Bethnal Green

Another trip out in the East End - this time starting at Bethnal Green tube. This has a striking and unusual memorial at the entrance. It commemorates a tragedy that was, not unreasonably in the circumstances, hushed up at the time. And not a small one. 173 people died in a crush triggered by the sound of anti-aircraft fire in 1943 when the station was used as a bomb shelter. Would not be good for morale.

There are few handsome Georgian houses here (called Paradise Row), with an interesting blue plaque for a bare-knuckle fighter, not a traditional career for a Jewish gentleman.

The Salmon & Ball pub, an East End boozer once owned by England and West Ham legend Bobby Moore.

St John's Church designed by the great Sir John Soane which has managed to survive the blitz to attain Grade 1 listing.

This is Bethnal Green library, but it was once part of the local lunatic asylum.

Anther tragic memorial - the Alice Denman drinking fountain established by public subscription to mark the heroism of two passers by who lost their lives trying to save others from a fire.

Museum Gardens

(Yes I did like the roses!)

The Museum of the museum gardens is the Museum of Childhood, which I confess I have never visited and this might remain the case. Old toys not really my thing.

The building looks like an old railway shed but apparently it was a wrought iron frame which originated n Kensington and then moved here and a brick building constructed around it.

The best bits, to me, are the panels in the upper parts of the outside walls.

In 2007 it received "a tasteful new entrance" my guidebook says. I guess tasteful is a a matter of opinion!

But I do like "Museum Passage" which runs between the museum and the gardens. Has a lovely Victorian feel. (Although possibly a paradise for muggers....)

Nettleswell House

The Priory of the Assumptionist Fathers (really!) an obscure anti-Semitic French religious order. Although this looks pretty venerable it was only built in 1912 in Jacobean style.

Raines Secondary School. Again looks quite venerable..

...but here you can see the extension on its left. Not exactly a mirror image!

This is the London Chest Hospital, or at least its roof. It is undergoing refurbishment and this is all that pops out above the hoardings.

To the right some nice modest early Victorian dwellings, to the left in the distance the vast Cranbrook Estate designed by Berthold Lubetkin in his top soul-less Stalinist style.

Nearby is the rather pleasant church of St James the Less. Victorian steeple with 1960s knave. Yes, another victim of the Blitz.