William Pickering

I have been given a bottle of port by a generous friend who found himself unable to walk past Berry Bros & Rudd without making a purchase. It is a twenty-year-old tawny labelled William Pickering – not a port house with which I am familiar.

Chelsea Morning

Have you noticed this structure just off the King’s Road at the end of Dovehouse Street? It is a flight of stairs leading nowhere used to train firemen to deal with fires in blocks of flats. There are more beautiful buildings in Chelsea, two of which have a military heritage.

Reconstruction

90% of the medieval centre of Nuremberg was destroyed by Allied bombing in just an hour. How was it rebuilt? Here are some pictures.

Double Chapel

For lunch I had Fränkischer Pfefferschinken & Frankenthaler Käse and Apfelstrudel. Nuremberg Castle was built in the 11th century and played a central role in the history of Bavaria and Germany for almost 1,000 years, that is until 1945.

Riverside Studios

The Riverside Studios beside Hammersmith Bridge will re-open towards the end of this year. I took a look at progress yesterday afternoon.

Lock and Pots

In weather reminiscent of the opening passage of Dance I walked upstream to Richmond on Monday morning. The white notices on these trees are Preservation Orders dated last month. Does this mean every tree will have to sport a white badge if it’s not to be chopped down?

A Good Conversion

These two houses in Margravine Gardens, built in 1890, were rather dilapidated until recently. Now they have had basement extensions, been converted into flats and look smart.

High Rise Rubbish

I walked from Barons Court to Southwark Bridge on Thursday morning (two hours). It was a sunny day and snowdrops and crocuses were out in the parks.

Fulham Reach

Fulham Reach is the fancy name for the new blocks of flats on the river downstream from the Riverside Studios. I admire their winter garden but notice these new developments only take a lot of trouble over their appearance until the last flat is sold.