Gorillas In Hammersmith & Labels In Chiswick ๐ฆ
The other Friday we had a pop up to Hammersmith, the weather was lovely and warm hitting the highs of about 26 degrees, the sun shining and a breeze to take off the heat a little, but it was still quite humid and the humidity increased as the day wore on.
We hopped the tube on the Hammersmith and City Line and when we got to the destination headed out of the station crossing over the road and following the road down to Hammersmith Bridge where our journey was to begin, I have to say the bridge is one of my favourites, it screams Victorian and is so grand. The journey we had planned was a walk (partly along the Thames Path) and head towards Hogarthโs House Museum and on to Chiswick House and Gardens and after head up into Chiswick and Turnham Green for a nose around. The journey from the Bridge to the Gardens works out at about half an hour and is about 1.4 miles and from there to Chiswick High Road a 15 minute 0.6 mile walk. It was, as mentioned, a lovely day and we had all the time in the world so we hit the trailโฆ
Hammersmith Pubs
Wow! As soon as you head from the bridge you almost trip over yourself with pubs. It starts with The Blue Anchor and right next door sits The Rutland Arms and there are many more Iโll mention on the route. The view from the path along the river is quite serene in comparison to the noise, hustle and bustle of Hammersmith itself, there were plenty of canoeists on the water practicing. The Thames Path follows alongside the river and was abound with people like us just enjoying a leisurely walk to plenty of dog walkers, joggers and cyclists each attempting to be respectful of each other.
We sat down and had some lunch at Furnival Gardens overlooking the water before heading off again and this time hitting a pub I have been meaning to go to for quite a time called The Dove, it is a lovely little place and has been around since the early 18th Century and frequented by names such as Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, Dylan Thomas and William Morris. It also hits the Guinness Book Of Records of being the smallest bar! It was a nice little stop off and we enjoyed a drink from the balcony overlooking the Thames in the sunshine! As it was heading towards lunchtime it began to get very busy, so I guess we chose just the right time!
Just around the corner to the pub is the William Morris Museum which was sadly closed, never mind I am sure we will head back another time. We carried on past The Old Ship pub and then past the next one called the Black Lion (see, told you there were lots of pubs!).
Onwards To Chiswick
We eventually reached St Nicholasโs Church and had a wander around and inside, it is another beautiful old church, you can catch some photos both inside and out at the gallery link here. Heading up the road from there lies yet another pub called The George & Devonshire and evidently this pub was used by smugglers, there appears to have been a tunnel from the pub to the Thames so that contraband could be hauled ashore out of prying eyes!
We headed down the underpass and over the road to Hogarthโs House, a free to get into museum. What sweet little museum and beautifully kept gardens (shame it is so near such a busy road, I am sure it was much more peaceful in Hogarthโs day.
After exploring the museum we headed just up the road into Chiswick House Gardens, it was getting even hotter at this point so it was quite nice to walk under the shade of some trees. We walked through into the Italian Gardens and onto the House itself, stopping for a sit down by the โCascadeโ a small water feature built into the wall which was quite pretty. We followed the lake along past the Ionic Temple and on to the โClassic Bridgeโ. It is a lovely place, the gardens are free, the house costs to enter but it was such a nice day it was good to be on the outside.
The next stop was Chiswick High Road. I have to be honest I have a bit of a soft spot for it. It has some nice old pubs e.g. The Old Packhorse and The George IV, both have a nice vibe about them. Chiswick also has a regular antiques market on the second Sunday of each month as well as โThe Old Cinemaโ which, you guessed it used to be a cinema and is now a fantastic, if a little expensive antiques centre, just going into the building an having a nose around what used to be the cinema is good enough. We finished up in the George IV for a lovely refreshing cider with some ice thrown in to cool off before heading back to Turnham Green and the District Line to home.
And Get Down To The Music
I canโt leave any post without some sounds and this time it falls to a band that come into the whole proto punk/garage rock kind of sound and oddly enough went by the name of The Hammersmith Gorillas, you can catch their track โGatecrasherโ from 1977 released on the independent Chiswick Records label with the B Side being 'Gorilla Got Me'.
The band had actually kicked off in 1974 and I suspect had done much of the pub circuit to build up what was evidently a bit of a cult following as their live act was full of energy. Chiswick obviously snapped them up to add to their catalogue of pub rock/power pop/punk releases. You can catch more of Chiswick Records Label posts at the tag link.
See, I managed it, one post, two places and some music that fits both! Enjoy whatever you get up to until next time!
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Picture Thanks
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