Late yesterday morning I took a long walk through Shepherd's Bush and Chiswick, following a route I first took way back in 2012. It took me along Goldhawk Road and then along Chiswick High Street to Gunnersbury. The area around Shepherd's Bush Market has lots of exotic fabric shops and other colorful stores that make for good photography.
More than six years ago I posted a picture of this building, a former cinema that was then a colorful (but closed) "Australasian bar." I mentioned at the time that it had been purchased by a developer who planned to save the facade but erect a new residential building behind it. Here's the result.
It's not terrible, but it doesn't have the same quirky charm. It's just in bland good taste.
Someone's front garden (if you can call it a garden) collected this deep drift of yellow ginkgo leaves...
Finally, I passed the somewhat posh shops and cafes along autumnal Chiswick High Street before coming home via the Overground train from Gunnersbury station. I walked up to our flat just as Olga's dog walker was bringing her home, and she slept all afternoon. I think she's still recovering from all the excitement on Thursday.
What did I have for lunch? Turkey! And then what did we have for dinner? Turkey! And what will we have for lunch and dinner again today? Yep, you guessed it.
Those pastel houses are very pretty. I wonder if they drew lots to see who got which colour!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your leftover turkey!!
A great walk, chiswick is sweet, the mosaic house is there, I took a lot of photos but none do it justice. The Palladium hose looks characterless for sure. Tasteful? Safe? Seems to Be the theme this year. Nothing controversial..keeping the bland bland. Ginko golden garden is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHouse. There in no hose.
ReplyDeleteI love the colourful street. I wonder how they persuaded everyone to join in!
ReplyDeleteWe had pizza!
ReplyDeleteGranted the original colors of the building would be a bit much for a residence, but the “restoration” is so disappointing and doesn't look at all welcoming. I love your walks.
Perhaps because I live in rural Iowa with mostly plain brick structures everywhere, I think the rehab version of that buildings looks quite nice and appealing.
ReplyDeleteBut in general, we seem to be going the wrong way when it comes to designing the outsides of our buildings these days.
A drift of leaves. Love that.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a walk I'd have liked to come on, those fabric stores especially. You'd have had to walk on and collect me on the way back though.
ReplyDeleteThat was a fun walk with lots to see. You have so many wonderful choices when you want to go out for a hike, Steve!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing them with me!
The pastel houses remind me of the skinny houses on St. George Island- same colors. For whatever reason I like them on the beach better than in the city. Although if the city was near the Mediterranean or the Caribbean I think I would approve.
ReplyDeleteOh god! I have house-color prejudice!
And speaking of which- they should have kept the same color scheme for the Palladium that it had. That's my opinion, anyway. It is way too tasteful for my taste now.
I'm with Boud on the fabric stores. I could disappear in those for days.
Turkey left overs are fine for 2 days but after that they are terrible.
ReplyDeleteLovely walk! I especially enjoyed the leaf filled doorway.
ReplyDeleteI've got one more square of corn pudding left & then the leftovers are blessedly done. Well, there's still ham, but I don't think I'm eating any more of that.
I love the blue and white of the Palladium!
ReplyDeleteThe pastel painted houses remind me of some of the Victorian houses in San Francisco!
I can only imagine what Dave will do with leftover turkey! This morning, Trisha Yearwood and her sister, used leftover cranberry sauce to make a galette and topped it off with an almond crunch! Food Network, of course!
Well, it's snowing here and the sun is out! Crazy!!
That row of houses reminds me of Charleston, SC's own Rainbow Row.
ReplyDeleteI love the Gingko leaves; such wonderful color!
Too bad the new building didn't at least mimic some of the original facade.
I’m glad they saved the facade of the Palladium. And I love the row of colorful houses.
ReplyDeleteLeftovers are the norm right now. It is all very tasty but tonight I will go out for Chinese food. Your city walks are lovely. The shops are also very appealing; I'd probably be in the shops making a purchase or two.
ReplyDeleteThe row of pastel house fronts is very pleasing to the eye - well, MY eye, anyhow :) As are the gingko leaves. Our neighbour has a gingko tree; the leaves seem to fall all at once, and if there isn't much wind they collect in a perfect puddle of yellow.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised to see independent fabric stores. In the US, Joanne Fabrics has taken over the entire world, forcing high end quilting shops out of business. It's kind of sad. Beautiful walk!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like all that was saved is the shape of that front entrance. It does look nice but you are right, it doesn't have the same charm as before.
ReplyDeleteI love the pastel rainbow of houses. That's quite a sight to see.
Sadly, no left over turkey for me. I would have enjoyed at least one turkey sandwich. I do still have some left over French apple cake that I made for the event. I'll enjoy that for a couple more days.
I absolutely LOVE Ginkgo trees in the fall!
ReplyDeleteI do love turkey too but along with some leftovers, I'm eating way too much leftover pecan pie. I've been getting out on walks though, thankfully!
ReplyDeleteI agree about the Palladium. There is some blog which calls this "facadism" with great disgust. My own feeling is that it's better than some featureless block but not much. Years ago the hammersmith roundabout had a wonderful old house surviving. If you go around it you can still see the facade, but it has almost no presence at all now.
ReplyDeleteI had a nice day once at Gunnersbury (at least, I think it was the same!) You're right-- the Palladium IS bland.
ReplyDeleteCaro: Yeah, I wonder who they decided who gets what? It must have been a cooperative effort to ensure no two adjacent houses were the same color.
ReplyDeleteLinda Sue: Some day I have to go find that mosaic house!
Frances: Yeah, I wonder too! There are also streets in Notting Hill that use a lot of colors and pastels in that way.
Mitchell: It's just very bland, isn't it?
Ed: Well, it's better than tearing down the facade, for sure.
37P: It really did remind me of a snowdrift, but an autumnal one!
Boud: Ha! There are a LOT of them. You'd be there all day!
Ellen D: It IS true that I can walk in pretty much any direction and find interesting things. I'm lucky to live in such a place.
Ms Moon: The pastels DO look rather beachy or tropical. Maybe that's the look they were going for?!
Red: I agree. I've had enough.
Bug: So what will you do with it? Freeze it, maybe?
Marcia: They're always cooking up something exotic on the Food Network!
Bob: I wonder what the Palladium's original color scheme was -- like, back in the day. Maybe closer to what it is now. I'm not sure.
Ellen: Yes, it's great that they saved the facade. More builders should do that kind of thing.
Susan: Chinese food sounds great right about now!
Jenny-O: Ginkgos are always so amazing in autumn. They're so BRIGHT.
Allison: There are still lots of mom-and-pop stores in certain parts of London. The most prosperous areas, like Oxford Street or Mayfair or Knightsbridge, tend to be all chains.
Sharon: It was quite a sight to pass that street and look down and see all those colors!
Kelly: Me too!
Margaret: I've been trying to walk too but probably not as much as I should.
Jenny: I think saving facades is better than tearing down the whole building -- at least it preserves the streetscape, more or less.
Jeanie: I think it needs to be some other color than white. White is just too boring, even with the blue trim.