is not like Northern Ireland, you wouldn't even know there was a General Election coming up. No posters anywhere, except for a few in people's windows, and all of those were supporting Labour. Somehow, I managed to avoid meeting any obvious Tories while I was there.

You'll be wondering if I went only to Islington North and stayed put but that is not what happened for I travelled widely around the capital beginning in Tottenham Hale, passing through Finsbury Park on the way to Muswell Hill. People sleep rough under the bridge at Finsbury Park which is a sobering sight. From Finsbury Park to Muswell Hill we passed the Old Dairy in Crouch Hill, which in the eighties was opposite flats where all four of my sisters used to live. The building has been gentrified and is now a restaurant.

Deirdre and Bert in Crouch Hill, the Old Dairy, sometime in the 1980s

The Old Dairy dates from the early 1890s. This recent photo is from Google Maps.

I decided this time that I wouldn't visit galleries or museums. Rather, I would walk lots and just soak up the atmosphere and history of the city. History is everywhere.

I remember Matty was very taken by the dairy. I think it tickled her that a building associated with farming was located in the heart of a huge city. But city folks like milk too and back in the 19th century it just wasn't possible for everyone to have their own cow. London contained a good number of dairies and herds of milking cows were to be found throughout the city. The Friern Manor Dairy Company which owned the building in Crouch Hill was one of many. Their cows were grazed and milked in Peckham, the milk distributed from churns and ladled into the customer's own jug.

London Sister, who once lived in Crouch Hill with Ganching, Kerry Sister and Leitrim Sister, is still not that far from an old dairy. In 1915 Manor Farm Dairy sold milk and poultry from this building in Muswell Hill.

One hundred years later, yet another of life's basic essentials was being sold from the same building.

I definitely preferred the original entrance.

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