For our second day in London we decided on a walk by the river. After a good cooked breakfast we set of in sunshine but with a cool wind. We were asked the way to the river by an older bloke who turned out to be a Swedish farmer that was over in the area staying a daughter. When I asked him why he wanted to go to the river he simply said because he had never seen it! It was is first time in London. His daughter was living over here translating films and adding Swedish sub titles. We arrived at the River just before Battersea Bridge and he turned down stream and we ventured up towards Chiswick.
Battersea Bridge.
Chiswick has a Mall that runs by the river. It has a couple of small rowing clubs. We didn't see any boats on the river other than a rowing four with their coach in a speed boat shouting instructions to them. It seemed like a nice day to be on the river too. The Mall runs past the small island of Chiswick Eyot that is close to the north bank. between the island and the bank there were several house boats that had permanent moorings with little garden plots that were fenced and hedged off. It seems that one of the moorings (and house boat) are up for sale. For 16 years of the 25 year lease and mains water, gas, electricity and sewage you just have to part with £350000. At the far end of the mall was Hammersmith Creek that ran to the Stamford Brook. It was around here that in 1861 John Thorneycroft started a boat building business. It was here that they built the first ever Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Daring in 1893. By 1909 the size of the ships required had outgrown the site and the business moved to Southampton and survives to this day. On the site of the mouth of the creek is now a garden/park. In the 1920's the council started to improve the area and the creek was filled in in 1936. During WWII there was much bomb damage and in fact the first V2 rocket fell on Chiswick. A Quaker Meeting House was flattened and after the war it was decided to create an open space in time for the Festival of Britain. It was named Furnivall Gardens after Dr. James Fredrick Furnivall (1825 - 1910) who was a scholar and founder of the first rowing club that would accept women, now called the Furnivall Rowing Club in 1896.
Fullers, Smith and Turner's Griffin Brewery. The green on the buildings is claimed to be the oldest wisteria in the country. Two were bought from China, one here and one for Kew Gradens. The one at Kew died but they got a cutting from this one. It is said to be fed on beer.
The reason for heading this way was to take part in a brewery visit at Fuller's Chiswick Brewery that is almost on the river front. By the way Chiswick is Old English for 'cheese farm' as an annual cheese fair was held here up, until the 18th century. The meeting place was at the pub by the brewery, The Mason Arms that had at one time been the home of the poet Alexander Pope. There were about 11 of us on tour. four or five Chinese, an American and a couple of older ladies from central London that were old friends and got together each month to do something different, along with us odds and sods.
The brewery is over 350 years old but has obviously been improved using modern methods. They make cask ales and will not move from the site. The old buildings give the place a a great feel and comes over as a real family business.
The Fullers bought into the brewery with the Thompson family who were pretty hopeless. In 1839 he died but passed his controlling share over to his son John Bird Fuller. By 1845 he bought out the Thompson's completely. He needed capital and expertise and this is where the Smith and Turner come into the picture. We did learn that there most famous beer 'London Pride' is not simply named after being proud of London but after the garden plant that was one of the first plants to grew on the bomb sites of WWII.
Saxifrage 'London Pride'.
The tour was over an hour long and despite being modernised they have kept enough of the old equipment to make it very intersting. The new barrel cleaning and filling line and the robot arm called 'Les' after the company engineer are also impressive.
Original copper mash tun.
You get plenty of time to get your money back with sampling the different ales. They now also own Gales Brewery so they also have good beers. Helen really liked the Country Orchard cider that they stock too. So much so that she bought a bottle and glass at the shop at the brewery.
I think I got my monies worth.
After walking back to the hotel slowly and with widow shopping and coffee stops we were soon on our up town for a meal in Soho and then to the Palace Theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue. It is a lovely atmospheric theatre with illuminated cherubs. We had enough time to look round TK Max and came out with a small caserole dish that will sit on top of the stove on the boat and a much reduced handbag for Helen.
Palace Theatre, London.
The show we went to see was The Commitments. I enjoyed it and the music is great, but they just can't beat the film which was one of my favourites.
The Commitments musical.
We were back at the hotel in about 30 mins and a well earned kip in a very comfy bed, with a window that opened.
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